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 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:
I also have a few questions about Southern New England:
Do the winds hold up in Sep.?

See the Maine response and associated details.

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?

Forget trespassing. You will get into trouble fast. In Southern New
England one simply does not land on private property.

The issue instead is usually the availability of space in the standard
harbors. Years ago the trend switched to moorings, and it's only gotten
worse. At least in September you will be pretty sure to find a mooring, but
most harbors of interest are so clogged with mooring balls that lying to
your own steel is not simple. I try to do it most of the time, but I have
been using these harbors for many years and I can usually make an educated
guess about what's possible and what's trouble. In some harbors you will
definitely draw the ire of the local constable if you get creative.

Now for a fee I will give you the coordinates of some really neat places to
drop a hook not matter what the situation (smile).

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

Dean B wrote:
I also have a few questions about Southern New England:
Do the winds hold up in Sep.?

See the Maine response and associated details.

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?

Forget trespassing. You will get into trouble fast. In Southern New
England one simply does not land on private property.

The issue instead is usually the availability of space in the standard
harbors. Years ago the trend switched to moorings, and it's only gotten
worse. At least in September you will be pretty sure to find a mooring, but
most harbors of interest are so clogged with mooring balls that lying to
your own steel is not simple. I try to do it most of the time, but I have
been using these harbors for many years and I can usually make an educated
guess about what's possible and what's trouble. In some harbors you will
definitely draw the ire of the local constable if you get creative.

Now for a fee I will give you the coordinates of some really neat places to
drop a hook not matter what the situation (smile).

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

Buzzards Bay and the Cape and Islands are great, but they're not exactly
"primitive." We used to go to Maine for the primitive escape, but switched to
the sound when our daughter was born. Martha's Vineyard is a lot more fun for a
child, especially being able to swim off the boat and go in for ice cream and a
carousel every day.

There are more primitive places, but you'll always be sharing them with lots of
other cruisers. This is not a problem if you like to anchor outside away from
the crowds, but getting an "inside" spot at the head of the little hurricane
hole is an art form. Our itinerary is often designed around arriving at the
optimal time to get the ideal spot.

As for the wind, its hard to predict. Last Labor Day we came back in about 30
knots, but often as not we've had to power to make time. September is the heart
of the hurricane season here. Its very rare they strike north of Boston, but
Buzzard Bay usually gets at least one scare every season.

Frankly, its sounds to me like Maine is what you're after. Just don't plan on
swimming.


"Dean B" wrote in message
om...
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

Buzzards Bay and the Cape and Islands are great, but they're not exactly
"primitive." We used to go to Maine for the primitive escape, but switched to
the sound when our daughter was born. Martha's Vineyard is a lot more fun for a
child, especially being able to swim off the boat and go in for ice cream and a
carousel every day.

There are more primitive places, but you'll always be sharing them with lots of
other cruisers. This is not a problem if you like to anchor outside away from
the crowds, but getting an "inside" spot at the head of the little hurricane
hole is an art form. Our itinerary is often designed around arriving at the
optimal time to get the ideal spot.

As for the wind, its hard to predict. Last Labor Day we came back in about 30
knots, but often as not we've had to power to make time. September is the heart
of the hurricane season here. Its very rare they strike north of Boston, but
Buzzard Bay usually gets at least one scare every season.

Frankly, its sounds to me like Maine is what you're after. Just don't plan on
swimming.


"Dean B" wrote in message
om...
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

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

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

In article ,
says...
Dean B wrote:
I also have a few questions about Southern New England:
Do the winds hold up in Sep.?

See the Maine response and associated details.

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?

Forget trespassing. You will get into trouble fast. In Southern New
England one simply does not land on private property.

The issue instead is usually the availability of space in the standard
harbors. Years ago the trend switched to moorings, and it's only gotten
worse. At least in September you will be pretty sure to find a mooring, but
most harbors of interest are so clogged with mooring balls that lying to
your own steel is not simple. I try to do it most of the time, but I have
been using these harbors for many years and I can usually make an educated
guess about what's possible and what's trouble. In some harbors you will
definitely draw the ire of the local constable if you get creative.


That brings up some questions:
1. Here in Oregon, and IIRC, Washington,
the land between high and low tide lines is considered public property
and you can anchor in any water not othwise restricted. That means
you can put down the lunch hook and dinghy ashore for a trip
through the tide pools. Are the laws and regulations similar
in Maine?

2. What's the expected tidal range and are the tides diurnal or
semi-diurnal? (OK, I know the ranges may vary widely in different
areas, but assume I'm asking about common anchorages).



Now for a fee I will give you the coordinates of some really neat places to
drop a hook not matter what the situation (smile).


Hope the fee would be less than the equivalent of the Waggoner's guide
out here! ;-)


Mark Borgerson