Seeing a Windy City From a Tall Ship

Visitors to Chicago looking for a breezy blast from the past can board the four-masted schooner Windy, now in its first full season of sailing.

The 148-foot-long ship, modeled on old-time commercial vessels but sporting a steel hull instead of wood, pulls out from Navy Pier several times daily through Sept. 22. Ninety-minute cruises past the famous skyline cost $25 for adults and $15 for seniors and children under 12. Passengers can help crew, if they want, or even “take a trick at the wheel” when the weather’s mild, said Robert Marthai, the boat’s captain and owner.

Marthai, 49, a retired psychology professor who first got his commercial captain’s license in 1967, had the Windy built at a shipyard in Charleston, S.C. For schedules (which vary daily) and other information, call Windy of Chicago Ltd.; telephone (312) 595-5555.