Need advice for cruising the coast of Maine.

[brownoarsman]

Originally Posted by Safari38LH

We've done Maine for the last ten years with 40 ft of chaine and the rest rope rode. No problem.

That is good news, thanks! I've got about sixty feet of chain and the rest rope, and would hate to have to add more. It gets heavy!

[chuckr]

We like chain in particularly where there are rocks and big tides as we want to keep our rode away from the bottom - we run 150' of chain - by the way it also helps keep the drag on the anchor a bit less as more weight down there

[Sandero]

jtsailjt pretty much sums it up about Maine... He's a local guy so he writes from first hand experience.

I've sailed Maine several times. I just love it... it's the best...on the East Coast...nothing comes close. You can't go wrong cruising Maine. You can't swim unless you like cold water... and you need to be mindful of the many lobster traps and of course the fog... a huge tide range and submerged rocks. It's pretty well marked and there are several excellent cruising guides for Maine. Get one. And many harbors have free transient moorings.... which is a treat.

It's sailing heaven... You'll love it. Probably best in late summer...

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by Sandero

...And many harbors have free transient moorings.... which is a treat.

That would be a treat. I can only think of a couple.

I'd like to hear more about the "many" you know of!

[Island Time O25]

One additional comment.

The fog in Maine is really something. My second season at the club we went there for a 9-10 days cruise. This was my first time in Maine waters but the skipper had about 10-12 seasons on me as a club member but I think this was his first Maine cruise as well, may be second at most. At least way down East, beyond Kennebunkport or Portland. So we are approaching our point of arrival at some harbor and it gets real foggy all of a sudden. Being tired and what not we get disoriented and the skipper decides to anchor and wait the fog out. So off I go to the bow to get ready to drop the anchor when I hear the surf splashing. In my naivete I turn around and yell to the skipper "Am I supposed to hear that?". By the time he deciphered my yelling the surf is getting even louder. And at that moment I even saw some sand and gravel just few feet ahead. Once he realized how close we are he slams the engine in reverse and motors out a few hundred yards back. Few hours later, when the fog dissipates we realize that we were literally about 7-10 feet away from the beach. Only the deep water close to shore has saved us from beaching. So yes - one needs a radar, a fog horn, a lookout at the bow and anything one can get a hold of to help during the foggy sail in Maine. But once the fog dissipates it will usually be the classic picture perfect view - the tall pines overlooking the rocks, the eagles and the egrets flying above, the owls hooting and the deer coming close to shoreline. Between June and September Maine is the sailing paradise.

[doug1957]

Yes, the fog can be something. It is usually more frequent and persistent the farther down east one goes. Past MDI, you should count on it being a regular part of the day. Moving SW from there, it can be pretty unpredictable. Sometimes all day, sometimes burns off or is only in the spot where you happen to be.

It's best to have both a radar and chartplotter in view at the same time. Even if there is no overlay, you should be cross-checking land masses and markers between the two. What I find particularly difficult are the lobster boats. You can usually hear them, but they do tend to be stationary, then circle as they lay out the traps. Keep a wide berth if possible if you think you hear or spot one on the radar. Remember too, to be cautious around the markers. Many people are using them as waypoints and it can get crowded.

[brownoarsman]

Hearing about all this fog worries me. In Boston during the summer, sudden onset of fog was a very rare event. Fog at all was a very rare event.

Is it really so different in Maine? With a 28' boat with only solar power and a limited house bank, radar is not likely in my future. Would I be restricted to only a few hours a day of sailing, or at significant risk of being fogged in during the day?

[doug1957]

Most of the time, there's not much wind when there's fog, so most are motoring. Then you don't have to worry about the battery bank. I also know of sailors who don't have radar in Maine, and just rely on their chartplotters and ears and eyes. That's something I can't bring myself to do, but when the fog is seriously thick and you have to go somewhere, nobody's going very fast. I haven't heard of a lobster boat hitting anything in the fog, and they are usually the only ones proceeding as if it's a normal day.

Or, you just hang out for a day. If you happen to be near a nice area, there is lots to do/see on shore. I've been "stuck" in NE Harbor in MDI for days at a time. You hop on the free bus and hike and see the island.

[dfelsent]

I grew up cruising in Maine pre gps and pre civilian Loran. I have seen fog that noticeably reduced visibility between the helm an the bow. You could see chunks.

Please don't be put off by these war stories. Radar is a luxury. Many many boats cruise Maine waters with not much.

Your ears are a fantastic tool in the fog. Send a lookout to the bow away from the engine noise. If alone shut the engine down every so often and listen.


When it is foggy head for or near a buoy cause as previously mentioned those purple lines on chart kits get crowded. Pick a buoy that makes a sound. Keep a log of time and position so if your gps dies you are in good shape.
When you get near listen!!
Your fog horn helps too. You can hear it bounce off of shore. Light houses too.

Learning to navigate in the fog is stressful anxiety Provoking and an unbelievable confidence builder.

Start small. When the fog starst to lift head out into the bank til you are in it and turn around and head back.

You will learn to trust your instruments. And ears. And believe me, your eyes will start to see dark spots that become boats. You will also spend time doubting yourself. That's ok too.

[brownoarsman]

Thanks for the confidence-builders!
My two Boston fog experiences were tacking up the mouth of Boston harbor in my engineless sonar, when the day went suddenly windless and dense fog sprang up. So I drifted about, not knowing where I was and blowing my air horn one long and two short for about fifteen minutes, when the fog suddenly cleared and I was stuck in the middle of the harbor entrance with the provincetown ferry passing by 25 yards away!
The other was much more enjoyable: navigating back into the harbor by buoy, charts, and compass on the way back from Marblehead of an evening.

But from the stories above, I thought I'd be stuck in fog every day, all day! Good to know there's at least a little sun

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by brownoarsman

Thanks for the confidence-builders!
My two Boston fog experiences were tacking up the mouth of Boston harbor in my engineless sonar, when the day went suddenly windless and dense fog sprang up. So I drifted about, not knowing where I was and blowing my air horn one long and two short for about fifteen minutes, when the fog suddenly cleared and I was stuck in the middle of the harbor entrance with the provincetown ferry passing by 25 yards away!
The other was much more enjoyable: navigating back into the harbor by buoy, charts, and compass on the way back from Marblehead of an evening.

But from the stories above, I thought I'd be stuck in fog every day, all day! Good to know there's at least a little sun

After all this discussion you'll probably be disappointed to not see any fog at all! We have plenty of sunny days and even some foggy days are sunny about 10' above the water! I've seen days when you can't see far in thick fog, but you could get a sunburn and if you climbed up and sat on your spreaders you'd have unlimited visibility.

One technique for dealing with foggy days without radar is to understand that the land with the sun shining on it is warmer than the ocean water. So, the air near the land gets a degree or two warmer and that causes the fog to be thinner or dissipate in that area. So, you can 'usually' be confident that even though it may be very thick out in the middle of the bay and could stay that way all day, as you approach a harbor it'll thin out or be clear(er) once the sun comes up and heats the land a little bit. Also, you can use this knowledge when you are planning your route for the day. If you wake up and it's really foggy and not forecast to change, try to plan your route to stay close to islands and mainland where the air will be slightly warmer. If you look at a chart of Penobscot Bay to MDI, you'll notice that staying near some land mass is no problem at all. Also, the further east you go, the foggier it tends to be. The Mount Desert Island area tends to be foggier than Penobscot Bay, but if you are in the MDI area and it's foggy and you really want to sail instead of go exploring ashore, you can always sail up Somes Sound or go around and up into Frenchmans Bay behind Bar Harbor where the surrounding land will probably have heated up the air above the temperature/dew point spread so there will be no fog.

I'm going to stay subscribed to this thread and hope that next fall you'll come back and update us about your experience with fog, etc.

[brownoarsman]

Thanks, John! Can't speak for the OP, but I just received word that my current project ends in May/June (exactly as planned), so I should be free for the voyage north and will certainly follow-up!

[brownoarsman]

My project actually ended up lasting another year, but we leave this coming weekend from Annapolis - and I just reread this thread and can't wait to put these fog tips to the test!

[Powercon Steve]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

The only negative thing one can say about sailing in Maine is that the season is too short.

Oh, and the water is really cold. So I guess that's two things.

Really Really COLD!!!!! And deceptively clear. Jumped in off sailboat thought I could walk to shore. WOW
WOW!

[jefjo]

You will LOVE Maine! The lobster pots are a giant pain though, as previously mentioned. Portland is one of my favorite cities to visit, and I go there about once every other month. Heres a couple of Maine pics. Portland, and Ogunquit.