Heavy Weather (ketch Angelique)

That red buoy on the left is a nun. Red marks the edge of the channel on the starboard side when a boat is heading in from the open sea. That tells us the ketch Angelique is heading into port, running through a very changeable sea.

We sometimes run through heavy weather to get to our safe harbor. That’s an unavoidable part of the human condition. But, dang, those heavy seas can be beautiful, as are the skies that drive them.

Angelique is perhaps the most recognizable boat in the Maine Windjammer fleet; first, she’s a ketch, not a schooner, and secondly, her sails are a deep red color called Tanbark. Back when sailors used cotton sails, rot was a critical problem. Sails would be soaked in tannins from tree bark. The result was a reddish-brown stained sail. That color played off the brighter red nun perfectly in this painting. And let’s be honest; it’s all about the waves anyway.