Jetsettersblog

People charter windjammers for all different reasons – weddings, family reunions, team building and school trips, to name a few. This month, we spoke with Martha Riddle who organized a charter for her local sailing club and found that they had the time of their lives.

MAINE WINDJAMMER ASSOCIATION: Why were you looking for a charter? What kind of group was it?

MARTHA RIDDLE: We had been on the Timberwind before and thought it would be a trip our friends would enjoy, so we asked members of our local sailing club, Kentucky Lake Sailing Club if they’d like to go to Maine for Schooner Race week, and filled the boat quickly.

MWA: Why did you choose a windjammer?

MR: Our group was all sailors, and we felt everyone would enjoy being on an active sailing vacation.

MWA: Was it the right choice for you and your group? Why?

MR: It was a great trip, we were lucky to be there for Race Week, and everyone had a great time. Seeing all of those beautiful schooners spread out across Penobscot Bay was amazing.

MWA: What did you enjoy most about the trip?

MR: I couldn’t pick just one thing – sailing was great, the crew was wonderful, the food was unbeatable, and we did very well in the race.

MWA: Any advice for people looking to book a charter?

MR: Look for a boat that meets the needs of your group. The Timberwind has a great deck layout, lots of room for people to be together and visit, but also space for you to have a little quiet time. Also, pick your time of the season, Spring and Fall are more likely to be breezy, with crisp nights. Summer as a rule has less breeze, but beautiful sun-drenched days.

MWA: What were the highlights of your trip?

MR: Once again, hard to choose. Our friend coming up on deck every morning in her pink bunny house shoes, the excitement of the race, and the beautiful starry nights anchored in a bay. Oh, and did I mention the wonderful food and you have to eat lots of lobster!!!

MWA: How involved did the group get sailing?

MR: Our group was very involved, of course it was a sailing club and we were there for Race Week. We’ve been there before when some people were very active and others preferred to sit back and watch. Your participation is always welcome, but not required.

MWA: Did this trip appeal to everyone but in lots of different ways? For example, maybe some of your folks totally got into the sailing, while others just hung out and enjoyed the scenery? Maybe some were avid birders?

MR: Everyone enjoyed the sailing, but we had an active knitting group, in fact we knitted Capt. Bob a pair of socks. Lots of reading went on and everyone came home with great photos.

We’ve been on the Timberwind many times and have always had a great experience. Capt. Bob is a wonderful captain and a great friend. He and his crew do such an amazing job – sailing is a work-intensive activity, but they are always kind and thoughtful to the passengers and make sure everyone has a great time.

For more information about chartering the Timberwind or another vessel in the fleet, visit the Maine Windjammer Association website. We’re happy to guide you to the cruise that’s best for you and yours.

Liftopia, the online marketplace for discounted lift tickets, is holding a nationwide sale with discounts at over 80 ski resorts, including 50 percent off at Copper Mountain, 47 percent off at Squaw Valley, 27 percent off at The Canyons, and 25 percent off at Mount Snow on Super Bowl Sunday.

Sample discounts include 25 percent off tickets at Mount Snow in Vermont, 30 percent off at The Canyons in Utah, 50 percent off at Colorado’s Copper Mountain and 47 percent off tickets at Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows in Lake Tahoe.

Liftopia now has a mobile app for the Phone and iPod touch. It is skiing’s first multi-resort, location-based e-commerce app where skiers and snowboarders can browse and buy deals on lift tickets and other mountain activities in advance, and access the latest information on ski conditions and snow reports for ski areas around the world.

The Fairmont Copley Plaza will celebrate its centennial with 100 days of celebration leading up to its anniversary on Aug. 19. Events will include community events, historic tours, weekend packages, and a search for hotel memorabilia. The property also will debut a restoration totaling more than $20 million that includes a renovation of all guestrooms and suites and the addition of a 3,000-square-foot rooftop health club. The project also includes upgrades to the lower lobby meeting space, enhancements to hotel’s grand lobby and ballrooms, and a new restaurant that will replace the Merry-Go-Round, Oak Room and Oak Bar this spring.

Enjoy luxury accommodations in a Presidential Suite and passes to the Jefferson Pools at this historic Virginia resort throughout February 2012

Hot Springs, Virginia – From the oldest spa in America to a guest list of 22 U.S. Presidents, history lives, breathes and even flows at The Homestead. With Presidents Weekend just around the corner, experience the birthplace of southern hospitality in suite accommodations fit for US leaders with the new Presidents Package from the historic luxury resort in Hot Springs, Virginia.

Named after the resort’s numerous Presidential guests, including President McKinley and Eisenhower, who loved to tee off at the Old Course, the five Presidential Suites at The Homestead rank among the most distinctive accommodations in Virginia. Located in the hotel’s East Wing, the Madison, McKinley, Taft, Wilson and Eisenhower suites are spacious and luxurious, with two master bedrooms and two grandly appointed bathrooms apiece, as well as a handsome parlor, foyer and sitting porch arrayed for perusing the beauty of the Allegheny Mountains surrounding the resort.

With the next Presidential election less than a year away, warm up through the month of February 2012 in a Presidential Suite with the NEW Presidents Package at The Homestead. The package includes:

Two nights accommodation in a Presidential Suite
Breakfast and Dinner included daily

Four Passes to the Jefferson Pools (open on weekends)

From $2,230 per night, taxes and 15% daily resort charge not included

Available throughout the month of February 2012

With 3,000 acres the recreational possibilities are endless with snowmobiling, snowboarding, skating and skiing at the South’s original downhill ski area. There are also plenty of complimentary activities including evening movies at the resort’s historic 1920s 270-seat theater or afternoon tea in the Great Hall.

The nearby Jefferson Pools are natural mineral spring waters named after our third President, who would “take the waters” of the surrounding area, which are rumored to contained healing properties. The Gentleman’s Pool House, which opened in 1761, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Jefferson Pools are open every weekend in February.

Twenty-two American presidents have visited The Homestead either before, during, or following their administrations including: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, William Howard Taft, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis visited The Homestead as a child.

For more information or to reserve the Presidents Package at The Homestead, please contact (877) 549-9506. For more information about the resort, please visit www.thehomestead.com

About The Homestead

Open since 1766, The Homestead is one of America’s most storied resorts, offering unparalleled hospitality and Southern charm in a 3,000-acre setting within the Allegheny Mountains of southwestern Virginia. Renowned for its natural healing springs, The Homestead is distinguished by 483 luxurious guest rooms and suites, 72,000 square feet of meeting space, a wide array of fine and casual dining choices, a world-class spa, three championship golf courses that include one of the nation’s finest mountain courses (The Cascades), the South’s first downhill ski area, a 48-stable Equestrian Center and show ring, one of the top-rated Shooting Clubs and a wealth of other recreational attractions.

Summer Feet Cycling’s newest Maine Coast adventure is not for the faint of heart – participants will travel all the way from Port Clyde to Acadia National Park, traveling exclusively by human-powered and wind-powered transportation.
The tour starts out with a 54 mile bike ride up the coast from Port Clyde to Camden. From Camden participants will set sail across Penebscot Bay en route to Castine.

An afternoon of sea kayaking rounds out a full day on the water. From Castine it’s an 18 mile bike ride to Blue Hill, and then a 10+ mile sea kayak across Blue Hill Bay to Mount Desert Island, home to Acadia National Park.

The final two days are spent exploring Acadia National Park by foot and bike, including a 13 mile hike across the interior of the park from Northeast Harbor to Bar Harbor, and an ascent by foot or bike of 1,530 ft Cadillac Mountain, the highest peak along the eastern seaboard.

Summer Feet Cycling’s Boats, Bikes & Boots: A Coastal Traverse is offered July 15-21 and August 26-September 1, 2012, and is priced at $2695 per person.

Visit www.summerfeet.net

for more information and booking details.

Summer Feet Cycling is introducing a brand new multisport family vacation in Maine’s Acadia National Park for the 2012 summer season. This weeklong multisport adventure showcases the best of Acadia National Park’s idyllic scenery and beautiful landscape.

The highlight of this tour is the cycling. Acadia’s car-less carriage roads are heaven for a cyclist, offering a network of single lane roads that wind through the park’s pristine forests, past ponds and lakes, and along the rocky coast.

There are plenty of fun activities to break up stretches two-wheeling it, including sea kayaking, coastal wildlife viewing, sailing aboard a classic schooner, a ride aboard a local captain’s lobster boat, and a hike to the summit of Cadillac Mountain for panoramic views of the coast.

Throughout the trip families will get to enjoy some of the best seafood the area has to offer, including a seaside lobster feast.

Summer Feet Cycling’s Discover Acadia family adventure is a 6 day adventure priced at $2,595 per person. Price includes bike rental, 5 nights lodging at Bar Harbor’s upscale Harborside Hotel, most meals, all activity expenses and park fees, transfers, van support, and two experienced Summer Feet guides. Fixed departures are available through July and August. http://www.summerfeet.net/trips/discover-acadia-family-adventure/
www.summerfeet.net

Blount Small Ship Adventures is offering a new cruise itinerary with three days in New Brunswick beginning in August. The line will operate three nine-night cruises from Boston. The cruise visits Saint John and St. Andrews-by-the-Sea in New Brunswick as well as Rockland, Eastport, Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine.

Departure dates are Aug. 1, Aug. 12 and Aug. 23. The line also offers a discount of $800 per couple when the cruise is booked by April 1.

The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT), in association with the Commonwealth’s ski mountain resorts, has provided a complete listing of ski deals, winter fun attractions, and activities on massvacation.com/winterfun.

BOSTON, MA, — The temperature has dropped, and Massachusetts’ ski areas have been busy making snow, opening new trails every day. The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT), in association with the Commonwealth’s ski mountain resorts, has provided a complete listing of ski deals, winter fun attractions, and activities on www.massvacation.com/winterfun.

“This collaboration provides an opportunity for us to support the ski season in Massachusetts and to remind people that there’s plenty of snow on our ski mountains,” said Betsy Wall, executive director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.

In conjunction with the winter fun website, MOTT will utilize an SMS text messaging program featuring deals and discounts available from ski areas throughout the state. Click “Hit the Slopes” on massvacation.com/winterfun for short codes and keywords; standard text messaging fees will apply.

Participating ski area promotions are listed below; for a complete list of winter deals and daily updates on events and attractions, please visit http://www.massvacation.com, “like” us on Facebook, or “follow” us on Twitter @VisitMA.

Amesbury Sports Park – Amesbury, MA
Text Message Short Code: 74642 ~ Keyword: MAAmesbury

New England´s fastest snow tubing hill!

Bring a canned food item to Amesbury Sports Park and receive $3 off your admission. Show text message to redeem offer; expires Feb 17, 2012.

Catamount Ski Area – South Egremont, MA
Text Message Short Code: 74642 ~ Keyword: MACatamount

$49 Learn to Ski & Snowboard packages at Catamount. Monday-Friday only. Not valid 1/16.

Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort – Hancock, MA
Text Message Short Code: 74642 ~ Keyword: MAJiminy

Bring a first-time skier or rider to purchase the GET Skiing or Burton Learn to Ride program and receive a free lift ticket, valid that day. Available at the Doc Maynard Learning Center. Valid Sunday through Friday, expires January 31, 2012.

Visit www.jiminypeak.com to register for the offer or show text message to redeem.

Ski Butternut – Great Barrington, MA

Text Message Short Code: 74642 ~ Keyword: MAButternut

Ski Butternut makes skiing affordable with $25 Lift Tickets Mon. – Fri. Excludes Holidays.

Ski Ward – Shrewsbury, MA

Text Message Short Code: 74642 ~ Keyword: MASkiward

Buy 1, Get 1 FREE ski and snowboard tickets on Wednesday and Saturday nights starting at 6pm.

Wachusett Mountain – Princeton, MA
Text Message Short Code: 74642 ~ Keyword: MAWachusett

Buy your lift ticket online at wachusett.com for MLK Weekend Jan 14 – 16. Pick up ticket by 9 a.m. & receive FREE breakfast voucher valid until 10:30 a.m.

Weston Ski Track – Weston, MA

Text Message Short Code: 74642 ~ Keyword: MASkiBoston

20 percent off trail pass and rental at Weston Ski Track. This offer may only be used once per person. Valid through Jan 22, 2012.

About MOTT:

The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) is the state agency dedicated to promoting Massachusetts as a leisure-travel destination. An integral part of the state’s economy, tourism generates more than $915 million in state and local taxes and $14.4 billion in travel related expenditures and supports 121,500 in-state jobs. http://www.massvacation.com

Set amongst the rolling hills of the Green Mountains the Inn enjoys spectacular undisturbed views down the West River Valley.

In addition to the 160 acres of property, meadows and woodlands, our grounds include a network of hiking and skiing trails, heated swimming pool, tennis court, gardens and many places to lounge and relax in the cozy interiors…Windham Hill Inn is the perfect escape.

Ski & Stay Package

Available on these dates:  until – 1 April

Blackout dates: 17 – 20 February

Package includes Two (2) nights lodging, Dinner for two one night in the Windham Hill Restaurant (tax and gratuity not included), Three-course gourmet breakfast each morning, Afternoon tea, hot mulled cider and sweets; evening savories,

Two adult lift tickets to Stratton Mountain or Bromley; two of the East’s Premier Alpine Areas, and Use of the Inn’s 10 km of groomed trails for hiking and snowshoeing. Call +1 802 874 4080 for details or to make a reservation.

www.windhamhill.com/special-offers/offersski-stay/

Rates starting at: $710.00

Loews Hotels is offering a new Tasty Credits promotion, offering a $25 food and beverage credit per room per night on stays up to seven nights. Tasty Credits are valid at on-site dining outlets and room service at participating Loews Hotels through April 30, 2012. The longer the stay, the more appetizing the Tasty Credit — stay one night, earn $25 credit; stay two nights, earn $50 credit; stay three nights, earn $75 credit; stay four nights, earn $100 credit; stay five nights, earn $125 credit; stay six nights, earn $150 credit; and stay seven nights, earn $175 credit