We’re in Great Cove yesterday morning watching the Stephen Taber. There’s virtually no wind, so she’s being turned by a crew member in her powerful yawl boat, Babe, which is lashed to her stern. Once the Taber is pointed toward Eggemoggin Reach and its better winds, the crew member will climb onboard and Babe will become the vessel’s outboard motor.
This 110-foot windjammer has no engine, which is the way things were in 1871, when she was launched into the rugged 19th Century commercial coasting fleet.
Now, the Taber is a spiffy National Historic Landmark out of Rockland, Maine; life on her can be pretty cushy.
She’s now on an advertised five-day “Gourmet Gastropub Cruise” with Chef James Tranchemontagne at the stove and lecturing on cooking. He’s the owner of the Frog & Turtle restaurant in Westbrook, Maine.
Don’t get fooled into thinking that she’s just a lush floating lounge, though. When she’s racing with all her canvas up, passengers better hold on:
Prior Year Image
(Brooklin, Maine)