Gunkholing, Maine Style

Maine Sail

Maine Sail

.
Feb 6, 1998
11,709
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
I wanted to share a video we made of going into the Basin on Vinalhaven Island, ME. On this trip we took the dinghy in, for a picnic on an island, as opposed to taking the big boat.

The Basin is an amazingly beautiful & protected tidal lake with a very, very narrow entrance. In the middle of the narrow & shallow entrance, 3 feet at low water, sits a large rock. You only have about 20-25 feet between this rock and shore, if that, to make it in. On top of the scant entrance the tide ebbs and flows at Bruce Jenner speeds churning up whirl pools & eddys and you'll be maneuvering around rocks to boot.

If you want to visit the Basin you should only go in & out at slack tide which is rather short lived. This video was shot only 20 minutes before slack water. At mid tide it's like a reversing fall...

We've been in before in a keel boat but the Basin to this day remains rather uncharted and risky unless you're a local familiar with it. The Basin, once inside, looks like the Jolly Green Giant grabbed a bunch of rocks, like they were Jax, and threw them throughout the bay. There is no glacial pattern to the rock formations and they appear just plopped there.

It really is one of the most beautiful spots on the Maine coast yet very, very few cruisers dare go in. Of the many times I've been in there, mostly with a dinghy, I've yet to see even one cruiser. I know they go there, as I have, and I also know the schooners do to but it's a rare occurrence to spot anyone in there but the Eagles, Osprey & Seals.

Long Cove is right around the corner, a beautiful spot, and a short dinghy ride from the Basin.

Sorry for the poor quality my video cam does not like shooting directly into the sun..

Entering The Basin (VIDEO LINK)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4JJgOAwYpc
 
Ross

Ross

.
Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
The rocks are called erratics. They were dropped as the glacier melted. There is also a bunch of them in Acadia national Park up on the mountain.
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

.
Feb 6, 1998
11,709
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Ross said:
The rocks are called erratics. They were dropped as the glacier melted. There is also a bunch of them in Acadia national Park up on the mountain.
Click to expand
We have lots of erratics in Maine, I'm sure my wife thinks I'm one, but the Basin, more so than many other places, seems to have lots more.
 
Ross

Ross

.
Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
That current must be running 2-3 knots. From the disturbance on the surface there must be rocks hidding below. Like canoeing on a river.
 
T

Trucker

Awsome spot. I'd love to come up there next summer but to be honest I'm scared poo-less. I've been semi stuck in sand in FL, semi stuck in mud in the Chesapeake. Screwing up around there seems a death sentence for the boat. We even talked about a charter in Scotland but after seeing the coastline I think the world is a safer place if I don't. I'm going to guess that if you grew up around a rocky shoreline you get used to them, catch little tells as warnings, or have darn good charts. Hats off to the GOOD sailors of Maine.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
23,047
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Great little dinghy trip

I loved it. Was that going into the basin or coming out?

Trucker, U wrote: "...you get used to them, catch little tells as warnings, or have darn good charts."

Huh? it's not "OR have good charts," there is NO choice. Don't you ALWAYS have the right charts?
 
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