The Thrifty Prep: Roseway Sail

Last Thursday I had the wonderful opportunity to sail aboard Roseway, a classic wooden gaff-rigged 137' foot schooner that sails out of Boston Harbor as part of the World Ocean School. While she makes voyages from Boston to St. Croix in the USVI, serving as a mobile classroom teaching sailing and ocean skills to under-served youths in the Boston community, she also makes weekly sails in the summer for those who want to take in the Boston skyline at sunset.

As an added bonus, this summer the World Ocean School partnered with several local craft breweries to offer beer-tasting sails, which combine two of my favorite things. This past week the featured guest was Backlash Brewery, a small craft operation who brew their beer locally in Massachusetts.

Roseway was built in 1925, and well maintained throughout the years, and was registered as a National Historic Landmark in 1997. One interesting fact from her history is that during WWII while Boston Harbor was under defensive blockade, Roseway was designated as a US Coast Guard patrol boat and fitted with a .50 Cal gun. This weaponry has since been removed of course, but I found it pretty amazing to be sailing aboard a part of US history.

I highly recommend the 2-hour sails offered aboard Roseway, and you can purchase tickets here.

Prices range from $35 for a standard weekend cruise, $50 for a beer or wine tasting, or $75+ for special events such as the upcoming Labor Day fireworks.

The following photos were shot on an iPhone 6 using an app called "Shoot" which provides advanced features not found in the standard camera app, such as manual exposure times, color balancing, and fine-tuned "manual" focusing.

Looking up the mast

Departing Rowes Wharf

The original wheel, made in Gloucester, MA

A J/30 named "Good News" at sail.

The sail took us directly underneath the final approach for runway 4L at Logan International Airport, so there were many flights coming in low overhead. This only added to the excitement of the cruise.