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Wind, Wine & Wooden Boats
A windjamming escape in Maine aboard the historic Stephen Taber
By Seana Sears
If you’ve never been windjamming along the coast of Maine aboard a 150-year-old schooner—letting the wind carry you from island to island while savoring inventive gourmet meals paired with wines and cheeses from around the world—then a cruise on the Stephen Taber belongs on your bucket list.
Getting Out of Town
Santa Barbara is usually bursting with vacationers during the summer so my partner and I escape to our hide-away in Maine, where I try hard not to work and even harder at doing mostly nothing. We garden, I work on art pieces, and watch the wildlife go by. This year, I wanted to make our summer unforgettable. When I asked what he wanted to do, he didn’t miss a beat: “A schooner trip.” So, naturally, I dove into researching the best windjammer adventure in Maine—and that’s how I discovered the Stephen Taber and the wonderful, themed cruises. See their website here: www.stephentaber/2027-trips-all.
Chocolate Lovers & Other Themed Cruises
The Stephen Taber offers savory and artisanal themed cruises. There’s a music trip with a bluesy Cajun trio. There’s a cruise for wine and cheese fanatics; Captain Noah is a cheese professional so be prepared to be amazed. We chose the Chocolate Cruise, hosted by Kate Schaffer of Ragged Coast Chocolates, whose gorgeous, and thoughtfully sourced, chocolates were among the most memorable I have ever experienced. We learned how to savor each distinct flavor that comes from chocolate harvested in regions of Costa Rica, and Kate shared her story of success through relentless iteration and how she mastered chocolate making during long, cold winters on a tiny Maine island named Isle au Haut pronounced eee-la-who by locals so don’t try to French it up, you’ll get funny looks.
Following the Wind
We embarked from Rockland Harbor and followed the wind. Every day at sea felt idyllic: sunny blue skies, billowing white cumulus clouds; it was the kind of sky I wanted to frame.
A multi-day cruise aboard the Stephen Taber feels like a slow-motion adventure: an all-inclusive, glamping-on-the-water escape where the wind and tide decide the day. With fresh local culinary extravagance that will blow your mind, and space for 22 passengers in cozy, varnished-wood cabins. The trip feels far less like a commercial cruise and more like an intimate floating house party hosted by Captain Noah Barnes and his lively crew.
Ragged Coast Chocolates—Maine.
Kate gave each guest a box of her special chocolates to take home. My box didn’t make it all the way, I ate my last 2 pieces leaving Camden. Thankfully I can find her chocolate online at www.ruggedcoastchocolates.com. She writes cookbooks too!
Lobster bake on a private island
The moment that turned this adventure into a memory I’ll carry forever was eating fresh lobster Kate brought back from Isle au Haut, and baked right on the beach of a tiny private island in the middle of exactly nowhere, with a group of intimate strangers who shared the same hunger for adventure and lusty love of food.
Hop in Yawl
We were transported to a private island on a sassy little wooden yawl named Babe, with enough room for ten people and a crate full of lobsters. When we got as close to land as the yawl could go, Alden, one of the crew members, laid planks for us to walk on, using the lobster crate to support the boards just above the water. Could it get any more enchanting?
Memories in the Wake
At the end of the four-night Chocolate cruise, goodbye was bittersweet. Glad for terraferma, we loaded the car and headed home. Ando drove while I daydreamed. I had an unusual sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. It was, by far, the best vacation I’ve taken in a longtime. I would recommend this trip to everyone who wants to try something new surrounded by nature and good people.
