More Maine 'Down East' Cruising Tips

Choosing A Charter

There are three that offer noncrewed (bareboat) charters in Penobscot Bay: Johanson Boatworks (JBW) in Rockland, the largest in the area; NorthPoint Yacht Charters, based just up the coast in Rockport; Bucks Harbor Marina, at the top of Penobscot Bay in South Brooksville.

All the charter firms use locally owned boats in their charter fleets, some of them older or less-well maintained and more prone to breakdowns. While JBW and Bucks Harbor provide chase boats and repair support for their boats, NorthPoint acts as a broker between boat owners and charter parties. If equipment fails, it's primarily up to the individual boat owner or their designated manager to fix it.

"I'm very different than the big agencies with dedicated charter boats. Our boats are owned and taken care of by each owner, as the person who knows the boat and its history best is generally the owner," says Larrain Slaymaker, NorthPoint owner. "We have a high standard for the charter boats that come into our fleet." NorthPoint does help contact mechanics, get spare parts delivered, and arrange logistics. All the charter firms have arrangements with boatyards in the region if a breakdown occurs far from the charter base. I heard Penobscot Bay charters described in terms of vacation home rentals.

"In the past, we've never had a problem with people bringing back boats dirty or trashed. But some charter parties today see it as an Airbnb and are being less respectful of the boats. The attitude about the sharing economy is different than it was," says Slaymaker. "The vast majority are wonderful, but there's a small percentage who don't quite get it."

One boat in our group experienced a crippling transmission problem the crew largely had to deal with themselves, getting limited help from the owner. "Chartering a boat in Maine isn't like what you experience in the Caribbean. It's more like VRBO [Vacation Rentals by Owner]," said a frustrated Paul Thielking, charter captain of the boat. By contrast, the owner of our 46-foot sloop, also chartered through NorthPoint, kept his boat in excellent condition and was extremely responsive when minor problems did crop up.

Regardless of the charter firm, cell phones and VHF radios often don't work in remote areas — so you may not be able to get help when you need it. So take the time to be extremely thorough during the check-out process at the dock, focus on what tools and parts you have on board, where they are located, where the boat systems are located (engine, electrical, plumbing), and be prepared to make at least some repairs on your own.

Be explicit with the charter firm about what features come with your boat (not all have radar), make sure they work before you leave the dock, and be clear who and where to call for help if you need it. Bring one or more extra GPS chartplotters as backups (we found it extremely valuable to have a tablet in the cockpit to augment the chartplotter at the helm). Although most charter boats have a wetsuit and mask on board — in case you must go overboard to untangle a lobster pot — some do not; bring your own if you have to. And if you bring a boat back dirty, you will be charged (possibly a lot) to have it cleaned.

'Darned Lobstah Pawts'

When it comes to the omnipresent lobster pots, avoid them if you can, but it's important to know the underwater architecture of your boat if you can't. Do you have a spade rudder and fully exposed prop, both highly vulnerable to a snag? Lobster boats (and some cruisers) have a cage around the prop for protection, which affects speed. Our boat had a full keel with attached rudder and a raised folding prop — almost bulletproof around lobster pots.

While some pots are "singles" (tied to their own line), many are attached to a long rope (the potwarp) that connects multiple "pots" on the bottom. Toggles, used in areas of great tidal range, are a second float (often unmarked) that support the potwarp and often float up current or upwind of the main buoy.

Simply hitting a lobster pot may be harmless, but snagging a potwarp on the prop and having it wrap around on the propeller shaft will shut down the engine and anchor your boat to a chain of lobster pots. This is especially bad if it happens in fog, heavy weather, or current.

If the line is really stuck, charter firms recommend you call Channel 16 or a local marina to arrange for a diver — but this can take a long time and costs money. If you do pass over a buoy, immediately go to neutral. If you snag a trap, you might be able to free it by using a boat hook to bring in the line and slowly reversing the engine. If you have to go overboard to cut the line, don a wetsuit, mask and snorkel and be sure to re-tie the line together so the lobster pot isn't lost — they are expensive and the livelihood of hard-working lobstermen. More than 30,000 lobsterpots are lost every year in Maine.

Prop-shaft cutters generally are not favored up here — they don't always work and will cost a lobsterman his trap if they do. And if a polyester line gets melted onto a propshaft by friction, trying to cut around a razor-sharp disc while diving in cold water is no fun.

Fog: It can set in any time and is most likely to occur during peak cruising time: July and August. Patchy fog can be beautiful; thick, blanketing fog is completely disorienting and creates the risk of running down (or being run down by) other boats. Charter firms strongly recommend that cruisers not have a strict schedule and be prepared for lay days in a harbor to wait out the fog. If you must move, go slowly, use the compass, radar (fire it up before the fog sets in), and multiple chartplotters. Bring all hands on deck and post a watch at the bow to look for lobster pots and listen for other boats, bell buoys or lighthouses. Use the ship's bell or a horn per COLREG Rule 35 (At least one prolonged sounding every two minutes when underway). Keep in mind that lobstermen are likely to be too busy working to watch a radar screen or sound their horn.

Tides, Ledges & Moorings

The tidal range up here can run up to 18 feet and the tidal currents can be strong — so pay close attention to the tide tables and know where you are in the cycle. Submerged ledges are well-mapped on the charts (depths shown at mean low tide) but can be small and deadly. Study each route closely for shallow spots and keep a sharp eye out for locally disturbed or breaking water.

When mooring and anchoring out, you need to know how to anchor and pick up, secure and cast off from a mooring, since you are likely to tie to one at some point. They get filled fast in busy harbors, so reserve dock space or a mooring well in advance. If not, show up early if you hope to find a decent anchoring spot.

Peter Willsea, charter captain of Elusive, a C&C 40, went to Winter Harbor on the east side of Vinalhaven Island to ride out a forecast storm, but changing wind conditions forced him into "a less than perfect" anchorage outside in Seal Bay. As a precaution, he broke out a secondary anchor (a Danforth) to help their primary plow anchor during the blow.

"It was good we did — at 2 a.m. when the wind was howling, we dragged the main anchor and spent the rest of the night on the Danforth," Willsea recalls. "A 50-foot motor-cruiser ahead of us dragged their anchor, drifted past us, and wound up fully beached by morning.