Here you see GRACE BAILEY saying goodbye to fans and departing Great Cove on Tuesday morning, apparently after overnighting here. She was on a “Six Night Adventure,” according to her website.
This grand old lady was built for E. Bailey and Sons Lumber Company to carry its lumber from southern ports to its mill in Patchogue, New York (Long Island). She was christened GRACE BAILEY in honor of owner Edwin Bailey’s newborn daughter and launched in 1882 out of Patchogue as a heavy cargo cruiser. After a major refitting in 1906, the schooner was rechristened MATTIE after Edwin’s favorite granddaughter, Martha ("Mattie") Bailey, to whom he gave a 1/8th share.
MATTIE was purchased by the Black Family of Brooksville, Maine, and brought up to our state in 1919 for cargo hailing. She was restored and refitted as a passenger cruiser in 1989-1990 and rechristened GRACE BAILEY then. She now hails from Rockland, Maine. She’s 118 feet long overall (80’ on deck) and reportedly can accommodate up to 25 guests in 15 cabins.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on August 11, 2026.)