Bold Coast Charter Company
One review for Bold Coast Charter Company
1 review in English
-
Review from Maureen H.
Exeter, NH
12/4/2007 2 photos
Not a zoo per se, but a boat ride to enjoy sea wildlife. Captain Andrew Patterson charters Puffin Cruises out of Cutler Harbor to Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine. I can't emphasize how magnificent this experience was. It took about 6 hours to drive up to Cutler, so we stayed at Riverside Inn in East Machias and drove the 20 mins. to Culter Harbor next morning. A gorgeous, pristine fishing village.
The weather has to cooperate to make a landing on Machias Seal Island, where after arriving via the Barbara Frost, a row boat is taken to a makeshift walkway onto the island that has a lighthouse staffed by friendly Canadians. There's a bit of a friendly dispute about who owns the island.
After a bit of a wait for other tours to finish, they only let so many people on what is actually a bird sanctuary, you hurry into bird blinds and for the next half hour I think I must have said "I can't friggin believe this!!" about a million times. We saw Murres, Guillemots, Eiders, Gannets, Shearwaters and Storm-Petrels and thousands of Puffins. They were a foot away in scores, landing on the blinds...it was just unbelievable. So worth the charter cost of $60 or so dollars, can't remember exactly what it was. It was a real privilege.
Captain Patterson is a very knowledgeable naturalist that will talk a tin ear off a brass monkey if you so desire. It was just a great adventure. Weather permitting! That's the chance you take. I spoke with one couple who had gone all the way up the year before and the water was too choppy to land. So they'd come back and this time we landed. Really good stuff.
