Watch a Video on Sailing the Coast of Maine

What to Pack

What to Pack

It’s 6 a.m. and I’m awoken by aromas of coffee as they fill the air. I groggily pull myself together and head up to the deck. With a steaming cup in hand I murmur “good morning” to Joey, the deckhand with the early shift. I make my way below to the galley to offer Captain Annie a helping hand with breakfast, which she cheerfully gives me a couple of chores.

By the time the sun starts coming up I am back on deck with Captain Jon asking questions about our next cove. In this particular area we are stopping on one of the 4600 islands that sits off the coast of Maine for the afternoon to enjoy a lobster bake. Perfect, now he’s talking my language.

As he starts to tell me more of this area of the Penobscot Bay, I notice a bald eagle soaring about 30 feet above us. And off the starboard side is a loon, lazily drifting through the waves. Off the stern is the mainland, scattered with pops of golds, tangerines, fiery reds. It starts to drizzle lightly and I take in more of my coffee with a smile as I realize the New England fall season had officially arrived.

It’s funny though, because as the skies are gray and the clouds are passing by. It brings such a stark, vibrant contrast with those fall colors. To witness the Maine foliage so pigmented from an 89-foot-long schooner is a scene that everyone should experience.

I’m in the midst of a cruise on the J. & E. Riggin, a wooden Schooner that was built in 1927. This classic Windjammer has a red bottom with navy blue sides, two 85 foot masts, and an American flag flying proudly off the stern. The hull is made is made of oak while the deck is now pine, having originally been jersey cedar.

Captain Jon and Captain Annie have owned the J. & E. Riggin for 21 years, even raising their two girls on the schooner. Even during off season they are on the boat to keep up with all of the maintenance work, whether it’s replacing cedar decking, or fixing an kind of electrical gear.

Captain Jon hails from Indiana, while Captain Annie is from Michigan. They met in New England where they decided this was a home that they love. Maine has incredible outdoor living, and that gives Captain Jon and Annie their best life.

It’s clear when talking to Captain Jon the love he has for the history of the old wooden boats in New England. And it’s the Maine maritime culture, still true to its roots, and one of the only places left that still build wooden boats. The cold salt water helps preserve them, and keeps the wood from having mold issues, or warping the boards.

While spending time on the schooner you see the love the crew has for each other. Louis is from Cincinnati, Joey from Long Island, Mark from El Paso, and Nathan from Massachusetts. They all adore their captains and are deeply fond of the classic windjammer. It’s a family lifestyle. You’re in close quarters and everybody helps everybody. Each crew member needs to know every aspect of every job on the boat.

Not only is the crew there to help the passengers, but they want you to get involved. They want you to feel a part of their family and show you the beauty of coastal Maine. The crew teaches you how to sail as well, putting up the sails, bringing up the anchor, all of the strenuous feats of sailing a schooner.

But all the hard work pays off. With over 3400 miles of coastline in Maine you’re bound to see some pristine, surreal, magical, outdoor beauty. Many of these islands are not inhabited so the nature, like loons, porpoises, whales, fur seals, and harbor seals, along with the dozens of other birds that you’ll come across all while you are enjoying your cup of coffee.

I think what really makes this sailing Maine trip the most memorable is the people you encounter. Your cabins are small {remember you’re on a sailboat} so you don’t want to spend a lot of time in them. You want to be out on the deck to witness rainy skies and breathtaking sunsets.

As your trip unfolds you garner relationships with the guests and crew. There was group of knitters all out of Atlanta who had so many stories full of laughter. I had a lovely lady named Nancy as my bunk mate. There was a couple out of the Adirondacks who owned a whitewater rafting company. Another woman owned a healthy green lifestyle magazine who brought along her best friend, an interior designer out of New York City. We had a retired dairy farmer couple from the Midwest, while George and Jonas made the trek from Vermont. And who could forget Pam and Penny, two southern sisters who could light up any room with their smiles. Everyone had stories. Everyone had different walks and paths in life, and everyone sank right into a friendly family relationship.

Something that pulls it all together is food. Captain Annie is renowned for her cooking, and has been featured in many interviews, articles and write ups and how incredible her meals are. She has three cookbooks; At Home at Sea, Sugar and Salt – Book 1 and Book 2. The meals that you get on this schooner are nothing short of delectable local Maine delights, whether it’s fresh oysters, or a tenderloin from a local Maine farmer. Many of the veggies Captain Annie uses comes from her garden while her flock of 25 chickens produces all of the eggs. She wakes up at 4:30 every morning and makes everything from scratch, and start the wood stove. And there’s not a meal that doesn’t come with dessert, and there is always an appetizer and a happy hour.

While Captain Annie’s meals are delicious and comforting and it allows this time where you can sit down and get to know each other, ask questions and find out people’s histories. Where they’ve been and where do they want to go? The food is one of the most integral aspects of the cruise on the schooner, and is without a doubt some of the best meals I’ve had in Maine.

A Few of our Meals on the Classic Windjammer:

Herbs de Provence garlic and lemon rub sirloin roast with homemade cherry mustard, served with cauliflower with seared farm peppers with preserved blood oranges for a salty tang, roasted home honey {from Captain Annie’s bee hives} and sunshine squash from Hope’s Edge Farm.

Spaetzle with spinach and radish greens

Oysters from Pemaquid with a beet mignonette

Apple frangipane mascarpone – apples were provided by a previous guest from Massachusetts

Potato leek soup and a spicy fresh arugula mix with blue cheese dressing served with newfie rolls, made with molasses, and peppermint rum brownies

On the last evening of the trip I wandered up to the deck to my room. The boat was dimly lit with gasoline oil lamps that were hanging romantically throughout the ship, providing a soft glow. I leaned over the port side for the first time in my life saw the Milky Way core glimmer up through the shadows. The tall pine trees were illuminated by stars, the brightest being planets. I sat there and took it all in. Sailing along the Maine Coastline is without a doubt one of the most enthralling and exciting ways to experience New England.