Maine Windjammer Vacation: My Six-Day Sailing Excursion Aboard This Historic Boat

Experience an Outdoor Adventure at Sea

On September 11, 2005, I boarded the Isaac H. Evans, an 1886 wooden Maine windjammer and a national historic landmark based in Rockland, Maine for six day sailing excursion. According to Capt. Brenda Walker, the course for the week is determined by the wind and tide, with our destinations based on the weather conditions of the day. Passengers are encouraged to leave their work and watches back on land. By the time we hit the small town of Vinalhaven, I was out of cell phone range and transported into a paradise dotted with lobster pots, lighthouses and Guillemot ducks.

While a few brave souls would celebrate the crisp Maine morning by swimming or diving, others chose to wake up to the smell of hot coffee followed by a full breakfast cooked on a classic wood-burning stove. Meals featured New England delicacies such as Maine scallops l’orange, Boston baked bread, and blueberry pancakes with Maine blueberry syrup. Our snacks included Maine favorites like Jack's Zesty Toe Jam (a spicy Jalapeno spread) or Sweet Red Pepper Jam served with cream cheese with crackers. One afternoon, we feasted on a special sushi buffet featuring uni (sea urchin roe), mackerel, and scallops that guests caught while diving or fishing. Another day we had steamed crabs that were caught in the boat’s lobster pot. Through the schooner’s arrangements with the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs guests are guaranteed the freshest fruits and vegetables.

I attempted to work off these feasts by helping to hoist the mainsail every morning. During the course of the week I took my turn at the wheel, gave morning hellos to porpoises and harbor seals, jigged for mackerel, and climbed aloft the boat’s rigging for a literal bird’s eye view of Penobscot Bay.