2024 Season Highlights

Our season began with a joint charter with the schooners Stephen Taber and J. & E. Riggin. We spent four days enjoying beautiful early-summer sailing weather exploring Penobscot Bay with a group of energetic high school students.

photo courtesy of: Elias Porter

Right after that we celebrated the Schooner Gam, the first fleet meet-up of the summer season. We had a blast rafting up with our fellow Maine Windjammers for a night of music and fun in Carver Cove. Reese Fulmer and the Carriage House Band provided wonderful music the whole trip. Check out Reese's new album "Stealing Just To Get By" on Bandcamp and streaming services.

photo courtesy of: Sean Sheppard

The Great Schooner Race was a great way to welcome July. We were once again able to take to take home a number of awards winning the small boat rowing race along with "Belle of the Ball" and third place overall in the Great Schooner Race--despite the lack of wind compared to last year.

Every month is pie month aboard the Schooner American Eagle, but this past July was extra special. Cookbook author and pie baker extraordinaire Stacey Mei Yan Fong joined us for a trip, giving mess mate Nate a lesson on how to make an even better wild Maine blueberry pie. Check out her book "50 Pies 50 States" for all sorts of wild recipes including her Maine blueberry with Moxie reduction pie.

Rockland Harbor was home to two Eagles at the beginning of August as the Coast Guard Barque Eagle visited for Maine Lobster Festival.

It's always nice to spend time with friends, and we were able to raft up with the Stephen Taber for a beautiful August night spent anchored in Valley Cove.

photo courtesy of: Fionn McWilliam

September started off with a bang as we sailed to Gloucester for the annual Schooner Festival and Race. This year had excellent racing weather as we battled it out with the Schooner Ernestina Morrissey and other large schooners, narrowly winning the Esperanto Cup by 17 seconds.

photo courtesy of: Fionn McWilliam

photo courtesy of: Kate Hassenfratz

As September came to an end so did our sailing season. The sails are all neatly folded an put away, blocks are serviced and ready for fresh varnish, and the cover is on the schooner. We had a great year in 2024 and hope that 2025 is just as special.

Offcuts & Tailings... Favorite Foods

Our hardworking galley duo of Marty and Nate really put our new galley space to use over the summer. Here are some of the culinary highlights:

What better to have on a cool, crisp fall morning aboard a Gloucester schooner than a New England breakfast of cod cakes, baked beans, brown bread, fried eggs, and fresh fruit for color?

With all the wonderful warm weather we had all summer lunch became quite the sandwich spread. Whether it was Italian hoagies on fresh sesame laden Italian bread, steak sandwiches on soft rolls, or brisket po' boys on chewy French bread everyone was always looking forward to lunch.

It can be hard to not eat all the lobster during a bake, but any leftover meat gets transformed into a new delicious treat.

Marty pulled another trick out of his cap when he amazed us with this Maine lobster sushi (tossed with a little mayonnaise in the style of a classic lobster roll).

Pictured above is one of our summer favorites: shrimp sautéed in olive oil and garlic paired with a delicious sweet corn risotto made with local corn from White Oak Farms.

To the right is a fall meal of a tender medium rare filet with potatoes au gratin, thin-sliced garlic roast Brussels sprouts, fresh roll, and garden salad with blue cheese dressing.

Much like osprey, as the weather turns to fall the crew leaves the shipyard, hopefully bound for a warmer climate for the winter--though we do have a few stragglers this season.

Courtney is headed to sunny California for the winter to work with the Los Angeles Maritime Institute to work as a deckhand educator aboard one of their tall ships.

Kate is taking a well-deserved break from Maine right now, but word is she'll be back in Rockland to help with winter projects.

Elias is back at Colby College to complete his senior year. We won't be too surprised if he shows up at the shipyard when classes are slow, but he isn't allowed to work on the schooner till his homework is done.

Marty headed back to balmy Massachusetts, though we've heard he's got plans to head south for warmer weather.

Nate's still here in Rockland, helping out in the shipyard office and working at his favorite Rockland restaurant Sammy's Deluxe.

From Beside the Wheelbox...

What a season! It really does feel like only yesterday we tore out of Rockland leaving Vinalhaven & Isle La Haut to leeward, reeling off 9 knots to pile up with our schooner friends for our first night in Swans Island. Leaving the dust of fitout far behind, back to the bay once again.

The weather this summer was sublime; so many glassy mornings that would just barely stir the steam off your coffee mug, but past the harbor mouth just the right amount of breeze waited. Enough to get where you needed to go to, but not so much you had to grab it as your destination went by. Other days it certainly felt more like a brawl, the schooner and I wrestling against a heavy easterly or an unfavorable tide ("running up the down escalator" as I like to say). But the moments we could ease the sheets and let our beautiful schooner run stay with us all. The sun glinting off the hills with the smoke from the galley stove curling through the eddies of the sail's draft while the water boils in the scuppers, gurgling in the vacuum behind the transom before spiraling off into our wake. Everyone on deck drinking in the magic of the moment, the worries of yesterday and tomorrow forgotten; all that matters is a calm anchorage and a beautiful dinner.

We saw many old friends and made many new ones this year. I am always so impressed and thankful of all the incredible people who join us each season--coming together from so far to explore, experience, share good company and amazing food. Thank you for helping keep this vessel alive and supporting her future. We could not do it without you all and nor would we want to!

I have a busy winter ahead and you'll be hearing from us again before long, there is far too much going on to fit in just one newsletter.