My favorite anchorages
Fall 2024
By Christopher Birch
Marinas are handy, moorings are great, but nothing beats the satisfaction that comes from a night at anchor. As the year winds down, I’m feeling nostalgic for my favorite places to drop the hook along our beloved New England coastline. Here are my top nine anchorages:
#9: Long Cove, Vinalhaven, Maine
Getting there is half the fun with this spot. You’re treated to spectacular vistas along the western Vinalhaven coastline as you wind your way around small islands through a maze of channels on approach. If you’re sailing from afar, the Fox Islands in the center of Penobscot Bay are a dreamy landfall and the assured calm of this anchorage in that island group will deliver a welcome respite from the open water offshore.
Long Cove is a quiet spot. The island towns of North Haven and Vinalhaven are both miles off and out of sight. What you get instead is the sort of tranquility you would expect to find further Downeast. A few quiet houses dot the shore with small boats moored out front. Otherwise, Long Cove is surrounded by an abundance of natural Pen Bay coastline complete with big tides, crisp spruce smells, and stately birds. The perfect place to drink your morning coffee while watching the fog drift over the water and through the trees.
Margaret Wise Brown penned the children’s book “Goodnight Moon” while looking out her window over Long Cove almost 100 years ago. That same moon still hangs there today for all to enjoy.
Clamming is good along the shore in places at low tide. For the more adventurous, extensive dinghy gunkholing and one particularly exciting sweep of current can be found in The Basin, a manageable row away to the south.
#8: Valley Cove, Somes Sound, Mount Desert Island, Maine
Somes Sound, in the heart of Acadia National Park, is the only fjord on the Eastern Seaboard. Most of the water within is navigable, and you can sail right in like a Viking and explore. The anchorage at Valley Cove, on the west side of the sound just north of the entrance, is an ideal place to stop and make a raid ashore for blueberries and other provisions.
An ancient granite face extends straight up from the edge of the cove for hundreds of feet (that’ll happen in a fjord) towards the summit of Saint Sauveur Mountain above. Land your dinghy ashore and a park trail will take you up to the top of the ridge for a spectacular view of Somes Sound and your boat floating in it. When you’re done admiring her lines from this unusual perspective, you can lift your gaze to take in Cadillac Mountain across the way and the seaward sprawl of islands stretching out into The Gulf of Maine. If you bring a container for blueberries on this hike, you’ll be breakfasting on blueberry pancakes for days to come.
A longer walk takes you from the beach where you land your dinghy into the town of Southwest Harbor where you’ll find excellent provisioning options, a meal out, and free bus service to the rest of the national park.
The holding is good in this anchorage but the water is deep, so be sure to carry plenty of chain for your anchor.
#7: Camp Island, Deer Island Thorofare, Maine
The Deer Island Thorofare and Merchant’s Row share the enviable job of connecting the grand expanse of the Western Penobscot Bay with the smaller and more protected Jericho Bay to the east. Dozens of islands fill this corridor and Camp Island sits close to the middle of them all. It’s the bullseye in the center of the best cruising ground in New England and perhaps the world.
The Maine windjammer fleet flocks to this region for good reason. The specter of their tall rigs silently gliding past, half obscured by fog and spruce, is one of the many pleasures of time spent on anchor here. The windjammers aren’t the only commercial boats sharing the water with cruising yachts in these islands; lobsters like this place a lot, and lobster boats are out chasing them constantly. These boats will make sure you don’t oversleep in the morning and their crew will happily sell you a few live “bugs” for dinner directly from their aft decks.
Small islands with unusual names – Hell’s Half Acre and The Coots – help to pen in the Camp Island anchorage. All of them are jeweled with white, ground-shell beaches that are a delight to explore at low tide with your dog. Clams and quahogs are plentiful if you dig, but be warned, they aren’t the only thing lurking below: Many isolated rocks and extended ledges are also hidden from view just beneath the surface in the adjacent waters. Careful navigation is a must.
Stay tuned to the next issue of Points East for the middle three anchorages in my top nine countdown.
Christopher Birch is the founder of Birch Marine Inc. on Long Wharf, Boston. He and his wife, Alex, are now cruising full-time aboard their 36’ Morris Justine. Follow their voyage at www.EagleSevenSailing.com.
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