BREWER – From the outside, and if the sails are down, onlookers easily could think the Wanderbird was a Dutch fishing vessel somehow transported to Maine.

That’s because the 92-foot watercraft, built in 1963, worked as a fishing trawler in the North Sea, off the coast of Holland, for 27 years before the Miles family of Rockport purchased it and moved it to Vacationland as a touring boat.

The boat is expected to be launched today from a boatyard in Winterport.

“This is a very unique vessel,” Rick Miles, captain and owner, said as he sat Tuesday morning in the boat’s galley. “It’s one of a kind. It’s the best of both worlds: a sailing vessel and a trawler.”

After being dry-docked for repairs and improvements this winter at Kustom Steel Boat Yard, the boat, which weighs more than 200 tons, was scheduled to be launched Tuesday afternoon into the Penobscot River.

The launch was delayed, however, because the cradle on which the boat was placed kept catching on the mud along the riverbank. Two large tow trucks were being used to stabilize the vessel as the cradle, on wheels, was released into the river.

The boat is expected to be released this morning, according to Arthur Rowe, launch crew member.

The first passengers of the Wanderbird’s third season are expected to board the boat today in Winterport, where the boat is based.

After arriving in the United States three years ago, the trawler was gutted and refurbished on the inside with wood fittings and brass handrails. The vessel now has sleeping quarters for 12 where the fish once were stored.

Five large sails were added to the boat, which is equipped to do research, Karen Miles, owner and co-captain, said Tuesday while giving a tour inside the vessel.

“It’s been a wonderful project,” she said. “She was a big, rough and tough fishing boat when we got her.”

The Mileses are not new to the boating industry. They are both lifelong boat operators who ran tours on a schooner based in Rockland for 12 years before purchasing the Wanderbird.

“We knew we wanted to advance further and do a different type of touring,” Karen Miles said. “We wanted something for doing longer, expedition-type tours.”

The ship tours the coast of Maine for the most part, doing whale- and bird-watching tours, small fishing village tours and hiking tours. Last year, the vessel was sent to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to install listening devices that will be retrieved sometime this summer, Karen Miles said.

“We offer the vessel as a platform for research as long as the passengers can take part in the research,” she said.

Most of the expeditions are for four to six days and cost $150-$200 a day for each passenger. The boat has an observation deck with wicker lawn furniture, and has kayaks for passengers to use. All trips include gourmet food and tons of education, the co-captain said.

“We’ve had well-known photographers offer classes [on board], and we have a wine cruise this year,” she said. “We’re working with Winterport Winery and will be offering gourmet food and local wines.”

Specialty tours, such as vegetarian food cruises, also are popular, Karen Miles, also the boat’s chef, said.

“We have three [vegetarian food cruises] this year,” she said. “They sell out very quickly because we’re one of the only ones that offer that type of tour.”

In addition to the Mileses, the boat requires a crew of four, plus two four-legged members. Two black Labradors, Pilot, 13, and Maggie, 9, also help on the helm.

“They’re superfriendly seafaring dogs,” Karen Miles said. “They’re the stars of the ship. People come to see them.”

When the boat leaves on a cruise, often there is no set itinerary.

“We take passengers to places where they normally don’t get to see,” Karen Miles said. “We take them to uninhabited islands, small fishing villages [on the coast] and to where the wildlife seems to be.”

The former fishing vessel opens a lot of doors when it enters smaller Maine bays.

“It’s piqued a lot of interest” with local fishermen and women, said Karen Miles, who grew up in Rockland. “They’re always coming up to us to ask questions.”

The Wanderbird’s season runs until the end of October.

For information, visit www.wanderbirdcruises.com. BDN reporter Toni-Lynn Robbins contributed to this report.