Required Reading for ALL Wine Sail PASSENGERS

 
 

Congratulations, you got your wine sail tickets! Please add your Wine Sail to your calendars. We’ll be leaving the dock at our stated departure time. *** This entire page is required reading for all passengers. *** Be sure to forward it to everyone in your party so that all attendees have the necessary information, arrive on time, and are adequately prepared.

Below, you will find important information regarding arrival time (no later than 15 minutes before boarding time), location, attire, temperatures, traffic, and weather conditions, among other details. Please bring your own bottled water!

21+ Event
Please bring a valid ID. No refunds or compensation will be provided to anyone purchasing tickets who cannot produce a valid ID.

Location/Arrival
Arrive at least 15 minutes before boarding time at the Maine Sailing Adventures shack, located on the Maine State Pier at 56 Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101 (Google Map). Be careful not to go to West Commercial Street! 

Find parking first (see below). On foot, find where Commercial Street meets Franklin. Walk down the paved road with the Whale Wall on your left and the Casco Bay Ferry Terminal on your right. 🐳⛴ Keep walking onto the Maine State Pier (past gate 5 of the ferry terminal). On the pier, ahead and to the right, you will see two shacks. Gather the Maine Sailing Adventures/Frances shack. I will collect everyone when it’s time to board. Check-in will begin later in the boarding process. You do not need to check in at the shack.

Traffic
Traffic into Maine and Portland has reached an all-time high with road and highway construction projects in full swing. Once in Portland’s Old Port/Waterfront district, vehicular and pedestrian traffic are a significant challenge. Please avoid driving on Commercial Street at all costs. 

Parking
Include plenty of extra time to find parking. Find parking lots in the Old Port here! The garage on the corner of Fore and Pearl Streets closes at 6 pm on some days. Do not park at the Casco Bay Ferry Terminal; it is reserved for seasonal residents of the islands and is nearly always at capacity. I do not recommend driving your car down there. It is highly likely you will be stuck in traffic for a long time.

Personal Belongings
We will store all personal items larger than a crossbody below deck as you board. Purses, bags, backpacks, etc., are not permitted above deck. 

Late Arrivals
If you arrive late and we are still at the dock, here's where you can find us: take a hard right after the second shack and walk down the gangway. We are the third boat at the end of the dock. 

Attire/Temps
Chances are that there will be temperature variations during our time together. Please bring a warm sweater, jacket, or something to wrap up in. A waterproof layer is always a smart choice on the water. The Captain requests that footwear consist of non-marking, flat shoes or sneakers. Please refrain from wearing high-heels for safety reasons and to maintain the beauty of her deck.

Restrooms 
Restrooms are located in the Casco Bay Ferry Terminal. The Frances does have a marine toilet below deck. 

Inclement Weather
We will not sail in the heavy rain. If there is a chance of heavy rain, I will send an email out to everyone in the morning to touch base. If the sail is canceled due to inclement weather, we will reschedule you on another sail issue you credit for a future sail, or issue you a full refund, whichever you prefer. The Captain will keep an eye on any weather issues and make the call roughly an hour before departure time or sooner if it appears that rain is imminent. This is the nature of sailing.

Questions?
Please review our comprehensive answers to all frequently asked questions here. More than likely, you’ll find all answers on our FAQ page, in this email, or on the event overview page where you purchased your tickets.

Cancellations/Reschedules/No Shows
Due to our size, cancellations and rescheduling requests affect us significantly. It’s not always possible for us to see your correspondence on the days we have events. Therefore, we cannot accommodate cancellation or rescheduling requests without 24 hours’ notice. Contact us by replying to your ticket confirmation email so we have all the necessary information.

**Wine Wise must be able to resell your tickets before any cancellations or refunds will be honored—this is the first step. There are no refunds or rescheduling for no-shows or tickets that we cannot resell. The sooner we are aware, the better the chances.**

  • Cancellation policy: If your tickets sell, there is a $30 fee per ticket. To avoid the cancellation fee, you can resell your ticket(s) to a friend! Please provide us with the new ticket holder's name and email address so we can send them the event notifications, location details, and any day-of weather-related notifications.

  • Reschedule policy: If your tickets sell, there is a $15 fee per ticket to reschedule. When reaching out to us, please include the event you would like to reschedule to. Please note that if an event displays only one ticket available or is sold out, that is accurate.

We look forward to an incredible Wine Sail with you! ️️

Cheers,

The Wine Wise Team