Maine, Nova Scotia and PEI in May

[waterant]

Hi guys,

We will be taken a "new to us" boat from Portland, ME to Lake Ontario starting May 2019 and want to spend a few weeks exploring the coastal areas of Maine, Nova Scotia, and PEI. The boat is 1987 41' trawler; she was cruising this year and I'll spend a couple of weeks before the trip there to prepare so she will be in shipshape for that trip.

I'm mostly concern with the expected weather and sea condition in that area in May.
Any cruisers here from that area? Any tips on the weather and conditions to expect or anything else you can recommend to make this trip safe and enjoyable will be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Anton

[Shoalcove]

Hi! Congratulations on your new boat! The weather along NS can still be cool in May especially early in the month. The last couple years even June has been cooler than normal. You can expect fog along the NS coast but not often in the Northumberland strait. The marine weather forecasts are pretty good as there are a lot of local fishing boats that depend on them.
The May long weekend is the unofficial kick off to boating for most folks although there are plenty of hardy folks out beforehand. There aren’t that many marinas with slips but often moorings or good spots to anchor. Inside a trawler wheelhouse will be appreciated; pack some warm clothes.
There are plenty of spots worth exploring along the way. Lunenburg and Mahone Bay, Halifax, Liscomb, The Bras D’Or Lakes, Charlottetown, the Magdeline Islands, Shediac and numerous places in between. A winter with some guide books and charts will give you more spots than you’ll even be able to see!
It sounds like a great trip. Have fun!

[waterant]

great, thank you for the info. staying warm is one of the main reasons we switched from a sailboat to a trawler.
somebody told me about hundreds of unmarked or poorly marked lobster trap lines in that area which can stop your trip in an instance. is this something to be concern about or a proper watch and traveling only during the day will avoid this issue?

[Shoalcove]

There is no doubt that a line around your prop can ruin your day. I believe the lobster season along the south shore of NS ends in early May but not 100% sure.
I’ve not experienced the issues you mention. Lobster fishing is a lucrative business so in season there are lots of traps but they are marked. Depending on the waves and sun they can be hard to see but that’s on the helmsman IMO. Once the season is closed, the traps get hauled out and are no longer an issue. Maine is a different situation.
That’s not to say you might not find one that got lost in bad weather. I carry a wetsuit just in case.

[waterant]

got it, thanks. i'll bring the complete diving set just in case.

[S/V Alchemy]

Working radar and depth along with a full slate of current charts is also recommended, plus an awareness that even a beefy trawler is subject to current/tides, so factoring in those offsets is important. I would also try to clean your tanks and make sure you've got plenty of fuel filters of the correct type prior to leaving, as the seas kicking up can loosen debris in your tanks and foul your fuel. I would also ensure your ground tackle is in good condition, as you may find anchoring out is preferable or necessary if facilities aren't open.

Lastly, the Cape Breton Cruising Guide is one of the better ones I've ever seen (for free, anyway) and is fully downloadable: Cape Breton Island's Cruising Information Resource


Have fun!

[Gaia]

Sounds like time might be an issue but Newfoundland will beckon. Simply marvellous!

Jim

[waterant]

Great, thanks for the link to a guide. I already ordered every paper guide i could find about the coast of Maine, NS and QB. Those guides worth their weight in gold in unfamiliar waters.
Upgrading the radar, chart plotter, charts, cleaning the fuel tanks and replacing all the filters with lots of spares is on my to-do list.

The boat has Delta anchor with 200' of the chain. I forgot to write down the size and will check the next time i'm there but it looks adequate and probably oversized.
Is this a good anchor type for that area (considering the anchor is the right size)?

Jim,

> Sounds like time might be an issue

Why is that? Because it will still be cold or the sea conditions are too rough there in May?

[Sparx]

We cruised Maine during May this year, starting the second week of the month. Had a great time. Weather was mostly fantastic.

We saw several days with 25 to 35 knot winds, with seas that were not particularly distressing. We sailed reefed in much of this. From Portland east there are plenty of places in Maine to shelter through the heavy weather if that is your preference.

There were plenty of beautiful days for running to the offshore islands. Fog will be an issue, but we never got fogged in. We did run radar regularly.

We took lots of clothing layers, but never needed the really heavy full on winter clothing. There were a couple of nights close to freezing, but the quilts took care of us.

There were lobster traps about, and some places were difficult to navigate through because of them. I understand the lobster season in Maine was just getting started In May and to expect more pots in June.

During the first three weeks of May we saw exactly one other cruising boat, sail or power. We found moorings easily. Marinas seemed to just be opening up about mid May.

[waterant]

thanks, Sparx. Looks like you had a great trip.

anybody knows if it's allowed to drop a personal lobster trap while at an anchor?
or it requires getting a license?

[Shoalcove]

It is definitely not legal to drop a pot for lobsters in Canada.

[deblen]

Lobster seasons-Canada

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB_9OiGNjH4

Some useful links-join this group & look in "Files"
https://www.facebook.com/groups/268778300122540/

[Jack Sanford]

We live in Maine, and have cruised the Maine coast for over 40 years. May is a bit early, but can be spectacular (cool, but spectacular). Plan on anchoring out most nights, and re-supply ever few days at different ports. Plan on Portland, Harpswell, Boothbay Harbor, Rockland, Camden (very special, and where we live), Belfast, Stonnigton, Bar Harbor, and Jonesport (very remote). Roque Island is the Mecca, and especially beautiful.

[jen1722terry]

Hello!

We're Americans who live in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia for 6 months each year (usually spring and fall). We live on our boat in Northeast Harbor, Maine from late May until mid-October.

All the advice above is great. We note that Nova Scotia lobster season usually ends for for the South Shore area around May 31, so you will see lots of floats. For Maine, the floats are usually (but not always) in deeper water in May, so hugging the coast may be helpful.

We should be at our Mahone Bay house until about May 26 or so. If you do decide to venture into Mahone Bay harbor (near Lunenburg and Chester) we're the innermost wharf on the right. We always have an old red Avon inflatable on our float. Not enough water to approach our float at low tide, but about 7-8 feet at high tide. There are about 70 public mooring floats in the harbor and many will be empty in May. Diesel fuel is available at nearby Lunenburg Yacht Club. You also may be able to tie up dockside at the Mahone Bay Civic Marina wharf (call them first). They have showers. The SaltBox craft brewery is about a 10 minute walk from the civic marina and well worth the visit for the great brews and a chance to meet the locals. Rebeccas is a nice local eatery and you can walk there from our own wharf in 5 minutes.

Other nice towns to put into are Halifax (the Royal Canadian Yacht Club has nice facilities), Lunenburg (great museum), Liverpool, Shelburne (another great museum) and Yarmouth. All these towns have marinas with diesel fuel nearby.

Ditto on the fog. Do note that weather forecasts for southern Nova Scotia, notoriously inaccurate in the past, will improve in 2019 with the addition of two new smart weather buoys.

In Downeast Maine, maybe try to anchor overnight at Roque Island near Jonesport, with a mile long, white sand, horseshoe-shaped beach. A lovely sunset or sunrise walk.

Sounds like a great route you have planned. Enjoy it with our best wishes for a safe and happy cruise.

Jenn and Terry
Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia
Kearsarge, New Hampshire

[waterant]

Thank you all for the info, greatly appreciated.

Jenn and Terry, We'll sure stop by to say hi if we end up in Mahone Bay.

Jack, we have Roque Island on the list and will look into other places you mentioned.
we might end up near Camden for the first anchorage because it's about our daily run from Yarmouth. I'll wave

Deblen, this is crazy. I did not expect nearly as many floats. looks like this will be a challenge to avoid them. but if people are sailing thru that field, maybe it's not as bad as it looks.