Broad Reach - a Maine Windjammer Blog » The Eco in Eco-travel

Maine Island Trail Association

J&E Riggin — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:25:00 +0000

The Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) is a group we are proud to be a part of. Founded in 1988, it is now the largest water trail association in North America and is a model for new trails across the country. MITA is a leader in balancing recreational access and conservation on the Maine coast. The water trail system is a 350-mile long waterway that consists of islands and mainland that are available for folks to visit. The waterway extends from Cape Porpoise Harbor to Machias Bay and includes several sites in coastal New Brunswick.

The Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) encourages participation in programs such as Island Clean-ups and the Adopt-An-Island program as well as Leave No Trace. Through partnerships with the State of Maine, as well as land trusts and generous private property owners, MITA ensures access to visitors in kayaks, sailboats, motorboats and other watercraft.

For more information on the Maine Island Trail Association, to make a donation, or become a member, please visit their website.

Tagged: eco-vacation, Ecotravel, Maine Island Trail Association, Maine Islands, MITA, schooner J&E Riggin

Leave No Trace

J&E Riggin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:25:29 +0000

As stewardship of the J&E Riggin we are proud our commitment to eco-tourism – providing eco-friendly and sustainable vacations to passengers. Part of our commitment is by practicing the Leave No Trace ethics. Leave No Trace (LNT) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor recreation and to build awareness, appreciation and respect for our natural resources.

Ways we practice and support LNT:

Hold our lobster bakes below the high tide line or at an already present fire pit or campsite.
Bring our own wood to use and we always make sure our site is cleaner when we leave then we arrived.
Encourage folks to tread lightly – meaning to photograph, sketch, and meditate on animals, wildflowers, rocks and seashells, but to leave them where they are – undisturbed.
Compost on the islands we visit.

Doing these little things helps protect and conserved the beauty of the Coast of Maine and we are proud that we can do our part. For more information on Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics visit www.LNT.org.

Tagged: eco friendly policies, Eco friendly vacation, Leave No Trace, Maine eco vacation, Schooner J. & E. Riggin

Wordless Wednesday – Sailing in Maine

J&E Riggin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:24:17 +0000

After a 6 month break – Wordless Wednesday’s are back! And what better way to come back than to share a photo from this past June by passenger Debarati Gosh. Thank you Debarati for sharing this beautiful image with us!

Tagged: Debarati Gosh, maine photographs, Maine vacation, photography, Sailing in Maine, windjammer vacation

Always New Places to Discover

Annie Mahle — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:17:00 +0000

The perfect sailing moments DO come! Sunny, but not too hot. Mixed with windy, about 15 knots of breeze from a fair direction. Peppered with just enough time to sit on the rail and breathe in the clean, ocean air spiced with the faint scent of seaweed from the beach, salt and the warm scent of pine from the islands.

Cape Elizabeth Community Center adventure camps for kids have been sailing with us for six years now. The kids, range in age from 13 to 17, and they were the lucky recipient of our perfect day.

Webster Head was our destination, with wind out of the South, it was just enough in the lee of the island of North Haven to give us a flat calm anchorage. In over 20 years of sailing these waters, we've never had the opportunity to anchor there. Just gorgeous.

The kids all jumped in the brisk water and then had dinner in the gloam of the setting daylight.

Annie
The summer is almost half over and we feel as if it's just begun after such a gift of a day.

Green Travel – Riggin in the News

Annie Mahle — Mon, 18 May 2009 10:00:00 +0000

This article ran in the local paper and I thought maybe the person who lost their cell phone in the compost last year might appreciate having made the news! Free Press column What’s In Your Trash?

Annie

Wonder how long it would have taken to compost if we hadn't found it?

Tagged: Eco-Friendly Travel, Green Business, Green Travel, Green Vacation, Socially Responsible Business

Maine Vacation On A Budget

Annie Mahle — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Maybe some vacations are out of reach this year – perhaps the guided safari trip to Africa or the high-end wine tour of Europe will have to wait (although, don’t wait too long, life’s too short.) But that doesn’t mean a vacation is completely out, because I’m guessing it’s a sure thing that the need for a vacation hasn’t diminished in the slightest. This just means you need to look for a value-based, budget-conscious vacation.

We just happen to have a suggestion. This post actually comes from a conversation had last night with a repeat guest who opined that she always felt that a

In addition, the view is incredible, the experience once-in-a-lifetime, the details completely taken care of, the people friends for life, the food outstanding and the value – priceless.

Annie
Come play with us – you deserve it!

Tagged: Low Cost Maine Vacation, Maine Budget Vacation, Maine Windjammer Sailing Vacation, Once In a Lifetime Vacations

The Riggin Blog

Annie Mahle — Tue, 12 May 2009 10:00:00 +0000

We've been blogging for three years now. A fact that comes as a surprise to me, as when we first started, I wasn't sure I'd get more than a few months in before we gave it up and worked on more interesting projects. But it turns out that blogging is infinitely interesting, hopefully to you as well as us, and almost 300 posts later, we’re still at it.

What we’ve discovered is that blogging is much more about the individual writers and the relationship to the readers than it is about simply scatter shot writing and random information blasting. Therefore, this blog will now be called Broad Reach and be devoted to the Riggin. You'll get Capts. Jon, Annie, Elizabeth and the crew here and be able to get the Schooner Timberwind captain, owners and crew here on their new blog In the Wind. We wish them an excellent launching.

Annie
There's always more to share

Tagged: Blogging about Maine Windjammer Vacations

Restorative Justice – Working with Teens

Annie Mahle — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:55:00 +0000

As many of you may already know, Capt. Jon and I have been involved for over a year in the Restorative Justice program with the two teens who vandalized the Riggin last winter. Many of you have asked about that process and this article gives a very good description of what the Restorative Justice process is all about. It also has some good quotes from the kids which you may be interested to read.

Annie
Happy we are NOT working on the boat this winter

Tagged: Maine Windjammer Sailing Vacation, Restorative Justice, Schooner J. & E. Riggin

Talkin’ Travel for Families – Thanks, Lynn!

Annie Mahle — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:38:00 +0000

Lynn O’Rourke Hayes gave us a mention in her blog, Travel Talk. We should also be in her Dallas Morning News column next Sunday as a great Family Travel destination. All of you Dallas folks be sure to watch for it. Send us a clip if you have a minute, we’d love to see it.

Annie
Enjoying my own memories of family vacations.

Riggin Contest Update – Exumas

Annie Mahle — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:00:00 +0000

"Where in the world is the Riggin?"
contest. You’ve got until October of 2008 to send us your pictures of
you or your buddies in Riggin gear. We want to see how far we can
travel even if we aren’t there ourselves!

Here Harold sports his denim shirt and Eileen shows off her Riggin fleece while cruising in George Town, Exumas in the Bahamas in March.

The contest will run October through October so you have four full
seasons to travel with your Riggin gear. Send us a photo of you on
vacation wearing the Riggin logo. Next November we will announce two
winners, one for the furthest traveled and the second for the most
unusual place. The winners will get to choose 5 items from the Riggin
bakery. Yum!

Click here to view the original e-newletter on the contest. While you are there go ahead and subcribe.

Annie
Dreaming of other shores