Enjoying Mount Desert Island, Maine

A visit to Maine for a sailor, or anyone who loves the water, is a treat at certain times of year. Take the last week in July, when I had the good fortune to sail out of Northeast Harbor at the 2010 World Championship of the International One-Design Class. Yes, the events of each day on the water were special—a chance to play the changeable breezes of the waters where the Eastern and Western Ways meet. But equally enjoyable were the mornings and evenings we spent all around Mount Desert and surrounding islands. Whether afloat or camping in Acadia National Park, a trip to Maine is an experience I recommend without qualification, except perhaps to suggest bringing your mosquito spray. Is it ever foggy? Well, sure. But when the shroud lifts, it makes the beauty of the place that much more spectacular.

The International One Design class held their 2010 World Championship out of Northeast Harbor.

There are some excellent cruising guides that cover the coast of Maine’s numerous harbors in good detail.  A Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast is the most current and includes chartlets and suggestions about shoreside adventure. But the true joy of Maine cruising is exploring seldom-discovered gunkholes and feeling your way into anchorages with room for only one or two boats.  With almost 3500 miles of coastline, no one has experienced every island and inlet.

Maine's pine-scented coastline offers both out of the way gunkholes and full service boat yards.

Maine is best explored in regions, and the Mount Desert area is a favorite of many return visitors.  From Southwest Harbor north to the head of Somes Sound lies almost 10 miles of protected fjord, which can be a respite from the fog offshore.  The Cranberry Isles provide an easy destination at the junction of the Western and Eastern Ways, and around the corners to east and west lie well-known destinations like Bass and Bar Harbors.  With several full service yards including the original Hinckley location and Morris Yachts, Mount Desert also provides anything you might need before venturing farther down east.

View a chart of the region

To find a charter yacht in Maine, visit the Yachtworldcharters.com Northeast charter listings.

And until you can get there in person, enjoy this photo gallery of summer sailing in Maine.

John Burnham, Editorial Director, lives in Middletown, Rhode Island, just outside of Newport, on the East Coast of the United States and would rather be sailing, or afloat on any boat, whenever possible.