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.

Experience: The captain and the crew were very friendly! The crew helped people take pictures and…read morehelped elder folks into their seats. Plenty of deck seating. There are some indoor seating inside this boat for those rainy and cold days! I loved the lobsterman demonstration (catch and release)! It was so educational to learn about Maine's economy and how traditional ways of lobster trapping worked (manual rope and pull technique). We had a great time exploring the harbor on boat and learning about the history of Maine. Parking: Once you get closer to the wharf (where the boat and the business stand is located) it is harder to find a parking spot. Especially in the parking lot where the business is located. We decided to park a few blocks west of the wharf. There was free 3-4 hour parking and it was a good 5 minutes of walking! Bathrooms: There were public bathrooms located at the entrance of the wharf, between the business stand and the main street.

We got rained out in Bar Harbor for our whale watching so we booked one here. The boat was nice…read moreand we were able to sit on the top deck. We only saw one whale, but also saw a sunfish, seals and dolphins. I would have loved to see more after being spoiled in South Africa with lots of whales, but it's always fun to go out on the boat. The captain did a good job, and the naturalist had lots of info.

This was such a fun experience. You actually get to help pull up lobster pots out in the bay. The…read morefather and daughter duo explain the whole process and teach you how to put the rubber bands on the claws. They point out different wild life and the views are gorgeous. The boat ride is not artificially extended for the sake of "getting your money's worth". It was the perfect length to get the experience of what it's like to lobster. The food cart and having your lobster cooked up fresh at the pier was incredible and such a lovely family run business. This is a great way to support the industry when hauls have been declining over the years to due to ocean warming. Definitely worth the drive to come experience this tour!!

You love lobster? You like wholesome? Don't sleep on this experience with Captain Dan, family and…read morefriends. I was in it for the hope of seeing puffins but not wanting to be on a huge tour boat. I chose this one also because it would give us the chance to "be a fisherman" and learn more about the process, industry of lobstering. Wait, I kid myself, it was totally about the FRESH lobster we'd get to enjoy at the wharf upon our return. This experience was the perfect 1.5 hr duration for us kicking off at 2:30pm. We had the most beautiful weather that still required layers for the chill in the air and splash of the boat ride. Speaking of boat ride, we took low drowsy Dramamine as a safeguard ahead of the trip, not sure if we really needed it or not because the boat was so smooth and steady even when stopped. Either way, a good precaution knowing how easily triggered we are getting by motion lately. Anyway, the last week of July we were SPOILED with perfect blue skies, a ton of seals, a ton of puffins and an amazingly sweet fresh lobster meal following the ride.

We went on this lovely sunset cruise with captain Gus last night and let me tell you, it was…read moreabsolutely fantastic. The boat was stunning and had a smooth ride. It was such a good time all around. I tend to get easy motion sickness and it was super easy ride. We sat in the back near the wheel with Gus. He was so informative and so nice. Tons of banter tons of fun. You're allowed food and drink on board if you'd like. It was so nice out and lovely. I would highly recommend booking through them, if you're in the area

this is by far the best boat to take out in Camden,ME. Gus and the crew are total pros on the…read morewater. Loved it!!

Made reservations for four about an hour before the 10:00AM seal trip. Met at the dock by Captain…read morePhil, we boarded with four more adults and a few kids. This was a nice trip. On a low tide the captain was still able to gets us pretty close to the seal herds. Learned a bit about them too. On the way in and out there is decent scenery, big oceanfront mansions and more to see. For $45 this trip is a bargain.

This was our seventh year in a row going out to see the seals with Captain Rob - it has become a…read morefamily tradition for us and is enjoyable every time we go! It's a great view of Orleans and Chatham from the water and Captain Rob provides a great telling of all the lore of the area and the sea animals, seals and sharks alike. With so many seals in the area, it's only a matter of time before they show up on the tour.

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!

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

Highly recommend Rockport Charters! Robert took my family out today for a great excursion around…read morePenobscot Bay: Camden Harbor, Curtis Island, Lasalle Island, and the seal ledges were just a few of the highlights. The boat is well set up and appointed for comfort for people from 11 to 73 (the range of ages in our group) and Robert Iserbyt does a fantastic job in showcasing the highlights of the Bay.

From the owner: We specialize in private charters on the Harvest Moon, a 36 foot fully equipped lobster cruiser…read morevessel. Your captain, is a local who has lived and worked on the waters here most of his life. We offer island tour's, lobster cookouts, island camping trips, lobster fishing demonstrations, and informational tours of the penobscot bay region. Other highlights are wildlife tours. We look at the seals seabirds porpoises and puffins that live here. Sunset cruises, educational tours of the area. We carry up to 18 passenger comfortably equipped with indoor and outdoor seating.