Port

Vessel

Description

The
Deborah Ann

This 40 foot boat is among the smallest whale-watching boats. Though this may cause some motion discomfort on rough days, it also assures close looks at whales without having to fight for a spot on the rail! From its home port in Ogunquit, The Deborah Ann can reach both ends of the famed Jeffrey's Ledge in its 4-1/2 hour cruise, providing more opportunities to sight whales.

This vessel has several impressive things going for it. First, it is located in Maine's largest city. Second, its moderate price covers more boat time than most, because it takes longer to reach the best whale-watching seascape. For an enthusiastic birder, time at sea is everything. The Odyssey boasts a nearly 100% sighting record on Jeffrey's ledge and the Sagadahoc Grounds.

Captain Fish's originated whale-watching around Boothbay Harbor and is now in its third generation of family operation. Yet, despite its long history, its vessels are among the most modern and well-equipped. Besides the whale-watching trips, the company provides several other excursions of particular interest to birders, especially the Wednesday trips to Eastern Egg Rock for Atlantic Puffins.

The Harbor Princess ventures forth daily to find the whales. At 100 feet long, 24 feet wide, she can accommodate 149 passengers in comfort. The bottom deck allows passengers to walk 360 degrees around the vessel in order to see the whales. Look for ocean sunfish and 45-foot long Basking Sharks while you're at it.

Imagine a whale watch trip that skirts the coast of Acadia National Park on the way out to sea, then surges across the bay to Petit Manan Island for a close-up of Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, and its breeding colonies of Common, Arctic, and Roseate Terns, before continuing the search for whales in an area called "the Ball Park." The Friendship V is a fast catamaran that covers a lot of ocean in a hurry, yet is big enough to be stable in rough weather.

The Sylvina W. Beal is a unique windjammer that sails out to the feeding grounds of Finback and Minke Whales just beyond East Quoddy Lighthouse. In later summer, expect to sail through 20,000 Bonaparte's Gulls, Black-legged Kittiwakes, and rafts of seabirds feeding on the same abundance that attracts the whales.