CAMDEN - When people first step aboard a windjammer and get a look at their cabins and the galley, one of their biggest misconceptions gets cleared up right away. That is: accommodations are going to be small—very small. “They’re used to their bedrooms and kitchens at home,” said Justin Schaefer, a deck hand on Nathaniel Bowditch, “And maybe think the accommodations will be more like a hotel, and that’s not the case on any of these boats. Really, the trip is all about being up on deck and enjoying the scenery.”

During Camden Windjammer Festival’s schooner open house tours Saturday and Sunday, we checked out the galleys of three docked vessels to get a sense of how they operate.

Owen and Cathie Dorr own and operate the schooner Nathaniel Bowditch, originally built as a private racing yacht. This seemed the most expansive of the galleys we checked out. The massive 1950s blackened kerosene oven was its focal point.

“We can actually cook a turkey, two pies and a can of stuffing at the same time in the oven and even more on the stove top,” Cathie Dorr said. “It’s really fun to cook because the center of the stove is high and it gets progessively cooler with each shelf, so you have something simmering and you just kind of move stuff around.”

The galley featured plenty of head room and small fold-down wooden tables and benches that can accommodate up to 22 guests — and the chef still has room to cook and move around. Proving the adage “A place for everything and everything in its place,” each of the red-cushions on the wooden benches lifts off to reveal where all the food for a 3- or 4-day trip is stored.

“Here’s a picnic basket for an offshore excursion,” Dorr said, opening one of the benches.

Ray and Ann Williamson own Maine Windjammer Cruises, which comprise the windjammers Mercantile and Grace Bailey as well as the smaller charter schooner, Mistress. We checked out Mercantile’s galley, comparing it with they galley of its smaller sister ship, Mistress. Mercantile’s was very snug with a traditional cast iron stove and a common dining table under cross beams that one has to take care not to bonk a head on.

“Mercantile carries 29 guests and we cook on a ShipMate wood stove,” said Ann Williamson. Though each boat has its own chef, Williamson is currently filling in as chef. “I actually prefer the larger cook stove on Mercantile because you can cook so much more,” she said. “There’s much more room as well.” With Mistress’s galley (talk about really small!) WIlliamson has to bend down to reach the tiny stove.

“It’s really a challenge,” she said. ”But we’re only cooking for six guests at a time on this boat.”

Poking around galleys like these, one instantly gets the sense this is what the fun of sailing is all about. The windjammer is in charge. It does not adapt to the modern conveniences of guests; guests adapt to the boat.

Click below for full coverage of the 2013 Camden Windjammer Festival.

• Sails up for Camden Windjammer Festival

All photos by Kay Stephens. She can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com.