Advice for Castine Maine

[Muaddib1116]

My ambition for this summer is to do a 1.5-2 month cruise in Maine. I haven't really gotten a plan together yet, but my sister and a couple of her friends are planning a week in Castine, and we are thinking of trying to meet up for a couple days. She is considering coming up a couple days earlier to spend a couple days on the boat with me, but we then have to put her rental car somewhere. Is there open overnight parking anywhere? Does the yacht club have moorings for transients to rent? If I did rent a mooring for a couple nights, do they have parking at the club?

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by Muaddib1116

My ambition for this summer is to do a 1.5-2 month cruise in Maine. I haven't really gotten a plan together yet, but my sister and a couple of her friends are planning a week in Castine, and we are thinking of trying to meet up for a couple days. She is considering coming up a couple days earlier to spend a couple days on the boat with me, but we then have to put her rental car somewhere. Is there open overnight parking anywhere? Does the yacht club have moorings for transients to rent? If I did rent a mooring for a couple nights, do they have parking at the club?

During the summer the Maine Maritime Academy lets people who are getting on boats use their parking area. There might be a small charge but I don't think it's very much. The area immediately in front of the city docks is a mooring field but they are mostly tied up. There is an excellent anchorage between Nautilus Island and Ram Island. and one can cross the rock ledge to the east of Nautilus Island in a dinghy at anything above about half tide. The channel immediately in front of Castine is too deep to anchor unless you have a huge amount of rode and even then you'd have to contend with the moored boats. One caution, the charted green marker at Nautilus rock had its chain hung up on the rock and was submerged at high tide last time I was there, but that was a couple of years ago.

[hmarkhoff]

Eaton's in Castine has excellent rental moorings

[hlev00]

Tangential response but have you seen the Taft's Cruising Guide to Maine? I know cruising guides seem outdated but they this one does have good information both current is historic.


Not to promote Amazon but this is the one I am referring to:

https://www.amazon.com/Cruising-Guid...8&sr=8-1-fkmr0

[Muaddib1116]

Fantastic info, thanks guys! I'll definitely try to find a copy of that cruising guide!

[Ziggy]

+1 re Taft's (actually now Curtis Rindlaub's) Cruising Guide. Rather than buying it from Amazon, you might consider buying it directly from Curtis here: https://www.mainecoastguide.com/



The Yacht Club has moorings, but the last time we stayed there we couldn't find anyone to pay the fee. Eaton's is also an option. Castine is one of my favorite places to visit in Maine.

[pjShap]

Castine is a beautiful town, as are most of the waterfront towns in that part of Maine. The last time I took a mooring at Eaton's, who was great to deal with, about 8 years ago or so, I could not BELIEVE how noisy the town bars were, and how LATE they stayed noisy. When I spent a summer in Castine 50 years ago, the only bar in town closed at 6pm. I live above Broadway in NYC, and Castine kept me awake nearly as badly and nearly as late at night. That was 8 years ago, and I haven't gone back. When I was last in Maine 2 years ago I spent a number of nights anchored behind Holbrook Island, near Castine, and that was a delight. There are dozens of great anchorages nearby.

Other towns near Castine were still quiet 2 years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed Blue Hill and Belfast.

Another recommendation for the Taft/Rindlaub cruising guide. It's the best guide I've ever read. Should be required reading for anyone writing a guide.

If your sister is staying a week in Castine, she could contact wherever she's staying and ask them where she could leave a car if she came a few days earlier to go boating. Castine is a small town and people have always been friendly. The noisy bars were almost certainly the tourists.

[Muaddib1116]

Originally Posted by pjShap

If your sister is staying a week in Castine, she could contact wherever she's staying and ask them where she could leave a car if she came a few days earlier to go boating. Castine is a small town and people have always been friendly.

Thanks for all the great advice! We considered that, but it's an airbnb which is booked right up until their visit. I think I'll try to contact the Maritime Academy.

[OBT]

https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/Coa...jUiwqB79PRBrjQ. You might find some of this helpful. My fav places on the coast of Maine.

[Muaddib1116]

Thanks, that looks great, I'll dig into it!

[Cool Hand Luke]

Originally Posted by Ziggy

+1 re Taft's (actually now Curtis Rindlaub's) Cruising Guide. Rather than buying it from Amazon, you might consider buying it directly from Curtis here: https://www.mainecoastguide.com/

Just bought the hard-cover copy directly from mainecoastguide.com

What's the best time to visit? June? July? August?

Can't wait for the book!

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke

Just bought the hard-cover copy directly from mainecoastguide.com

What's the best time to visit? June? July? August?

Can't wait for the book!

The book tells you the best time to visit and everything. They show typical number of days fogged in vs calendar date.

Reading that guide is almost as fun as the actual cruising.

Note: September is the best time to visit.

[Ziggy]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke

What's the best time to visit? June? July? August?

Yes. June can be a bit on the chilly side, but less crowded. You can expect more fog and people in July and August (especially August.) September can be great, with fewer boats and better visibility, but cooler temperatures. If you download the U.S. Coast Pilot Volume 1 Appendix B from the NOAA web site, you'll find tables with detailed climatological data for various locations on the New England Coast. Also the Cruising Guide you ordered has advice on the best time to visit.


Enjoy!