Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Boothbay Harbor. It's one of better known Maine ports of call and a worthy destination for pleasure boaters. There you will find a densely packed shoreline of marinas, restaurants and specialty shops. Despite its obvious emphasis on tourism, the town stays close to its Maine nautical roots.

Temporary Dockage at the Town Landing

The town landing (see image at right) provides temporary dockage for about 10 average pleasure boats. Dock there up to 3 hours. The landing delivers you to the central hub of the town of Boothbay Harbor - step off your boat and begin your selection of places to shop and eat. The landing area is well protected and well used.

There are also several public temporary moorings available near the landing as well.

Boothbay Harbor is one busy port in-season. Be sure to take your time and keep a good lookout once you enter the northeast quadrant near the landing. Even though our visit coincided with the start of the season we were buzzed by jet skiers (with the water still at 50 degrees!) while the large whale watching boats made their relentless journeys back and forth at fairly high speed.

Trailering Your Boat to Boothbay Harbor, Maine

If you are trailering your boat to Boothbay, you may be disappointed. There are several ramps to choose from, but none offer overnight parking and all are partial tide. The partial tide aspect can be worked around with planning, but finding a place to park your vehicle and trailer overnight is a trick.

Murry Hill boat launch offers a half dozen parking spaces, but you can't park over night, plus the ramp's sign indicates for residence use only. McKnown Point launch doesn't pretend to have any parking. Carousel Marina is pretty much the same, although they do offer suggestions on where to park - off premises.

It would seem that a town like Boothbay with its rich nautical history would have found a way by now to welcome visiting trailing boaters. But alas, no...

Shopping and Restaurants in Downtown Boothbay Harbor

There are lots of high quality shops along the shoreline adjacent to the public boat landing. (And, some cheesy ones. How many "Boothbay Harbor" teeshirt shops does one town need?)

But surprisingly, most of the shops offer high quality items. We especially enjoyed a visit to the friendly "Harbor Stones" jewelry shop where we found some exquisite pieces of Maine jewelry. Another store to look for is Sherman books - whose 2nd floor is filled with books of all types and friendly people to help you find whatever your interest leads. Of course, they have lots of books about the region. On the ground floor you'll find many high quality mementos of Boothbay and Maine.

There's an ice cream shop in town that serves up some great licks at reasonable prices for a tourist location. Try the Cherry Seinfeld with Bing cherries and white chocolate chips. We watched several children enjoy creating ice cream masterpieces on the build-your-own Sunday table.

Marinas in Boothbay Harbor

• Tugboat Inn
• Fisherman's Wharf Inn
• Brown's Wharf Restaurant and Marina
• Carousel Marina
  

Pirates of the Caribbean "Mutany on the Bounty" Boat

A fixture in town for the last few years has been the boat used in the 1962 movie "Mutany on the Bounty" and also featured as part of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest (movie #2 in the series). The partially covered boat is undergoing extensive repairs and rebuild under the care of Boothbay Boat Yard. It's pretty awesome seeing those tall masts.

Sightseeing and Whale Watching Boats

No discussion of Boothbay Harbor is complete without mentioning sightseeing and whale watching boats. There are a number of boats available near the public landing.

Whales are a blast to watch. If you want to see them, BoatMaine suggests using one of the commercial boats rather than go your own boat. First of all, whale watching takes you out some 25 miles, and these boats move you there and back fast. Prices are typically around $35 each; these days you'll eat up that in gas and more.

A second reason to go with one of these boats is to protect the whales. Their captains are trained and experienced in what not to do near the whales. Besides, you'll be able to sit back and relax and enjoy the majesty of these creatures without the worry of keeping your boat pointed into the rollers.

Sailing in Boothbay Harbor

The inner harbor of Boothbay is densely packed with pleasure and working boats, but there's good sailing in the outer harbor. You'll find some grand and glorious houses along the waters edge; the Boothbay region has a long history of being a wonderful place to enjoy the coast of Maine.

You'll pass Burnt Island light house which is advertised to have walking tours on their website.

You'll also pass by Squirrel Island. There you'll find a nice beach area and a shelter from the southerlies.

To the east you'll find Linekin bay which offers excellent wide open sailing and far less traffic than its nearby sister Boothbay Harbor.

Note that you can cut through a narrows and reach the Kennebec River. Which means.. you could launch at one of Bath's excellent ramps and then make your way to Boothbay. Be careful of Kennebec currents - but that is for another article.

(As with sailing anywhere in coastal Maine - always be sure of your location - there are some underwater nasties in places that would love to claim your boat for their own. Consult official charts and your GPS frequently.)

History of Boothbay Harbor

Before visiting a new location, I like to learn a bit of history. Here are a few history links:

www.boothbayharbor.com/history.aspx (Boothbay Chamber website history overview)

History of Southport, Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor with Family Geneologies 1623-1905, written by Francies B. Green in 1906. This 700+ page book is in the public domain and was digitized by Google. Download the PDF.

www.boothbayhistorical.org (Boothbay Historical Society)

Above: Turn of the Century (approximately 1900) Boothbay Harbor.
From History of Southport, Boothbay ... By Francis B. Green 1906. (Downloadable PDF)

Vacation Home Rentals in Boothbay, Maine

 
Above: A vacation rental house on Linekin Bay, next to Boothbay Harbor. Highly recommended for a splended visit to the

Boothbay Harbor- Conclusion

Every coasty boater needs to have visited Boothbay Harbor at least once - it is after all synonomous with the coast of Maine. You may want to make your visit at the start or the end of the season when things are not overly hectic.

Points of Contact