For four days aboard the J. & E. Riggin Maine Windjammer, I watched Captain Jocelyn Schmidt prepare three creative meals a day – from homemade tortillas and handmade pasta to made-from-scratch clam syrup and fermented and boiled pretzels. All this in a tiny galley aboard a historic wind-powered schooner, using an antique wood stove as the ship traversed Maine’s coastal waters.
It became part of the daily adventure to meander down the narrow stairs in the hot galley below deck to find out what Schmidt was up to for the day. As a hobby cook, I was fascinated by what she did in such a tiny space with vintage equipment.
Captain and chef Jocelyn Schmidt works up a sweat rolling out fresh tortillas in the tiny galley at J. & E. Riggin. Note the antique wood stove in the background.
And I knew well why she and her co-pilot and husband Justin Shaffer have given their nickname Maine Windjammer Sailing adventures in a ‘Foodjammer:’ Not only will you never go hungry, but you will also find yourself in love with the mix of traditional cuisine and creative, locally sourced, often internationally influenced – all made with love and care.
Galley voyage from the helm of J. & E. Riggin
As co-pilot with her husband Schaefer, her journey up to the galley from the ship came slowly but became a permanent part of J. & E. Riggin windjammer adventure from 2023. “I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did,” he told me. “I surprised and surprised myself how smoothly it went and how much I enjoyed being ‘down there.’
By “down there,” he means going down those little steps to the galley. Down there, it’s always warm with the wood stove blazing from dawn to dusk to whip up pies, cookies, eggs, soups, desserts and snacks for a dozen or so hungry mouths. Other Maine Windjammer Association schooners – all based in MidCoast Maine – also have great food, but I think it would be hard to match Schmidt’s passion, love and pride for every dish she creates and serves in the networks galley National Historic Landmark schooner.
Captain and Chef Jocelyn Schmidt explains fresh local oysters, drips and fixin’s for the first night’s appetizers aboard the J. & E. Riggin Maine Windjammer.
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Longtime sailors and captains, she and Schaefer took over the J. & E. Riggin legacy in 2021 from 24-year owners Annie Mahle and Jon Finger. For their first seasons in 2021 and 2022, the duo had a chef, but it was clear, Schmidt said, that they needed a clearer and more consistent direction in the galley. Although Schmidt enjoyed cooking, running an entire ship’s galley was indeed another matter. Especially since she felt the need to live up to Anne Mahle’s fine dining legacy as a trained culinary chef – something that Riggin regulars return to again and again. So Schmidt started cooking with Mahle a few times a month. The goal of the schooner J. & E. Riggin is to maintain the tradition of culinary excellence that began with Mahle, but also to allow Schmidt to put her own stamp on the direction of the menu, emphasizing local and regional products and businesses .
“Food is a huge part of the windjammer experience at Riggin,” Schmidt said, “and part of that is because of Annie’s legacy.”
Adventurous, homey, cuisine at J. & E. Riggin
Schmidt and Schaefer enjoy being bold and international with the cuisine, not just traditional. For example, they introduced Middle Eastern eggs Shakshuka, a red Thai curry and Chinese noodles to a menu that still includes some of Mahle’s customer favorites, such as clam and poached salmon.
Captain and Chef Jocelyn Riggin makes the hot Red Thai Curry for dinner on the J. & E. Riggin windjammer cruise.
With Riggin’s emphasis on supporting local businesses, farms and produce, Schaefer, for example, leaves the skiff on the morning of a lobster feed on the beach. At the nearby island, where J. & E. Riggin anchors in the bay, he brings fresh lobsters from a lobster cooperative for that night’s bake. Or, just before setting sail on the first morning, they go to a local oyster farm to get fresh oysters for that night’s first dinner. And the jam-filled cooler in the trunk on the wind schooner has bundles of fresh herbs and vegetables from a farm near their home anchorage in Rockland, Maine.
Captain Justin Schaefer reviews all the fresh herbs, vegetables and fruits for J. & E. Riggin’s windjammer week.
“We want to give back to the community from a small business to a small business,” Schmidt said. In her first season in 2023 cooking full-time, “I love watching the menu evolve as the produce evolves with the season.”
Of course, making everything from scratch means the J. & E. Riggin kitchen can easily accommodate special dietary needs, from keto to gluten-free to vegan. And the plans are detailed to eliminate trash — the crew often eats the scraps between sails, and normally all the trash after a windjammer sailing adventure is no more than a 5-gallon compost bin, he said.
Evolving recipes while keeping the Riggin classics
The first year of the 2020 COVID pandemic was planned to be a transition year for Schmidt and Schaefer, with the married duo working for the season at J. & E. Riggin with Mahle and Finger. But the season was canceled (thanks, COVID) and the duo stayed at home in Rockland — and so they cooked a lot more, often from recipes shared by friends. The pastas recently added to J. & E. Riggin’s dinner menus came from creating them with a friend who learned from her mother.
It’s all hands in the kitchen for the social cause of J. & E. Riggin’s pasta making and rolling — including Captain Justin Schaefer.
As is tradition, filling and making pasta is a family affair – and that’s still true today at Riggin. Captains, crew and interested guests all file in, laughing and chatting around the galley table, smearing themselves with ingredients as they flatten the dough into rounds and fill and nibble on dozens of dumplings. On our 2023 windjammer sailing adventure, we found those who didn’t get their hands full, instead huddled on deck and stared at the shenanigans.
Although all guests on the windjammer can help make pasta, some choose to watch the frivolity and fun from the deck looking down.
Once Schmidt and the crew start delivering food to set the deck for the buffet, everyone starts to hover, wondering what this meal will include. When Schmidt comes out to ring the meal bell, she also announces what’s on the menu—including options for special diets.
Dinner bell! Captain and chef Jocelyn Schmidt prepares to explain what’s on the menu after ringing the bell.
When it’s time to eat, diners line up to fill their plates while Schmidt and crew hover to serve, answer questions or make a beeline for any additional needs.
With so much relaxation on a Maine Windjammer sailing adventure, it’s hard not to look forward to a meal with all your new friends. Grab your plate and arrange where it suits you on the deck… and enjoy!
Want to make your own J. & E. Riggin’ Schooner Dumplings? Captain and Chef Jocelyn Schmidt shared it Recipe for Chinese dumplings exclusively with us for HI Travel Tales Subscriber Club members. Participation is free.
