J. & E. Riggin: What Makes This Maine Windjammer Schooner Special - RoarLoud (2024)

Maine got its nickname “Vacationland” for a reason. It has so much to offer people looking to escape their everyday lives, and just enjoy a simpler pace. For those who love the sea, Maine holds a special place in their hearts. Maine is the keeper of a world renown sailing tradition. Like a living museum, Maine offers people the chance to see a majestic windjammer sailing vessel from a bygone era. Unlike a museum where you can only appreciate the art from behind velvet ropes or security glass, the J. E. Riggin is a working schooner. Here is what makes Maine’s Windjammer J. & E. Riggin schooner so special.

History of Maine Windjammer – J. & E. Riggin

Built in 1927, the J. & E. Riggin was originally an oyster schooner. In 1929 this sleek craft it won the Oyster Dredger Race, with its 4000 square feet of sail powering the 89 foot vessel. After switching hands a few times over the years, it was converted to a passenger sail in 1977. Later in 1991, The National Park Service designated the J. & E. Riggin as a National Historic Landmark. Most recently in 1997, Capts Jon Finger & Anne (Annie) Mahle become the new stewards of the J. & E. Riggin. The care and love Capts Jon & Anne put into this schooner is evident all around you.

Majestic Maine Windjammer J. & E. Riggin

Experiences Make It Special

Although being designated as a national historic landmark would be enough to make the J. & E. Riggin a stand out schooner in Maine, there is a lot more that goes into what makes this cruise special. It all begins on the docks in Rockland, Maine. As you walk out to this impressive vessel, it is like going back in time. The world starts being a little less hectic and life seems to get a little more simplistic. Early 1900’s fixtures aboard complete the classic look and feel. Climb below deck to find your similarly fashioned cabin. With the exception of a sink and electric lighting in the cabin, furnishings are quaint, comfortable and keeps with the look and feel of the rest of the ship.

Another part of the experiences unique to a windjammer cruise is feeling you are a part of the crew. If you ever had a desire to feel what it was like to sail “back in the day”, this is your fantasy come true. Although not required, active participation in helping the schooner set sail and anchor is encouraged. The wonderful crew of J. & E. Riggin, besides being extremely experienced sailors, are also quite entertaining.

Whether it is the playful competitions they organize between teams of people raising parts of the enormous sails, or humorous chants and cheers while teams lift the anchor, the crew is a major part of the fun.

Best Way To Enjoy The Coast of Maine

One of the many lighthouses seen up and down the coast of Maine

Curious seal watching us

Maine is a beautiful state to visit and the scenic coastline is definitely one of its best features. The safe and relatively calm waters around Maine offer a relaxing voyage by sea, which is made even better aboard the smooth cruising J. & E. Riggin. This windjammer is perfectly designed for the waters around Maine. During sunset and sunrise, the water can be almost like glass.

Frank appreciating the smooth sailing

Although alcohol is not served on board the J. & E. Riggin, you are certainly welcomed to bring your own. Feeling the last warmth of the fading rays of sun, while enjoying a nice glass of wine will provide a magical moment to highlight your vacation.

Perfect sunset aboard the J. & E. Riggin

Maine Lobster Bake

A trip to Maine would not be complete without trying the lobster. I’ve had lobster in many parts of the world, but none compare to Maine lobster. As part of your experience on the J. & E. Riggin, you will be treated to a lobster bake. For those of you who have never had a lobster bake, you are in for a special treat.

The Captains and crew will find a perfect spot off a picturesque island and shuttle you to the shores of the island. While you explore, the crew will be hard at work preparing the feast. The food is amazing, and seems to be in endless supply. The star of the meal is the freshly caught lobster. Relax on the beach and enjoy more lobster than you can image, corn on the cob, side dishes…and then some more lobster!

If you have the will power to save room, the crew will provide the fixings for quite the elaborate s’more station with marshmallows, chocolate bars, waffle cones, and plenty of other goodies to pile on your s’more.

S’mores fixings

Amazing S’mores at the lobster bake

Sunsets like this are hard to beat

Gourmet Food At Sea

Lobster and duck egg pasta carbonara

Even though the lobster bake will undoubtedly be a trip highlight, it is far from being the only memorable meal. Aboard the J. & E. Riggin, passengers will be spoiled rotten by culinary skills of Co-Captain Anne (Annie) Mahle.

Daily pre-breakfast snacks like these home made rum currant and cinnamon muffins

Amazing breakfasts including homemade granola and these Espresso and cinnamon syrup pancakes

Oyster with delicious sauces to add

Incredible appetizers before the main course

Annie studied at the Culinary Institute of America, has over 30 years of professional cooking experience, and studied 3 of those years under an acclaimed Swiss-born and -raised chef. Every meal includes the freshest ingredients, many sourced locally (some even in Chef Annie own garden). The variety of dishes and quality of the food rivals anything you can find in a top restaurant. If that impresses you, Chef Annie creates it all in a 6×6 galley with a wood burning stove. Yes, I said wood burning!

Live Entertainment

Capt. John entertaining the passengers on guitar

What is dinner without a show? The crew aboard the J. & E. Riggin are not just sailors, they are also entertainers. Capt. Jon on occasions will bring out his guitar to play for the passengers while Co-Capt. Annie will sing. Not to be outdone their children will often accompany them with their voices. They know a large catalog of sea shanties and will slip in some contemporary artist songs from time to time. The extra mile the crew goes through to both entertain and keep the whole experience consistent with the turn of the century vibe is really appreciated.

Disconnect and Enjoy View

Enjoying the cruise on the J. & E. Riggin

While on the J. & E. Riggin, passengers are encouraged to “disconnect” from their electronic devices and enjoy the view. Despite the panic you may feel inside to not be constantly looking at your phone, those who tend to be stressed in day to day life will find renewed energy being separated from the digital world and seeing the beauty of the seacoast all around them. This also gives you the chance to socialize. Unlike on those over-crowded floating cities passing themselves off as a boat, sailing on a Maine windjammer is a much more possible to have meaningful engaging conversations without distractions.

It Is All About Tradition

Silhouette of the J. & E. Riggin at sunset

Probably the most unique thing we found about sailing on the J. & E. Riggin is “tradition”. Now when I say tradition, it actually has a few meanings. First tradition means family tradition, Capts Jon & Annie have taken care of this Maine windjammer for over 20 years. The children are crew members and have grown up on the schooner. The love they have of sharing their pride and joy with passengers is evident. The second meaning concerns the passengers. More than half the passengers on the windjammer have been on the J. & E. Riggin before in the past. Some of them have been on a few times earning themselves a “Riggin Relic” patch, a distinction of passengers who have been on 3 or more times.

Perfect sunrises like this would make me come back again and again

During our trip, we met a couple that had been on 37 times! That is right, 37 times. They have so much sailing experience on the J. & E. Riggin, they could be mistaken for part of the crew. Asking them why they have been on so many times, their answer was “Well we just love it. It has become a tradition for us that we just love to keep coming back”. This more than anything else is a testament to what makes this Maine windjammer schooner is so special.

Here is a bonus video to enjoy!

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We were guests ofMaine Windjammer on J&E Riggin. As always our opinions are honest and our own.

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