RawFaith gives a 16th century feel to Portland Harbor

Should you be walking on the East End Trail near the Narrow Gauge Railway, you might just think you've stepped back in time. That's because all this week the wooden sailing vessel RawFaith is docked in the harbor. This weekend, the captain and his crew were giving free topside tours, and Adam and I couldn't pass up the chance to check it out.

The wooden boat was built by Captain George McKay and his sons in Addison, Maine and was launched in 2003. The 116-foot long ship was designed after a 16th century English race-built galleon. However it is not rigged like a traditional 16th century boat. Instead it is gaff-rigged, which means there are booms at the top and bottom of the sails. This allows it to be sailed by a crew of six, rather than the 80 to 100 men such a ship would have required back in the 1500s. The mission of the wheelchair accessible boat is to offer sailing opportunities to disabled folks.

Because Captain McKay is one of these handy people who can create anything from a pile of scrap, all the electricity on board comes from this handmade wind generator. The whole ship is a testament to this skill. See those turbine blades? He carved those with a chainsaw. Captain McKay told me they'd be doing work on the ship all week and that he didn't anticipate offering any more tours. Even so, if you stroll down the trail, you'll be able to catch a decent view of its handcrafted charm.