Cruise to Maine

[camroll]

My wife and I are planning to sail from Lake Champlain to the Maine coast this summer. We will travel down the Hudson around Massachusetts and up to Maine. Does anyone have any recommendations for places to see. It would be great if we could hit a couple of CD float-ins.
Specifically I am looking for boat yard recommendations in Maine. We plan to leave the boat there for the winter and continue the cruise the next summer. Thanks in advance

Russ

[Sea Hunt Video]

. . . Specifically I am looking for boat yard recommendations in Maine. We plan to leave the boat there for the winter and continue the cruise the next summer. Thanks in advance

Russ

http://www.robinhoodmarinecenter.com/ located in Georgetown, Maine. No better marina anywhere.

[David Morton]

Russ, there are terrific marinas up and down the Maine coast. I am most familiar with the area from Portland to Penobscot, so if you have an idea about where you might end up in Maine, I might be able to suggest a couple boatyards. In my area around Harpswell, Great Island Boatyard, Finest Kind Boatyard, Robinhood Marine Center, The Dolphin Marina are a few that come to mind. For just relatively cheap barebones storage, there is Bethel Point Boatyard, just down the street from me.

David

[jen1722terry]

You may see us going the other way next summer, for we plan to leave Nova Scotia and sail down to NYC then up the Hudson to either Champlain or Ontario, out the Seaway to PEI, then back to Nova Scotia.

In 2014, we spent 3 1/2 weeks at a mooring in Northeast Harbor on Mt. Desert Island on the central Maine coast. That island is the home of Acadia Nation Park, a true natural wonderland. Morris Yachts has a small yard on the harbor and we used their mechanic, who was great. I believe they winter store, but maybe check with them. Further west of there, you'd have to check with others.

Mystic Seaport in CT is a must-see. Martha's Vineyard is a great stop and just a bit out of your way (moorings in Edgartown harbor are $40 and well-protected). Portland , ME is a great, walkable town, as are Boston and Camden ME. We stayed at all these places during our '14 cruise and loved every one of them.

Good luck and stay in touch next summer. We plan to leave here late June.

Jenn and Terry

[Neil Gordon]

How leisurely a trip are you planning? There are lots of suggestions for stops; we can probably prioritize them better if we know your pace.

[camroll]

We plan to leave in early June and hope to be in Maine by mid August. Other than that we will have no schedule. We have cruised LI Sound in the past so I'm more interested in things from Buzzards Bay and north.

Russ

[Jim Cornwell]

These are the waters where I first got bitten by the gunkholing bug as a kid and I can attest that attractions are many and spaced a lot closer than a single day's sail apart. So you could cruise from the canal to way downeast in many, many short legs if you wanted to and the trip could go on and on, with continuous joy. I'm sure you can get a feel for this by just reading cruising guides - great winter sport anyway! Jim.

[Neil Gordon]

We plan to leave in early June and hope to be in Maine by mid August. Other than that we will have no schedule. We have cruised LI Sound in the past so I'm more interested in things from Buzzards Bay and north.

Russ

Okay, just an off the top of my head, I'd pick from this list of places I've been and recommend (there are many more where I haven't been!) This covers Buzzards Bay to Cape Ann.

Cuttyhunk - At the end of the Elizabeth Island chain. Year round population is around 18, with 2 elementary school students. The island can't be explained, only experienced. (For other stops, the cruising guide's a pretty good resource.)

through Quicks Hole and across Vineyard Sound to Menemsha, on Martha's Vineyard.

Vineyard Haven - I'd suggest anchoring in Lake Tashmoo, just west of town.

through Woods Hole into Buzzards Bay and to Quisset Harbor. It's an easy walk back to Woods Hole.

Red Brook Harbor and/or Onset.

Through the Cape Cod Canal...

Provincetown

Plymouth

Scituate

Boston Harbor Islands

Salem

Gloucester

[Joe CD MS 300]

First step should be to get this book if you do not already have it.

http://www.mainecoastguide.com/

Great harbors and anchorages are too numerous to list. Each area of the coast (as detailed in the book) has its own personality. My favorite section is between Penobscot Bay and Mt Desert. The perfect combination of great sailing, small town and secluded anchorages.

Maybe think about how far up the coast you would like to get as to where to leave your boat. The number of choices as far as yards will be numerous up through the Penobscot Bay but start to thin out beyond there and more so beyond Mount Desert.

Must stop areas: Boothbay Region, Penobscot Bay Mt Desert area.