On Thursday, Aug. 31, the historic schooner When and If will sail into Boothbay Harbor with owner-captain Seth Salzmann at the helm.

The 65-foot John Alden yacht is coming to the area for only the second time since 1938, when she was built and launched in Wiscasset for General George S. Patton.

Patton commissioned Alden, one of the most respected boat designers in the U.S. The yacht was built by the F.F. Pendleton Shipyard at what is now White’s Island.

Alden was known for his elite racing schooners, winners of premier ocean races. According to the schooner’s website, sailwhenandif.com, “When and If was a new idea: a yacht which would maintain all her classic beauty and hold her own in recreational racing whilst being sturdy, comfortable, safe and luxurious enough to take a family on the voyage of a lifetime.”

After Patton’s death, the yacht remained in the family until 1972 when it was gifted to the Landmark School in Prides Crossing, Massachusetts, where she was used in a sail training program for dyslexic children.

According to Salzmann, in November 1990, When and If’s mooring line was broken during a storm, and she ended up on the rocks, sustaining some extensive damage. She was restored over a three-year period, and re-launched in 1994.

When and If spent the next 17 years cruising the East Coast of the U.S., and occasionally racing in classic yacht regattas.

Salzmann started leasing the yacht for charters from then-owner Doug Hazlitt in 2012, and in November 2016, he bought her. The last time the When and If was in Boothbay Harbor was in 2012, when Salzmann raced her in the Shipyard Cup and won first and third place awards.

Salzmann will be offering cruises from the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club over Labor Day weekend. The When and If will be available for two-hour charters, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1, and Sunday, Sept. 3; from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 2; and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 4.

Call 305-587-3915 or email sailwhenandif@gmail.com for reservations. Private charters may also be scheduled if they don’t conflict with the above times.