Something to consider:
The West Coast tends to have "climate" more than weather.
ANY place on the East Coast will have far more variation in the
weather than what you might be used to. ANY place on the East Coast
can have God-awful weather for the entire week that you are there.
Joe

On 19 Jan 2004 11:27:27 -0800, (Dean B) wrote:

Wow! what great responses. I think I owe it to you to fill in some
more details about myself and my needs.

I will be sailing with just my wife with whom I race in Portland. She
has limited cruising experience. Boat size is always a compromise of
a number of factors so we tend to prefer a boat in the 30-35 foot
range. We're both athletic and don't like being stuck on-board for
days at a time so shore activities are important. State Parks, like
those in the San Juans, are ideal because the better ones have nice
trails that one can spend considerable time walking around and
exploring the entire island.

Both Mount Desert and Isle au Haut have hiking trails. They are part
of Acadia National Park. Isle au Haut has Park Dept moorings in Duck
Harbor in the summer time, or so I am told. They were pulled by the
time we got there in Mid Sept. It is not a comfortable harbor for
sleeping.

Better, perhaps, to anchor in the thorofare east of the
lighthouse/b&b. You can row to the town dock from there.

Great Wass Is. (The Mudhole) (67-35 W, 44-29 N) belongs to The Nature
Conservancy and has trails. In September you are likely to have the
Mudhole to yourself, but I don't know about summer.

For long days June might have some of the advantages of September for
lack of crowding, but the water will be really cold. Bring gloves for
weighing anchor.





Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"WooWooism lives" Anon grafitto on the base of the Cuttyhunk breakwater light

The most encouraging destinations discussed so far are on the New
England coast. I have a few questions that I'd like to push back
about Maine:
Is the Maine fog less of a problem in September? Is the high season
fog all that bad? Does it burn of in the afternoon?
Do the winds hold up in Maine in Sep.?
What is the public land situation in Maine? Are there public parks
where one can wander around?

Thanks,
Dean

Dean B wrote:

Is the Maine fog less of a problem in September?

Usually, but maybe not when _you_ are there.

Is the high season
fog all that bad? Does it burn of in the afternoon?

Usually, but maybe not when _you_ are there.

Do the winds hold up in Maine in Sep.?

Usually, but maybe not when _you_ are there. BTW September is cold in Maine
(but maybe not when _you_ are there).

What is the public land situation in Maine? Are there public parks
where one can wander around?

Now for a "straight" answer. Acadia National Park is accessible from your
boat at 2 locations: Mount Desert Island and Isle au Haut. It's not to be
missed, and your views on the Rockefellers may chjange after your visit.

BTW I was obviously "joshin'" you above, but there is no _real_answer to
your questions. Read the cruising guides and make your best guess. If
someone offers you a sure-fire answer to such questions, make sure you get
a _written_ guarantee.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com

"Dean B" wrote in message
om...
The most encouraging destinations discussed so far are on the New
England coast. I have a few questions that I'd like to push back
about Maine:
Is the Maine fog less of a problem in September?

Yes.

Is the high season fog all that bad?

It can be. Out of roughly 20 Maine trips I don't think I've had one that didn't
involve some serious fog. Our joke is that although we've passed within 200
yard of Matinicus Light several times, we haven't seen it yet!

On the other hand, we've only been "fogged in" for more than a day once. As I
mentioned before, the fog tends to be spotty, usually staying a few miles
outside of the interesting islands, but sometimes getting pushed in. We've
learned to take advantage of the drier travel days, and to cope when it doesn't
work as planned.

Does it burn of in the afternoon?

You can almost count on a light fog in the morning, which often burns off by
noon. We usually wait until the first sign of thinning to take off, but I
confess we've used the "bread crumb" feature of the GPS a few times to retreat!

Do the winds hold up in Maine in Sep.?

Yes. And you'll find that they alternate between the summer SW and the winter
NW breezes, with the ocasional NE gale for added spice.

What is the public land situation in Maine? Are there public parks
where one can wander around?

There are hundreds of islands that are either deserted or public, or have small
towns that you're free to wander. Plus a number of formal parks. Acadia is a
"must see" place but it does get crowed. However, the island has a free public
bus system, so you can stay in a quiet harbor, like NE harbor, and use the bus
to see the major sights. After a few days, you can head in any direction and
find a beautiful spot with 10 miles.

An example: 6 miles south of Mt Desert is Long Island, with the town of
Frenchboro, pop 37, half named Lunt. You get a mooring from Lunt Marine in Lunt
Harbor, and make your Lobsta order from Lunt Restaurant on the VHF. You can
walk the town, visit the museum (one of the nicer "one room museums"), then sit
down for a great dinner. My wife had ordered a 1.5 pounder; they apologized
that there were none so they gave her a 2.5 pound monster. $15 with the
trimmings.

Check out the Hinckley Charters site - I think they have sample itineraries.

Dean B wrote:

Is the Maine fog less of a problem in September?

Usually, but maybe not when _you_ are there.

Is the high season
fog all that bad? Does it burn of in the afternoon?

Usually, but maybe not when _you_ are there.

Do the winds hold up in Maine in Sep.?

Usually, but maybe not when _you_ are there. BTW September is cold in Maine
(but maybe not when _you_ are there).

What is the public land situation in Maine? Are there public parks
where one can wander around?

Now for a "straight" answer. Acadia National Park is accessible from your
boat at 2 locations: Mount Desert Island and Isle au Haut. It's not to be
missed, and your views on the Rockefellers may chjange after your visit.

BTW I was obviously "joshin'" you above, but there is no _real_answer to
your questions. Read the cruising guides and make your best guess. If
someone offers you a sure-fire answer to such questions, make sure you get
a _written_ guarantee.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com

"Dean B" wrote in message
om...
The most encouraging destinations discussed so far are on the New
England coast. I have a few questions that I'd like to push back
about Maine:
Is the Maine fog less of a problem in September?

Yes.

Is the high season fog all that bad?

It can be. Out of roughly 20 Maine trips I don't think I've had one that didn't
involve some serious fog. Our joke is that although we've passed within 200
yard of Matinicus Light several times, we haven't seen it yet!

On the other hand, we've only been "fogged in" for more than a day once. As I
mentioned before, the fog tends to be spotty, usually staying a few miles
outside of the interesting islands, but sometimes getting pushed in. We've
learned to take advantage of the drier travel days, and to cope when it doesn't
work as planned.

Does it burn of in the afternoon?

You can almost count on a light fog in the morning, which often burns off by
noon. We usually wait until the first sign of thinning to take off, but I
confess we've used the "bread crumb" feature of the GPS a few times to retreat!

Do the winds hold up in Maine in Sep.?

Yes. And you'll find that they alternate between the summer SW and the winter
NW breezes, with the ocasional NE gale for added spice.

What is the public land situation in Maine? Are there public parks
where one can wander around?

There are hundreds of islands that are either deserted or public, or have small
towns that you're free to wander. Plus a number of formal parks. Acadia is a
"must see" place but it does get crowed. However, the island has a free public
bus system, so you can stay in a quiet harbor, like NE harbor, and use the bus
to see the major sights. After a few days, you can head in any direction and
find a beautiful spot with 10 miles.

An example: 6 miles south of Mt Desert is Long Island, with the town of
Frenchboro, pop 37, half named Lunt. You get a mooring from Lunt Marine in Lunt
Harbor, and make your Lobsta order from Lunt Restaurant on the VHF. You can
walk the town, visit the museum (one of the nicer "one room museums"), then sit
down for a great dinner. My wife had ordered a 1.5 pounder; they apologized
that there were none so they gave her a 2.5 pound monster. $15 with the
trimmings.

Check out the Hinckley Charters site - I think they have sample itineraries.

On 19 Jan 2004 11:33:01 -0800, (Dean B) wrote:

The most encouraging destinations discussed so far are on the New
England coast. I have a few questions that I'd like to push back
about Maine:
Is the Maine fog less of a problem in September?

Yes, much less.It can still happen, but the odds are with you.

Is the high season
fog all that bad?
Sometimes it socks in for days at a time. Average fog days are highest
in July and August.

Does it burn of in the afternoon?

Sometimes. But you are more likely to get out of it by going in
between islands. For example, you might be sailing west by Great Wass,
Steele Harbor Is., and Head Harbor Is. without seeing much of
anything. Then you turn the corner toward Roque and everything opens
up ahead of you.

Also, Casco Bay can be nice when it is foggy outside. So can the
Sheepscot or Damariscotta rivers.

Do the winds hold up in Maine in Sep.?
What is the public land situation in Maine? Are there public parks
where one can wander around?

Thanks,
Dean


Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"WooWooism lives" Anon grafitto on the base of the Cuttyhunk breakwater light

On 19 Jan 2004 11:33:01 -0800, (Dean B) wrote:

The most encouraging destinations discussed so far are on the New
England coast. I have a few questions that I'd like to push back
about Maine:
Is the Maine fog less of a problem in September?

Yes, much less.It can still happen, but the odds are with you.

Is the high season
fog all that bad?
Sometimes it socks in for days at a time. Average fog days are highest
in July and August.

Does it burn of in the afternoon?

Sometimes. But you are more likely to get out of it by going in
between islands. For example, you might be sailing west by Great Wass,
Steele Harbor Is., and Head Harbor Is. without seeing much of
anything. Then you turn the corner toward Roque and everything opens
up ahead of you.

Also, Casco Bay can be nice when it is foggy outside. So can the
Sheepscot or Damariscotta rivers.

Do the winds hold up in Maine in Sep.?
What is the public land situation in Maine? Are there public parks
where one can wander around?

Thanks,
Dean


Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"WooWooism lives" Anon grafitto on the base of the Cuttyhunk breakwater light

I also have a few questions about Southern New England:
Do the winds hold up in Sep.?
It sounds pretty commercialized. I'm worried about not finding a
place to anchor. Is there much hope for a primitive experience or are
you at the mercy of the local property owners?
Don't get me wrong, I do like to stop in at the occasional small port
but there are only so many gift shops and book stores that I can put
up with.

Dean