Marinas & Channels: East Coast USA

by Capt. David Reams

*Disclaimer – the following list is not a complete guide. It contains marinas and ports visited by the author. Comments are subjective and are based on experience only. If a marina or port is omitted, it is only because the author has not visited the same.

First, get the Maptech Atlantic Coast Embassy Guide. This book has marina descriptions, locations, and chartlets and phone numbers for the majority of the stops along the eastern seaboard.

Georgia...

St. Simon’s Island: A nice stop on the ICW between St. Augustine and Savannah. Golden Isles Marina (912-634-1128) is our choice as it has floating docks, easy approach and fair protection. It is also the only marina we have ever visited with a gun shop located in the marina shopping complex, welcome to the south.

Savannah: This is a true gem and one of our favorite cities anywhere. Old southern charm abounds with friendly people, the last remnant of the antebellum south. The old Palmer Johnson marina, now called the Thunderbolt Marina (912-356-3875) is a favorite stop. Located on the Wilmington River in Thunderbolt, Georgia about six miles from downtown Savannah. Enter the Wilmington River through Wassaw Sound (31 56.6N, 80 52.9W) The marina has rental cars available and delivers Krispy Kreame donuts and a newspaper to your boat each morning. The marina is on the grounds but is not part of the Thunderbolt Marine shipyard.

Savannah Yacht Club: (912-897-1314), located across the river and ¾ of a mile downstream from PJ’s , this is a beautiful club. Visiting yachts must be members of a recognized yacht club to get moorage.

Hyatt Regency Docks: (912-238-1234) the hotel is located on the Savannah River in downtown Savannah right on the River Walk. The docks are floating and easy to reach but make sure and moor port side to dock to keep the bow into the river current. One year we saw a 20 plus foot log jammed into a yacht’s rudders while moored stern up river.

South Carolina...

Hilton Head, S. Carolina: (on the ICW) Just a few miles north of Savannah this is a resort development, not nearly as nice as Savannah but quite famous for it’s golf courses and social activities. Harbor Towne Marina Resort (800-635-8410) is the nicest of the marinas in the area. A little cutesy for our tastes (think Seaport Village in San Diego).
Beaufort, S. Carolina. (on the ICW) A lovely stop between Savannah and Charleston this is an old town with easy walking access and plenty of charm. We have stayed at the Downtown Marina (843-524-4422) and found it friendly and close to the historic section of town.

Charleston, S. Carolina: (32 39.6N, 79 41.0 W) Another great southern city to visit. The carriage tour of town is a “must do” for the first time visitor. The City Marina (843-723-5098) is our favorite place to stay. The marina offers shuttle service to downtown and the West Marine store. Ashley Marina (803-722-1996), located right next to The City Marina has lots of space and another great location.

If you draw less than 7 feet of water and decide to go up the ICW, the stretch through the Carolinas is the most beautiful section of the entire run. North of Charleston you will want to stop at the Wacca Wache Marina (800-395-6694). You can’t miss the bright blue roof on the marina office and store. On a chart you will find Wacca Wache opposite Murrells Inlet on the Atlantic. There is no opening to the ocean from here. You are committed until you reach Wrightville Beach in North Carolina.

North Carolina...

A day run north on the ICW from Wacca Wache you will reach Wrightsville Beach, N. Carolina. We stay at the Bridgetender Marina (252-256-6550), just south of the drawbridge on the west side of the ICW.

The next days run will take you to Beaufort, N. Carolina, this will be a long day probably close to 10 hours so get an early start from Bridgetender’s. Beaufort Docks (252-728-2503) is located downtown and usually has plenty of transient space available with a couple of days notice. This is a cute little town with interesting history (Blackbeard the pirate was killed in the sound just off town) and a very good maritime museum.

If you are cruising in fair weather on the outside north from Charleston, Beaufort, N. Carolina (not to be confused with Beaufort, S. Carolina) is your last chance to duck into the ICW before reaching Cape Hatteras. Enter south of Cape Lookout (34 34.9N, 76 41.6W). If the weather is starting to build up a sea I recommend ducking into Beaufort and either taking the ICW to Norfolk, Virginia or waiting for a calm day to get around Hatteras and up to Norfolk on the outside.

On the ICW the run from Beaufort, N. Carolina to Norfolk is one of my least favorites. I usually try to push it and make Coinjock in one day but this almost never works. Plan on stopping in Belhaven. River Forrest Marina and Resort (252-943-2151) features a fuel dock, several transient berths and a lovely old manor house. Belhaven has a great ACE hardware store where the owner brags “this is the only store in the world where you can find caviar, metric stainless steel fasteners and rat poison in the same place”, we believe him. The town looks like something out of a Steven King novel. We have stopped twice further north at Alligator River Marina (252-796-0333), but the last time the channel had shoaled up a bit and it was touch and go getting out in the morning. It is a cute little place on the main highway with good fuel prices (the same pumps service the truck stop). I would call first and see if the channel was dredged.

Coinjock: This is a narrow little stretch of river with face docks on each side of the ICW. Coinjock Marina (252-453-3271) always has the cheapest fuel prices in the south. The restaurant also serves great prime rib. If there is no space at the Coinjock marina there usually is space just across the river at Midway Marina (252-453-3625).

From Coinjock north is a slight bend in the river and it is very shallow outside the channel. Stay in the middle of the channel through out the bend. As you proceed north will go through a small set of locks to the Chesapeake Bay entering Norfolk, VA and Hampton Roads. This is very interesting but slow going; it will probably take you 8 or more hours to travel 40 to 50 miles from Coinjock to Norfolk.

Chesapeake Bay note: Vessels of greater than 300 GRT are required to take a pilot prior to entering the Chesapeake Bay; foreign flagged vessels of greater then 100 GRT are required to take a pilot for transits north of Baltimore.

Virginia...

Norfolk: Weather coming north from the ocean and entering through Hampton Roads around Cape Henry (36 49.0N, 75 45.6W), or up the ICW from Coinjock, Norfolk is an interesting and fun stop. We try to stay at the Waterside Marina (757-625-2000) as it is close to shopping centers and a nice part of town. Other marinas in the area are Tidewater Yacht Marina (757-393-2525) and Colonna’s Shipyard (757-545-2414).

Maryland...

North of Norfolk we have not stopped in Virginia instead heading on to either Solomon’s Island, Annapolis, MD or up the Potomac to Washington DC. The Chesapeake is shallow so stay in or near the main shipping channels until you reach the bay you wish to explore.

Solomon’s Island: a beautiful small island offers several marinas and fuel docks. The Harbor Island Marina (410-326-3441) is small but close to the entrance of the inlet and has a fuel dock. We have also stayed at Calvert Marina (410-326-4251) but it is on the opposite side of the inlet and makes for a long walk to restaurants and shopping. This is a cute stop for a night but we have never felt the need to stay longer.

The Potomac River is well marked but it is about 90 miles up to Washington D.C. so plan an early departure to insure a daylight arrival. In Washington we spent two months at Gangplank Marina (202-554-5000), it is run by nice people and is an easy walk to the Metro station or about 7 blocks walk to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and Capitol Mall. From our aft deck we could see the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument. There are not a lot of transient slips so reserve early. Capital Yacht Club (202-488-8110) is located right next to Gangplank in the same basin. If there is no space at either of these marinas it’s OK as anchoring out is permitted in the basin and you may make arrangements for dinghy moorage at Gangplank Marina.

St. Michaels: South of Annapolis, but on the opposite side of the Chesapeake is St. Michaels. This is a small town at the end of a twisting, dog legged channel but worth the effort to visit; home of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and some of the best Crab restaurants around. We stayed at the St. Michaels Harbor Inn (410-745-9001) on the first visit and anchored in the outer harbor on the second. You may use the dinghy dock at the Maritime Museum or the town dock for small tenders while anchored out. There is beautiful old architecture and great restaurants, a nice place to spend a couple of days.

Annapolis: Moving on up the Chesapeake brings us to Annapolis, MD, home of the US Naval Academy. This is a very yachting oriented town with a great history and tons of sailboats. We try to stay at the Yacht Basin Co. (410-263-3544) or Annapolis City Dock (410-263-7973). Either or these marinas are right in the heart of old Annapolis and within easy walking distance to almost everything. If you get to Annapolis, plan on an extra day to tour the US Naval Academy. This is a fascinating piece of American history with an excellent daily tour schedule.

Baltimore: We love Baltimore! Go all the way into the bay to the Inner Harbor East marina (410-625-1700) located within easy walking distance to the Baltimore Maritime Museum, Baltimore Aquarium, the ESPN Sports Zone and Hard Rock Café as well as the shopping malls and Fell’s Point. This is a great marina with floating docks, nice staff and easy access. Really one of our favorite stops on the trip north or south.

Marinas & Channels: East Coast USA continued...

C&D Canal Note: On our most recent transit of the Delaware Bay (9/2004) we were informed that all foreign flagged vessels greater than 100 GRT were required to take a Delaware State Pilot from Chesapeake City (on the C&D Canal) to 20 miles north of Philadelphia or south to the Delaware Sea Buoy at Cape Henlopen. This “service” cost us $2000 USD from Cape Henlopen to Chesapeake City with the Delaware Pilot and an additional $1800 USD for the Baltimore Pilot (Maryland State Pilot) to continue our transit from Chesapeake City to Baltimore. Foreign flagged vessels of less than 300 GRT are not required to employ a pilot on the Chesapeake Bay south of Baltimore. This enforcement of an outdated law insures that we will not be using this route in the near future unless the vessel is US Flagged. We will now only go to Baltimore via the Chesapeake Bay where a pilot is not mandated.

From Baltimore north we go straight to the C&D Canal connecting the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. This is a long ship canal (about 30 some miles) with a nice marina in the eastern half. Summit North Marina (302-836-1800) is a large marina located on the north side of the canal. The basin is shallow so try to enter and leave at high tide and call to check on depth. They were planning to dredge when we were last there. Scheafer Canal House ((410) 885-2204) is located at Chesapeake City and offers deep water and easy access, a side tie along the canal. Upon exiting the canal you can turn north up the Delaware River to Philadelphia, PA or south toward Cape May, NJ.

Philadelphia is an interesting stop for a large yacht. Stay at Penn’s Landing (215-923-9129) and you be berthed in the Maritime Museum next to the Olympia, the Admiral’s Perry’s flagship in the Battle of the Philippines, and a WWII submarine. You will also be in walking distance of the Liberty Bell display and great old town. The better docks are the ones on the seawall rather than the shoreline. When at the shoreline dock we hire a security guard to keep people from the dinner charter boats from boarding us at night.

New Jersey...

Cape May: Heading south from the C&D Canal and the next stop is Cape May, NJ. We go in the east inlet past Sewell Point (38 55.8N, 74 51.4W) to Two Mile Landing (609-522-1341). A quaint stop for a night, the marina has a nice simple restaurant. It is a bike ride to town from the marina. Cape May breaks the trip to New York into short day trips rather than trying to enter New York or Atlantic City at night. On our last visit we stayed at South Jersey Marina (609-884-2400), it is a nice marina close to town with several restaurants nearby. The channel to the marina looks very tight for vessels over 110 feet but it is passable.

Atlantic City: One third of the way up the New Jersey peninsula is Atlantic City, home of the Boardwalk, Park Place and the Trump Casinos. If you get an early start from Cape May you can bypass this bay and have a long day to New York, or have an easy day to Atlantic City and then on to New York. Unless you are a gambler there is very little to recommend this town. The casinos are huge; the food is poor and the area depressing, little blue haired old ladies on the shuttle busses losing the rest of the pension money on the slots.

Enter Absecon Inlet (39 21.0N, 74 24.6W) and the basin is on the port side of the channel. Stay very close to the seawall as you enter the basin, there is a shoal that extends half way across the entrance. Farley State Marina (800-876-4386) is in Trump Plaza with the best docks and shuttle service to the Boardwalk. Kammerman’s Marina (609-348-8418) will sometimes let you tie up to their fuel dock for the night if you arrive late or take on a lot of fuel. It’s worth going to Atlantic City once just to say you’ve been there but Peggy and I don’t really care for the place.

New York...

There is nothing like coming into New York and going by Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, even better than coming in under the Golden Gate Bridge. It will take your breath away even the second or third time. Enter via the shipping lane (40 24.8N, 73 50.9W) around Sandy Hook, pass between Staten Island and Long Island and then proceed by the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan. On the west side of the Hudson River is New Jersey, where the best marinas to visit New York are located. Liberty Landing Marina (201-985-8000) and Newport Marina (201-626-5550) are the only calm marinas in New York harbor. We have stayed at three others and they are awful. The wake from passing tugs, sightseeing boats and ferries will make you wish you were out at sea. Liberty Landing is the drop off for the harbor ferry that takes you right to the North Cove Yacht Harbor (212-938-9000) while Newport Marina is located less than one block from the PATH train, which runs into NYC. Either Marina offers easy access to Manhattan. Further up the Hudson on the New Jersey side is Lincoln Harbor (201-319-5100), very rolly and Port Imperial Marina (201-902-8787) a bit more comfortable. Try to get a spot at Newport Marina or Liberty Landing, you will be much more comfortable about leaving the boat for time in the city.

Before leaving New York harbor it is worth a ride up the Hudson river past Hoboken and Union City, NJ and the Intrepid Museum (a WWII aircraft carrier with a stunning assortment of aircraft, and a submarine and destroyer) for a look at the west side of Manhattan.

Should you have the time, a trip up the Hudson is stunning. Sheer rock cliffs, covered with green, small towns, the Tappan Zee and Bear Mountain bridges and the West Point Military Academy await you with in 50 miles of Manhattan. The river is deep and well marked for ocean ship traffic so navigation is easy. We stayed at the Haverstraw Marina (845-429-2001), in West Haverstraw, N. Y. approximately 13 miles south of the military academy. The marina entrance is just south of a long white pier and there is an odd modern sculpture on the point at the marina. There is plenty of depth in the marina and a fuel dock and marine hardware store are located on the marina grounds.

Long Island Sound: Turning back south down the Hudson to Manhattan and round the end of Manhattan to proceed past the UN building and Roosevelt Island up the East River towards Hell’s Gate and Long Island Sound. This is a great view of the city and the easy way north to New England. It’s about 130 miles to Newport, RI from here so we usually anchor for the night in Port Jefferson on Long Island. Port Jefferson is a cute little town with several very nice restaurants. ( Pasta Pasta serves great Italian food with home made pasta and sauces.) Danford’s Marina (800-332-6367) has transient dockage for large yachts and is an easy walk to town should you prefer a marina to anchoring out. There are many places to stop along Long Island, from City Island to Montauk but not a lot of marinas for large yachts. See the Maptech guide for marinas as we have limited experience stopping along the way.

Sag Harbor Yacht Club: (631-725-0567) The yacht club is small but they have added several more docks in recent years. There is now room for several large yachts on a transient basis. Les Black the dock master is friendly and happy to help with information and contacts for shore side activities.

Connecticut...

The northern shore of Long Island Sound is Connecticut. We have enjoyed stays at a couple of nice harbors along this shore.

Stamford: is the westernmost place we have visited. We stayed at the Brewer Yacht Haven (203-359-4500), a nice marina with new docks. The marina is located out of town and when you get to town there is nothing to do. Stamford is so close to New York there is not a good reason to stop here unless it is to visit friends. Not a recommended stop.

Old Saybrook: is a pretty little town with a couple of nice marinas. We have stayed at Harbor One Marina (860-388-9208) as a stop over on the way to Newport. The Saybrook Point Marina (860-395-2000) has room for several large yachts on a transient basis. It is a long walk (about 4 miles) into town from the marina.

Mystic Seaport: is the nations best Maritime Museum with fine examples of a variety of sailing ships, yachts and working craft all set in a period village. With advance reservations it is possible to get a berth right in the museum compound at Mystic Seaport Museum docks (860-572-5391). I highly recommend this stop as the trip up the Mystic River from Long Island Sound is one of the prettiest river runs we have ever seen; old New England style houses, classic boats and great landscape. The museum is a couple of miles up the river, past two bridges but well worth the time to visit. Mystic is one of the highlights of any trip to New England. There are several other marinas located on the Mystic River but we have only stayed in the museum.

Marinas & Channels: East Coast USA continued...

Rhode Island...

Newport: (41 23.2N, 71 23.3W) was home to the America’s Cup competition for over 135 years, the town is steeped in yachting tradition and has the marinas and support structure to match. It seems like every yacht that heads north for the summer spends some time in Newport. Classic yacht parades, the home of the remaining 12 meter fleet, the America’s Cup Museum and the International Tennis Hall of Fame are just a few of the sights in Newport. We have stayed at several marinas around the bay and will list them in order of preference (totally subjective);

Newport Yachting Center: (401-846-1600), Chuck Moffit is the dock master. Nice people, floating docks, good fuel prices and easy access to the heart of downtown.

Bannister’s Wharf: (401-846-4500), a very nice staff but limited space on fixed docks.

Christie’s Restaurant & Marina: (401-848-7950), located right in the heart of party central. Live music on the weekends, lots of tourists walking down the dock to stare at your boat and ask if anyone famous is aboard. Fixed docks with limited space for large yachts.

Casey’s Marina: (401-640-4458), located a medium walk from downtown this marina has a mix of floating and fixed docks. Casey can provide tank truck delivery of fuel at very good prices. We always try to get into the Newport Yachting Center first and then work down the list. There are many more marinas, a shipyard and other services in the Newport area.

Block Island: (41 13.0N, 71 37.1W) a small island almost due south from Pt. Judith is home to a large sailing regatta each summer. Approximately 21 miles from Newport Block Island is a perfect stopover on the way to Long Island Sound. This is a beautiful little island with a quiet charm that is a far cry from Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard throngs of tourists and shops. Rent a car for a day to tour the island and enjoy beautiful beaches, ponds and lovely architecture. Champlin’s Marina (401-466-2641) has space and deep water for large yachts as does Payne’s Marina (401-466-5572). Payne’s does not take reservations or listen to the radio. Call on the cell phone the day before or early the morning you wish to arrive. The ferry from Point Judith lands at Payne’s Marina so there is a lot of pedestrian traffic on the wharf.

Massachusetts...

Hyannis Port on Cape Cod: is an interesting stop with the Hyannis Marina (508-790-4000) offering transient slips for large yachts. Pay attention to the channel markers, as they do no correspond with the charts. Go past the mooring field in Lewis Harbor and into the inner harbor, Hyannis Marina is the first facility on your starboard side. This is a full service marina with fuel dock, yacht sales and small boat storage and nearby restaurants.

Martha’s Vineyard: (41 27.7N, 70 26.4W) is a short hop from Newport. This island is expensive and very much geared to the wealthy tourist. We stayed at Edgartown Town Docks (508-627-4746); I was a bit disappointed at the fixed dock with no electricity and very high rates. The next time I will try Mad Max Marina (508-627-7400, there is anchorage in the bay past the marinas. Outside the breakwater SSE of the #2 buoy there is good holding ground in about 25 feet of water and the anchorage is well protected except from the north.

Nantucket: (41 19.1N, 70 06.2W) is a much more interesting island to visit. Home to the great whaling fleet of the Quakers in the 18th century; the island is full of history and great places to visit and relax. The whaling museum is very interesting and informative and the shops are stocked with trinkets as well as worthwhile keepsakes of this great piece of American maritime history. Nantucket Boat Basin ((508-228-1333) is the only game in town for moorage. Call early as the marina fills up for the season although they do have a waiting list if you are flexible about your schedule.

As you head west from Nantucket to Buzzard’s Bay and turn north to the Cape Cod Canal you may pass through Wood’s Hole. Watch the chart and currents carefully. It is not a dangerous place with powerful motor yachts but Peggy and I saw four 40 plus foot sailboats go up on the rocks in one afternoon. They misjudged the current and didn’t have enough power to overcome the flow.

Fairhaven/ New Bedford: lies across Buzzard’s Bay from Wood’s Hole. This is a nice stop before entering the Cape Cod Canal on the way to Boston. In the early 1800’s the whaling ships became too large to enter Nantucket so the fleet slowly moved to New Bedford for a deep-water base. Fairhaven Marina (508-992-9505) has new docks and an easy access through the hurricane barrier at the entrance to the harbor. It is a dinghy ride or taxi ride to New Bedford on the opposite side of the bay.

The Cape Cod Canal is at the north end of Buzzard’s Bay. This man made cut save having to sail around the peninsula. The canal has a speed limit of 10 knots or less depending on your wake. Upon entering the range before Hog Island, call Cape Cod Canal Control on ch. 16 and request permission to transit. They will ask your length and draft and advise you of oncoming commercial traffic. It takes an hour or so (depending on current) to transit the canal, there are no locks and it is has a pretty nice view.

Boston: (42 22.5N, 70 54.3W) is another of our favorite stops. Boston Yacht Haven (617-523-7352) is our first choice. Second choice is the Waterboat Marina (617-523-1027), followed by Lewis Wharf Marina (617-227-4198). Boston is a walking town and from these marinas you are a five minute walk to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, then on to the historic trail and the Old North Church, State House, Paul Revere’s house and much more. Boston is not a calm harbor, not as rocking and rolling as most of the New York marinas but you will feel the motion and roll quite a bit. Yacht Haven Marina has a small hotel with 10 rooms.

Constitution Marina: (617-241-9640) in Charlestown is located just before the bridge on the Charles River. The marina is very calm however due to the bridge there is terrible problem with dust and dirt on the boat.

Salem: (42 32.0N, 70 45.1W) is of course home of the famous witch-hunts of the 1600’s. It is a small town, easy to walk around and see great old building, the first candy shop in America, the House of Seven Gables and the Peabody Museum. The locals seem to take this witch thing a bit far with some very strange people in the many magic and tourist shops. We stay at Pickering Wharf (978-744-2727), the only marina that can handle a boat over 85 feet (not recommended for draft over 7 feet), we have stayed there on 122’ Que Sera.

Gloucester: (42 34.2N, 70 39.8W) is home to the New England fishing fleet. There are not a lot of yachting facilities (like none) but it is an interesting stop. Cape Ann Marina (978-283-2112) has gotten good reports from friends although we have not stayed in Gloucester. We have done a little “swing through” on our way north and also driven to town and visited for a day.

Marinas & Channels: East Coast USA continued...

New Hampshire...

New Hampshire: (43 02.9N, 70 41.6W) has been a stop for us only once. It was a pleasant couple of days at the Wentworth by the Sea Marina (603-433-5050). Be careful in the channel and coming to the docks, lots of current and rocky shoreline and bottom. The channel is well marked and the dock master will let you know about the current when you are making your approach to the marina.

Maine...

Maine is a beautiful state and wonderful place to cruise. Hundreds of bays and islands you could easily spend the entire season cruising Maine and not hit the same spot twice.

Kennebunkport: (43 20.2N, 70 28.4W) Chick’s Landing (207-967-2782) on the Kennebunk River (not recommended for drafts over 8 feet) is usually our first stop on the Maine coast. The entrance is via a narrow breakwater at the end of a field of Lobster Pots (get used to them, they are everywhere in Maine). Go up the river to the second marina on the right hand side of the river. This looks small but we have seen 140 footers tied up to these docks. The people are great and a kayak ride up the river is worth a couple of hours in the afternoon. George Bush, Sr. spoke to us on the VHF radio from his fishing boat one year.

Portland: is an interesting town to visit with a lovely harbor. The old downtown area has good shopping, bookstores, cafes and art galleries, all within easy walking distance of the marina. The harbor entrance is well marked and deep (this is a major shipping port) with multiple lighthouses and a well protected inner harbor. Dimillo’s Marina (207-773-7632) has slips for large transient yachts with good facilities. Try the clam chowder at the floating Dimillo’s Restaurant, some of the best in New England.

Booth Bay: is a great town with a very nice marina at Brown’s Wharf (207-633-5440). It is a 10-minute walk to town across a footbridge. The musical “Carousel” was filmed here and the town doesn’t appear to have changed in the 40 years that have passed.

Rockland: (44 06.1N, 69 00.2W) is a small town being renewed to be tourist friendly. The harbor is large and easy to enter with a couple of marinas. We stayed at Rockland Landing Marina (207-596-6573), which had floating docks and easy access. I would suggest reserving a rental car early, as there are few cars and it really nice to have one to visit the surrounding towns. Journey’s End Marina (207-594-4444) can also accommodate large yachts.

Camden: (44 12.0N, 69 02.4) is a really great little town about 15 miles north of Rockland. We have never been able to get a spot in a marina there so we drive up from Rockland. The bay is very small and packed with sailboats during the summer. Try Wayfarer Marine (207-236-4378) or Camden Town Docks (207-236-7969), good luck! By land or sea it is worth the trouble to visit this cute little town.

Mt. Dessert Island: (44 16.18N, 68 11.35W) is the island where Bar Harbor is located. This is as far north as I have traveled and so will end this verbose narrative here.

Northeast Harbor: is the nicest of the inlets on the island. Northeast Harbor Marina (207-276-5737) has two docks to take yachts over 75 feet and they usually are booked up by the middle of February. We were able to stay there for a week one year and loved the little town and island in general.

Southwest Harbor: has a few more slips; try Dysart’s Great Harbor Marina (207-244-0117) for a berth. Southwest Harbor has a Coast Guard base, fuel dock, moorings and repair facilities. It is easy to enter and a lovely stop. Bar Harbor on the opposite side of the island has a high-speed ferry that makes daily runs to Nova Scotia. Peggy and I are eager to return to the island and take the 50-knot ferry to Canada.

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada...

Note: Canadian Customs is very serious about the importation of Alcohol, Tobacco and any contraband into the country (as well they should be). I have never had a vessel searched as carefully as entering Canada. Inventory all alcohol and tobacco before arriving so that you have a list for the customs officers, make sure that all crew papers, crew lists etc. are in order as the officials will have you fax a crew list with passport number to the office for background checks on the names. It will make clearing easier if you apply for a “Canpass” from Canadian Customs about a month before your visit.

Yarmouth Harbor is a long narrow harbor offering good protection from all except south winds where the length of the harbor allow a fair chop to build. The channel is well marked and easy to enter. Contact Fundy Traffic on channel 14 for shipping traffic when you reach the offshore buoy marked. The Cat high speed ferry boat arrives twice a day with a good sized wake. Anchorage can be taken in the north end of the harbor beyond the channel in 16 feet (low water) and soft mud for good holding. The small marina behind the Rudder restaurant has slips for boats up to 35 feet with one 60 foot slip.