On St. Patrick’s Day, in addition to raising a pint to my Irish heritage and the town I live in, I sometimes like to watch “The Secret of Roan Inish” by John Sayles 🦭🦭
On Sunday, I felt like I was in a scene from the movie with the very close proximity of this Harp seal to my dock! I had JUST told my clients at the end of our row about the Harp seal we’d been seeing upriver over the past week.
WELL…I backed into the dock and lo and behold THERE WAS THE SEAL FLOATING BY ON AN ICE CHUNK!
I sent the photos and videos to @alliedwhale who confirmed they think it’s the same juvenile or “beater” seal I saw two other times last week! Look at the steam coming off of it!
Luck o’ the Irish to see it a third time? What an amazing encounter this was. My clients and I were spellbound. This doesn’t happen every day! Folks on the footbridge and the boardwalk were equally enchanted! I imagine this was a well documented moment!
The seal seemed untroubled by the paparazzi. When its ice chunk moved closer to a piling and there were some dogs above on the boardwalk, it slipped back into the water.
In my imagination, I picture the seal playing a game. Swim upriver, find a nice ice chunk and float back down. Repeat! Life seems good for this seal.
Wishing you a happy St. Paddy’s Day with similar magical encounters! 🍀🌈💛🦭
#harpseal #sealwatching #mainewildlife #luckoftheirish #60SecondsForTheSea
NEW YORK TIMES BABY!
Astonished and honored to be featured in this story about the @maineoystertrail !!
DoryWoman Rowing is highlighted as one of the trail stops in the #midcoast region in this briney tale (really somewhat of an odyssey) written by NYT staff writer Danielle Dowling.
And how about those amaaazing photos? At long last I had the pleasure of having @gretarybus in my boat. She is as nice a person as she is a formidable talent!
READ THE DIGITAL VERSION HERE: /2025/07/04/travel/maine-oyster-trail.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
I *think* the print version will be out on the weekend?
CHECK IT OUT!
And YES, you can get Maine oysters on my Sunset Row! And tacos from @dos_gatos_gastropub and scallops from @verticalbaymaine
Please inquire!
And those adorable people on the boat with me? That’s Todd & Veronica Sazera of @vinoliobelfast
THANK YOU to them for sharing their row with Greta! It was quite an evening!
The magic happens right here in #belfastmaine ♥️♥️
Happy 4th everyone! Wow, just WOW! 🎇🙀
#nyttravel #maineoysters #mainesunset #mainesummer #rowyourboat #dory #travelmaine
It’s been an exciting couple of months with all kinds of amazing news to share. And this is the latest, really the crown jewel. And very unexpected!
@yankeemagazine has named DoryWoman Rowing as one of THE 10 BEST THINGS TO DO IN MAINE THIS SUMMER! 😮😳🤯
This write-up is featured in the May/June 2025 issue, “Travel Guide to New England.” I’m told it will be on newstands the start of May! But you can get a sneak peek now on issuu.com Check out the link in my bio! Pg. 100! And pick up your own copy in May!
I am both floored and thrilled about this news! Thank you to @visitmaine for promoting small businesses like mine and helping to garner attention from the media. It not only brings great attention to my business 🤩 but also the small city I offer my service in—Belfast—and the midcoast region of Maine, not always the go-to of tourism stories. It seems like that might be changing 🙏🏻!
We are looking at a challenging season this year with the economic climate. Small businesses like mine need this kind of lift! Thank you so much to the editors of Yankee for this wonderful spotlight. And the Maine Office of Tourism for the ♥️!
Find out why DWR is on this list! Book a row with me this spring and summer. Full calendar is up on my DWR website. All kinds of fun offerings, in addition to my regular rows.
#yankee #bestofmaine #summerinmaine #dory #topten #visitnewengland #earthday2025
Mothers & daughters 💐♥️
Mother’s Day weekend rows! Such sweetness for moms and daughters to share this experience together. Learning something new together, working together in a different way, and not without a few laughs!
How it works. The first person gets acclimated to rowing and then we row together. Then I switch out with the second person. They get acclimated and then that pair rows together. If there’s a third person they switch out with the first person and then person 2 & 3 get to row together. We play musical thwarts (seats)! My boat has space to safely move and accommodates folks of all shapes & sizes; all ages & skill-levels.
Not just for Mother’s Day! My dory is a beautiful vessel for pairs and trios to have a little adventure together out in open water!
And how about a wood-fired sauna after? This was especially nice on Mother’s Day. A sauna full of mothers appreciating and enjoying one another. Sharing stories. Claiming space to take care of themselves.
Book soon for a fun spring outing and sauna! I’ll be heading to Finland in a little over two weeks and gone for two weeks. There are still sessions on the calendar before then. The summer calendar is UP for when I return! Sorcieré will be back in the water for the Summer Solstice! Join me in celebrating the longest day of the year out on the water (and hopefully in the sauna, too)! Also, it’s Father’s Day! My boat is a great space for Dads and sons to enjoy each other too!
#mothersanddaughters #springinmaine #onthewater #coastalrowing #summersolstice
Not one but TWO nominations in @downeastmagazine iconic #bestofmaine contest! WOW!
Thank you to all who took a few minutes to nominate me! I didn’t even know I had been nominated for Salty Witch Sauna! A special thanks to those of you that did that!
And guess what I’m going to do now? Ask you to please VOTE FOR ME TO WIN IN BOTH CATEGORIES!
It’s quite an honor to even be nominated. Both of my businesses are small, unique, woman-owned and very local. It’s just me at the helm of these little businesses!
Publicity like this is golden for businesses like mine. Please take a few minutes to not only vote for me in these categories, but also other businesses in Belfast and Waldo County and the Midcoast region. In challenging financial times, we sure do appreciate your support!
It’s easy to vote. Follow the link in my bio or story, register to vote with your email and some basic info. Then go to Travel & Play. You’ll see boat excursion and sauna there. Cast your votes! You have until June 12 to get your votes in. Please spread the word!
THANK YOU EVERYONE! Congrats to the other finalists!
#rowinginmaine #woodfiredsauna #womanowned #mainebusiness
May 10, 2020. Mother’s Day. The start of the pandemic. The day I became a boat mama.
It’s been six years since that day. It was a day that changed my life.
Good friends @willyandwes helped me bring my boat back to Belfast from Biddeford. My son Leo and I took our maiden voyage that afternoon out in the harbor, with Wes guiding us. There was still snow on the ground!
Just like bringing home a newborn, those early days and months were awkward and fraught with challenges. I had a lot to figure out. To learn. Stroke by stroke, I did.
A year later, I became a Maine Guiide and started DoryWoman Rowing.
My life has never been the same. This little wooden green dory has transformed my life.
Sorcieré is the boat of my heart, my soul. She is both my chariot and my destiny. She has held many people, many stories…blood, sweat and tears. She is a sanctuary. Safe and sturdy, seaworthy and true.
My boat is a place to go into deep communion with the natural world. With yourself. With others.
I have learned and grown so much through and with my boat. It is one of the most important relationships of my life.
I’m proud to be a boat mama.
#boatmama #dory #woodenboats #mothersday #openwaterrowing
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas!
And to my beautiful mother Debbie who has been my rock, my anchor my whole life.
Nothing brings me greater joy than when my Mom visits me in Maine. She loves it here. We always have the best time!
These photos are from a trip to Lubec last August for my birthday. We went on a whale watching tour. It was the first time my Mom had done anything like this! Being a farm girl from upstate New York she’s a little bit nervous on boats and in big water.
Well, it turns out, she absolutely loved it! That experience and being Downeast were the highlights of her trip. And of course, being with her grandson, my son @leohorchler just enriched the experience. A treasured memory. Looking forward to creating more when she is back in Maine. I love you Mom!
Wishing all the mothers, on land and on sea a whale of a good day! 🐋 ♥️
The first week of May!
A study in contrasts. Lots of sun, then a sky full of clouds. Rain threatens. Wind and waves one day, dead calm the next.
That’s spring! A time of mercurial beauty. Come out and experience it. Wood-fired sauna after is pretty nice, too. You can also just sauna.
I’ll be away the first two weeks of June in Finland. Summer calendar is up! If you are thinking of coming out for a row with me this spring or summer, now is the time to book!
#springinmaine #dory #fourseasons #coastalrowing #beltane
Salty Witch Sauna has risen in stature!
Melusine has a new look! Her trailer was delivered earlier this week by the kind and capable folks at Backyard Builders in Unity, Maine.
Was I ever surprised to learn that Gideon is the man who built my sauna! He and his son Caleb and their friend Jim did an AMAZING job transferring the sauna from the ground to the trailer, leveling it, adding stairs and railing guards on the porch!
Why did I do this? Because I had to. To be in compliance with the City of Belfast’s shoreline use codes my sauna has to be mobile. And now she is!
Likely she won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. I am considering continuing my sauna service into the summer. Again, why? Sauna is GREAT for you year-round! As I have been learning, the Finns and other cultures sauna year-round. When I mention to Finnish-American people that I’m thinking about offering summer sauna, the response I get is “Why wouldn’t you?”
The sauna is hot. The ocean is cold. My sauna is right on the waterfront, right near the beach.
The benefits of summer sauna are the same as the rest of the year:
Deep sweat = deep relaxation, moving out toxins
Cardiac, metabolic and immune health & support
Communing with others = happier people
Sauna heat helps you to tolerate the heat better.
Improves energy AND sleep
That sauna glow
About that cold water. I’ve been submerging more lately and it feels so good
Spring sauna feels good! Come check out the view from the porch! Same great feel inside.
There are only a few operators in Maine who offer sauna service through the warmer months and I hope to become of them!
Would YOU sauna in the summer? What would be your preferred times of day? Would love to hear from you in the comments!
#woodfiredsauna #salty #coldplunge #summersauna #springinmaine
Mother’s Day is next Sunday, May 10th! This year, give the gift of an experience to your Mom. Row a wooden dory together in Belfast Bay!
Make it extra special with a wood-fired sauna after, right on the waterfront!
About this lovely mother-daughter duo, Lisa & Mollie. How sweet (and badass) are they? The row was a gift for Lisa from her daughters. They do an adventure together every year! Sadia and Lauren own & operate @oysthersrawbar in Georgetown. They are reopening this weekend, in time for Mother’s Day. Check them out!
The Mother’s Day Row is a unique and memorable way to show Mom how much you love and appreciate her. Tea and treats are included.
Two sessions only next Sunday at 9 & 11am! Sauna is available after each session. Make it happen at my DWR website!
#mothersdaygifts❤️ #motherdaughters #springinmaine #dory #woodfiredsauna
Beltane! 🦌
The halfway point between spring and summer.
AND it’s the Full 💐 🌕 in 🦂!
Such a potent juicy time of year! Release. Renewal. Rebirth.
Beltane is a spring 🔥 festival. Guess where I’ll be this afternoon?
Join me! 3 seats available. DM me to book or contact 207-323-3932!
Full Flower Moon Row!
The first full moon row I’ve done since February! The weather and visibility were rough these past few months…
And it continues. I moved the row to last night because, well, look at the forecast the next few days 🌧️🌧️
What a crew I had. And what a night it was! So much color. Loons and a seal. Faces lit up with smiles, reflecting that glowy sunset.
Full-ish moons are good, too! Potent and magical 💐🌕
Wood-fired sauna after 🔥 Row it out. Sweat it out! An amaazzing combo. Full moons are for release. For gratitude. For abundance.
Grateful for a boat full of wonderful people, sharing a beautiful evening out on the water.
Full 🍓🌕 Row on the books for May 30!
#flowermoon #springinmaine #dory #witchy #springblooms
