# Looking towards Maine



## markmonteverdi (Jan 31, 2015)

So a little about myself. I currently live in New Bern NC. A sailing Mecca. I grew up in NY single and 70 yr's young and live on my boat. My boat is a 1985 Pearson 34ft. I have a mind set to move to Maine. Yes i know it get's cold so does NY. I would like to know the pro's and con's also any live aboard marinas $$. Any thing you all can add good...bad or ugly I would appreciate. It's always been a dream to move to Maine I think it would add an interesting chapter to my life. Thank you in advance for any input. Mark


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

Living aboard in Maine in the winter is not something I would consider doing myself. Great in the summer (as long as you don't mind fog), but a short sailing season overall.


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

Have to mostly agree with Jim. A diesel heater would probably be recommended. Most marinas will close for the winter, removing floating docks because of ice and not providing services like pumpouts, fuel, water, etc. Some commercial (fishing) locations may stay open. Portland might be worth trying. The city itself won't close down for the season the way many other harbors might. Portland has libraries, museums, restaurants, people and things going on that might make it more bearable than other places along the coast over a long, cold winter. We have friends in Maine. They're out maple syruping now, with snow still on the ground.


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## hpeer (May 14, 2005)

Welcome aboard Mark,

At about 60 we went part time. We were living in Philly and kept the boat in Delaware. We worked a week on a weekoff, off weeks we lived aboard the boat, year round.

Our marina shut the water off but kept the bathrooms open. Other folks had to get special elecrrical hookups, mind if a Delaware thing. Snow and ice on the docks is a real threat, be careful. Heat was an Espar air heater. I closed off rhe forpeak and aft cabin and it dis the job. When it got into the teens it got chilly but doable. We slept in sleeping bags. Rained every morning as the condensation melted off. With a steel hull we made no special provisions, others used bubblers.

Our preference is to winter in Caribbean, drive to our cabin and boat in Newfoundland for summer. Now with Covid we are toughing it out in Edenton.

i know there are a hardy few who overwinter aboard as far East as Halifax. That might actually be warmer. Also I dont know about the tides, i guess that could get interesting. As a kid my Dad’s workboat had some tumblehome, ice froze to the hull and dock at low tide, then swamped the boat at high tide. No clue about how that kind of thing would work in Main with those tides. But to be considered, well, at least I would.

Sorry, thats all I have got. Good luck.

Feel free to drop by if you are in Edenton, we are the Bananna Boat. You wont miss her. I too am 70.


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

Eastport, cheap apartment, cheap winter haul and spring launch. It IS the end of the Earth, though. But it remains budgetable. Everything West co$t$. There's other places, like Winterport, but there's also cost nutshows like upper Penbay and MDI (I won't name them, but they know who they are). Got a boat? Well, that's your problem. Now, give us the REST of your money.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Maine is lovely... winter on board will be tough... can you find a dock to even do it? Watch the ice and you'll need a lot of heat and insulation.


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

Unless . . . of course . . . you head South when the time cometh. Bouncing is good. May-October in Maine, somewhere warmer Nov.-April. We've managed to survive by simply jumping Jetblue in October to the USVI, heading back to Maine (I _almost_ said "home," but it looks like we're home right now) in 2 weeks. Just in time for trout season, get 2 boats finished and bring them home to the Caribbean in November. Always broke. That's mandatory.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

We love Maine, the people, the atmosphere, the coastline, all of it. I would never live aboard there for the winter. If you do, it really needs to be a protected harbor too. Winter storms are fierce.


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## jtsailjt (Aug 1, 2013)

I’d go to Belfast for the winter. Front Street Marina has a couple of liveaboards who winter there. Electricity is available but they shut off the water around Nov 1 and dont turn it back on until mid April. Reasonable winter season rates apply from Nov1-April30 but then prices jump (leap!) so then you go to your mooring or just anchor somewhere you like and change your location every week or so since youll be aboard every day. Front Street Marina is a short walk to town for groceries, hardware, restaurants, etc. Belfast is at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River but the docks dont freeze in and no ice floes either. I stored my boat there in the water the past 4 years but didnt live aboard. Clean showers, laundry, and bathrooms behind a door code lock that they give you when you arrive and wifi is also included. You can spend from May1-Nov1 sailing and anchoring out between Rockland and Mount Desert for as long as you live and will never run out of places to explore or great anchorages. Summer weather is moderate but expect a 40kt blow about once each spring and each fall but these are forecast and there are SO many protected places to anchor and holding is excellent with thick sticky claylike mud that as long as your ground tackle is up to the task youll have no problems. Because of the sticky mud that will stick to your anchor, chain, or rode, youll want to have a washdown pump. 

If you decide to come up this way, PM me when enroute and i can give you lots more local knowledge that would probable bore readers of this thread.


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

"claylike mud" LOL! That's fully petrified chicken guts, boy. I grew up just upriver. At least the stench has abated some over the past 20 years. And you won't likely get a mooring anywhere near. Even Stockton Harbor has a waitlist, and if a local taxpayer wants a mooring at the last minute, they get dibs over you. Belfast is a great little town, no doubt about it, but it's growing and finding itself. Last I check dockage at that facility was going to cost me about $8000 a year. You got a boat? GIVE me your money!


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## Izzy (Feb 14, 2016)

The coldest, foggiest winter I ever spent surrounded by millions of lobster pots, was a summer in Maine. Probably best to stay in North Carolina and sail south to the Caribbean for the winter.


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## jtsailjt (Aug 1, 2013)

VIEXILE said:


> "claylike mud" LOL! That's fully petrified chicken guts, boy. I grew up just upriver. At least the stench has abated some over the past 20 years. And you won't likely get a mooring anywhere near. Even Stockton Harbor has a waitlist, and if a local taxpayer wants a mooring at the last minute, they get dibs over you. Belfast is a great little town, no doubt about it, but it's growing and finding itself. Last I check dockage at that facility was going to cost me about $8000 a year. You got a boat? GIVE me your money!


I too remember the days when chicken guts were dumped into Belfast Harbor but that was 30+ years ago and has nothing to do with current conditions. It was cleaned up loooong ago. Besides, i dont advocate anchoring in Belfast Harbor OR docking there year round, just using Front Streets docks during winter when their sharply lower winter rates are available. As a full time liveaboard he can just anchor so doesnt really need a mooring but if he wants one i cant imagine why he'd want it to be in Stockton Harbor. If i were him id just have a stout mooring put in at a protected location thats outside harbors with wait lists and also outside the authority of any harbormaster. As a full time liveaboard he has no need to pay for a marina or yacht club car parking space or for a place to keep a dinghy tied up and can use public docks when he wants to go ashore.

You might question why he wants to live aboard in cold conditions but if he really wants to, it can be done, snd very economically. I know people who are doing it right now.


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

I hope you didn't take that wrong. I remember having to fight my way out of Rollie's with a pool cue. And run like hell down the hill (drunk Waldo bikers can't run downhill). We picked up a mooring in the harbor in . . . 1999-2000. The low tide was unbearable - nauseating for some. I don't know about any "clean up." I think they let the tide deal with it over the years. I don't think it ever cost Penobscot Poultry a thing. But anyway - the winter before last that big old wooden scow up above the Rt. 1 bridge was lived on in the winter. It's doable. Just seems as though a generator and a dehuey would go a long ways toward comfort. I think the Rockport Yacht Club is a no-go. Belfast is waitlisted and "just outside" is too exposed. No hidey holes besides Stockton Harbor until you get to Gondola (or locally, "Gunlow") Cove, and nothing else until Winterport. Deer Isle is wide open, no permits required, set your mooring, don't mess with locals. I'm sure Islesboro is restrictive. Pendletons got no sense of humor. Camden pricey. Maybe Rockland would be a good place to base out of. Harbormaster was always affable, helpful, didn't like the NY Yacht Club showing up and taking everything, leaving nothing for the rest of us.


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## JeffBHbr (Mar 21, 2005)

markmonteverdi said:


> So a little about myself. I currently live in New Bern NC. A sailing Mecca. I grew up in NY single and 70 yr's young and live on my boat. My boat is a 1985 Pearson 34ft. I have a mind set to move to Maine. Yes i know it get's cold so does NY. I would like to know the pro's and con's also any live aboard marinas $$. Any thing you all can add good...bad or ugly I would appreciate. It's always been a dream to move to Maine I think it would add an interesting chapter to my life. Thank you in advance for any input. Mark


I live in Maine in Bar Harbor and a local friend and his wife spent a winter on their P-32 in Portland. This is Maine so obviously you'll need a reliable source of heat but other than that, it is certainly doable. He did tell me they ended up changing to a different marina as the first one was a little too "lively" for them, meaning a younger group of live-aboards who partied often. Bottom line is, Portland being the largest coastal town in Maine is probably your best if not your only real option unless you want to live on the hard in a yard.


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

"The coldest, foggiest winter I ever spent surrounded by millions of lobster pots, was a summer in Maine. Probably best to stay in North Carolina and sail south to the Caribbean for the winter. "

Walter Cronkite always said the best sailing in the world was either Maine or the British Virgin Islands. Each has it's plusses and minuses, but Maine can't be beat on the East Coast of the U.S. 3000 miles of coastline, thousands of islands. Sounds like you got up in the Damariscotta River.


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## jtsailjt (Aug 1, 2013)

VIEXILE said:


> I hope you didn't take that wrong. I remember having to fight my way out of Rollie's with a pool cue. And run like hell down the hill (drunk Waldo bikers can't run downhill). We picked up a mooring in the harbor in . . . 1999-2000. The low tide was unbearable - nauseating for some. I don't know about any "clean up." I think they let the tide deal with it over the years. I don't think it ever cost Penobscot Poultry a thing. But anyway - the winter before last that big old wooden scow up above the Rt. 1 bridge was lived on in the winter. It's doable. Just seems as though a generator and a dehuey would go a long ways toward comfort. I think the Rockport Yacht Club is a no-go. Belfast is waitlisted and "just outside" is too exposed. No hidey holes besides Stockton Harbor until you get to Gondola (or locally, "Gunlow") Cove, and nothing else until Winterport. Deer Isle is wide open, no permits required, set your mooring, don't mess with locals. I'm sure Islesboro is restrictive. Pendletons got no sense of humor. Camden pricey. Maybe Rockland would be a good place to base out of. Harbormaster was always affable, helpful, didn't like the NY Yacht Club showing up and taking everything, leaving nothing for the rest of us.


Rollies was well known for being rough back in the day but the whole area has been gentrified a lot since then and i wouldn't worry a bit about my wife going there alone now. Its currently pretty much just a sports bar in an old building and any bikers present arent noticeable or causing problems. I dont doubt that Belfast Harbor still smelled bad at low tide 20 years ago, but the stuff that was dumped was all organic and has rotted or been eaten by lobsters or washed away by the tide long ago. The lack of hidey holes you reference is true on the western side of Pen Bay but on the east side of Pen Bay all the way to Eastport they are virtually everywhere. Yes, most harbors are waitlisted for moorings but theres no reason why he, as a liveaboard, needs to get a mooring in one of those harbors so the waitlist harbors aren't a factor for him. And for wintering over in Belfast as a liveaboard at the dock, though there are 3 or 4 boats doing it (the wooden scow you mention being one if them), as of last year there were still empty slips at the marina and no waitlist. As for Rockland, you can get a mooring there but even if you buy a used one it has to be moved to the less desirable area rather than leaving it where it was when you bought it. In addition to owning my mooring in Bucks Harbor, im currently the VC of a club that owns and maintains 18 moorings in various "hidey holes" between Rockland and Sorrento so im gradually becoming familiar with the process thats involved in various areas. 
i dont think i "took it wrong" because i do agree that what you say was true 20 years ago. But most of the problems you mention either no longer exist or arent a factor for a live-aboard unless he thinks hes going to spend the summer tied up at a dock in Camdens inner harbor or similar and i cant imagine thats the case. I got the impression that the OP wanted some help learning about how he 'could' winter aboard and where, not how much some things would have sucked 20 years ago or how long the waitlists are in harbors he needn't bother with anyway. 
He can spend winters tied up at Front Street for a little more than $1000 and anchor out in various great anchorages all summer for free. Add a $1000 for a quick haul out, pressure wash and bottom paint in the spring, and another $1000 (or much less if you join other liveaboards when they do it) to build a frame and get your boat shrinkwrapped to keep the snow off. Good fresh water available for free at almost every yacht club dock or fuel dock, so no need to spend any money on dockage for the 6 months youre not at the dock for the winter. If he wants a mooring, plan on about $2500 to buy it and have it placed but once you make some local connections its not unusual to find good used moorings available for around $1000. We bought 2 very nice moorings in prime, scenic spots (Perry Creek and Long Cove) last year for $1000 each but passed on the 3rd because it was in Rockland Harbor and we would have had to move it. So, if he really wants to winter aboard in Maine and do some great local cruising during the warm(er) 6 months of the year, its right here for him. I personally think id get sick of the cold but can understand how the simplicity of this sort of living combined with the great cruising available starting right outside your wintering location might be worth it for some hardy individuals.


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## markmonteverdi (Jan 31, 2015)

hpeer said:


> Welcome aboard Mark,
> 
> At about 60 we went part time. We were living in Philly and kept the boat in Delaware. We worked a week on a weekoff, off weeks we lived aboard the boat, year round.
> 
> ...





JimsCAL said:


> Living aboard in Maine in the winter is not something I would consider doing myself. Great in the summer (as long as you don't mind fog), but a short sailing season overall.


Thank you


JimsCAL said:


> Living aboard in Maine in the winter is not something I would consider doing myself. Great in the summer (as long as you don't mind fog), but a short sailing season overall.


Thank you Jim


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## markmonteverdi (Jan 31, 2015)

VIEXILE said:


> Eastport, cheap apartment, cheap winter haul and spring launch. It IS the end of the Earth, though. But it remains budgetable. Everything West co$t$. There's other places, like Winterport, but there's also cost nutshows like upper Penbay and MDI (I won't name them, but they know who they are). Got a boat? Well, that's your problem. Now, give us the REST of your money.


Thank you I'll check it out


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

Oh, I know it's been "gentrified." Actually, "found." I had an office next to the Purple Babboon until just about exactly a year ago last month. Lease was running out, I saw what was on the horizon in January and shut it down, moved everything to the main office up the Bay. Loved being in Belfast for the 2 years we were there, but it was a 45 minute drive from the house along the back side of Swan Lake and down. Best haddock reuben, though, is at the Dockside. Incredible. Nautilus was second. Rollies for burgers. Front St. Pub for beer. All within 2 minute walk.

I wouldn't live aboard in Winter in Maine. It's hard enough when it's chill to keep the damp, much less heavy condensation, out of the boat. I'd haul, find a winter pad or fly out of Bangor, Trenton or Owls Head and get somewhere warm.


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## jtsailjt (Aug 1, 2013)

JeffBHbr said:


> Bottom line is, Portland being the largest coastal town in Maine is probably your best if not your only real option unless you want to live on the hard in a yard.


Bottom line? 😳. Fortunately Portland is no longer the only option and i wouldnt consider it the best option unless youre into the city nightlife or your job is in the city. Compare the location of your favorite Portland live aboard marina and how well sheltered it is and its proximity to a grocery store and a hardware store and affordable restaurants/pubs (not loud bars filled with millenials) and boat parts with whats available a short walk from the marina in Belfast.


VIEXILE said:


> Oh, I know it's been "gentrified." Actually, "found." I had an office next to the Purple Babboon until just about exactly a year ago last month. Lease was running out, I saw what was on the horizon in January and shut it down, moved everything to the main office up the Bay. Loved being in Belfast for the 2 years we were there, but it was a 45 minute drive from the house along the back side of Swan Lake and down. Best haddock reuben, though, is at the Dockside. Incredible. Nautilus was second. Rollies for burgers. Front St. Pub for beer. All within 2 minute walk.
> 
> I wouldn't live aboard in Winter in Maine. It's hard enough when it's chill to keep the damp, much less heavy condensation, out of the boat. I'd haul, find a winter pad or fly out of Bangor, Trenton or Owls Head and get somewhere warm.


i agree that youve got the right idea about where to keep your boat in the winter and living aboard during a Maine winter isnt for me either, but IF someone wanted to do it, now that weve moved past the fear of biker gangs chasing you out of a pub and down the street, the current rendition of Belfast you've just described would be a pretty ideal location with almost everything you might need just a short walk away from your boat. In addition to the places youve mentioned, Darbys and Delvinos and the old movie theatre are just a short walk away and so is the food co-op. The inner harbor also has good shelter from high winds/waves and winter prices are very reasonable and if course youd be tied up to floating docks so the big tidal range some have worried about arent a factor.


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

That's funny!! "Fear of bikers." That occasion happened to be one fat chick who didn't like losing and was swinging a pool cue. Between her and her friends, it was entertaining. I grew up in Sandy Point. We were cruising the bay 55 years ago in a 16' Old Town Lapstrake with a 1959 Evinrude 18 hp. As far down as Rockland and East to SW Harbor by the time 1973 rolled around and we turned 18. By 1975 we were hang gliding Waldo and Megunticook. I guess I don't understand your undercurrent of hostility. I try to drop back and you tune it up. But ya, I know a lot more about the area than you do. All the way from Kittery to the Bangor Dam and East. Front St. doesn't want "boaters," they want 100' plus "yachts." There's no money in the common people. And I'll bet it's more than $8000/yr. for a 40 footer these days. I think our tax dollars also provided the grant that bought them their 450T travel lift as well "because the commercial community would be serviced." Funny, most commercial operators can't afford their rates.


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## jtsailjt (Aug 1, 2013)

VIEXILE said:


> That's funny!! "Fear of bikers." That occasion happened to be one fat chick who didn't like losing and was swinging a pool cue. Between her and her friends, it was entertaining. I grew up in Sandy Point. We were cruising the bay 55 years ago in a 16' Old Town Lapstrake with a 1959 Evinrude 18 hp. As far down as Rockland and East to SW Harbor by the time 1973 rolled around and we turned 18. By 1975 we were hang gliding Waldo and Megunticook. I guess I don't understand your undercurrent of hostility. I try to drop back and you tune it up. But ya, I know a lot more about the area than you do. All the way from Kittery to the Bangor Dam and East. Front St. doesn't want "boaters," they want 100' plus "yachts." There's no money in the common people. And I'll bet it's more than $8000/yr. for a 40 footer these days. I think our tax dollars also provided the grant that bought them their 450T travel lift as well "because the commercial community would be serviced." Funny, most commercial operators can't afford their rates.


You said "I remember having to fight my way out of Rollie's with a pool cue. And run like hell down the hill (drunk Waldo bikers can't run downhill)." Since you said you had to fight your way out and then ran and got chased down the street i hope you can understand how i got the impression you were running in fear of your life. I would have been. But now it turns out to be just one "fat chick" with a pool cue and her friends and you were just 'entertained' but 'fought your way out' and ran anyway? Which story is more accurate?

Im not trying to be hostile towards you, just a bit frustrated by having to correct some of the far outdated and negative information youve had in your posts. For example, most people in belfast harbor other than a few old timers cant even remember the stinky chicken guts days and now the harbor certainly doesnt smell any different than any other Maine harbor at low tide. No biker gangs are threatening anyone with pool cues. You told him that there werent any "hidey holes" which is only true along the western shore of Pen Bay but everywhere from Castine east there are more great places to anchor or place a mooring than you can possibly count. Theyre virtually everywhere! Yes there are mooring waitlists in western shore harbors but theres lots of places just a bit further east with no waitlists. Then you probably scared him to death by mentioning $8000 ? for dockage when, if he stays at a dock in the winter and anchors out or buys a mooring, his dockage cost will be not much over $1000 for a 35' boat. I know that because i kept my 47' boat there in the water the past 3 years prior to this one and it was under $2000 each winter. It just seems to me that youre trying to scare him off and I'm trying to provide him with useful information about the area and how he can achieve what he says he wants to do. Youre describing a place i barely recognize and ive had a cruising boat based between Camden and NE Harbor since 1992 except for 2009-2014 when i was doing a lot of motorcycling, with moorings of my own in NE, SW, Bucks, Camden, and Belfast at various times and 18 more moorings i use and help care for. Im not sure how youd know that you know the area better than i do since weve never met and have no idea about the extent of the sailing/cruising ive done here so i wont even attempt to argue that point with you. Not sure why you think its relevant anyway? 
Youre probably right that Front Street prefers 100' yachts but i personally know a couple of liveaboards who stay there winters on very modest approximately 33' boats. They walked by my boat every day and were great about calling me whenever something about my boat or its fenders or its cover needed attention. Thats not something i suppose or heard second hand. Its firsthand experience and people i know. These were people on shoestring budgets, not wealthy megayacht owners.

I have no idea who paid for that huge travelift and dont care, not something most of us consider when choosing a haulout yard, but i do like that when it hauls my boat i dont have to disconnect the forestay or backstay and its so wide theres absolutely no danger of marring my topsides paint. In addition to big yachts and small yachts there are quite a few large steel offshore fishing boats as well as the approx 90' whalewatch boat hauled out and lined up along the road, so apparently some commercial boats can afford to haul out there. In fact, there are so few 100' yachts that haul out in Maine that any yard catering to them but excluding smaller boats or commercial boats would quickly go out of business. My boat is hauled out this winter having about $50k of work done so last summer i naturally researched and compared prices and found not much difference between all the yards in the area that were capable of doing the work. Ultimately i chose Hinckleys over Front Street but primarily because the most knowledgeable service manager ive ever met works there and is supervising the work on my boat, and Hinckleys allows owners to work on their own boats as long as it doesnt create a mess or get in the way of what they are working on and Front Street seemed more restrictive. Your inclusion of your travel lift complaint tells me you have an axe to grind with Front Street and Belfast that has nothing to do with whether its a practical location for a liveaboard to spend the winter and thats your motivation for putting such a negative spin on your posts about this harbor. Thats not something that helps to provide useful info to the OP regarding his question about where's a good place to liveaboard in Maine.


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

We live in Maine(in a house now) and have lived aboard full time in Portland for 6 1/2 years(1 year cruising). It is easily doable. The most important aspects of picking a winter liveaboard marina is community and protection. Having lots of like minded folks makes for a great place to live. Portland has the best live aboard community and I believe DiMillos is the best option. It is in downtown Portland so everything is any easy walk or bike ride to anything you need but it is at the end of a pier which nicely removes you from the hustle and bustle of the city. Water is year round at the dock house. Everyone has hoses that are sunk in the water and you bring up both ends to fill your tanks when needed. They have two nice bathroom showers and a laundry. The protection is really good unless it blows from the east which is fairly rare. We were on the west side between the restaurant and the condos and was flat year round. Super convenient for sailing as you can hoist sails as soon as you leave the slip. The restaurant is year round and a nice option. We called it our den as we would often go up there in the off season in our PJs. Feel free to contact me directly if you would like to discuss more.


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## misfits (Dec 9, 2011)

markmonteverdi said:


> So a little about myself. I currently live in New Bern NC. A sailing Mecca. I grew up in NY single and 70 yr's young and live on my boat. My boat is a 1985 Pearson 34ft. I have a mind set to move to Maine. Yes i know it get's cold so does NY. I would like to know the pro's and con's also any live aboard marinas $$. Any thing you all can add good...bad or ugly I would appreciate. It's always been a dream to move to Maine I think it would add an interesting chapter to my life. Thank you in advance for any input. Mark


Funny, this year I'm considering taking my boat south to someplace like New Bern for the winter. I'm tired of taking her out of the water & being "boatless" for 7-8 months. I keep her on a mooring in Belfast during the summer boating season.

I'd avoid Front Street Shipyard. You're not allowed to work on your own boat so that's a no brainer for me. They do seem to target/cater to the "yachting" crowd with open check books. It's a very impressive place with some seriously big boats. The shipyard has been pivotal in attracting summer seafaring travelers to the area.

The town owned Thompson Wharf has very reasonable winter rates for slips, but they go fast.

Many of the boat yards up here are getting expensive for winter storage.
Mid-Coast Marine in Winterport is a great place to store your boat for the winter plus you can work on it.

Maine is a very nice place to hang out & listen to the wind blow. Like all of northern new england, has a summer that passes to quickly.


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## hpeer (May 14, 2005)

We have wintered in Edenton, NC 1-1/2 hour north of New Bern. It is a minimalist marina with bare necessities, but all necessities. Prices to match. The town itself is very walkable, the super market 1-1/4 mile but town center under 1/2. It is a VERY pretty small town. 

Fresh water, no lunar tide, 6’ entrance depth, completely landlocked basin.


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## jtsailjt (Aug 1, 2013)

misfits said:


> Funny, this year I'm considering taking my boat south to someplace like New Bern for the winter. I'm tired of taking her out of the water & being "boatless" for 7-8 months. I keep her on a mooring in Belfast during the summer boating season.
> 
> I'd avoid Front Street Shipyard. You're not allowed to work on your own boat so that's a no brainer for me. They do seem to target/cater to the "yachting" crowd with open check books. It's a very impressive place with some seriously big boats. The shipyard has been pivotal in attracting summer seafaring travelers to the area.
> 
> ...


The OP isn't looking for a place to store his boat for the winter or to work on it. Id avoid Front Street for those purposes too. And of course theyd prefer rich "yachties" with open checkbooks just like every other boatyard would because their primary putpose is to make a profit. But the good news is that theres a limited number of rich yachties around snd they arent competing with us to liveaboard at the dock during the winter.
However, other than Portland, its the only place along the Maine coast that im aware of that you can live aboard for the winter at a dock with good shelter and electricity and wifi for a very reasonable price thats within easy walking distance to grocery store and hardware and restaurants.

Ive never investigated Thompsons Wharf, next door to Front Street, but wonder if wifi and electricity and restrooms with showers are available during the winter?

How has your Belfast mooring has worked out for you? I had a mooring there one summer and it was the worst place ever for that purpose due to the current, so unlike most places, your deep draft sailboat is affected more by the current than the opposing direction wind. It makes for an odd motion during some conditions but not a huge deal normally. However, while i was away from my boat, somebody in a high windage, flat bottomed motorboat used my neighbors mooring and our boats swung together and collided stern to stern, breaking off one of my davits. But it apparently happened at night and nobody saw anything and by dawn the other boat had departed. So, while i think Belfast would be a great place to tie up for winter liveaboard, id prefer almost any other harbor in the area during the summer.


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## misfits (Dec 9, 2011)

Eventually most boat owners look for a place to haul so they can work on their boats. Least the crowd I hang with does....
Thompsons Wharf, $6.00 per ft, per month. Oct 16th thru May. The have electric, not sure about anything else. Last year many of the winter slips were taken by folks that came up to Maine for the summer to escape covid & decided to stay.

Belfast Harbor, love it. I'm 4 hours away so for me it's an easy place to get to. It does get lumpy there especially with a SE wind but it doesn't bother me.
Spent most of my adult life sportfishing so we're use to lumpy.


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## jtsailjt (Aug 1, 2013)

misfits said:


> Eventually most boat owners look for a place to haul so they can work on their boats. Least the crowd I hang with does....
> Thompsons Wharf, $6.00 per ft, per month. Oct 16th thru May. The have electric, not sure about anything else. Last year many of the winter slips were taken by folks that came up to Maine for the summer to escape covid & decided to stay.
> 
> Belfast Harbor, love it. I'm 4 hours away so for me it's an easy place to get to. It does get lumpy there especially with a SE wind but it doesn't bother me.
> Spent most of my adult life sportfishing so we're use to lumpy.


Yes, im also amongst those who has their boat hauled out each year and do most of it myself but theres no reason to do it at the same marina where you tie up for the winter and thats what we were discussing. To haul out, as you mentioned, Winterport or Journeys End or Atlantic Boat or even Hinckleys are better options and all allow you to work on your own boat.

Thompsons and Front Street seem to have aligned their winter in water storage rates pretty closely because 6 months at $6/foot adds up to just about the same amount i paid.

One disadvantage of both of these compared with Demillo's in Portland is that they turn off the water in the winter so you have to have to haul it to your boat in a cart for things like dishwashing or tooth brushing, stc. But Front St has heated bathrooms and laundry and showers just a very short walk up the ramp but Thompsons doesn't and those are pretty important for a liveaboard.


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