If you’re even thinking of cruising to Maine this summer, make sure to stop in Boothbay Harbor, about halfway between Portland and Camden, and then move on a bit to check out Christmas Cove, about two miles away and one of the most beautiful cruising destinations on the East Coast.
I’ve made many trips to these spots over the years, most recently three summers ago on a new Back Cove 32, and I’ve never been disappointed. In fact, I’ve always wanted to stay put for several days or more. There’s so much to do in Boothbay Harbor, a major summer destination on water as well as on land, and there’s so little to do in Christmas Cove, which is the point.
The entire mid-coast area of Maine is simply an iconic cruising area, filled with hidden coves, remote anchorages, granite ledges, historic lighthouses and, particularly early in the summer, lots of fog. If you go that way, make sure your radar is working, you are up to date on your tide tables, and you can remember the fog signals. And definitely take a sharp knife, or have prop cutters installed on your boat, to handle the zillions of lobster pots that can work their way even into the middle of well-traveled harbors.
Boothbay Harbor has been a bustling summer destination for generations. The large harbor is filled with everything from kids on sailing dinghies to megayachts; there are working lobster boats, cruising boats of all sizes and shapes, old windjammers on sunset cruises, ocean-going kayaks, just about anything that floats. And it’s all fun.
The harbor is lined with marinas and waterfront restaurants, bars and bistros. The entire area started out as a British fishing colony in the s1620s, when cod was king, and there are parts that are still a working waterfront. The streets are still narrow and winding; flower boxes appear more often than not on the homes there.
Once you’re there, you might want to take in the Boothbay Opera House, built in 1894; it has more than 100 performances a year. The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, about three miles outside town, is New England’s largest botanical garden on 250 waterfront acres. The Maine State Aquarium, with a petting tank where kids can touch live lobsters and jellyfish, is a family favorite.
Coming in to the harbor, you’ll pass the Burnt Island Lighthouse, built in 1821 and the second-oldest in Maine. You can book a tour there; pack a picnic and take in the view of Boothbay from the island.
Finally, when you need to move on, cruise east across Linekin Bay and go around Ocean Point and up the Damariscotta River about two miles to Christmas Cove on the right. It got its name from John Smith, the British explorer, who stopped there on Christmas Day in 1614. It’s changed since then, but not a whole lot. Drop the hook and simply enjoy the cruising life in Maine as it’s been for a very long time. Read more:
