Welcome to Vinalhaven, ME

Vinalhaven is a town at the head of Carvers Harbor on the southwest side of Vinalhaven Island.

Boating in Vinalhaven, ME Map View

The best anchorage for small craft is reported to be on the east and southeast side of Carvers Harbor; the western side is principally used by commercial craft and fishermen. In 2003, the harbor had depths of about 11 feet in the center, about 8.0 to 10.0 feet along the north and south sides, and 5.8 feet in the access channel leading to a basin off the town landing at the head; depths of about 1.8 to 5.4 feet were available in the basin.
There is a harbormaster who assigns the moorings in the anchorage. A speed limit of 5 miles per hour is enforced within the harbor.
The depths at the ferry wharf and float landings vary from 6 to 10 feet. Diesel fuel, gasoline, ice, water, provisions, and some marine supplies are available at a landing east of the ferry wharf. There are four boatyards on Vinalhaven Island, one on Indian Creek, one in Sand Cove, and two in Carvers Harbor. Craft up to 50 feet in length can be hauled out for hull or engine repairs or dry open or covered winter storage. Emergency radio repairs can be made.
There are churches, a library, bank, movies, inns, lodging houses, medical and nursing services, restaurants, and picnic areas.
Navigation:
Click the “Map View” button above to see a chart of this harbor.
There are four channels in the approaches to Carvers Harbor. The entrance from southwestward is between Heron Neck Ledge and James and Willies Ledge; from the northwestward through The Reach; from the eastward through the channel between Vinalhaven Island and the islands and ledges south of it; and from the southward west of Colt Ledge and between Arey Ledges and The Breakers. The controlling depth in the entrance channel is 19 feet between Potato Island and Dodge Point on the north side of the entrance to the harbor.
Indian Creek, just eastward of Carvers Harbor, has an entrance from the sea and also a connecting passage to Carvers Harbor. A fixed highway bridge crossing the passage has a clearance of 8 feet. The passage is not safe for strangers.
Carvers Harbor Entrance Light 2 (44°02’03″N., 68°50’37″W.), 19 feet above the water and shown from an iron spindle with a red triangular daymark on the west end of Green Ledge, marks the entrance to the harbor.
Dangers
James and Willies Ledge, 5 feet high with rocks awash at the south end, is on the north side of the southwestern approach at its junction with Hurricane Sound. It is part of the extensive ledge area extending southward from Hurricane Island. A buoy is south of the area.
Heron Neck Ledge, 7 feet high, is on the southern edge of the southwestern approach and is unmarked.
Folly Ledge is a bare unmarked ledge on the west side of the channel at the junction of the eastern, southern, and southwestern approaches. Green Ledge is on the east side of the channel in the inner approach to Carvers Harbor. It is marked by Carvers Harbor Entrance Light 2.
Point Ledge, covered 4 feet and marked by a daybeacon, is 0.7 mile east of Folly Ledge.

Coastal Stories See All

Coral IVF: How Scientists Are Breeding Heat-Resistant Reefs for Florida's Future

8/31/2026

Ocean Science

By Dawn Anderson, best4boats.com. The reefs that protect South Florida’s coastlines, harbors, and marinas are in crisis — and scientists at the University of Miami are using an unlikely tool to fight back: assisted reproduction. After a record marine heatwave in 2023 wiped out up to 100 percent of elkhorn… SEE MORE

The Sacramento River near the main spawning area of winter-run Chinook salmon blocked by dams from their original mountain spawning habitat. The Sundial Bridge in Redding rises in the background. Credit: Larisa Thacher/UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences

A Secret to Survival for California’s Most Endangered Salmon

8/28/2026

By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Traditional field research combined with new technology has revealed a secret to the survival of juvenile salmon as they form in their eggs, especially in low-water years when many do not survive, new research from NOAA Fisheries and the University of California, Davis shows. Sacramento River winter-run… SEE MORE

A group of melon-headed whales swimming together on February 1, 2026, seen during the Winter Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Mary Applegate, taken under NOAA permit

A Winter at Sea Reveals Seasonal Habits of Whales, Dolphins, and Seabirds in Hawaiʻi

8/27/2026

Ocean Science

By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. The Hawaiian archipelago is teeming with marine life, and winter brings some of the most exciting activity of the year. It’s a season when many whale and seabird species travel to the islands. Migratory baleen whales such as humpback and minke whales are only found in Hawai‘i in the winter, when… SEE MORE

Vinalhaven, ME

Welcome to Vinalhaven, ME

Monthly Tide Chart

Weather

Maps & Charts

Featured Local Businesses

Billings Diesel & Marine

Maine Boat & Home Show

Hamilton Marine - Rockland

Rockland Harbormaster

Ocean Pursuits

Lyman-Morse

Owl & Turtle Book Shop & Cafe

Epifanes North America

Boating in Vinalhaven, ME Map View

In The Zone: The Sabre 51 Salon Express

Coastal Stories See All

Coral IVF: How Scientists Are Breeding Heat-Resistant Reefs for Florida's Future

A Secret to Survival for California’s Most Endangered Salmon

A Winter at Sea Reveals Seasonal Habits of Whales, Dolphins, and Seabirds in Hawaiʻi

Photo Credits