Chesapeake to Maine - Summer 2024

[Reeve21]

There are dozens of protected anchorages between the Connecticut River and Martha's Vineyard with plenty of room on a summer weekend, and good free shore access. Some of them even have free guest moorings.

Sometimes this involves seeking out the places that may not be the top tourist attractions, but the the harbors are often so close together that you are rarely more than an hour from a secure spot if your first choice is too crowded for your comfort level.

Yes, slip and mooring fees are high in places like Newport and Sag Harbor, but only if you want to pay it.

You will find some fog, some currents, some lobster pots and some rocks--but nothing like Maine--and the water is warm enough to swim in.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Lagoon Pond is your answer in a northeaster, and if you are anchored on the eastern side of the pond you are in Oak Bluffs. In the northeast corner up by the hospital is a nice anchorage with a public beach where you are welcome to land your dink. If you dinghy over towards Vineyard Haven there is a public boat launch with multiple beaches where your dink is welcome. Walk into downtown VH in about 15 minutes. Multiple public dinghy landing spots along the OB shore, including Sail Camp Park where Sail MV is located (look for all the sailing dinghies on floats). From the landing you can walk up to Barnes Road where the Vineyard Transit Authority buses run continuously. Hop on one and go anywhere on the island. An all day pass is less than $10. If you are in the mood you can walk into downtown OB in about 20-30 minutes. I have done it numerous times.

The horizontal clearance on that bridge is only 30’ and the current can flow swiftly. You need to have big balls (fenders of course) to go through if you have a cat or tri with wide beam. I wrote in my prior post that if you have draft or beam restrictions your access to a protected anchorage (with all around protection) is very limited, whereas you can pay for a mooring and be in any protected harbor. That’s my main point - moorings have squeezed out anchoring.
Also, MV has anchoring restrictions in many places that limit anchoring to 3 days (would prefer not to go down the rabbit hole on that subject). Yes, you can put many times more boats in a mooring field than an anchorage, so it can be argue that it’s for the greater good, but many moorings are private and not used. That’s not for the greater good.

[Kettlewell]

The horizontal clearance on that bridge is only 30’ and the current can flow swiftly. You need to have big balls (fenders of course) to go through if you have a cat or tri with wide beam. I wrote in my prior post that if you have draft or beam restrictions your access to a protected anchorage (with all around protection) is very limited, whereas you can pay for a mooring and be in any protected harbor. That’s my main point - moorings have squeezed out anchoring.

Lots of cats and tris do go in and out of Lagoon Pond all the time, but sure if you can't fit through the bridge it is a no go. There are few real blows from the north around there in the summer and the big tris and cats usually anchor east or west of the Vineyard Haven Channel. I saw a really big tri anchored north of the breakwater at the Lagoon Pond entrance for many days. The 3-day anchoring limit is rarely enforced. I think it is one of those laws they have on the books in case they need to use it when someone abuses the anchoring privilege.

[Reeve21]

There is also Lake Tashmoo on the Vineyard. Not the most convenient spot, but walkable to Vineyard Haven and better protected if the wind goes north or northwest. It is everything that Oak Bluffs is not!

[jen1722terry]

We live aboard on Mt. Desert Island (Northeast Harbor) all summer and cruise from there thru Maine and over to New Brunswick/Nova Scotia extensively. Some thoughts:

Sailing at night: We do it on occasion, using a powerful flashlite with a focusing beam to watch for the trap floats. They tend to be in grids that you can line up and just sail down the empty lanes. Note that the lobster boats are often out at night, lots of them. Try to stay clear for they work fast.

Anchorages tend to be very good holding, though most of the best harbors are wall-to-wall moorings.

The Basin on the New Meadows river may be the best hurricane hole in Maine.

Fog, as stated earlier, is common and can last for days. You get used to it. It helps if you have a heat source on board (we have a charcoal Dickenson stove) to avoid feeling like a clam and getting lots of interior mold. A small cabin fan helps with mold control also.

Yes the water is cold. We use thin wet suits. There can be jelly fish - big ones.

Kayaks, if you carry them on deck, are really handy to explore the little coves and islands.

Camden is a lovely harbor, as stated earlier due to the hills. We're biased because we live there, but the hills of Mt. Desert Island are breathtaking and numerous. Stopping at this island is easy if you use Northeast Harbor, a very snug and safe place to moor. They have a publically-owned marina with reasonable rental moorings and a free tender that runs 8 to 8. There are free buses all day to take you around the island. Acadia National Park passes can be purchased online or at the Park office. Seniors get a discount (maybe vets also, can't recall).

Should you venture further east in Maine, don't miss Roque Island, the closest thing Maine has to a tropical atoll. The waters are blue (cold, but blue) the sands on the horseshoe-shaped beach are white. No houses, just a few yachts in the little lagoon, nothing else (except for numerous eagles and dolphins). Easy to beach your dink but mind the tides. Lovely.

If you do stop at Northeast Harbor, stop by and see us. Float #335 on the right as you come in well back in the harbor. Boat name is "Glissade", Cape Dory 31 with toast-colored canvas.

We've been living in and cruising the Maine coast for 12 years. Never bored.

Happy planning. Maine awaits.

[walkabout08]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

You make some very good points. The one above is my personal pet peeve. These are what I call "destination" moorings.

Some history: In Maine, moorings are managed by the municipality. This system works well in a working harbor, where there is competition for the space by both working and recreational boats. There are policies and rules to try to fairly allocate the limited mooring space near facilities for loading and unloading to residents.

But what about those remote anchorages which happen to fall in the town's jurisdiction? No local wants to keep their boats there full time. No dinghy dock, no place to load and unload, not even any place to park. Locals might go visit those spots, just as cruisers in transit might.

As things got more crowded, the locals started putting in applications for moorings in these remote anchorages. The town was happy to collect the $100 or $200 per year for these otherwise unwanted spaces and rubber stamped the applications. The anchorages started filling up with moorings.

Most towns have "use it or lose it" rules on mooring occupancy. But they're rarely enforced for these destination moorings. The owner might only visit it once or twice a season. The whole rest of the year, it's just sitting there, preventing anyone else from anchoring.

It gets worse every year. In many places the informal rule is that anyone else can use the mooring when the owner isn't there. But of course you have to move if they show up. And you don't know how well maintained the mooring is, or whether it's sized to hold a boat your size. And this rule isn't universal. Things can get nasty in places where it's not traditionally followed.

We have gotten to the same point. So many formerly open anchorages filled with private moorings and no one on them, our policy is to pick up unoccupied moorings and be prepared to move if the owner shows up. In 3 years we’ve never had to vacate a borrowed mooring b