It’s not without some local bias that I boast of Penobscot Bay as a world-class cruising area. And within these spectacularly varied sailing grounds the pinnacle, I would have to say, is Pulpit Harbor.
As I’ve been lucky enough to sail much of our magnificent East Coast from the Canadian border to the Exumas, I don’t make this claim lightly. Pulpit Harbor is a favorite with local sailors (ourselves included), as well as a destination for world cruisers.
Despite an ample number of local and visiting boats in season (we have had Pulpit to ourselves, after the first of November), the natural beauty of this unique harbor endures, I dare say, fully intact today.
Pulpit has been drawing crowds since long before cruising guides began giving it a “Best” rating. With little more than a deep cleft in the North Haven Island granite for an entrance, the large, well-protected harbor has always been a natural draw to seafarers.
The developed coastal edge of Pulpit Harbor is refreshingly spare. The few older surrounding cottages and native houses were built to an appealing, slightly smaller scale than that of the mainland. This modest scale has resulted in fewer and smaller roads having been built as well. Despite some new large buildings around Pulpit, old homes and summer cottages hide amongst the thick trees along the harbor edge, and this sets a more natural mood than much of the developed coast.
Local private moorings fill the inner harbor area, leaving the larger, more open western basin, which is actually the most picturesque, open for anchoring. With good holding and workable depths increasing toward the entrance, anchoring is manageable throughout. I’ve not known of anyone yet who found no space to anchor inside well-protected Pulpit Harbor.
You may land a dinghy in Nortons Cove, at the beach on the western side of the bridge. There’s also a public dock at the head of the harbor for dinghies (and short tie up for large boats, draft permitting). The Pulpit Harbor Road hugs the northern shore. A twenty-five-minute brisk walk will bring you to the North Haven Grocery for all your provisioning needs. If you’re up for walking for an hour or so, you can reach North Haven Village. People are friendly on North Haven Island, and finding a lift along the way is always possible.
A day in Pulpit Harbor may include hiking and walking the island, dinghy exploration (Cabot Cove, a harbor within Pulpit, is another harbor unto itself), beach combing, swimming (for the stalwart), and watching the day long ebb and flow of visiting boats and working lobstermen. There’s a floating dock with a “LOBSTERS” sign, so you may even find dinner for sale. At dusk in season, it’s likely a schooner or two will arrive for the night.
All the great harbors boast a sunset. With the Camden Hills framed by the high rocky harbor entrance, and famed Pulpit Rock dead center, the sunset seen from inside Pulpit Harbor is a natural spectacle like none other on the planet.
Photos of Best of the Best: An Overnight in Pulpit Harbor
