Captain Alexander Peacock Receives Sail Trainer of the Year Award

Gives Sold-out Talk Hosted by Gundalow Company

In January, schooner Bowdoin Master Captain Alexander Peacock accepted the 2024 Sail Trainer of the Year Award from Tall Ships America in recognition of his “contribution to sail training through the demonstration of leadership by means of empowerment and inspiration.”

MMA President Craig Johnson ’91 said, “We are thrilled that Captain Peacock has received this well-deserved national recognition for his impressive accomplishments as an instructor at the Maine Maritime Academy. Captain Peacock is a great asset to the Academy’s faculty and its students.”

Johnson added that, “The schooner Bowdoin’s 2024 Arctic voyage, commanded by Captain Peacock, culminating in the crossing of the 70th Parallel, is an illustration of the multidisciplinary, practical and academic pursuits of the students, staff, and faculty at Maine Maritime Academy. Their journey adds to the Bowdoin’s historical legacy so important and unique to the State of Maine and the Academy.”

After receiving the award, Captain Peacock said, “This recognition is truly a reflection of the crew, both students and professionals, that I’ve had the privilege of sailing with as well as the mariners I have sailed under in my career. The award also speaks to the crew’s collective efforts as we logged miles and grew stronger with each challenge the Arctic voyage presented. The extreme conditions tested us, but together we faced them and only grew tighter, stronger, and more resilient.”

In March, the Gundalow Company hosted Captain Peacock and crew members David Stolz and Tyler Jupp to discuss the Bowdoin’s 2024 Arctic voyage at the STAR Theatre in Kittery, Maine.

Discussing the speaking engagement, Captain Peacock said, “Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of coming into Portsmouth under sail in command of several iconic vessels: the square topsail schooner Lynx, the Spirit of Bermuda, and, of course, the Arctic schooner Bowdoin. However, I have not had the opportunity to speak in front of my peers, family, neighbors, and friends where I grew up and am honored to be invited by the prominent and impactful Gundalow Company. The sense of community and connection makes it all the more special.”

Captain Peacock discussed the Bowdoin’s recent voyage of more than 4,500 miles during which the vessel crossed north of the 70th Parallel off the west coast of Greenland. The journey was the first time in 16 years that the 103-year-old schooner Bowdoin, a National Historic Landmark, sailed to the Arctic.

Training on the Bowdoin, students learn skills including terrestrial and celestial navigation, watchkeeping, vessel handling, emergency operations, passage planning and the entering and clearing of foreign ports.

Describing the experience on the Arctic voyage aboard the Bowdoin, Maine Maritime Academy student Mackenzie Morin said, “We developed seamanship under challenging conditions, posed scientific questions in these remote environments, honed engineering competency while maintaining the vessel’s integrity, and gained business insight in coordinating logistics.”

The schooner Bowdoin’s student crew also conducted scientific research under the supervision of Maine Maritime Academy Professor Kerry Whittaker involving the collection of environmental DNA to measure and monitor biodiversity. They are investigating the relationship between observed biodiversity and the physical parameters of the marine environment including conductivity, temperature, and depth.

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