As an added incentive for booking a charter in June or September this early in advance we’ll give you a 25% discount off the listed price or 10% in July and August. Just give us a call before September 30^th to reserve your windjammer charter.

A trip on the Riggin be the perfect place for next year’s family reunion, a birthday or anniversary celebration. Why not charter the Riggin as your venue? Our schooner charters are not limited to just family get-togethers. We also do class reunions, team building, weddings, class trips and themed trips w/any kind of focus such as food/cooking, fishing, wildlife/nature, inspirational or crafting (knitting groups). Give us a call and we’ll help you come up with a plan for your next get-together!

Maine Lighthouses from Maine Office of Tourism on Vimeo.

If you are nervous about doing a week long trip we do have several shorter 4 day windjammer cruises that still have space this August. Or if you’re looking for a 6 day trip we have some great trips scheduled in September.

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* Want to sail as a family? Our August 8th – 11th Kids & Family cruise is just the thing you want. Whether you sail as mom & dad, grandma, grandpa & grandchildren or aunt, uncle, niece & nephew – everyone is sure to have a great time.

* Are you a foodie who loves to improvise in the kitchen, cook with local ingredients and loves to be around others with the same interest? Then you’ll love the All About the Food Cruise August 22 – 25th with a focus on local food and cooking instruction.

* If seeing Maine from the best vantage point is something that peaks your interest you will want to book our Maine Lighthouses & Lobsters cruise,  either a 6 day August 1st – 6th or August 26th – 29th, with a focus on, yep you guessed it, lighthouses and lobster! We’ll do our traditional lobster bake and have lobster in various other ways as we sail past the myriad of lighthouse that dot the Maine coast. On the 6 day trip, Aug 1-6, we will be making a stop at Swan’s Island for the annual Sweet Chariot Music Festival – so much fun!

* Are you looking for plans for Labor day weekend? We’ve got just the thing the Camden Windjammer Festival! Join us for a 4 day cruise August 31st – September 3rd where we will sail into Camden Harbor for the start of the Windjammer Festival Friday night. We’ll be there to see the other windjammers in the Maine fleet, watch the Schooner Talent show and fireworks. Extend your trip and book a bed & breakfast for Saturday and/or Sunday night to enjoy the other events of the weekend including a Chowder Challenge, build-a -boat contest, lobster crate race and a Maritime Heritage Fair.

If a longer 6 day trip is more your style, check out our schedule for September with a Maine Knitting Cruise, Wooden Boat Week (with a Full moon), Maine Lighthouses & Lobsters, and a Fall Photography Cruise (where we might see the trees showing their color).

If you’re here in Maine to sail or just for a visit be sure to include these on your Maine travel itinerary.

June

Lupine Festival, June 17-19, Deer Isle/Stonington – The 10th annual celebration of Island springtime: garden tours, local foods supper, open studios, boat-plane-schooner trips, quilt show, craft fair, kids activities.

Windjammer Days Festival, June 21 & 22, Boothbay – A yearly celebration (49th this year) of Boothbay Harbor’s  rich maritime history. Several Maine windjammers will sail into Boothbay Harbor for an antique boat parade, a parade, fireworks over the harbor, creative kids programs and games, free concerts, and an arts and crafts fair.

July

North Atlantic Blues Festival, July 16 & 17, Rockland - The North Atlantic Blues Festival is an annual two-day blues music festival featuring national blues performers and considered one of the most prestigious on the East Coast. The festival is held at the Public Landing in Rockland, Maine, overlooking the picturesque Rockland Harbor. Some of the top names in blues music have be featured at this prestigious East Coast festival. In addition to all day live entertainment, the festival has vendors selling a wide array of food, drinks and crafts.

Yarmouth Clam Festival, July 15-17, Yarmouth – In it’s 46th year the festival includes an arts and crafts show, musicians, parade, canoe, kayak & road races, Clam shucking contest and food tastings.

August

Maine Lobster Festival, August 3-7, Rockland –  64th annual Maine Lobster Festival will include the world’s greatest lobster cooker, a sea goddess pageant, a big parade, top notch entertainment, an international crate race, fine art, talented crafts people and vendors, US Navy ship tours, all you can eat pancakes, free shuttle service, US Coast Guard Station tours, professional and amateur cooking contests, marine heritage, road races, kids events, over 20,000 pounds of lobster will be served!

Great Falls Balloon Festival, August 19-21, Auburn/Lewiston –  The festival sitting on the banks of the Androscoggin River has attracted about 100,000 people, both locals and tourists annually. The festival takes place in several parks and plazas where the balloons lift off and feature rides, games, music, and trade booths. Now in it’s 17th year.

Union Fair & Maine Wild Blueberry Festival, August 20-27, Union – A classic event celebrating agriculture in the state of Maine. The fairgrounds are nestled among the rolling hills and beautiful farmlands in Union, Maine. There are activities and entertainment for all age groups.

September

Windsor Fair, August 28 – Sept 5, Windsor – This fair has been celebrated since 1888. It is a large progressive fair with extensive agricultural, crafts and art exhibits. Large midway, animal pulling events, harness racing and mechanical pulls.

Camden Windjammer Festival, September 2-4, Camden - The Camden Windjammer Festival is a community-led celebration of Camden’s maritime heritage and living traditions. the Maine Windjammer fleet will sail into the harbor where you can visit each vessel. There is also a schooner talent show, fireworks, chowder challenge, lobster crate race, build a boat contest, and a maritime heritage fair.

Common Ground Fair, September 23-25, Unity –  The Common Ground Country Fair is a celebration of rural living that promotes organically grown Maine produce, alternative lifestyles, and a common ground for a variety of organizations. It features demonstrations, Maine organic produced foods and crafts and livestock exhibits.

In this article from CNN there is a line similar to what often hear from our passengers as their trips is ending or in notes that come after they’ve returned to non vacation life at home.

“…the power of a vacation to help gain insights, appreciate the present moment and return to “real life” with a renewed sense of excitement.”

Windjammer vacations are the perfect place to get a change in scenery while we sail along the pine scented coast of Maine whether you’re sitting on the bow of the schooner or on the beach watching the tide come in.  The perfect place to unwind. The perfect place to let hectic go and tranquility take over. A windjammer cruise on the J&E Riggin is a mental health vacation – not to mention fun!

So come for a sail; we’ll help you recharge and your boss can thank us later!

• Visit art galleries -  Blue Water Fine Arts featuring Barbara Ernst Prey’s watercolors in Port Clyde, Harbor Square Gallery in Rockland, Neal Parent’s Gallery in Belfast, and Bayview Gallery in Brunswick.

• Pick up a free map/guide from the Damariscotta River Association and explore the dozen or more easily accessible places on their more than 1,000 acres.

• Lace up your walking shoes and challenge yourself to a long march over Mount Megunticook, a sprawling mountain that dominates the Camden Hills range and is the highest of the summits.  Park free of charge in a small, grassy field to the left and in front of the gatehouse at Camden Hills State Park.

• Mid-May through June at the Brunswick-Topsham Hydro Station watch salmon and small mouth bass climb the 40-foot-high fish ladder that leads to a holding tank beside the viewing room.

• Browse the shops in Rockland.  Trillium Soaps, featuring all-natural soaps like essential oil of pine with comfrey leaf and alfalfa juice (and the soaps you’ll find in your cabin aboard the J&E Riggin  or Atlantic Baking Company who offers free samples.

Here are some photos that capture that peace you’ll experience from the decks of the Riggin.

Just imagine sailing out beyond Penobscot Bay, living around the islands in Frenchman, Blue Hill and Jericho Bays. Sailing with fellow Riggin Relics, some you may or may not know but that all have a love for this boat. Think of all the blooper stories you’ll hear/share – you know, the ones that Capt. Jon & Annie don’t share if they can get away with it!  We’ve never tried a 10 day trip before so to make this work we need to have at least 12 people booked before the end of the 2011 sailing season for this trip to remain on the schedule.

For those interested in extending your stay and sailing Race Week as well (yes that means 16 day of glorious sailing!), we are having a group of rooms blocked off at Hampton Inn for you at a discounted rate. We’ll let you know the details as soon as they are set – per Hampton Inn they can only book a year in advance.

The 10 day price is $1,628; the combined 16 day trip is $2,130, a 20% discount.

*Riggin Relics are passengers who have sailed on 3 or more trips aboard the J&E Riggin.

Through February 1st first time passengers are eligible for our 5% early booking discount on any of our windjammer cruises and if you’ve sailed with us before a 10% discount!

We hope to see you aboard the J&E Riggin this season!

Photo by: Frank M. Chillemi

Captains Jon Finger & Anne Mahle Photo by: Ben Krebs

We are just days away from the end of the sailing season and what a season it’s been. We are looking forward to sharing stories, photos, recipes and more with you. A few days after we’re done sailing we will be hauling the Riggin out at North End Shipyard while we replace the entire deck. Don’t worry, we’ll take lots of photos and keep you up to date with how the work is going. As always if there is something you would like to see us posting or sharing on the blog or in our e-newsletter, please drop us an email or give us a call.

Also don’t forget that if you book your 2011 Maine windjammer cruise with us before the end of the season, October 7th, your deposit is only $100 and you can take advantage of our early booking discount of 5% for newcomers and 10% for our repeats passengers! Some of our 2011 trips are already full so be sure to book early to get the sailing cruise you want.

~Elizabeth
your friendly shore operations manager

Photo by: Ben Krebs

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