When last we saw Islesboro’s Bonnie and Earl MacKenzie, they were putting the finishing touches on their schooner BONNIE LYNN in preparation for her launching (WWF, June ’98). Their plan was to sail off into the sunset and live happily ever after aboard, working the New England/Caribbean charter trade.
Now, five years later, I find myself once again aboard the BONNIE LYNN one gorgeous late September day, on the eve of her departure for southern waters. The pains the MacKenzies took in the schooner’s construction to make her comfortable and attractive are evident in the traditional-style brass lighting, exquisite detail and the teak, mahogany and holly sole below deck. Back on deck, the spacious awning and gently-swaying hammock, coupled with the pristine early-autumn weather, made it difficult not to indulge fantasies about taking to the high seas, bound for the far parts of the world.
The BONNIE LYNN had returned late in the summer this year to her Islesboro home, where a busy and varied season awaited her. The MacKenzies had the occasional day sail charters, celebrating anniversaries, birthdays, and special events on those days when the weather cooperated. They taught knot tying, instrument navigation and basic sailing techniques. Many on-board lobster dinners were served, and weekly charters included two benefit sails for Islesboro’s Big Tree Boating Association and Beacon Project (a proposed island elder residence), which kept the boat afloat and busy during its brief sojourn in Penobscot Bay. This was the BONNIE LYNN’s fifth year as a member of the snowbird fleet, whose connection from island to islands (Islesboro to the Caribbean) has been both successful and rewarding for the MacKenzies.
Christened on Aug. 1, 1998, the steel-hulled brigantine BONNIE LYNN’s home port is Islesboro, where she joined the fleet of migratory charter boats that annually ply their trade between New England summers and Caribbean winters. Most commonly referred to as a schooner, the BONNIE LYNN is a modified version of designer Merrit Walter’s Trade Rover Schooner. She is a sturdy offshore cruising vessel, 57 feet on deck with an overall length of 72 feet. BONNIE LYNN is a topsail schooner featuring three headsails – gaff main, fore staysail and traditional square sail. She is U.S. Coast Guard-certified for 38 passengers on coastal cruises and 10 passengers on ocean voyages.
Earl, born and raised in midcoast Maine, has spent most of his life on the water. He has fond childhood memories aboard his father’s lobster boat in Friendship. Later, he skippered yachts and workboats. Holder of a Coast Guard Captain’s license for over 30 years, he currently holds a 100-ton master’s license along with a 500-ton ocean master’s license. Prior to operating the BONNIE LYNN, Earl logged six years in the Coast Guard Reserves, co-owned an Islesboro boatyard for 24 years, and owned and operated QUICKSILVER, a year-round 28-passenger motor vessel, for six years.
Bonnie grew up in Michigan, joined the Peace Corps after college and taught in Fiji and New Zealand. Since beginning sailing in the mid-1980s, she’s worked as first mate and chef on schooners. Like Earl, Bonnie is a licensed captain, holding a 100-ton master’s license. One look at the BONNIE LYNN’s menu tells you that Bonnie is also a gourmet cook; she won the Chowder Time Chowder ‘Fest in Newport, RI.
The 1998 launching of the BONNIE LYNN was the culmination of a lifetime dream of Earl’s – a dream he hadn’t acted on until an emergency light airplane landing in an Islesboro treetop in early 1996 left him hanging from a seat harness. Shaken from his close call, Earl decided it was time to get to work to realize his long-held boat dream, one in which he and his wife would sail away over the horizon, freed from their land-bound responsibilities.
While they did leave a great many responsibilities behind, the MacKenzies took on a lifestyle involving staggering amounts of hard work. But they didn’t look back. In 1998 they headed for the British Virgin Islands, where they’d already lined up five booked charters. While there they picked up five more, helping to keep the boat afloat during that first critical year of breaking into the Caribbean charter boat trade. Bonnie gratefully remembers that the owner-operated migratory charter fleet welcomed the newcomers with friendly advice and supportive companionship, showing them the ropes, so to speak.
Over the course of the past five years, the BONNIE LYNN has cruised the winter waters of the Virgin and Leeward Islands, Martinique, Grenada and St. Lucia. Another high point was a memorable 2000 sail to Boston and Nova Scotia to participate in the Tall Ship events. In 2000-2001, they took on a three-month charter from Grenada to Puerto Rico, visiting over 30 islands with a family that included four children aged 6 to 15. The family had such a phenomenal time that they’ve scheduled other cruises aboard the BONNIE LYNN since then. In fact, according to Bonnie, about 60 per cent of their clientele are satisfied return passengers. The MacKenzies also book quite a few charters from their web site, www.bonnielynn.com.
The BONNIE LYNN’s Caribbean operations are currently headquartered on the island of Bequia. The MacKenzies enjoy the low-key atmosphere of the small island, which sports a local boatbuilding industry and several quaint little resorts. Roots, Princess and Big Ross, some of their new friends at the island marketplace, all have school-age children, many of whom Bonnie has gotten to know. For the last couple of years, she’s been gathering good quality children’s books from Islesboro donors (this year she had 10 huge boxes of books on board) and delivering them to the school and individual children on Bequia.
The MacKenzies envision future plans for the BONNIE LYNN that in some fashion combine circumnavigating the globe with educating children – a mission they feel will become clear to them in time. But for now, it’s off to a busy winter in warmer climes.