Destinations: Maine
Our Home Port of Belfast
We are very pleased to make the historic & picturesque small city of Belfast our home port. Belfast is located just off U.S. Route 1, across the Bridge from Searsport. This is where we greet our guests, spend our first night aboard, and then set sail on our many Maine Cruises.
Belfast is a gateway to the Penobscot Bay area where we travel back in time among coastal islands. Penobscot Bay alone has over 3000 islands and offers rich sheltered waters. Our horizon is dappled with spruce clad, granite rockbound islands of all sizes - habitat for both down to earth people and the abundant sea life. It is part of the Fundy water shed and you will see seals, sea birds & ducks, rippling waters from schools of capelin, mackerel or herring through out the seasons. Quaint island communities are sustained by the lobster fishery. In this bay alone, there are over 30 lighthouses; silent sentinels that protect sailors from treacherous rocks. The coast of Maine is a photographers delight.
Directions to Belfast and Cruise Arrival Information
About Belfast:
Belfast is located on Penobscot Bay and at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River. The Belfast Area has rich in history dating back more than 200 years. The community was an early fishing village, and was named for the City in Ireland in 1765. The harbour and waterfront were the hub of small commercial activity. The Belfast area had many active shipyards. Searsport alone, just to the north of Belfast, was home to eleven yards and to more shipmasters than any other town in America. Between 1810 and 1890, more than 200 ships slid down the ways in Searsport and in 1887, more than 1,200 vessels arrived in local ports. During this time of great prosperity, shipbuilders and merchants built beautiful Greek Revival, Colonial, and Victorian mansions throughout the area. Captains decorated spectacular mansions with treasures carried home from exotic ports. Many of these homes are now B&Bs or Inns. The Penobscot Marine Museum of Searsport, a village of eleven vintage buildings preserves the local maritime history and the Belfast Museum is located in the heart of Downtown Belfast.
Belfast carried the spirit of enterprise forward into the 20th and 21st centuries. During the 1940's the area embraced the shoe business and became major centre for the poultry business. Belfast is currently known for its art galleries, shopping, and dining, its well-preserved architecture, and its coastal New England charm. Lobstermen here continue work the same waters as their ancestors.
Getting There: Directions & Resources
