When you live in Maine, who thinks about taking boat tours? That's for tourists!! (Lol!!)…read more Seriously, though, we had guests in town, so we thought it'd be fun to charter a boat for the four of us to go up the Penobscot River to Bangor. (At least that was the initial itin.) Me matey, Jay (after some due diligence on boat companies in the Bucksport area) , chose Penobscot Boat Tours as our charter. Jay said the communication(s) with Capt. Jeff Sennett (Owner/Operator) was excellent; his boat was faster/stronger to get us to Bangor and back in the least amount of time; and, the price for a 4-hr charter was less than other quotes. Splendid!! It was a dreary start to Tuesday when we arrived at 11 am with weather not looking promising for a jaunt up to Bangor; windy, rainy and choppy waters on the menu. This daunted us not, though! So, "Gilligan" and the gang (that'd be Mr. and Mrs. Howell, and the Professor), arrived at the Bucksport Marina in good spirits for our "3-hr tour"... er, 4-hr tour at Penobscot Boat Tours! ;) The boat was very cool (as all boats are!), and the Capt. Jeff (our imposing "Skipper" for this tour) made us all feel very welcomed, in good hands, and rarin' to-go!! After some discussion about the weather and tour route, we all agreed to a downriver jaunt for lunch in Belfast, and return to home base. Prior to Belfast, though, we made a special request of our intrepid Capt. (despite the hairy weather that we could see going on upriver) to take us a few miles upriver to where the Marsh River confluences into the Penobscot River. The rough-n-tumble ride was, of course, E-Ticket! (In all honesty, though, the confluence was a bit anticlimactic, but the ride was awesome!) Anyway, we turned around and headed for what was to be drier climes. The weather improved immensely and made for some pretty alluring scenery! Normally, we just drive to Belfast (20 mins) mainly not seeing the water much, behind trees/forests and such. So, seeing the coastline from the water -- seeing all those privileged homes tucked and nestled in splendid nooks and crannies! -- was a totally new POV, that's for sure! Capt. Jeff would slowdown now-and-then to point spots of interest out to us, to see seals basking on rocky shoals, and numerous heads bobbing up-and-down in the middle of the bay was pretty darn awesome!!! When we got to Belfast, Capt. Jeff gave us a suggestion for lunch (which we took and enjoyed), while he waited. The trip back to Bucksport was leisurely and beautiful as the summer sun shone upon our last leg back. The whole experience of seeing the land from the water was just wonderful! We never felt rushed; Capt. Jeff was very generous with his time. It was SO worth the cost and, more so, the experience! We will definitely be chartering another trip in the near future with Penobscot Boat Tours...!!! We all had such a great time...!!! :D

Booked our cruise the day before for a 4-hour trip and had a wonderful time cruising up to Bangor.read more

We had a great time on the sunset cruise. Captain Jack and his crew were amazing. Highly…read morerecommended!

Great sunset cruise in Belfast Bay, Maine. Crew was the best! Very engaging : Captain Jack, Jasper…read moreand Seth ... would highly recommend ! An experience to remember!

We had a great day with Travis on his lobster boat! He was…read moreaccommodating, friendly and knowledgeable and made our three hour charter an incredible time. I look forward to cruising with him again!

From the owner: Buggin ME Boat Tours is an owner run boat charter business. Capt. Travis is a 3rd generation…read morelobsterman. He is licenced and insured with his OUPV (six pack) Capt. License for up to 100 gross tons. There are several packages and options of trips ranging from hauling lobster gear, sightseeing, to Island hopping. Come climb aboard the Sarah B. For an authentic Maine experience. packages Maine experience (4hr hauling traps & nature watch) $575 Mini Maine experience (2hr hauling traps & nature watch) $375 Sunrise or Sunset cruise ( peaceful ride around the bay 1.5hr only at sunrise/set) $210 Around the Cape (relaxing ride seal/ nature) 3hr $440 4hr$520 Island hopping (6hr explore down the bay bring a skiff to access small inhabitated islands, accessibility is limited) $950 Custom $180/hr terms of service to be agreed upon with Buggin' ME.

What a fabulous fun experience sailing out of Rockport, ME on The Heron. It was the highlight of…read moreour trip. Bonnie did a great job telling us some of the history of the ship and area. Love when the sails are lifted!!! Motor turned off, quiet, smooth ride! So relaxing. It is a beautiful ship. Lots of shinny teak. Delightful with great crew and just a few guests on board. Free parking right by dock. Thank you, Bonnie and Twig for making my sail special. Highly recommend!

One of our favorite things to do when in Rockland is sailing aboard the Schooner Heron. We sailed…read more2x with them in 2020 and the first thing we did when we got back to Rockland this year was to look at the weather and book a trip with them. I picked an afternoon with an expected 14mph wind, so I knew we would sail smartly. I was surprised that Taylor was captaining the boat this trip instead of Twig, but his boat handling was conservative and flawless. Of coarse Bonnie was aboard to do her excellent narration regarding the history of Rockland's lime, timber, ice, shipbuilding and lobster industries and also tell us all about the lighthouse, islands, and seals we saw. Twig and Bonnie's personable adult daughter Rachel was also on board as crew. Bonnie and Rachel handled hoisting, trimming, reefing and tacking the sails as a well-oiled team. We started out conservatively with the fore mast and main mast sails both reefed, but were later able to shake out the reef on the fore mast sail for a little more speed without heeling the boat. We were able to sail near Robinson's Rock and saw that there were several seals sunning them selves there. We sailed midweek on a Thursday and there was lots of room for everybody on board. Taylor and Rachel cheerfully answered my many questions about the boat, the boat's offshore passages to and from the Caribbean each year and about local events. This was the first time sailing for the family seated across from us, but they had a good time. There was another group forward of us that pretty much kept to themselves so I didn't have a chance to chat with them, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves too. I did a bunch of small boat pleasure sailing and medium sized keelboat racing while I was at the University of Texas. I don't own a sailboat so the only sailing I have done since has been on Hobie Wave catamarans at all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean. I really enjoy chances to sail on bigger boats like the Schooner Heron. The Schooner Heron sails three trips daily from Rockport Harbor: Private morning sail, an afternoon Educational Eco Tour, and a Happy Hour Sunset Sail. Custom charters are also available on request. There is free parking in the harbor lot. Whether you have sailed before or just want to try it on vacation, I highly recommend sailing on the Schooner Heron as a solo, couple or family activity. You will have fun and be entirely comfortable with the ship and crew. They will treat you right. We're back in Rockland in a couple of weeks and will surely sail with them at least once more before heading back to Texas.

We had an absolutely wonderful time on this beautiful sailboat... the crew was knowledgeable and a…read morewealth of information... It was a wonderful memory!!! We recommended it to many since we went!!! Mark and Pam Anderson

We had a great sail, and a great conversation with captain Tyler. He is very knowledgeable about…read moremarine biology. He is also a lover of classic wooden ships and it shows. If you are considering taking a cruise, I don't think you can go wrong with A Morning in Maine. We took the sunset cruise and brought wine and snacks.

We took their Nature Cruise with Kevin and Annalise. Kevin was funny and entertaining, telling us…read morestories of the rich folk who built cottages on the waterfront. Annalise was very knowledgeable and told us about lobstering, showed us seals and bald eagles, and even a shy harbor porpoise. It was a fun 2 hour cruise and much less crowded than the ones at the harbor.

We took the puffin tour: Nice service and crew- gave me ginger chewable when I was sea sick,…read morechecked in frequently to make sure everyone on the boat was doing okay. We saw puffins, seals, and a few porpoises. Pictures do not do it justice Wish the speaker down low were higher- hard to hear while out boating. It is chilly too so make sure to wear pants and a jacket! So fun

Captain Mike was knowledgeable, safety minded and a great tour guide. Thoroughly enjoyed our…read moresunset sail

Wife and I celebrated our anniversary by taking a sunset cruise out with Captain Mike. Mike allows…read moreyou to be as involved as you would like to be, whether that's learning the basics to sailing or sitting up front to enjoy the views! Mike is extremely knowledgeable about the vessel and the surrounding geography. The trip was delightful and scenic, the perfect way to wind down on a Friday.

Jason took us on a fantastic tour of area lighthouses. He was flexible to choose the ones that we…read morewere hoping to see and, even though the fog was thick at times, we saw everything we wanted. It was also very interesting to hear so much about what being an 8th generation Swan's Island resident means. We hope to go again to visit other lighthouses. Highly recommended!

Swan's Island Charters is a must do! Our family spent the day with Captain Jason. So much history…read moreand knowledge of the area. The lobster boat was the end to a perfect tour.