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June 25, 2018

'Surf' war in Camden: How many daysailers are too many?

Photo / Peter Van Allen Town officials in Camden are trying to figure out how many day-only trips to allow local windjammers to offer without negatively impacting trade by strictly daysailer operations.

Town officials in Camden are trying to figure out how many day-only trips to allow local windjammers to offer without negatively impacting trade by strictly daysailer operations.

The Bangor Daily News reported that the select board recently approved a request to allow the windjammer fleet to conduct 15 day sails per season, up from three. Windjammers typically offer multi-day overnight trips, while daysailers offer day trips.

“It was abrupt and not fair to the rest of the businesses,” Ramiro de Acevedo Ramos, owner of two daysailers, said at a June 19 select board meeting. The matter will be reviewed by the town’s harbor committee.

Investments in Lyman-Morse at Wayfarer, Sea Dog, 16 Bay View and other downtown establishments have boosted Camden's economy and added vitality in recent years.

"This is one of the best harbors on the East Coast, and to be front and center here is huge for us,” Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding Co. President Drew Lyman, who purchased and rehabilitated the former Wayfarer Marine site in 2015, told Mainebiz in 2016.

According to the Maine Windjammer Association website, eight traditional Maine tall ships, ranging in size from 64 to 132 feet on deck and half of them National Historic Landmarks, hail from the ports of Camden and Rockland. Eight day-sailers also operate from Camden and Rockland. 

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