The popular schooner, Wind Dancer, has been purchased by captain Dan Mills, who has been working on repairs to be ready for summer tours.
The 63-foot long schooner officially came to the area in November 2020 after many years in Grand Haven.
Mills said he was influenced to buy the sailboat from his four years of experience as the boat’s captain who ran charters and did maintenance on the boat.
“It was just a really great atmosphere for people to connect with the wind, kind of at a different pace,” said Mills, a former Maple City resident, who attended Glen Lake School. “You can see people relax, and soak up the experience of being on not just a sailboat, but a schooner which is a very unique type of boat.”
Mills feels proud of the experience that is showcased during tours, assuring the customer is happy.
“The joy behind running this kind of business is using our skills to give people a very unique experience out on the water,” he said. “We’re very proud to sail as much as we can and have the ability to showcase the skills it takes to handle a boat under sale.”
Mills added that the schooner is a very influential type of boat in the area’s history.
Mills said being an owner operator also helps understand what needs to be done to the boat.
“It makes more sense to run a business this way, because boats are constantly being worked on,“ Mills said. “Having the intimate knowledge of the boat, both in operations and the mechanical side makes a lot of sense which is why the previous owner wanted to sell it.”
Mills feels that being a part of the crew while owning the schooner helps in the decision making which helps take care of the boat.
Since purchasing Wind Dancer, Mills has rebuilt the masts of the boat from scratch, tore into the bilges, inspected the steel and replaced it with steel plates in the guts of the boat.
“We decided to do a full replacement of the steel on the bottom of the boat,” Mill saids.
The boat went through a Coast Guard inspection earlier this week in which Mills said everything has gone as planned. This went along with the mast as the Coast Guard had to inspect the welds before it was painted.
“These are preventative maintenance things to fix before it gets turned into a problem,” said Mills.
Mills said the goal to start tours is May 23, and on board they will have a collection of local wines, local beers, TC Whiskey, local snacks and charcuterie.
“We’ll be working with the Cheese Lady and some local distilleries,” said Mills.“Our menu is locally sourced, kind of farm to table sort of idea, so the menu will change a little bit throughout the season.”
Mills tries to make the experience completely unique by making sure everything is under sail power besides docking the boat, and he makes sure that the experience is related to the area through local businesses that are willing to partner.
