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 North America |
 The coastal schooner Stephen Taber sails the ruggedly handsome coastline of Maine. She represents an unbroken link with the golden Age of Sail as it was along the northeastern shores of the United States, and today she offers an authentic glimpse of life during those times to adventurous travelers and would-be sailors. By Rod Lopez-Fabrega |
 The state of Maine, jutting out into the North Atlantic, has been the home of seafaring peoples since long before Europeans settled the northeastern corner of America. Native Americans, European colonials and later citizens of the newly united states, sailed Maine's rugged coastlines and fished its bountiful waters. As the region grew, sailing ships became the lifelines for transportation and trade, carrying passengers and produce of all kinds up and down the coastline. Without the thousands of medium-sized schooners plying these waters, New England commerce would have been almost impossible during the 19th century. Their larger cousins, the ocean-sailing Clipper Ships and "Down Easters" came to serve the China trade, traveling around the Horn to exotic ports for international commerce.Before long, the tentacles of railroad lines and paved highways reached up into this once remote corner of New England, and the power of steam brought the age of the coastal schooners to a close as a mainstay of commerce. A few of these small schooners were prettied up and pressed into service for recreational sailing by newly rich scions of the burgeoning industrial age and their families who had discovered the splendid natural beauties of the Maine coastline. Now, only a very few original coastal schooners remain as they were built in the 19th century, and most of those are in museums. |
 The Schooner Stephen Taber: One remains in service. Built in 1871, the Stephen Taber is America's oldest documented merchant sailing vessel in continuous service, and so special is she that she has been honored by inclusion on the National Historic Register. Today, her skipper is young Captain Noah Barnes, who describes her thusly, "Stephen Taber is a classic example of a coasting schooner. Her overall length is 115 feet, the length on deck is 68 feet, and she is an extremely stable 22 feet wide. Coasting schooners were built with a shallow draft and with a center board movable keel so that the center board could be hauled up, getting the vessels closer to estuaries and enabling them to ground out, if necessary, in order to deliver their cargoes. The Coasters were the 18-wheelers of their day."But those days are past. Today, she sails three-, four- and six-day vacation cruises from June through October out of Rockland in and around Penobscot Bay. Taber cruises explore some of Penobscot's spectacular waterways, coves, 2000 islands, picture postcard villages, secluded inlets and placid anchorages, sometimes accompanied by friendly seals and harbor porpoises, often in view of land-based wildlife (think "moose...") and always under the watchful eyes of soaring seabirds. |
 You may well wonder how a 134-year-old lady can still manage such a busy and often demanding schedule. The answer--and the reason she has become known as the "Good Luck Vessel"--is the loving attention she has received from a series of owners through her many decades of service. The Stephen Taber was named after the entrepreneurial investor who had her built in 1871 to cash in on the coastal trade--more specifically to carry bricks and lumber--and she was worked so hard carrying such heavy loads that in 1900 she had to be rebuilt. At that time as the Maine passenger business developed, Taber's trim lines and yacht-like appearance caught the attention of pleasure sailors, and she was outfitted with "ladies facilities", including Oriental rugs and awnings and amenities to accommodate well-to-do vacationers and their families. |
 As she changed hands through the decades, Taber was rebuilt several more times, culminating in her most recent metamorphosis when current owners, Captains Ken Barnes and Captain Ellen Barnes and a crew of dedicated and skilled helpers literally dismantled the vessel and rebuilt her from the centerboard upwards with thousands of board feet of new oak, adding passenger amenities but giving meticulous attention to retaining her original detailing. She is even painted just as she was in 1871, dark green trimmed with black, red, yellow and white; and she remains driven by wind power alone with an occasional nudge when docking from Babe, the small motorized yawl she pulls along behind her. |
Sailing on the Taber Today: Captain Noah Barnes explains the sailing plan he follows most days, "Stops will include a village here or an uninhabited island there. One of the fantastic things Penobscot Bay is that there are no bad options. There are so many places to go and they are so packed together that at any point I will have five choices of places to sail. That means that every morning, I will not know where we are going. I will select our best sail, our best course based on the wind and the tide at the time, where a nice sunset may be viewed, where the best lobsters can be purchased. In the last ten years we have not repeated a week's itinerary." One of the villages the Taber visits on occasion is Castine, a lovely old community located on a peninsula in the East Penobscot Bay. The town is on the National Register of Historic Places with more than 100 historic markers. Castine stands out for its authentic 18th century architecture and its many handsome colonial homes. Major landmarks include Fort George, built by the British in 1779 and partially restored as a state memorial, and Fort Madison, earthwork remnants built by the Americans in 1811, occupied by the British during the War of 1812 and reconstructed during the American Civil War.Perhaps indicative of the New England character is the message posted outside the Trinity Episcopal Church, located on the village green. The Wayside Pulpit carries the message: "Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season." These firm and no nonsense words of wisdom are credited to W. E. Dubois.Several excellent inns are located in Castine, and one that stands out is the historic Pentagoet Inn, with its charming rooms and most especially its unusual "traveler's parlor". The inn keepers have traveled the world extensively and have amassed an amazing collection of portraits of world leaders, past and present, that range from Haile Sellasie to Fidel Castro and that cover every inch of all the room's walls. They serve as a fascinating conversation starter for guests. |
The Crew:
 Noah Barnes literally grew up on the Taber. She has been an integral part of the Barnes family for twenty years. Captain Noah has taken over the helm after the retirement of his parents, Captains Ken and Ellen Barnes . In addition to Noah, the Stephen Taber crew in the Summer of 2005 includes first mate Sterling Bryson, who has sailed extensively throughout the Pacific out of San Diego; Aimée Lepaige, the amazingly gifted chef on board the Taber; Vanessa Raymond, sous chef (kitchen goffer) and Jill-of-all-trades, who hails from American Samoa; and Phillip Brey-Ryan, the hardworking deckhand. All of the Barnes have been avid international travelers with cumulative decades of sailing experience all over the world. |
The Passengers:
 Those passengers interested and able to help are encouraged to add heft to the regular crew's efforts when it is time to haul the heavy sails, to handle lines or to pump the ratchets that raise the anchor. Great care is taken to assign safe tasks to the passengers, and the Captain warns volunteer sailors not to take it personally when a crew member shouts to them, "Move it! Now!"A full load of 22 passengers will include a cross section of Americana from students to retirees as well as visitors from overseas--but no small children, please. Many are returnees who have sailed on Taber before. All are adventurous travelers who are interested in experiencing life as it may have been on a coastal schooner during the golden age of sail along the coasts of New England. They all understand that then, as now, schooner life was rustic, accommodations were basic, and Taber, for one, does not offer "dancing on the Lido Deck". |
| Accommodations On Board:Stephen Taber offers compact cabins, two are singles, four have full-size double bunks, and six have twin bunks. Each cabin provides a small sink. Toilet facilities are shared and hot-water showering is an adventure unto itself involving temporary curtains hung on deck but best accomplished on land at cooperating inns at various island stops.Passengers have the run of the entire vessel but the favorite gathering place is the spacious dining area below deck where everyone gathers for most meals, to read or play board games during the day, or to listen to Captain Barnes spin yarns about his adventures as a rookie sailor in the Caribbean.Also available to guests is the small library located aft, but most topsiders gather amid ship on the portion of the deck that serves as the al fresco living room. Covered by a huge awning, the space is where passengers can congregate during cloudy weather. Without the awning, it is great place for sunning on those crisp, crystal clear days which Maine alternates between rain and fog. |
Stephen Taber Cuisine:
 One outstanding luxury offered by life on the Taber is the cuisine. Chef Aimée and her assistant Vanessa prepare three truly remarkable meals daily, amazing because of the creativity of the changing menus and the fact that they are turned out from a snug little galley on an antique wood-fired stove. Breakfasts always include breads baked fresh daily, lunches might be structured around savory soups such as a bouillabaisse of lobster and local crustaceans, and dinner might be centered around a fabulous shepherd's pie with more side dishes than a body can consume, all topped off by a rich dessert and coffee served topside. Though no liquor is available on board, passengers may bring their own, and all the trimmings for five-o'clockish cocktail hour are provided on deck. The Barnes pride themselves in the food they serve, and Captain Ellen, a master cook in her own right, personally trains the cooks that serve on the ship. |
| Captain Ellen's New England Boiled Dinner: "This has been a favorite on board for many years. Tuesday night is New England Boiled Dinner night, and when our children are in the area they always try to meet the boat on Tuesdays for this meal. The secret of success is good corned beef. Ours is corned by our butcher.The appearance of freshly corned beef is different from the packaged corned beef available at the supermarkets." 1 brisket of corned beef 1 package of carrots cut into chunks 12-16 small red potatoes 12-16 small white onions 1 large turnip cut into chunks several beets, if you like them (I don't use beets on the vessel) 1 large or 2 small heads of cabbage cut into wedges Place corned beef in a large stew pot and cover with water. Boil for 2 to 3 hours until fork tender, then add carrots, onions and turnips in the pot and boil for ½ hour. Add the cabbage and boil for another 15 minutes. Slice the beef in diagonal slices across the grain. Arrange all on a platter and serve with mustard sauce and Irish soda bread. A good full-bodied beer (if you are so inclined) goes well with this meal. This is a very traditional meal, so dessert of apple or pumpkin or mincemeat pie is a nice finish. (Above recipe from "Classic Maine Coastal Cooking" by Ellen Barnes) |
Special Events: Throughout the sailing season, there are a number of events and gatherings that make some weeks special. Usually, these are one-day events, such as the Rockland Lighthouse Parade of Sail, or the Great Schooner Race. Some are destination-based, like Camden Windjammer Days, with nighttime festivities. Taber also offers weeks highlighting a particular interest that might include the Lighthouse and Photography Cruise or the Wine Tasting Cruise. Every Spring, a very special event is the GAM or gathering of schooners, new and old, large and small. Anywhere from ten to fifteen schooners come together, maneuvering with heart-stopping precision to anchor portside to starboard in a great forest of masts, riggings and banners towering over an expanse of decks the size of a football field. Passengers on Taber--as well as on all the schooners--are invited to jump ship and visit all the other vessels, where they are welcome to explore and compare. Captain Barnes requests that "his people" try, for the sake of fleet niceties, not to gloat to passengers of other schooners that Stephen Taber is historic and unique and is the oldest of them all in continuous service. |
The Captain Lindsey House: For passengers arriving to board Stephen Taber or at the end of a cruise, there is a highly recommended pause on land. That is to spend one or two nights at the Captain Lindsey House, "...a lovely Old English inn blended with a 19th century Maine sea captain's home." The inn is conveniently located right in the center of the town of Rockland, a few steps away from the town docks and not far from the pier where the Taber is docked.The inn belongs to the Barnes family, and it is filled with the amazing bric-a-brac and artifacts they have brought home from their world travels. The rooms are spacious and sunny, and the side gardens are ideal for the occasional lobster dinner that takes place there. Price of the room includes a sumptuous breakfast. Also offered is an optional 8-Day Inn package that includes two consecutive nights at the Captain Lindsey House before or after your cruise. The package also includes both breakfasts and one dinner at Amalfi, one of Rockland's finest restaurants and, of course, six days aboard Taber, boarding on Sunday and disembarking in time for Saturday brunch. |
 For Additional Information, Rates, Schedules and Reservations: Phone: 1-800-999-7352 or 207-596-7950 Fax: 207-596-2758 E-mail: info@stephentaber.com Mail: Captain Noah Barnes Windjammer Wharf P. O. Box 1050 Rockland, Maine 04841 |
| PHOTO CREDITS: Title photo, courtesy of Schooner Stephen Taber, photo by Benjamin Mendlowitz; Historic photos courtesy of Schooner Stephen Taber; Additional photos by Rod Lopez-Fabrega. |
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© 2005 ROMAR TRAVEL GUIDES
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