Ahoy! Vacations become Arctic voyages aboard Wanderbird By Robin McCarthy edge contributor Wanderbird is the boat you look at twice as you stroll along the Belfast Waterfront on a brisk afternoon. Unlike the dozens of sailboats filling the harbor, Wanderbird is half fishing boat, half sailing vessel, all steel, and your first glance begs the question, "where does that go?" Wanderbird is a North Sea fishing trawler, popular in Europe in the mid-20th century. Rick and Karen Miles of Belfast purchased the boat nine years ago in France. Their first voyage aboard was a trans-Atlantic passage to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, where they converted the original fish hold into six state rooms for passengers. While Wanderbird's exterior remains traditional steel fishing boat, her interior is characterized by the varnish and brass typical of classic yachts. She is still powered by the original Industrie diesel engine, although her new captains added a ketch sail rig for speed and stabilization in fair winds. Rick and Karen delivered the boat to Maine, where they began booking passenger cruises. Karen created a gourmet menu, and Wanderbird has been carrying passengers from Maine to Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador and Greenland ever since. She just returned to Belfast from their ninth summer season of seals and icebergs. Rick Miles is an experienced fisherman and former captain of the Maine schooner Timberwind. Karen, whose former training is in art and design, is from a Maine fishing family and got her sea legs not only lobstering with her father, but working schooners, square riggers and fishing boats. Together, they provide a once in a lifetime vacation for people of all ages with a sense of adventure and desire to wander off the beaten path. Wanderbird visits the same ports each season in the northern region and has developed meaningful relationships with locals in all of its ports. Whether it is a Newfoundlader stopping by with fresh-picked berries or an Inuit friend in Labrador depositing a half dozen fish on deck in the early morning, people look forward to Rick and Karen and their passengers arriving for their annual visit. Wanderbird and her cargo look forward to their regular stops, rich in natural and cultural history, just as much. Wanderbird enjoys a unique niche in the adventure cruise industry; she is big enough to go where big ships go, but still small enough to poke into all the dramatic fjords and coves they cannot. Her passengers enjoy a wide range of wildlife sightings, from puffins and other seabirds to many kinds of whales, dolphins, caribou and polar bears. Wanderbird's destinations are determined by simple criteria: These are the places her captains love to visit. Rick and Karen have built a business out of doing what they love - traveling to remote, pristine wild corners of the north by sea. They take all the comforts of home with them and share a slice of each adventure with a dozen lucky passengers. Wanderbird's store front and gallery are open limited hours at 33 Main Street in Belfast. Call 1-866-SEA-BIRD to set up an appointment, or visit them online at www.wanderbirdcruises.com.