At Home or At Sea, Windjammer Cooking Earns Rave Reviews

The 12 ships in the Maine Windjammer Association have a well-earned reputation for outstanding sailing adventures and delicious down-home cooking. Ask any passenger who's just returned from a week's cruise to describe their favorite aspect of windjamming, and they might actually start by describing the food. Highly memorable and delicious home-cooked meals are prepared on a wood stove with hearty appetites in mind. After a day of sun and fresh salt-air, rigorous sailing and a relaxing walk on a deserted beach, passengers are ready for a meal: thick, hot chowder served with fresh-baked bread, fresh green salad and hand-cranked ice cream.

While it is difficult to substitute the ambiance of this shipboard meal--Yankee fare served by lantern light aboard a cozy turn-of-the-century wooden sailing ship--it is well worth trying. Even if you don't own a wood-burning cook stove, it's possible to recreate this meal at home. Just one taste, though, and you can count on a case of sea fever. Add a little sea chantey music and some grog, and you've got yourself a salty evening to remember!