Since 1996, Whistling Man Schooner has hosted thousands of tourists and locals on sailboat rides around Lake Champlain. The current owner, Capt. Cory Dalsimer, 27, is a University of Vermont graduate who started as a deckhand and earned a commercial captain’s license. Many other crew members have become captains; promoting careers in the maritime industry is part of the company’s mission.
In the latest episode of “Stuck in Vermont,” Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger took a sunset cruise on the Friend Ship, a classic sailing sloop. Smoke from the Canadian wildfires muted the sunset, but it was still a memorable evening.
Sollberger spoke with Seven Days about filming the episode.
Sailing on Lake Champlain — tough shoot, huh?
Sometimes you just have to suffer for your art! It has been raining a lot, so when there were a few sunny days in a row I got in touch with Dalsimer about hitching a ride on a cruise. I invited my sister, Seven Days consulting editor and film critic Margot Harrison, to come along.
The Friend Ship holds 10 guests, but we were only joined by three people: a Burlington couple who were celebrating their anniversary and have made this sail an annual tradition, and a man visiting from Maryland. A group of four people were no-shows, which gave us more space to move around the boat.
Fun fact: If the weather is good, the sail goes on as planned, even if the other passengers don’t show up. Marriage proposals happen — but not on our cruise.
Who works for Whistling Man?
I met up with Dalsimer on dry land the day before the cruise to hear his story. One year ago, he bought the business from Capt. Hannah “Diddy” Langsdale. Both began working for Whistling Man as deckhands and then earned their captain’s licenses, with support from the company. This is a common trajectory for employees, including the two people piloting our cruise, Capt. Amelia Koval, 23, and Capt. Bob “Bubba” Bristow, 67. About half of the 19 employees are women, including five captains. As Koval said, “I wouldn’t trade this office for anything.”
How much does it cost?
You can catch a ride on a two-hour cruise for $60 to $75 per person. Chartering an entire boat — the Friend Ship or the Wild Rose — will set you back between $350 and $750. While tourists are Whistling Man’s main guests, Dalsimer has been teaming up with local groups to create more options for Vermonters to get out on the water.
How was your sail?
We had really good wind, and it was exciting to sail around Juniper Island and catch a glimpse of the lighthouse. It was refreshing to get out of the city and see things from a new perspective. To quote Christopher Cross’ epic sailing song, “Just a dream and the wind to carry me / soon I will be free.” More of that this summer, please.