The Schooner Bowdoin’s Background

The Bowdoin was built by Donald MacMillan, the son of a schooner captain lost at sea off the coast of Newfoundland when Donald was nine. MacMillan was captivated by ships, the ocean, and the Arctic from the time he was a young boy. He made his first trip to the Arctic in 1908, at the age of 33, on an expedition to the North Pole led by Arctic explorer Robert Peary.

In 1913, MacMillan led his own voyage to the Arctic in search of what Peary believed to be a landmass he called Crocker Land. Sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History, the American Geographical Society, and the University of Illinois, the journey was expected to last two years, but lasted four after their ship, the steamer Diana, struck ground attempting to avoid an iceberg. Successive vessels sent to aid MacMillan and his crew were unable to reach the party due to the extreme conditions.

Historic photos Courtesy of The Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, Bowdoin College.

In the summer of 1917, a ship finally reached them. While MacMillan was pleased to be able to return home, he wrote that the “Great Northland [had] a relentless grip” on him and that he intended to return on his own, purpose-built vessel. MacMillan began thinking about the vessel’s design.

MacMillan insisted that the Bowdoin “should be… not one whit larger than is necessary the equipment and provisions of the personnel” to be able to “worm herself though narrow leads [and] take sharper corners.” Her 88-foot curved hull would be built of the “very best” white oak, a deck of white pine, and masts of Douglas fir. Bowdoin was designed with two sealed bulwarks in case she of catastrophic damage, she could still float.

MacMillan commissioned noted naval architect William Hand to design the schooner according to his specifications. The Bowdoin was built at Hodgdon Brothers Shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine, and launched on April 9, 1921; she crossed into the Arctic for the first time on August 23 of that year. She represents a timeless achievement of excellence in naval architecture with a specific purpose: the navigation of Arctic waters. MacMillan would sail Bowdoin to the Arctic 18 times from 1921 to 1954, when he was 80 years old.

Bowdoin was commissioned by the U.S. Navy for use during World War II, initially under the command of MacMillan, and later under Lt. Stuart Hotchkiss, to survey sites for airfields in Greenland used to refuel during transatlantic flights. To fool German submarines, MacMillan would shine a light into the mainsail to look like a fishing boat and sink floating mines with his shotgun.

After the War, the Bowdoin was sold back to MacMillan, until he sold the vessel to the Mystic Seaport Museum in 1959. She was left in a state of neglect and disrepair until the Schooner Bowdoin Association was formed to purchase and restore the vessel in 1968. Between 1979 and 1984, Bowdoin underwent a complete rebuild at Percy and Small Shipyard at Maine Maritime Museum.
Maine Maritime Academy took possession of the Bowdoin in 1988 and sailed her back to the Arctic in 1991 for the first time in 37 years with Andy Chase ’79 as Captain. She returned to the Arctic in 1994, skippered by Captain Elliot Rappaport and 2008, skippered by Captain Rick Miller. This year, the Bowdoin returned to the Arctic for the first time in 16 years under the leadership of Captain Alex Peacock.

Captain Peacock joined the Academy in December 2022 after four years in command of Spirit of Bermuda for the Bermuda Sloop Foundation, sailing the Caribbean, the Mid-Atlantic, and Canada with students. Spending time on vessels such as Lynx, Pride of Baltimore II, Charles W. Morgan, and Spirit of Bermuda, Peacock has been involved with projects including engine repowers, hull and rig restorations, USCG ABS inspections, ocean race preparation, and other aspects of commanding sailing vessels.

The 2024 Arctic Voyage

The Bowdoin set out from Boothbay Harbor, Maine, in honor of her 1921 launch, on May 29, 2024, crossing the Arctic Circle at 66°33’33 on June 19 and the 70th Parallel on June 29. The voyage of more than 4,500 miles lasted eight weeks and included a crew of six professional mariners and nine Maine Maritime Academy students.

Before departing Boothbay Harbor, 350 elementary students from the region came to visit Bowdoin and learn about the vessel, maritime skills and techniques, astronomy, and the geography of the North Atlantic, Labrador Sea, and Davis Strait from the crew. Among them were the great grandchildren of those who built the vessel at Hodgdon Brothers Shipyard.

Bowdoin navigating cold waters.

Shortly after setting out, the “reality of the North Atlantic started to set in,” according to Captain Peacock, “after consistent four-foot swells.” Peacock described a “fairly weak low that stalled ahead of us for a few days pumping easterlies our way, making Bowdoin work for Newfoundland.” For most of the way to Newfoundland, “we experienced heavy fog… a washing machine sea state of five to six feet and occasionally up to 9 feet with winds out of the east at 15-20kts,” Peacock indicated.

Captain Peacock set a course across a 1,000+ mile stretch of the Labrador Sea from abeam the old whaling outpost Hawke Harbour and neighboring Stony Island, Labrador, where Chase and crew erected a cairn in 1990. A “combination of navigating forecasted and observed areas of ice and wind angle” went into the decision of when and where to cross, according to Peacock. A route from “St. John’s to Nuuk would have taken us through a thicker area of icebergs due to an accumulation from the current moving them south.”

The Bowdoin arrived in Nuuk Port and Harbour at N64° 10’, W51° 44’ on June 15 and crossed into Arctic waters on June 19. The crew “participated in an ‘Order of the Blue Nose’ ceremony, a maritime tradition in which sailors who cross the Arctic Circle enter the realm of Boreas Rex, the King of the North, and must complete a series of challenges for induction,” according to graduate student crew member, Jorge Morales-Lopez. Continuing north, the Bowdoin arrived in Ilulissat, the Kalaallisut word for “icebergs,” on June 19.

Iceburg dead ahead.

The Arctic is a “landscape too surreal to comprehend,” according to Peacock, which he described as a deeply emotional experience for the entire crew. She rendezvoused with the cutter rigged Arctic Earth and her team, owner David Conover, Captain Magnus, Mate Julia, and Chase for nine days to explore “new fjords, calving glaciers, and abandoned settlements, even naming a couple of bays along the way,” Peacock indicated. The crew also weathered katabatic winds, capable of completely clearing a field of ice within a fjord, which he described as “astounding.”

The Bowdoin is equipped with a “crow’s nest” or “ice box,” which plays a critical role in the ability to navigate waters dangerously packed with icebergs. The crew communicates precise descriptions and instructions between the crow’s nest, crew on deck, and the crew member at the wheel. “Maneuvering in the ice, which looks like a wall from deck-level, she seems to know the way,” Captain Peacock described navigating the “bergy” waters, adding that it is as if “she has a soul.”

In describing the landscape, Moreles-Lopez claimed that “even the most stunning photos cannot fully capture the sheer beauty, remoteness, and rawness of these places.” Bowdoin’s last port stop in Greenland was Sisimiut, arriving on July 6, before setting course back toward Labrador. After brief stops in Battle Harbour and Mary’s Harbour, the crew set course for Castine, where they arrived to an enthusiastic crowd and media coverage.

A Unique Education

Arctic voyages on the Bowdoin are educational opportunities unique to Maine Maritime Academy. Students learn not only maritime skills, but teamwork, confidence, and leadership in an environment few vessels are able to navigate.

The student crew, under the supervision of Professor Kerry Whittaker, collected water samples throughout the voyage to conduct environmental research. According to Dr. Whittaker, the student crew “successfully conducted physical oceanographic surveys in Greenland waters using an instrument that records salinity, temperature, and depth data, and took seawater samples for future environmental DNA studies.” The student crew is also collaborating with the Ocean Genome Atlas Project by collecting water samples for ocean genomic research, which will complement their environmental DNA metabarcoding work.

“Maneuvering in the ice, which looks like a wall from deck-level, she seems to know the way,” Captain Peacock described navigating the “bergy” waters, adding that it is as if “she has a soul.”

“Recognition of [the Arctic’s] global environmental, economic, and political importance grows every year,” according to Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum Director Susan Kaplan, and “due to the dynamic nature of developments in the region, we must recruit a new generation of people with diverse arrays of skills to pursue northern-focused careers.” Kaplan added that the “opportunity to sail the Bowdoin through Arctic waters is a wonderful example of what experiential learning is all about.”

Bowdoin engineer, Tom Klodenski, who has a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maine, noted that “as a training vessel with a small ratio of students to professional crew, motivated trainees get a chance to be matched to projects that align with their interests, perhaps in ways not possible in other programs.” Aboard the Bowdoin, he continued, the “unusual environment of a century old schooner working in remote areas combined with the inability to access the internet provides a space for students to learn new things about themselves, including self-reliance and confidence.”

The Arctic voyage crew.

Klodenski explained that “international interest in the Arctic is growing and the rate of environmental change there is increasing [and that] Bowdoin is the only US-flagged training vessel with programs dedicated to this part of the globe.” Bowdoin is capable, according to Klodenski, of “contributing to today’s relevant research, being the stage for important cross-cultural conversations, and represents the tip of the iceberg for students interested in a rewarding career in the Arctic maritime space.”

Rappaport said that “voyages to the Arctic permit students to be participants in an historic continuum while experiencing the very real educational challenges of high latitude navigation—now an expanding frontier of the modern industry as changes in climate open new routes and spur changes in resource development. These voyages provide a tremendous value added well above simply operating in nearby waters.”

Mackenzie Morin, a Coastal Marine & Environmental Science and Small Vessel Operations student at the Academy, said that “the skills we learned on this voyage are diverse and invaluable. We developed our seamanship under challenging conditions, posed scientific questions in remote environments, honed engineering competency while maintaining the vessel’s integrity, and gained business insight in coordinating logistics. These experiences have not only equipped us with the ability to navigate the Arctic seas, but also to overcome the demands of our respective careers in the future.”

Describing the voyage, Captain Peacock stated that “navigating the Arctic waters packed with icebergs and sea ice requires active observation, close communication among the crew, and precise maneuvering. I’m filled with pride at the impressive growth of the student crew over the eight weeks aboard the Bowdoin. They matured as individuals, came together as a group, and rose to the countless challenges with confidence.”

The Bowdoin’s Legacy

Continuing the Bowdoin’s legacy of Arctic exploration is a top institutional priority for the Academy. Returning to the Arctic for the first time in 16 years is an achievement that required years of preparation, dedication, and support from throughout the Maine Maritime community. The Academy intends to return to the Arctic on three-year cycles with the next voyage planned for 2027.
Kaplan suggests that sailing to the Arctic on a “historic, ice-adapted vessel that embodies MacMillan’s legacy of supported pioneering scientific, military, and humanitarian work in the North, reminds those onboard that one person’s innovations and vision can have far reaching impact, and that the study and stewardship of the region is an ongoing challenge.”

Bowdoin is an important asset to Maine Maritime Academy, its students, alumni, and friends. She is important to the Castine community, the State of Maine, and the country. She is also a vehicle for cultural exchange between Americans and the Inuit, a civilization that has lived on the fringes of the habitable environment using the same techniques of survival for centuries.

A picture says a thousand words.

The Bowdoin attracts a wide range of individuals to campus, well beyond the immediate MMA community, often on deck, and on the water, one of Castine’s and the campus of Maine Maritime Academy’s greatest assets. She inspires students to attend the Academy as well as those who only learn about her once they matriculate. Bowdoin is a vessel that captures many hearts and is a well-deserved source of pride for those throughout the Maine Maritime Academy community.

It is not uncommon for those whole sail Bowdoin extensively to believe she has a soul. Whether literally true or not, people have and will continue to dedicate their lives to the Bowdoin and, in so doing, become part of the vessel and her story. The Academy is the institutional steward of the Bowdoin, an important responsibility and great honor. It is our duty as members of the Maine Maritime community to safeguard the vessel and ensure its continued operation, particularly to the Arctic.█

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