LOCATIONS: Nancy and I started in Southwest Harbor and, over a period of a week, visited Camden, Rockland, Castine, Little Cranberry Island, and Somes Sound. During our passages, we covered the Casco Passage, the Deer Island Passage, the Fox Island Thoroughfare and the Eggomoggin Reach (photo).
VESSEL: Queen of the Cove– A beautiful and very well equipped Ellis 36. The boat was easy to handle, very comfortable in all the sea conditions we experienced. In addition, the boat received several nice comments along the way from others at the docks.
NARRATIVE: We were given a nice reception in Southwest Harbor by Shane and the crew at Ellis Boats. Zach gave us a thorough briefing on the boat including a great tutorial on docking. It turns out the Ellis 36 handles very nicely at docking speeds – I was a bit nervous at first about docking the boat – but was comfortable after two approaches. We choose to use the services of a captain for the first day just to familiarize ourselves with the region. I have wide boat experiences but Nancy does not – and she felt very secure after the first day. The captain sat down with us and helped to work out a great itinerary for the week ahead. The trip started with a passage to Rockland Harbor in windy, bright sun conditions. We decided to stay at harbor docks when possible – and did so in Rockland, Camden, and Castine. The towns are very unique and we got in a lot of walking – exploring each area. The people we met, including the dockmasters, could not have been nicer – we just had a ball. We found the boat to be very comfortable and used either the generator or shore power most nights. The boat was fully equipped with bedding, paper products, galley equipment, etc.. In addition, the boat had a full complement of operational safety gear – very professional. We will do this again next year. Both Nancy and I are happily surprised that Ellis has developed this unique service – we had a great time.
LOGISTICS: Watch the water levels in the boat – fill up at the docks when you have a chance. The shower in the boat is so good you will use it often.
PHOTOS: Queen of the Cove Yacht Interior Photos