The highlight of the week for many of our passengers is our traditional Maine lobster bake. It’s an all-you-can-eat feast; seven whole lobsters eaten by one person, a girl scout!, in one sitting is the record (please do not try this at home). After anchoring near an undisturbed island in the early afternoon, the yawl boat ferries us ashore and we hop across the granite rocks to the beach. Everyone wanders off in a different directions – exploring inland, walking the shore, swimming- some even help set up for dinner.
The crew has already rowed ashore and brought everything we need to the island:
- Firewood (we bring it with us instead of collecting driftwood so we make the least impact on the island’s ecosystem)
- Fire pan (we build th eifre on top of this pan)
- Galvanized steel washtub
- Lobsters
- Fresh Corn on the Cob
- Baked Potatoes
- Melted Lemon Butter
- Snacks
- Watermelon
- Lemonade (passengers often bring beer and wine with them)
- Sausages and chicken (for the non lobster fans)
- Chocolate bars, marshmallows and graham crackers for S’mores
A fire is lit below the high tide mark, corn is shucked, various goodies are put out to tide us over until the lobster is ready. Once the fire is really going the lobster pot- a huge steel tub- is filled with 2-3 inches of salt water and set on the fire to boil. While we wait for the water to boil, several armloads of seaweed are gathered (we are careful to leave some seaweed at each spot so it can grow back). Once the water is boiling we layers the lobsters, corn, mussels and clams in the pot, cover it with a “lid” of seaweed, wait for it to come to a boil and rotate the pot for even cooking on the fire. When the water comes to a second boil we’ll pull some of the seaweed aside and check to see that the lobsters are red all over. When they are done, the pot is carried away from the fire, the seaweed is arranged on a flat rock and everything is placed on the seaweed bed, ready to eat (the crew does the lobster dance).
Once everyone has had their fill of lobster, the watermelon is sliced and the makings for S’mores are laid out. There’s always a lively discussion over how to make the best S ‘more, and the proper way to roast a marshmallow – golden on the outside and soft and gooey inside or burnt to a crisp on the outside and just warmed on the inside.
Now how can you beat that?!
It’s just before boarding; there are a few last minute touches of polish on the brass, one more check of the deck to make sure all the lines are flemished and coiled and at 5 pm the first guests start to arrive. We greet them warmly – some first-time passengers, some are repeat passengers who return every year. One returning couple tells us that the trip on the Riggin starts when they get in the car to leave their house; off comes the watch and it doesn’t go back on until they hit the dock after a week on board.
Have you been going over your bucket list and seeing that line where it says “do a windjammer cruise”? Did you read an article in a magazine or online talking about Maine windjammer cruises and found yourself thinking “that sounds like fun”? Were you in Maine at some point and looked out over the harbor and saw a majestic two masted wooden boat sailing by and thought to yourself “that might just be the best way to see the Maine coast”? If you answered yes to any of these questions then all we can say is – what are you waiting for?!?! There’s no better time like the present to join us for a sailing vacation on a historic wooden schooner on the Maine coast!
