Coastal Maine and Kennebec River Cruise

I love boats, planes, cars and trains.  So here we were on the Maine Coast for several days…seemed like a great time for a bit of coastal exploration.  So after our exploration of the Boothbay Railway Village, we headed down to Boothbay Harbor for our waterborne adventure!

Most Photos Ever!

For tourists in Boothbay Harbor, there are a plethora of boat related options.  The Bennie Alice takes hungry sightseeing crowds to Cabbage Island for clambakes. (Clams, lobsters and the trimmings) Cruises take place from mid-June through roughly the first week in September with 1 trip Monday – Friday and 2 trips on Saturday and Sunday.

To learn more about the cruise, cost, food and schedule, just go to https://www.cabbageislandclambake.com/home-3.

The 47 foot long Novelty is licensed to carry up to 79 passengers on sightseeing cruises including a trip to Squirrel Island.  Squirrel Island is a privately owned island (since 1871) with about 100 homes built between the 1870s and 1920s. (No vehicles on the island) Novelty is the de facto mail boat/ferry boat for the island.

Novelty and a few other tourist boats are operated by Balmy Day Cruises.  To learn more, go to https://www.balmydayscruises.com/.

FYI…Squirrel Island isn’t named for its squirrel population.  Seen from the air, the island resembles a squirrel holding an acorn.

The Pink Lady II (top photo) is part of Cap’n Fish’s ‘Whale Watch’ fleet.  The Harbor Princess (second photo) also cruised by while we waited to board for our cruise.  Cap’n Fish has yet another boat called the Island Lady.  These boats are modern with all the necessary conveniences and they range from 78 to 100 feet long.

Why so many boats?  It’s all about the variety and frequency of cruises.  It’s not just about whale watch trips.  Among others, Cap’n Fish offers puffin, lobster trap/seal, Little Bit of Maine, Harbor and Kennebec River/Bath cruise options.  I chose the latter so we could view the coastline for a bit and then cruise up one channel of the Kennebec and down another… It was all about variety!

If you prefer a wind driven boat, you could opt for the East Wind, a 65 foot long schooner.  It was built and is operated by a couple who sailed around the world twice with their 3 children.  The couple has built 5 schooners by their own hand…

To learn more, go to http://www.schoonereastwind.com/.

We loaded up on the Pink Lady II, obtaining decent seats toward the back of the top deck.  I was on the aisle so I could get out and move around to take photos.  It was a beautiful day…

The coast of Maine is a series of river mouths, bays, inlets, coves, islands, islets and rocks surrounded by water.  Many of the islands are occupied by seasonal cottages…or in this case…right in Boothbay’s harbor, a single cottage.

This is the Independence, one of the small cruise ships operated by American Cruise Lines.  We’d seen her a day earlier in Rockport’s Harbor.  American Cruise Line operates 11 small cruise ships on North American inland and coastal routes.  You can learn more at https://www.americancruiselines.com/small-riverboat-cruise-ships.   

This is the inside cabin area of the Pink Lady II.  Tables, chairs and refreshments are available.  Some folks were stuck inside because the outside/upper deck was full.  Then there are those who don’t seem too interested in the cruise/tour.

Lighthouses are everywhere and they are everything to seafaring folks along this rugged coast!  They range from handsome large structures to small utilitarian lights.  The first one above is the Burnt Island Lighthouse.  The second photo shows the Cuckholds Lighthouse.  I believe that the 3^rd photo is the lighthouse on Sequin Island.  The last picture is of a small lighthouse (Pond Island?) that is equipped with solar panels. 

I found one list that showed 65 lighthouses on the Maine coast but it may not have been complete.  If you would like more information about Maine’s lighthouses, here are a couple of options for your review: https://www.visitmaine.net/page/39/lighthouse-directory, and    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lighthouses_in_Maine.

FYI…Our route took us from Boothbay Harbor, out past Squirrel Island, across Sheepscot Bay and then up the Kennebec River between Popham Beach and Stage Island.  To view a map showing the jagged and wild coastline with all of the islands and rocks in the area, go to https://mapcarta.com/22302564.   

Just a local fisherman passing by…

One of the many rocks along the way, some more interesting than others.

I believe that this is a view of Popham Village with its beach… Much of the area is a state park.  I think that the large building with a tower is or was a life-saving station.

A few gulls were hanging around on this rocky islet with a flock of cormorants. 

These are the remnants of Fort Popham, a Civil War era coastal defense fortification at the mouth of the Kennebec River.  It was named for George Popham, founder of the short lived early 1600’s Popham Colony.

A series of these forts were established on both coasts of the USA following the War of 1812.  There was much concern over defending our coasts and shipping…and the forts were less expensive than maintaining a large fleet of ships.  World War II demonstrated that these types of coastal fortifications were obsolete.  Fort Popham was deserted following WWI.

Nice views don’t you think!  Of course, I wouldn’t want to be living here from mid-October until the first of May.

Now that’s a nice big old house on its own island… Note the center chimney.

FYI…According to one source, there are over 4,600 islands off the coast of Maine!  I saw another source that said that the number was closer to 3,200 islands.  In any case, 15 island communities are occupied year around and they are served by ferry boats. 

I took a couple of photos from the front of the upper deck (near the wheelhouse) of our boat back toward the stern.  I zoomed in on Laurie in the second photo… She wasn’t too happy that I didn’t warn her so she’d be smiling!

I had to take one photo of our wake… The Pink Lady II was plowing ahead at a good pace!

As we moved up the Kennebec River, the houses changed and of course so did the scenery.  I really liked this little clapboard cottage on stilts.

What is it with squirrels in this area of Maine?  This lighthouse with accompanying buildings is along the Kennebec River and it’s called the Squirrel Point Lighthouse.  

I think that this church and community across from the Squirrel Point Lighthouse is Phippsburg Maine.

Laurie and I both loved this lone tree with its large nest…probably for an osprey family

As we moved on up the Kennebec River toward the town of Bath, at one bend in the river, we passed the Doubling Point Lighthouse.  Very eye catching don’t you think?

As we approached the town of Bath on the Kennebec River, the Bath Iron Works became everyone’s focus.  The company was incorporated in 1884 by General Thomas W. Hyde, who was from Bath.  He was interested in the growing business of iron shipbuilding.  In 1890, the company won its first contract to build two 190 foot long iron gunboats for the US Navy. 

This shipyard has built far too many military vessels for the US Navy to list here but they have at times designed and built battleships, frigates, cruisers and destroyers.  Since 1995, Bath Iron Works has been a subsidiary of General Dynamics.  During WWII, ships built here were considered to be of superior toughness by sailors and Navy officials.  That gave rise to the phrase, “Bath-built is best-built”.

This is the USS Thomas Hudner.  It is a 553 foot long Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.  The $663,000,000 contract to build this ship was awarded in early 2012.  This is the sixty-sixth ship of the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers.  With 75 ships planned, this class has the longest production run for any US Navy surface combatant.  Construction of this class of vessels was restarted in 2008.  One of the reasons for this will be apparent after the next photo. 

FYI…This ship was named in honor of US Naval aviator Thomas Hudner who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in trying to save the life of his wingman during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War.

This strange looking ship (in my mind at least) is the USS Michael Monsoor.  It is the second ship of the Zumwalt class of guided missile destroyers.  These ships were designed as multi-mission surface combatants tailored for advanced land attack and littoral dominance.  The ship is 600 feet long and it will have a crew of 148 officers and sailors.  She is expected to be commissioned in January of 2019.

There is one little problem… This $1,400,000,000 naval warship is or was to be equipped with a pair of Advanced Gun Systems (AGS).  The problem is that the AGS systems aren’t workable and they can’t support naval gunfire support in an advanced land attack!  Furthermore, the ammunition used by the AGS system is exclusive to the 6 guns (2 each) planned for the 3 Zumwalt class ships.  The shells/ammunition for AGS is pegged at between $800,000 and $1,000,000 each!

FYI…The USS Michael Monsoor is named after Master-at-Arms Second Class Michael A. Monsoor, a United States Navy SEAL who was killed during the Iraq War and who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

You would be correct if you thought that this was another Zumwalt class destroyer under construction.  This is the third and last vessel of this design that will be built.  It will be named the USS Lyndon B. Johnson. 

Due to the failure of the AGS (gun) design, only 3 of the original 10 Zumwalt class vessels will be completed.  This is the reason that the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers continue to be built…

There are a number of channels making up the Kennebec estuary system and Pink Lady II headed back toward Boothbay Harbor following a narrower series of channels that occasionally opened up into broader stretches of water.  The boat in this photo followed in our wake for a while and then he blew by at high speed.

These photos of a buoy and a channel marker prove that Ospreys will roost on any convenient surface if there is enough food around! (Note all the lobster pot buoys)

 The houses or cottages along the waterways on our way back to port were less ostentations then the ones we encountered going up the main channel of the Kennebec River.  I like the one with the little bridge…more my style.

The birds seem to prefer the rocky islets without any greenery… Note all the lobster buoys behind the island.  They were everywhere along the coast and up the river too until the freshwater flow diluted the necessary salt water for the lobsters.

I thought that this peaceful little anchorage with a scattering of cottages and larger homes would be a good place to be able to just sit back and relax…

This is the Maine Hwy. 27 swing bridge that we encountered over our channel (here referred to at the Townsend Gut) as we made our way back to Boothbay Harbor.  With a center span of 180 feet, it’s one of the largest in the state.  This through truss swing-bridge operates for boats all year.

This bridge was built in 1939.  Of note is the fact that a local family began working as bridge tenders in the 1940s.  By 2011, twin brothers Dwight and Duane had worked here for 45 years and Duane had put in 43 years.    

As we neared the end of our cruise, we passed this attractive home and the lady gave us all a wave welcoming us back. (In my mind at least!)

…and then we were back in busy Boothbay Harbor!  Cap’n Fish’s building can be seen in the center of the photo with that handsome church at the right.

We had a great time.  The cruise was very scenic and the crew was both informative and helpful.  It’s just too bad that we didn’t have more time for other water borne adventures…but there was just too much else to see in the area.

To learn more about Cap’n Fish’s various cruise options, fares, timing, etc., just go to https://www.boothbayboattrips.com/.

If you stuck with me all the way through this lengthy posting I appreciate your persistence!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave