Why Polaris Ocean Charters?
POC offers a unique experience in a unique place. The coast is undeveloped, rugged, and quiet. Seabirds, seals, and porpoises abound. This is the heart of traditional Maine.
We treat every group as though they're old friends looking for an authentic experience.
Passengers say it's like stepping back in time, but it's more like stepping away from time.
Captain Jon Keller
Jon is a U.S. Coast Guard licensed sea captain with decades of experience on boats of all kinds. He grew up sailing on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, then fled to Montana to go to college, grad school, and to ultimately work as a wilderness guide.
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His sailing--most of it single-handed--has ranged from the Bahamas to far Downeast Maine. Much of his life has been spent living aboard boats, working on boats, writing about boats, and recreating on boats.
Jon arrived in Maine looking for work as a sternman. He found a job--and a friendship--with a top-tier lobsterman. From him, Jon learned the local waters, ecology, history, and culture of Down East Maine.
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Jon also trained to be an At-Sea Monitor for NOAA in the Gulf of Maine groundfish industry. This training included a host of maritime safety courses and certifications to augment his seafaring experience.​​​
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Jon Keller's first novel, Of Sea and Cloud, depicts life in a small, working harbor. His essays have appeared in Cruising World, Downeast Magazine, the Island Journal, Good Old Boat, and many others.
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In 2023, Capt. Jon founded Polaris Ocean Charters, thus combining his love of the Downeast coastline with his unique knowledge base, wide range of experiences, and passion for education.
Mavis
When room allows, Mavis tends to join-in on for some sailing. She's spent months living and traveling aboard Polaris Jack, but tends to like chasing squirrels more than sailing these days. Feel free to request that she either does or does not join!
S/V POLARIS JACK
A true blue water classic, Polaris Jack is a 26' Bristol Channel Cutter designed by Lyle Hess and built in North Carolina.
The BCCs are famed for their simple beauty, their safety, and their remarkable seaworthiness.
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For most of her life, Polaris Jack was owned by a Charleston, S.C., pilot boat captain named A.O. Halsey. In the wake of A.O.'s death in 2008, his good friend George Heyward took ownership. Polaris Jack was moved to Bluffton, S.C.
In December of 2021, George passed the boat along to Jon with hopes that Polaris Jack would be loved and sailed. He sailed her south to the Bahamas for the winter, then north to Maine in the spring. ​
The Legend of Pelorus Jack
Polaris Jack was named after a dolphin in New Zealand named Pelorus Jack--a Risso's dolphin famed for having spent a quarter of a century guiding ships through dangerous waters. Near Nelson, New Zealand, Pelorus Jack would escort sailors from Pelorus Sound to French Pass and back.
