I’m not a water person, not really. But I do like to look at the water and prefer a house with a water view. And I go on boats, but quite selectively–on calm waters, with certain friends, not too long in duration, and you get the general idea. Given all of that, I can wholeheartedly recommend the one hour boat trip on the Sheepscot River which leaves from the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden in Boothbay. First you have to pay to get into the gardens (or be a member–well worth it and that’s a whole other story!) and then you leave from the new boat dock at the end of the Shoreline Trail.
The boat has an electric motor, seats seven plus the captain and has a canopy which provided some protection from the sun. Sean Griffith, the captain, is a relaxed and very knowledgeable man who obviously enjoys what he does. We went out in the afternoon about midway between low and high tides (he thinks low tide is better) and cruised by Sawyer Island, Pratt’s Island and several others on the Sheepscot River which flows up to Wiscasset about 5 miles away by water. Since the motor is quiet, the captain can speak in a normal tone of voice. He even cut the motor completely and we just idled every so often.
There were quite a number of seals bobbing their heads up, and we saw a couple of osprey nests, one with two fledglings on it.
These waters are some of the richest in the state for lobsters and besides the colorful lobster buoys, we cruised past the equivalent of a parking lot or garage for empty lobster traps. A good catch is 500 pounds of lobster a day, a very good and more typical haul for Boothbay lobstermen is 1,000 pounds per day.
There was almost no other boat traffic and so the whole experience was peaceful. Cost of this excursion is $25 per person and well worth it!
