MacGregorSailors.com

We're flying out to N.H this weekend and plan to spend a week or so touring the area. One item on our plan is that where we're staying in Acadia ME. they say they rent sailboats right next door so we plan to sail there for sure. This is our first trip out that way so curious if there are other places/things we shouldn't miss sailing wise while out there. We'd like to get out on the water a few times so any info or tips would be appreciated we'd love to see some of the area from the water as well as land. Seems to be a number of sailing tours so if anyone knows of good ones that would be great. Our plan is to fly into NH then go down to Cape Cod area for a couple days then head up to Vermont through the White Mountians, hit Naples lake and up to Acadia and then back down to Mass ond back out from NH. It's all new to us and tons to see but as a west coast sailor this area seems as one we shouldn't miss.

thanks,

edit changed Acadia MA to ME ..... thanks Catigale

Voltz-

Welcome to Cow Hampshire!!

IMHO, you've got a lot of waypoints on yer intinerary for such a short time... driving will be yer #1 activity!! We've got some color starting in central & southern NH right now. Don't know what's happening up north, but when you pass thru the White Mtns next week, the foliage should be really good.

Once you hit Acadia - after a day of getting there, you'll have wished you spent the whole time on MDI. We used to go every other year for a week, but haven't been in 7 or 8 years now. I'm not familiar with sail rental outfits up there, but there certainly is a lot to see and do there.

I take it that yer flying into Manchester Airport? That's near where I work. Shoot me a PM if more questions on the area.

Enjoy vacay in New England!

Make sure you set your GPS to Acadia ME not Acadia MA...

Sailing Southwest Harbor will be pretty chilly this time of year...bring fleece and waterproof jacket !!

I travel to MDI a couple times a year on the company dime... great trip

Thanks for the info, had to google MDI to find out what that was

Driving is kinda a given for us when went to New Mexico and put 1500 miles on the rental car in a week. Last year was fly into miami and hit the keys for a week and then the smokies for the other. The color in the smokies is what has us heading north east this year along with a lot of other things. We hear the beer is good, have to do all the seafood and the hear the crountyside is beautiful. Looking forward to a nice ale, fresh seafood and looking out over the countryside or water.

You can have massive traffic jams during peak leaf season here in the NE..Im talking LA style...

The Berkshires and Adirondacks are not as bad in this regard as VT and NH imhe..

yes we've heard the stories hoping that since we're just ahead of peak and traving during the week through those areas that it won't be as bad.

I only drive in LA when i have to and then I try to plan my travel to go against the flow. Like in the morning when everyone is trying to get into LA I fly into LAX and head out. So that said if anyone has places to stay away from let me know we're more for off the beaten track anyway, get me close I'll park the car and take a hike, stop have a beer some good food let traffic thin those sorts of things. We've got rooms booked (only because of the stories we hear) so we need to be in specific places at the end of the day but pretty much open schedule otherwise.

Taking coastal Rt. 1 from Brunswick to MDI can be rewarding for the picturesque Maine waterfront towns like Bath, Wiscasset, Damariscotta, Rockland, Rockport, Camden, Belfast, Bucksport. But at the same time, traffic can back up for miles at times, tourist and / or construction related, especially both sides of Wiscasset. Alternate routes include Rt. 95 to Augusta, then Rt. 3 to Belfast... this cuts out a lot of potential bottlenecks, but then loses a lot of the scenic pleasures as well. Or continue on Rt. 95 to Bangor, then 1A to Ellsworth...MDI. Opt. 3 if I recall correctly is more miles than the other routes, but is highway speeds, so it's a wash. Typically, from central NH to MDI, mdicoast Rt. 1 without traffic hangups, I can plan for 6 hours. Foliage weekends, watch out... weekdays are better.

Portsmouth, NH and Newburyport, MA should be on your list to visit. Both are picture postcard, VERY Colonial, lots of old mansion type homes surrounded with brick sidewalks. Check out the micro breweries, restaurants, cafes and Strawberry Bank (waterfront park) in Portsmouth. Look across the river from the park and you might see a nuclear sub being serviced in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. These two small cities are easily reachable off of Route 95 south on your way to MA (Cape Cod) and are not far from each other. While you're heading to the Cape, you can pull off the highway (route 3 south) and quickly visit Plymouth and the Mayflower. As you walk up from the Mayflower toward Main St., stop into "Blue Blinds", a coffee shop/cafe inside an old house. They have great sandwiches, fresh baked pastries, the best coffee and a front porch with tables. Directly across the street is a book store specializing in historical reading.

Bookstore? Didja say bookstore? ... Now I gotta check it out!!

Don't forth to check out the large boulder in Plymouth..."symbolic" of the first place someone eating white bread set foot in New England......maybe.....don't get your foot stuck in a tourist trap, though...

Tourist traps. if any, would be closed after Labor Day. Anyway, Plymouth is more of a destination for day trippers, and for now it's mostly townies.

vw- How'd the trip go? Did you make all your destinations, any sailing?

It went very well weather was great, people friendly and we made it through with no issues. We made the whole loop and enjoyed the traveling (1500 miles) the scenery made it easy to to drive so many miles. We were able to get on the water in Providence RI (25 knot winds), Portland ME and in Ongunquit ME as well. We saw lots of color in the White Mountains, visited the notch, drank good beer in Woodstock and a number of other placesas well. It was 74 degrees the afternoon we pulled into Acadia. Thanks to all for their tips all in all it was great. I hope now to be able to drive back and brop the boat into some of those beautiful "ponds" we saw. Our tiiming was good weather was good only got wet a few days and most places that was heir last week and then they were closing up for the season.

Got caught by a few things such as leaving Manchester (1st day) we saw signs for Salem and thought can't miss that so off we go. Get there and it's nothing like we expect no mention of witches no water?? We're thinking this is just odd. Come to find out Salem NH is nothing like Salem MA, lesson learned check names for city/state. Makes more sense now why people from back east will say I'm from Portland ME not just Portland for example.

Beautiful country and we're looking forward to getting back and enjoying it at a slower pace.