Visiting Eastport, Maine by Ferry Boat

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Visiting Eastport, Maine by ferry boat is informative as well as fun.  If you want to get there from Lubec, the ferry takes less time than driving (30 minutes vs. 45 or more).  It gives you a whole different view of the waterfront with some history thrown in.  Not only that, you get a whole different view of the Lubec waterfront, as well as of Campobello Island, the site of Roosevelt National Park, which preserves the summer retreat of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

The Eastport – Lubec Ferry

While you can charter a boat to go to Eastport from Lubec, the Eastport-Lubec Ferry is a pleasant and reasonable ride.  It is seasonal and in the summer of 2020, it only ran on weekends.

The ferry itself is a well-traveled boat called the Quoddy Dam and it offers outside park bench type seating. It’s a U.S. Coast Guard certified 49-passenger vessel.  According to the DownEast Windjammer website, where you can get information and tickets, it’s been an Eastport tradition for over 40 years.  (The above photo is from the DownEast Windjammer website.)

The usual ferry schedule is that it runs every other hour, starting in Eastport at 10.  It alternates odd hours with Lubec, with the last run at 5 p.m. from Lubec to Eastport.  If you take that one, you will have to plan to stay overnight, or find an alternate means of getting back to Lubec.  So, if you take the first ferry from Lubec at 11 o’clock, you can take return trips from Eastport at noon, 2, and 4 p.m.  Depending upon your interests, you can explore the waterfront, downtown area, shop, visit some historic sites and venues, and have lunch all within a short walk from the dock.

Accessing The Eastport – Lubec Ferry from Lubec, Maine

In order to take the ferry, your best bet is to either Google it, or go to the DownEast Windjammer website. We recommend calling and talking to someone to make sure of where and when the boat is running.  The schedule on the website is subject to change.  Also, they may have changed where it docks.

In 2020, the Quoddy Dam was docking at 31 Johnson St.  The dock is accessed behind a small building with restrooms and an office for Way DownEast Real Estate and DownEast Charters.   You’ll find it a short walk from Lubec’s downtown.

You can either buy tickets online or on the boat.  Either way it is first come, first serve, so buying a ticket doesn’t guarantee a seat.  The day we went, we arrived about 25 minutes ahead of time, and there were already people waiting.   Buying a ticket ahead of time does speed up the boarding process. FYI: They let you bring your bicycle.  And your well-behaved dog.

As it can be chilly on the water, it’s recommended that you bring a windbreaker or sweater for comfort.  It happened that the day we chose in August was absolutely perfect, temperature and wind wise.  We were comfortable in blouses and t-shirts both on and off the water.  The water was very calm, going and coming back.  Some years ago, we made the trip on a very foggy 4th of July.  We were glad to have hoodies and jackets to keep off the chilling breeze and damp mist.

Casting Off from Lubec to visit Eastport

Once everyone was checked in, settled, and counted, we had a full boat from children to very senior citizens.  There was a mix of local residents, seasonal residents, and tourists.  Some artists were bringing their artwork to Eastport for display and for sale in the shops and galleries.

As we left the dock and pulled away from Lubec, we passed various small boats dotting Johnson’s Bay.

A Tour as Well as a Ferry Boat Ride

While we signed up for a ride, we didn’t realize we would also receive a narrated tour along the way.  As The Quoddy Dam wove between small uninhabited islands and Campobello Island on its way to Eastport, the Mate or Captain pointed out items of interest and gave tidbits of history.

Here’s a view of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge that connects Lubec with Campobello Island:

As we moved along the western side of Campobello, we saw Friar’s Head, a rock formation that resembles a hooded monk, or Friar.  We could see the beach and rear of the Roosevelt’s cottage.  Unfortunately, as Campobello is part of Canada, United States citizens can’t travel to the island to visit the park and cottage until restrictions due to the Pandemic are lifted.

Beyond Friar’s Head commercial aquaculture is display as several salmon weirs or pens were situated so that young fish could be raised more naturally in the chilly waters of the bay.

The Passamaquoddy Bay that The Quoddy Dam travels through is part of the Bay of Fundy, home of the highest tides in the world.  It is also home The Old Sow, the hemisphere’s largest whirlpool, which can have a pig-like sound. The Old Sow was and is to be avoided by small and especially non-motorized watercraft.

As we approached Eastport, old sardine canneries and other waterfront properties were pointed out to us.  A majority of the downtown building date from the late 1800’s and have interesting architectural features.

Many a fisherman and woman and child were fishing from small boats.  They also lined the large pier as we pulled up to the dock along one side of it.

It’s hard to see, but anglers were lined up all along the Eastport pier trying their luck.  Eastport boasts some of the best mackerel fishing in all of Maine.

For several weeks during the summer of 2020, there wasn’t any access to the pier.  This was because the cruise ship, the Riviera, had docked there.  Eastport is the deepest natural seaport on the East Coast so it can accommodate large vessels.  When cruises were shut down due to the COVID19 Pandemic, cruise lines looked for ports to park their vessels safely and Eastport is large and deep enough for the 785 foot ship.  Eastport is also a Port of Entry for non-U.S. watercraft, as it borders Canada.  U.S. Customs has an office by the pier and patrols the waters between the U.S. and Campobello and Deer Island, N.B., Canada.

Here are some photos of the Riviera to give you an idea of how large the ship is, and how deep the water must be in order to be for it to be able to dock there:

 

Above is the view heading down a hill towards Downtown Eastport.  The building on the left is huge, and the buildings in front are also three stories high.  This gives you an idea of how large the Riviera is.  In the photo below, note how the ship takes up the entire length of the pier.  Due to COVID19 and U.S. Government protocol, the ship was quarantined. No one was allowed on the pier during its stay in port.  The area anglers had to find other piers and docks to fish off of for the duration.

The Riviera wasn’t the first cruise ship to dock at the Eastport pier.  Each summer smaller cruise ships regularly dock there so passengers can enjoy the ambience, seafood restaurants, shops, art galleries, museums, trails, and historic sites.

Arriving in Eastport Maine by Ferry Boat

While you do have a ramp from the dock to access the mainland, the main downtown area is very walkable.  The streets leading away from the downtown do have a steep incline, but most of the sights and businesses are along Water Street, which runs parallel to the waterfront.  There are port-a-potties on the pier near where the ferry docks, should anyone need them.  There’s also a food truck on the pier if you don’t want to wait to eat at a downtown restaurant.

When you arrive in Eastport, to reach the heart of the city, take a left as you leave the pier.  As you walk along, there are interesting shops on both sides of the street, , including a glorious candy store.  Some, including S.L. Wadsworth & Son,  he oldest chandlery in the U.S., are regularly open and determined to ride out the Pandemic.   Even with shops closed, or by appointment only, there’s plenty to enjoy as far as interesting points of interest and building features.

Walking the Waterfront of Eastport, Maine

At the entrance to Overlook Park, a small amphitheater by the waterfront, there is “Nature’s Grace,” a “Schoodic Sculpture” that is part of a series of 34 sculptures on the Maine Sculpture Tour in DownEast Maine.

To the left of “Nature’s Grace” you can access the pleasant waterfront or harbor walkway that runs between the water and the back of the downtown buildings.  There are lovely flowers as well as boats to see along the way.  As you reach the end of one block of buildings, you will see “naughty” Nerida, a bronze mermaid sculpture, by local sculptor, Richard Klyver.

As you can climb up and sit next to her, many do, and have their pictures taken, or take selfies.

Perhaps a stone’s throw away is a totally different type of statue, which some label “The Goofy Fisherman.”  He was a prop for the 2001 Fox TV series “Murder in Small Town X.”  When Fox left town, the statue stayed.

Nearby are large historical signs like this one providing information about the area.

A little beyond the statue you will find The Waco Diner, the oldest diner in Maine.  Whether you dine in, or outside on the back deck, the experience and food are great.

From the Waco Diner deck you might see the ferry that runs from Campobello to Deer Island, the U.S. Customs boats, assorted commercial boats and ships, and yachts against the backdrop of Campobello Island.

The Fish and Chips basket is really enough for two people. Underneath the top piece of fish there’s another huge piece as well as a generous mound of delicious hot fries.   The Waco includes more seafood, including fried clams, as well as burgers amd more. They offer a nice variety of Maine craft beer on tap. They also serve breakfast with specialties like blueberry pancakes made with local berries.

By taking the 11 a.m. ferry from Lubec, we had enough time to leisurely walk along the storefronts, up one street a few blocks, have lunch, and walk back along the waterfront walk, and were back in time to take the 2 p.m. ferry ride back to Lubec.

Heading Back to Lubec  after visiting Eastport by Ferry Boat

There’s lots more to see and do in Eastport, but we’ll save that for another post.  Eastport hosts several annual events, including a unique New Year’s Eve celebration.  See our previous post here.

As the ferry made its way back along Eastport’s shoreline, we saw some of the equipment for Eastport’s Estes Head Cargo Terminal operated by the Eastport Port Authority and is separate and southwest of the breakwater pier downtown.  The cargo terminal is the closest one to Europe.  Among other items, it’s shipped cows, fish, and wood pulp.  It also receives shipments from Europe and even as far away as Alaska.

We also saw a lovely older mansion crowning the top of a rocky hilltop overlooking the water’s edge.

As we approached Lubec, the ferry’s captain mentioned some places to visit in Lubec and cautioned those making a return trip to Eastport not to miss the boat leaving at 5 p.m.

Here’s a view of Lubec from the deck of The Quoddy Dam during a glorious day in mid-August, 2020.  If you are looking for a  different outdoor, eye-pleasing, laided-back, unhurried travel experience, take the Lubec-Eastport Ferry.

Eastport featured in a Documentary

Eastport is one of eight towns featured in “Our Towns” a documentary by Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan, based upon the book “Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey into the Heart of America” by James and Deborah Fallows, released on HBO/HBO Max in April, 2021.  It is a portrait of  the United States and how small cities and towns are surviving and reinventing themselves.  See the trailer here.

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