It happens every year all along the east coast of the United States. It starts as early as September with a few braves boaters. By early October, changes in weather in the NE sends hoards of boaters heading south, crowding marinas and anchorages and clogging the ICW (intracoastal waterway). From Maine to Florida, most boaters consider the bi-annual migration to be a punishment that must be endured in order to get to sunny, warm Florida, the Bahamas, or Caribbean. By contrast, a few boaters (like Michelle and me) look at the migration as an opportunity to explore new areas, meet intersting people, and capture memories that make great stories to tell our grandchildren. This month, I’m going to point out a few of my favorite anchorages/towns along the migration path and hopefully I can encourage you to slow down and make some memories of your own. I could write a travel guide full of places that shouldn’t be missed, but you wouldn’t read it and I only have time and room here to mention 5 worthwhile destination from my list of favorites. Perhaps I’ll share a few more worthy stops in future posts.
1. Northeast Harbor Maine
If you’re still up in Maine, Congratulations! You know how wonderful Maine can be this time of year. I highly recommend that you take a mooring in Northeast Harbor for a few days. Dinghy over to the town dock on the east side of the anchorage and walk up Asticou Trail to Thuya Gardens. At the end of the season, most of the beautiful spring/summer annuals are gone, but it is still an incredibly peaceful place to sit and contemplate the coming trip south.
From NE Harbor, you can continue up the Asticou Trail and right in to the Acadia National Park. Or, you can leave your dinghy at the NE Harbor marina and catch the bus to various trail heads within the park or even go all the way to Bar Harbor for a great meal and shopping. Within Acadia National Park, there are dozens of excellent trails to hike, with difficulty levels from easy to down right dangerous, but you won’t be dissapointed in the beauty of the park – especially if the leaves are starting to turn! If hiking isn’t your thing, you can experience the park by horse drawn carriage. Book a trip with Acadia by Carriage to travel back in time and experience the park the way the Rockefellers did!
2. Dolphin Marina and Restaurant
One should NEVER pass the opportunity to stop for the night at the Dolphin Marina, located just north of Portland ME in the heart of Casco Bay. Our first experience here was pure chance. We were headed south and I received a text: “Clark, this is John, the manager of Dolphin Marina. I see you’re headed south and I want to invite you to spend the night at our marina.” I’ve never had someone “Invite” me to visit their business before, so we altered course and I texted back our arrival time. When we pulled up to the dock, four young, neatly groomed and identically uniformed employees jogged out to our slip and stood at attention, one in front of each dock cleat along our dock. We threw them the lines and each expertly person adjusted and correctly secured the lines to the cleats. The lead team member then introduced himself and his crew. They shook our hands and thanked us for visiting before heading off to other chores. The manager came down, and came aboard to complete our registration and encouraged us to have dinner at their restaurant. He explained that even though the restaunt is fully booked, boaters staying in a slip or on a mooring get put at the front of the line, so we were seated quickly and had one of the best meals we’ve had in Maine. If all of that wasn’t enough, as we were getting ready to leave the next morning, there was a knock on the side of the boat and two young team members were standing on the dock with a basket of freshly baked blueberry muffins and coffee!
Every marina in the country (world) should be required to experience the level of service and hospitality provided by the marina and restaurant team members at Dolphin Marina. We never miss an opportunity to get the 5 start treatement at Dolphin Marina and neither should you!
3. Block Island
Block Island is a small island at the northern end of Long Island sound and just 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. I should qualify this review by stipulating that we have never been to Block Island “in season.” We have been there in early May and late September/early October — always when tourism (and many businesses) is pretty much shutdown. Anchor in the Great Salt Pond or if they’re still operating, you can stay in one of the marinas. We took our bikes ashore and on one trip we were able to pull the boat in to a fuel dock long enough to drop our Moped down on the dock. I suppose you could rent a car, moped, or bikes, but we didn’t have a need. Regardless how you do it, find a way to explore the island. The views are spectacular and even out of season there are interesting things to do. Did you know Block Island has a zoo of sorts? In fact, it’s a pretty good zoo – and when we went, it was free. Block Island includes fantastic hiking trails and if you’re up for a little treasure hunting, keep an eye out along the trails for Glass Floats which are part of the Block Island Glass Float Project. Follow the link to learn all about this fun and accidental adventure.
4. Lewes, Delaware
Most boaters stop at Cape May, New Jersey on their treck south. Granted, it’s a great place to top off the fuel tanks and spend a night, but we’re after out of the way, soulfull places to stay on our trip south, so we suggest you pass Cape May by and turn up in to the Delaware river and then hook an immediate left to Lewes. If you’re anchoring for the night, there is an excellent spot right behind the Breakwater off Lewes Beach with good holding and protection from just about any direction. You’ll be within 100 yards of a great beach with plenty of treasures to find.
Alternatively, continue about 3 miles past the breakwater to Roosevelt Inlet which puts you in the heart of Lewes, where you can get fuel and/or dock for the night. Downtown Lewes is quaint and offers fun shopping and several good restaurants. It’s a low key tourist town and in the off season, it can be a nice relaxing spot to recover from your trip down the coast.
Once you’re rested and refueled, you can head back off shore with minimal effort, or run 50 miles up the Delaware River to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (C&D). Check the current chart if you’re headed through the canal so that you enter at slack tide or on an ebb because the current can run up to 3.5+ knots at times and you want to be going with it, not against it!
5. Belhaven, NC
Some bypass the Intracoastal Waterway entirely and run along the east coast, stopping only for fuel. I admit that we’ve done that many times over the years, opting to avoid the hassles of cruising the ICW. But if you have never cruised the ICW, at some point you should definately make the effort. There are dozens of great places to experience Americana by Water that I would recommend, but high on my list would be Belhaven, North Carolina.
The little town of Belhaven may be a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town, but Eastern North Carolina visitors who decide to take a break from the ICW will be rewarded with a visit to a picturesque waterfront town that is filled with historical and coastal charm. This small community of less than 2,000 residents has a prime location on the north shore of the Pungo River, just eight miles away from the massive Pamlico Sound which separates North Carolina’s Inner Banks from its Outer Banks.
Like most small towns along the coast, you can find a local cafe and perhaps a bar that serve a passable burger and a cold beer. You might expect Belhaven to offer the same fare and indeed they do, but Belhaven has something very few cities offer: a truly remarkable restaurant with a menu and level of quality that is hard to find. From the outside, The Spoon River Arts and Market has a desceiving name and storefront, but the kitchen is all business and their culinary creations will tempt you to stay another night or two before continuing your journey south. Be warned, we’ve visited Belhaven in the past, only to discover that Spoon River was closed on the day we were in town – so call in advance and plan your trip accordingly!
Moving your boat south doesn’t have to be a painful task to get to your “promised land.” There are thousands of worthwhile places to stop along the route you will be taking as you move your boat/yacht south this season. I encourage you to stop and enjoy all that the east coast has to offer and if you find or have found someplace special, leave me a comment. Maybe on my next trip heading north or south, I’ll explore one of your favorite spots!
Cheers and happy cruising!
About the Author
Clark Haley holds a 100 Ton Master Certificate and is a Broker for Denison Yacht Sales in Palm Beach Florida. With his wife, Michelle he spent 10 Years cruising Newfoundland Canada, the East Coast of the US , the Bahamas, and the eastern and western Caribbean. With almost 80,000 miles under his keel, he has seen a tremendous amount of experience boating, cruising, training, and moving boats around the world for clients.
Clark can be reached by phone: +1 210-865-8622 or by email: [email protected]
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