Sailing the Maine Coast Aboard the Schooner American Eagle

Kate Curcio

Aug 10

7 min read

This June, I had the opportunity to spend several days sailing the Maine coast aboard the Schooner American Eagle out of Rockland, Maine, and I have not stopped thinking about that trip since.

I have told everyone who will listen that it was one of the best, and without a doubt the most relaxing, trips I have ever taken.

The funny thing is, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into.

I had never slept on a ship before. I had never even been out on the water for more than a few hours at a time. I've never been seasick, so I figured I had that going for me, but beyond that, this was completely new territory.

There was also a little part of me that wondered if maybe I was going to love it more than I expected. I have ancestors who were sea captains here in Maine, and I remember thinking, Maybe this is going to trigger something in me.

Spoiler alert: I think it did.

I had absolutely no idea what to pack for this trip. Thankfully, American Eagle sends you a packing list ahead of time because, apparently, my vision of sailing the Maine coast was a little different from reality. I was picturing sundresses. They were suggesting rain gear. Thank God for the packing list. Haha.

I arrived at the dock in Rockland that afternoon, and the second I saw the ship, my nerves turned into excitement. The crew immediately greeted us with friendly faces, and we were welcomed aboard with a beautiful charcuterie spread and flowers.

Not exactly the rugged life at sea I had been preparing myself for!

After a quick tour, I was shown my cabin.

I had been warned about this part. Friends told me the cabins were going to be tiny. I had prepared myself to barely be able to stand or move around.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw ours.

Yes, it was small. You're sleeping on a historic schooner, after all. But it was completely doable. My bunkmate, Birdie, and I had two twin-size bunks, one above the other, and a small sink. We had enough room to tuck our belongings alongside us, and honestly, we were comfortable. We joked that if we could make it through the trip sharing this little space without getting on each other's nerves, we'd be friends forever. We survived.

Once we got settled, we headed back up to explore the schooner.

American Eagle is beautiful, but what makes her even more incredible is her history. This isn't a modern boat that was built to look historic. You're sailing aboard the real thing.

American Eagle was launched in Gloucester, Massachusetts, on June 2, 1930, originally under the name Andrew & Rosalie. Just a few weeks later, she headed out on her first fishing trip.

She was built as a wooden, two-masted auxiliary fishing schooner and spent decades working in the Gloucester fishing fleet. In 1941, she was renamed American Eagle. After World War II, the Piscitello family purchased her, and she continued working through the height of Gloucester's commercial fishing era. As the fishing industry changed, the boat changed with it, eventually being rigged as an eastern-rig dragger. For 53 years, American Eagle was a working fishing vessel. Then, in 1983, her Maine story began.

After more than half a century of commercial fishing, American Eagle arrived in Rockland and underwent an extensive rebuild. Captain John Foss led the restoration, transforming her back into a sailing schooner and eventually into the passenger-carrying Maine windjammer she is today.

In 1991, American Eagle was designated a National Historic Landmark, recognized as an important surviving example of the Gloucester fishing schooners that played such a huge role in New England's maritime history.

After decades under Captain Foss's stewardship, Captain Tyler King took over American Eagle in 2022.

I found Tyler's connection to the boat especially fascinating. He grew up around wooden boats in Gloucester and had a connection to American Eagle going all the way back to childhood. The idea that he had his signts on the ship as a kid and eventually became her owner and captain is such an amazing full-circle story.

After a safety talk and some history about the vessel, we were free to head into Rockland for dinner before coming back aboard for the night. We slept on the schooner at the dock that first night and set sail the next morning. I was so excited.

Watching the crew work together was mesmerizing. They were so in sync, each person knowing exactly what needed to be done as we made our way out of Rockland Harbor.

I watched the boats in the harbor pass by with that feeling of, I can't believe I'm actually doing this. And then something happened that I wasn't expecting.

There really wasn't anything I had to do.

This ended up being my favorite part of the entire experience. You can't just get off the boat. There are no errands to run. Nowhere else you need to be. No rushing around trying to squeeze one more thing into your itinerary.

You're just...there. You can play a game, draw, read, take a nap, chat with someone or, like me, sit there and watch the unbelievably beautiful Maine coastline slowly pass by.

That was it. And nothing else was needed. I don't think I realized how rare it is in everyday life to have almost no choice but to slow down.

On American Eagle, I was almost forced to relax. Those that know me know thats very hard for me. And apparently, I desperately needed it.

I had so many little pinch-me moments sitting on that deck, looking out at the islands and the water and thinking, How is this my life right now?

It was genuinely one of the most peaceful experiences I've ever had.

I also need to talk about the food because Chef Marty is some kind of magician.

I still cannot believe the meals he was producing aboard a schooner and cooking on a wood-burning stove! Everything was delicious.

Meals also became another opportunity to get to know the other people on the trip.

I always find it interesting when a group of strangers books the same experience. Right away, you know you have at least one thing in common. Then you start talking and discover all these other similarities and connections.

People had come from all over, and I met some truly amazing people during those few days. Then came a dinner I will probably remember for the rest of my life.

That evening, we anchored and rowed ashore for a traditional lobster bake.

And when I say lobster bake, I mean lobsters steamed in seaweed right there on the shore of Maine. Marty and the crew set everything up while we relaxed on shore, and I remember looking around thinking that this was one of those experiences you couldn't possibly recreate in a restaurant.

The boat anchored offshore. The rocky Maine coast. The smell of the ocean. Lobsters cooking in seaweed. Everyone gathered together. It was more than dinner. It was a moment. And it is one I will never forget.

After dinner, we rowed back to American Eagle.

That night, we sat aboard talking and relaxing in the glow of the moon and antique oil lamps. And suddenly, it felt like we had gone back in time.

There weren't bright city lights around us. There wasn't anywhere we needed to go.

Just this historic schooner, the water, the moonlight and the soft glow of the lamps.

I couldn't help thinking about my ancestors who had been sea captains in Maine.

Obviously, their lives at sea would have looked very different from my relaxing windjammer vacation, but there was still something strangely emotional about sitting there on the water and thinking about them looking out over these same Maine waters generations before me. And by that point I had decided: Yep. It's in my blood. I absolutely loved being on the water.

This is probably something people considering a windjammer trip are wondering about, so I'll answer. It really wasn't bad! Each night, I slept better and better.American Eagle has two shared bathrooms and a shower. I even showered aboard, and honestly? Totally fine. You obviously aren't checking into a luxury hotel with an enormous bathroom and king-size bed. You're living aboard a historic schooner.

That's part of the adventure. And I was surprised by how quickly everything started to feel normal.

The next day, we continued sailing around the Maine islands before anchoring near Stonington. We rowed ashore and had some time to explore.

Stonington is exactly what you picture when you think of a quintessential Maine seaside town small, charming and surrounded by the kind of scenery that makes you want to take a picture every five seconds. Then that evening, we were treated to something else I wasn't expecting.

Captain Tyler picked up his guitar, Lily played violin, and they played music for us aboard the schooner. Once again, I felt like I had somehow traveled back in time.

Captain Tyler also read us short stories from old books about Maine and the sea.

Sitting aboard a nearly century-old schooner, listening to live guitar and violin and hearing stories about Maine's maritime past while surrounded by the actual Maine coast? Come on. How do you beat that?

Our last stretch brought more sailing, more relaxing and even a visit from some harbor seals. At one point, I talked with Captain Tyler about how special I thought this entire experience was. I told him how lucky he was that he gets to live this life every day.

He agreed. And I think that's what I loved about American Eagle. It didn't feel manufactured.

The crew genuinely loves this boat. They love sailing. They love Maine. They love keeping this piece of maritime history alive. You feel that when you're aboard.

By the end of the trip, I was genuinely sad to see Rockland getting closer.

A few days earlier, I had arrived wondering what on earth I had gotten myself into. Would I get seasick? Would the cabin be too small? Would I be bored? Would I actually enjoy sleeping on a schooner? Instead, I left wishing I could stay longer.

The entire crew was incredible. The food was amazing. I met wonderful people. I saw Maine from a completely different perspective. But more than anything, I slowed down.

For a few days, there was nowhere else to go and nothing else I needed to be doing.

I just sat on the deck of a historic schooner and watched Maine go by.

And somehow, that ended up being exactly what I needed.