PORTLAND, MAINE
Jon Radtke, SeaTow Portland, Portland, Maine. Covering Casco Bay and environs.
Comments: We have a few spots here in the bay that tend to rack up quite a few groundings every year. Here are the top four.

Rocks running northwest from Great Chebeague towards Little John Island at RN "18." What to do: To avoid trouble, stay on the Littlejohn side of RN "18." There is no clear water between the nun and Chebeague

Oyster bar extending north of Fort Gorges. There's a well-marked channel on the Little Diamond Island side, a nun at northern end of the bar. What to do: To avoid trouble, never cut between the nun on the north end of the bar and Fort Gorges.

The ledge east of Basket Island at green daymark "15." Remember that the ledge extends farther to the west than it appears. What to do: Favor the Basket Island shore.

Mudflats on the Royal River. What to do: There is a well-marked channel, so pay attention to both the Coast Guard and locally maintained bouys.

Additional comments: All of these spots are clearly marked on the chart, but people either tend not to have a chart on board or to misjudge the tide.

MIDCOAST MAINE
Capt. Bill Creighton
SeaTow Midcoast Maine
Most popular spots to run aground:

Tumbler Island ledge in Boothbay Harbor. Hands down, the most popular spot to run aground in the Midcoast area. Just east of Tumbler Island at the mouth of Boothbay Harbor, the ledge mostly obstructs the entrance to Boothbay Harbor from between Tumbler Island and Factory Cove. What to do: If one hugs the Island shore, there is a safe channel (about 12 feet at low water), but one wants to stay well to the west side of the opening between the island and the shore until having made it past the wharf on the Island. Alternatively, those who are unfamiliar with the local lay of the land would do well to go around Tumbler (leaving it to the east of you as you go by).

The "also ran" is at the north end of the Townsend Gut (also in Boothbay Harbor). Folks fail to honor nun #6 which, when approaching from the north, is tucked around the corner behind the day marker #7. What to do: The nun really does mark the end of a long ledge that makes almost all the way across the end of the Gut from the East. At anything above mid tide, most of the ledge is hidden, and there are so many pot buoys that one could easily not realize that amidst all of the pretty colors there lurks a rather hard piece of water!

Additional comments: One would do well to avoid leaving charted channels when in unfamiliar waters at all times on a falling tide (especially during the middle two hours of the ebb). Every boat I've pulled off the rocks has been in unfamiliar territory, as the tide ebbed, usually during the middle of the tide. The law of 12ths tells us that with a 10-foot tide there is a 2.5-foot drop during each of the middle two hours of the tide.

If you go aground, and slide up onto a ledge from forward momentum, even just a little bit, the water will be receding at a rate of 1 inch every two minutes Ð 10 minutes and you've lost 5 inches! Even if a good Samaritan is watching while you bump, it's unlikely that you will get towlines rigged in time to be of any real use. And certainly it will take more than 10 minutes from the time you say "Oh @$&^!!!" for commercial services to be at your side.

By the same token, if you go exploring in unfamiliar places on the flooding tide, (at mid tide) you can "touch bottom" (that's the charitable term!) and be off on your own again in pretty short order.

Penobscot Bay
Curtis Rindlaub
Cruising guide publisher
Editor's note: For this area we went right to the source. As publisher of "A Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast," Curtis Rindlaub has cruised Penobscot Bay extensively. And though he claims never to have run aground, he's heard plenty of stories during his research cruises. Now in its fourth edition, the guide has become an indispensable tool for Downeast cruisers. His advice:



Comments: Mix rocks together with tides and fog, and throw in a little lack of attention and you've got the perfect recipe for running aground. Maine makes a pretty good mixing bowl. You've got your choice of hitting old favorites or painting new rocks with your bottom. You've got 10-plus-foot tides for drama. You've got fog as an excuse. You've got your spouse to never let you forget. Ah cruising!

Take Penobscot Bay, for instance. Here are some Ð but definitely not all Ð of the classic places to find bottom.

Most popular spots to run aground:
Rockland Harbor. What? Wide open, zillion-acre Rockland Harbor? Once you are behind the breakwater, don't be lulled into thinking that you are beyond the long reach of the bottom. If you happen to be circling around waiting for fuel-dock space at Knights Marina, keep a close eye on the depthsounder and the tide Ð the harbor shoals dramatically to the north of the ferry channel that leads towards Knights, and quite a few decoy sailboats have been placed on what look like deep-water moorings. They aren't. If you don't hit mud with your keel, you have a good chance of finding a granite block or two.



Robinson Rock. This baby is well marked if you are coming from the south. It lurks south of Mark Island, well east of the harbors of Rockport and Camden. The problem, though, is temptation. If you leave Camden Harbor in the afternoon, bound, say, for Pulpit Harbor, and the afternoon southwesterly has filled in nicely, you might be tempted to run a course between Mark Island and the northern end of Robinson Rock. You will be reaching along beautifully, and this is all well and good, assuming you keep close to the daymark on the southern end of Mark. The course, if you trust me, is 146M. But your mind might wander. Your cruising buddy who is ahead of you (why are they always ahead?) might have his anchor down and his beer up before you. And as you contemplate this affront to your manhood (or womanhood), you might not realize that the ebb has pulled you farther away from MarkÉuntil you, like Robinson (whoever he was), find you are anchored prematurely.

North Haven. I add this one as an example of so many like it. A perfectly well marked ledge hides among a pile of moorings, so that the nun Ð in this case nun "14" Ð that marks it just blends in with the surrounding boats and the hole of water behind it looks like the perfect place to drop the hook. Here it is called Lobster Ledge. If you get hung up on it you might think of a few other names.

Winter Harbor. This is a geographical slight of hand. As you creep past dramatic Starboard Rock Ð and you should be creeping! Ð it is hard to tear your eyes away from its bold face in order to find what on the charts is shown as a 2-foot spot, which should be to port. If it is dead low, you might see it as a rock with a wig of kelp lurking just beneath the surface, but at any other time, you aren't going to see it at all. Hug the shore of Starboard Rock until you are clearly in the deep hole beyond.

Seal Bay. Seals like this place because there are plenty of rocks. A classic boat-catcher is off the southeastern tip of Hen Island, at the north end of the Bay. It is possible to enter Seal Bay between Hen Island and Bluff Head, but you must hug the Bluff Head side to clear the spit of rocks off Hen. Their location is much less intuitive when you try to leave Seal Bay this way because it is hard to believe just how far over to Bluff you have to get. Often lobster traps mine the narrow channel, so the buoys can point you in the right direction.

Seal Bay, Part II. Another classic in Seal Bay is a rock due east of Turning Rock. A stick usually marks it, but it can still be hard to find because it sits in visually wide-open water. Turning Rock itself is obvious, but just to complicate things, the first printing of the third edition of "A Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast" (1996) had instructions to leave it to port when heading deeper into the bay. Don't. It should be left to starboard. (Check your guide; it may be time for a new one.)

Lawrys Narrows. This is an intricate passage into Hurricane Sound from the west. Cans and nuns guide you through a maze of rocks and south of Leadbetter Island. It is difficult in poor visibility, and the ferry that runs between Rockland and Carvers Harbor and through Lawrys Narrows six times a day compounds the dangers. In the summer of 1993, the ferry Governor Curtis earned the dubious distinction of finding a rock here not once, but twice. If you are in doubt, some kind soul has nailed a large plywood sign to a tree on the north end of Lawrys Island with a large arrow and the words "GO LEFT." Very reassuring.

Leadbetter Island. Hurricane Sound has a few tricky entrances, so once inside you might be likely to lower your guard or be paying more attention to the lobster buoys than the chart. At any other tide than low, you won't be able to see a ledge about halfway down the east side of Leadbetter Island. Chart 13308 shows them as a pair of rocks, but they stick out much farther than expected in water otherwise free of obstructions. The lobster buoys, of course, don't count.

Long Cove. This is a popular anchorage and hurricane hole, so you will probably be slightly self-conscious as you enter or leave. After all, cruisers can only look at pristine spruce and swooping ospreys for so long. After a while they need some entertainment. Your self-consciousness, in turn, might make you pull out your Joe-Cool act, either by squeezing your boat into the mouth of the already crowded anchorage, or by letting your boat drift while you calmly wash down and stow the anchor chain. In either case, the ebb current is often more than you would expect in what seems to be a land-locked cove. And it is, because ahead of the anchorage is a large body of shallow water, most of which is going to get the H out of Dodge with every tide, Joe Cool's boat be damned. So you might swing or drift onto the faint asterisk that shows on chart 13308 on the east side of the entrance, just north of the narrow mouth of the cove. If you get hung up here until the tide changes, though, don't worry. The real Joe Cool goes musselling, like he meant to do that.

Snyder's Rock. This nasty ledge guards the southern entrance of Holbrook Island Harbor off Cape Rosier, south of Ram Island. At low tide, a couple of feet of the ledge are visible, but at mid-tide or above, it is invisible but lurking just below the surface. The ledge can be passed on either side, but passing to the east is easiest. Just hug the shore north of Tom Cod Cove.

Isle au Haut. The northern part of Isle Au Haut Thorofare is a dredged channel between Isle au Haut and Kimball Island to the west. Its operational low-tide depth was originally 6 feet, but that has now silted in to 3.5 feet or less. As one local put it, "She's dry on a drainer." Add to that the humility of blocking the passage of the mailboat. The good news is that mud is soft.

Burnt Island Thorofare. North of Isle au Haut, you may be tempted to use Burnt Island Thorofare to head east into Jericho Bay. The Thorofare, however, is studded with rocks. Most, but not all, are visible a couple of hours before low. At higher tides you will be flying blind. If you make it through, count your blessings. You can now look forward to dodging the rocks on the rest of the coast of Maine.

Downeast
Harland Billings
Billings Marine and Diesel, Stonington, Maine
Comments: Run aground anywhere near Deer Isle, and chances are you'll be taking your boat to Billings for repairs. Owner Harland Billings says he works on five or six pleasure boats a year that have been damaged in groundings, but no particular spot stands out Ð "They seem to be everywhere," he says.

Most popular spots to run aground: If there were to be any favorites, they would be the ledge between Bold and Camp Islands in Merchants Row.

What to do: "Most people misjudge when going into Camp," Billings advises. "They should go more east, more towards Bold."

Additional comments: Billings warns to also look out for the Bold Island ledges. He says GPS has reduced gounding incidents by about 80 percent. "Most of it is just not paying attention," he says.

CAPE COD AREA
Capt. Bill Hobbs
TowBoat U.S. Cape Cod, Onset
(west end of Cape Cod Canal)

Comments: Although these tips may cost me some salvage work, if you consult your charts and keep an eye out for buoys you may save from having to see me. The most important thing to remember is if you see a buoy and are not sure what it means, check your chart because it is in the area for some reason.Remember to use your chart and safe boating.

Most popular spots to run aground:
Red Ledge in Woods Hole. Been here "many, many times." Last month pulled a 38-foot trawler owned by a Superior Court judge on vacation from the Chesapeake Bay. Fast moving currents and many different buoys get people confused when passing through Woods Hole.

What to do: The only solution is to look at your chart before entering and keep the chart in your hand when passing through. Watch out for Great Ledge also Seal Rocks off Scraggy Neck in Buzzards Bay. At high tide the rocks cannot be seen in what otherwise looks like good water. There is a small green can #3 marking the area but unless you see it and check a chart you will not know the rocks are there.

What to do: Stay southwest of the green can. Southwest ledge extends out to the west from the #3 can and the entire ledge is a danger for deep-draft powerboats and sailboats.

Dry Ledge off Wareham in Buzzards Bay. A few each year. Only at a low tide can you see these rocks that are right in the middle of your route from the west end of the Cape Cod Canal to the Wareham River and marked by an unlighted small red nun #2.

What to do: The problem is that they are in the middle of a bay far from shore and unless you see the nun and pass it to the south you're in trouble

Additional Comments: One of the biggest dangers in my area is the west end of the Cape Cod Canal and Hog Island Channel in Buzzards Bay. When the current is ebbing to the southwest and the wind is blowing out of the southwest, which is almost always, the entrance can have up to 10 foot sea. If you're not prepared you can be in trouble. Three people have drowned here already this year. I have worked the inlets of southeast Florida, and while they can be bad, this area along with the east end of the Cape Cod Canal and a flood current with northeast winds can be ugly."

CAPE COD BAY
Capt. Pete Norgeot
TowBOAT/U.S. Northcape/Northcape Towing & Marine Service, Sesuit Harbor, Dennis, Mass.

Comments: There are three notable areas in the Cape Cod Bay area that seem to reach out and grab unsuspecting boaters.

Most popular spots to run aground:
Jeremy Point, Wellfleet. Four to six groundings a year.

What to do: See below.



The entrance channel at Barnstable Harbor. Four to six groundings a year.

What to do: The underlying problem for both of these areas is the big 10-foot tidal range. Small boats drawing 3 feet to 5 feet have plenty of water from mid to high tide but run aground at half tide or lower.

Wood End to Long Point in Provincetown. Four to six groundings a year.

What to do: This area claims many boaters at night who get confused by lighted channel markers on the landward side of the harbor and try to navigate across land to get where they are going.

Additional Comments: In all three areas, sharp attention to current, updated charts and staying within the marked channels will keep you safe. Know what the tide is doing and remember that the tide drops or rises approximately 6 inches every 15 minutes in the Cape Cod Bay area.

BOSTON
Capt. Dave Winkler
SeaTow Services Boston (Bases in Boston, Gloucester, Salem, Nahant, Quincy and Hingham.

Comments: Boston inner harbor has two locations that we visit on a weekly basis, sometimes on a daily basis.



Inside Castle Island, Can #5A.
What to do: See below.

Lower Middle Shoal inside the small boat channel Can #3. In both cases, the problem seems to be the close proximity to the deep main ship channel, inexperience or just not watching where they are going. I continually warn boaters away from these areas with my loud hailer if I see them going the wrong way.

What to do: The solution is to stay in the channel and know where you are at all times and become a better-educated boater.

Additional Comments: We publish a local newsletter for SeaTow customers that has a section titled "Rocks and Shoals" that explains what to avoid.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.
Capt. Stephen Root
Portsmouth Harbor Towing / Tow Boat U.S.
Portsmouth, N.H.

Comments: The ledges are moneymakers and my friends. But in the interest of the boating public I will divulge the location of two.

Just off Gerrish Island as you approach Portsmouth from the east. It is called The Sisters. Poorly marked and quite often only covered by a foot of water. We have pure salvaged probably six or eight vessels off this ledge.

What to do: The best way to avoid it is to use the sister buoy as a waypoint and steer clear as you approach from the east or leave for Downeast.



My favorite is in Portsmouth on the upriver chart just upriver of Frankfort Island and buoy #10. The problem is when you run buoy to buoy from #10 to #12 the ledge sits on the buoy line, just covered.

What to do: The real problem and what gets people is the set on the outgoing tide. It sets on the ledge so if you are running buoy to buoy it sets you right on it. This has been a favorite with the 35-foot-plus class, notorious for ripping the running gear right out! At least seven salvages of 30-plus-foot boats.

Additional Comments: Remember, local knowledge is king. Your tow companies are probably the best resource for local info and we are always willing to help even before you are in trouble.

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