At home…at sea
A fall trip on the Schooner J&E Riggin
Photo by Jonathan Craig
By Heather Chandler
Author Heather Chandler with friend Mary Meisenzahl
The forecast called for intermittent rain as we packed and headed north to meet the Schooner J & E Riggin for a four-night fall foliage tour on Penobscot Bay last October. I’d heard legends of Chef Annie’s famed cooking, had read her cookbooks and even wrote about her and the J & E Riggin’s sustainable practices years prior. But I’d never had the opportunity to join them for an overnight sail until now, and I was overjoyed with anticipation. I recruited my dear friend, Mary, a longtime adventure partner and college buddy who now lives in Manhattan, to join me on the trip.
Living on the coast of Maine, I knew better than to be fazed by a wet forecast. I also knew from years working outside in my early twenties that nature is sometimes at its most beautiful when observed against a gray backdrop. Plus, I’m a firm believer that “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.” So, we followed the trip packing list and brought along layers, including waterproof outerwear and extra wool socks. With our rain boots in tow, we were ready for whatever Mother Nature delivered, even as we hoped to be graced with some sunshine.
After boarding the boat for the welcome talk and introductions, we were on our own for dinner in town before setting sail the next morning. Downtown Rockland offers many great dining choices, so it’s hard to go wrong. We made our way to Café Miranda – a small bistro with creative, locally-sourced fare that never disappoints – and lucked out with a sweet table on the patio, directly across from the glowing wood stove that was taking the chill off the early fall evening.
The first night on all J & E Riggin trips is spent anchored in Rockland harbor, to help guests acclimate to living and sleeping on a boat – a smart policy no doubt rooted in experience. Our assigned room was a double berth just under the main deck. The beds were arranged in a perpendicular pattern, with a few cubbies at the head and foot for storing clothing and personal items. Between them was a small sink and enough floor space for one of us to stand at a time. We slept soundly that night before waking to the crew walking overhead and readying the ship for breakfast and our first sail.
Captain Jon and Chef Annie in a rare moment of rest.
Captain Jon Finger and co-captain and chef Annie Mahle share a lifetime of sailing experience between them, including 22 years as owners of the J & E Riggin, a two-masted historic schooner that offers multi-day tours out of Rockland. They’ve raised two daughters on the boat; the youngest graduated from college this year.
There are many reasons to join a schooner trip along the coast of Maine: the opportunity to experience maritime history and culture firsthand, a chance to view the natural beauty of the rugged Maine coast up close, or simply to escape the bustle of daily life. But for many who board the J & E Riggin, the experience is punctuated by the food. All meals are made from scratch by Chef Annie – who studied at the Culinary Institute of America – with the assistance of the talented crew. A variety of breads are baked fresh daily, and the sauces and spreads are made from scratch. Whenever possible, they are served on deck, offering a meal with a view and the perfect setting to savor the pleasures of land and sea.
Before each meal, Chef Annie joined us on deck to review the menu. The night we were served Pemaquid oysters, sourced from nearby Damariscotta, she shared the J & E Riggin’s history as a renowned oyster dredger in the 1920s. After providing a brief how-to for us first-timers – it’s ok to jiggle just a little to dislodge the oyster from the shell – she explained that our cool ocean waters are the reason why Maine oysters are so revered. Much like wine, oysters vary in flavor depending on the region they are harvested, and Maine is known for its ideal conditions. Our oysters were served on the half shell with beet mignonette and lemon.
Entrees were warm and savory, a welcome comfort on the cool fall evenings: a seafood paella with lobsters, scallops, salmon, mussels, chorizo, and saffron broth; a pork roast rubbed with Herbs de Provence and served with a sour cherry mustard; and an Indian inspired meal complete with rice, daal, tikka masala, lentils, raita, and handmade naan. All these sumptuous meals would have been impressive coming from any number of fine restaurant kitchens, yet were that much more remarkable considering they were prepared in the Riggin’s seven-foot by nine-foot galley.
A salad accompanied every meal, with greens fresh from Annie and Jon’s garden, the local farmers market or their weekly CSA farm shares. A favorite was the spicy arugula with walnuts, raisins, green onions and a house-made blue cheese dressing.
One afternoon, we were shuttled in Black Beauty, the Riggin’s yawl boat, to Warren Island for a real Maine lobster bake, complete with lobsters steamed in sea water, topped with seaweed and served with wood fire-baked potatoes and corn on the cob.
Every dish honored the region and its ingredients with simple preparations and creative flavor combinations. And as you can imagine, with this much attention to the meal, the desserts never left us wanting – crème brulee, frangipane mascarpone tart, peppermint rum brownies…I’m fairly certain no one ever lost weight or went hungry with Annie in charge of the kitchen.
While the food nourished and delighted us, the presence of music and song buoyed the journey as well. In addition to a designated Music Night – when the crew performs for the guests on the main deck by candlelight under the stars – we were also treated to plenty of impromptu concerts throughout the week, such as when crewmember Mark picked up a guitar and started strumming during a calm afternoon sail, or when the crew sang sea shanties and work songs during deck chores. And then there were Annie’s melodies that intermingled with the scents wafting from the galley. With this custom soundtrack as a backdrop to the sail, it was easy to be lulled into a sort of sweet sea serenity. These musical elements of the trips have become so popular, in fact, that earlier this year the Riggin launched a special Music and Dance four-night itinerary.
A unique element of the J & E Riggin experience is the apprentice program that Jon and Annie launched twenty years ago to introduce young sailors to traditional maritime skills and to share their mutual love of the sea. Each year, the Riggin welcomes 8-10 apprentices who work and learn under their guidance, two weeks at a time. Of the four crew members that accompanied our trip, two had started as apprentices, including Louis Knoll, who first experienced the J & E Riggin when he was just 12, while joining his parents for a sailing vacation. You might say that trip changed the direction of his life, as he came back and apprenticed for four years, before graduating from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and joining the crew last year.
Other crew members on our trip included Nathan Strauss – a skilled acapella singer – who was in his third season, serving for the first two as an apprentice before joining the crew in 2018; Mark Godfrey, the galley assistant, who joined the crew in 2016; and finally Joey Byington, who had recently graduated from Cornell with a degree in biology. The crew was a special part of the trip, always ready to share a bit of history or impart a maritime skill such as knot tying, in addition to ensuring a pleasant and safe journey.
Due to the weather, our trip stayed closer to shore than some, anchoring the first night off Islesboro, the second in Pulpit Harbor off North Haven, and the third in the protected cove of Rockland harbor, all providing a wonderful peek into the daily life of communities that make their living by the sea. While each day starts with a proposed itinerary, Captain Jon masterfully maintains flexibility to make the best of all conditions.
As the trip wound down and we began to ready ourselves for the return to shore, we had already begun making plans for when we would return – a response, we discovered, that is not at all uncommon. One fellow guest was enjoying her eighth trip, and another couple, their third. Perhaps it is because you cannot help but feel like you are welcomed into a special family created by the love that Captain Jon and Annie seem to have for each other, their guests and their crew. A love that is evident in the food they prepare and serve, the appreciation and care with which they treat this historic sailing vessel and their respect for the land and sea that support it.
Lamp light, photo courtesy of Ben Krebs.
Day trips
Want to get a taste of the sea this season, but don’t have time for an overnight trip? There are plenty of opportunities to dip your toes in the water and enjoy a slice of sea life with an afternoon or sunset sail. Here are some of our favorites:
Schooner Eleanor
Arundel Warf, KennebunkportMaine Sailing Adventures
Maine State Pier, PortlandPortland Schooner Co.
Maine State Pier, PortlandSchooner Eastwind
Commercial Street, Boothbay HarborSchooner Olad
Bayview Landing, CamdenDowneast Sailing Adventures
Eagle Lake Road, Bar Harbor
History of the J & E Riggin:
The schooner J & E Riggin was built in 1927 as an oyster dredger for Charles Riggin in Dorchester, New Jersey. She is one of a small number of surviving two-masted schooners. Her name, J & E, comes from the names of Mr. Riggin’s two sons, Jacob and Edward. After being rebuilt and re-rigged as a passenger vessel, the Riggin has sailed Penobscot Bay since 1977. She was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991.
