Mon.-Tues. Sept. 7-8, 2026 Isle of Springs to Boothbay Harbor 5 miles and 1.25 hours
What should have been a very simple half hour cruise down to Boothbay Harbor turned into a bit longer trip. We have reservations at Boothbay Harbor Marina for two nights. They actually called about 10 AM asking when we'd be arriving. Said the slip was available and come anytime. Short run but needed to plan for a swing bridge about 2 miles away that only opens on the hour and half hour. Figured we'd take our time rather than trying to rush things. Decided to shoot for the 11:30 bridge opening. Started pulling up the anchor at 11. Had 125' of chain deployed and first 50' came up nicely. Then the chain was covered with heavy thick mud, requiring extensive washing to clean off. Still had 25' to go when Martha informed me it was 11:20 and we needed to get going. Started pulling the chain in faster and got the anchor to the waterline. Told Martha to head out as I cleaned and secured the last of it. Came around the bend about 1/2 mile from the bridge at 11:30. Called the bridgetender and no go. Too late. Needed to circle around for half an hour in a fairly narrow area loaded with lobster pots and small boats able to skim under the bridge. Bridge opened promptly at noon and away we went.
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| Beautiful old wooden boat fit under the bridge and passed us by |
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| Cars stopped so we've inched our way closer and now just waiting for the opening |
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| Always feels a bit tighter than it actually is going through these openings |
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| Deep water is along the right-hand bank |
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| Narrow channel, lobster traps, boats coming and going. Must be Labor Day. |
Twenty minutes later we were in Boothbay Harbor and headed to the marina. After a week of anchoring out we were ready for a few days on land. Couple of chores first. Called the pumpout boat and arranged for them to come over. Past due to defrost the freezer section of the refrigerator. Time to refill the water tank. Boat could use a better washdown but I'll wait until after we do the offshore run to Rockland for that.
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| Several Windjammer sailing boats use Boothbay as their home port |
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| Popular port of call for megayachts too. |
We had skipped Boothbay during our Down East loop. We had spent a few days during that trip exploring Bar Harbor and found it just too touristy. Had heard Boothbay was also touristy, so passed it up. Decided to give it a shot this trip and glad we did. Cute town. Yes, it's touristy but on a much scaled down version versus Bar Harbor. They've managed to save a number of the older buildings on the waterfront which have been converted to shops and restaurants adding to its quaintness.
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| Nice collection of lobster trap buoys in front of this store |
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| Captain Sawyers Place - now an inn |
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| Couple of the older repurposed buildings along Main Street |
After a quick walk through downtown, we opted for an early dinner at Footbridge Brewery. Good selections of diverse beers but even better they had really good BBQ. Martha had a pulled pork sammy and I had a smoked steak sammy. Just a really good job on both and a much-needed change from our usual fare. Tuesday morning started with a drizzly day. Gave us an excuse to go out for breakfast. Got some Maine blueberry pancakes. Rain stopped by the time we were done and sunshine already popping out. Turned into a delightful day- mid 70's. Had to move the boat to the outer dock to make room for a 65' Palm Beach yacht that was coming in. Gorgeous boat! Then some tourist shopping and eventually a trip to Hannaford's grocery store for some provisions. Finished the day with another visit to Footbridge Brewery and then a trip to Downeast Ice Cream Factory.
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| The 65' Palm Beach yacht preparing to dock - long, wide and sleek |
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| The footbridge is an iconic landmark in town. Originally built in 1901 at the headwaters of the harbor it connects the east and west sides of the town |
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| Seems with each passing day as we continue northward we see more colors starting to show in the trees |
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