CAMDEN – On Wednesday, April 26, around 11:30 a.m., the schooner Grace Bailey will leave her last wake in Camden Harbor as she heads out onto Penobscot Bay, and sets course for Rockland Harbor.

It is a bittersweet goodbye to the berth she has occupied since 1939, and Camden Harbor Master Steve Pixley is inviting those who hold a fondness for the schooner to help send her off with her new owners and captain.

The Grace Bailey is not retiring, so there are no extended goodbyes. She is, however, destined for a new home on Lermond Cove, in Rockland Harbor.

Her history is long and storied, and some may remember her as the Mattie, so named when she first arrived in Maine in 1919. She sailed under that name for decades, before returning to her original name.

For Pixley, who sailed aboard the Grace Bailey for four years himself, her leaving Camden Harbor is significant. He wishes her well, but like most who love the harbor in all its seasons, her departure will leave a big hole. 

He is hoping the community will send her off with a celebratory tribute. 11:30 a.m., Camden Harbor.