What is the Down East Loop?

The term "Down East" generally refers to the coast of Maine.  For Westerners transplanted to the east coast, this is a difficult concept as our trip from North Carolina will require us to travel north to get "down east".  In fact, the origin of the term referred to ships sailing east from Boston toward the coast of Maine.  During this trip, the wind was at their backs so they were sailing downwind, hence the term "Down East".  On their return trip, they were sailing upwind, therefore being referred to as "going up to Boston" despite the fact that Boston lies approximately 50 miles south of the southern border of Maine.  For us, this concept is further complicated because we will be taking a more circuitous route, a trip that is referred to as the "Down East Loop".  The plan is to depart our home port of St. James, North Carolina around the 1st of May, traveling up the Intra Coastal Waterway through the Chesapeake Bay and the C&D Canal to the coast of New Jersey and then up the Hudson River.  Our travels will then turn west on the Erie Canal, taking a detour on the Oswego Canal toward Lake Ontario.  After crossing Lake Ontario we will travel the Rideau Canal, one of Canada's Heritage Canals, to Ottawa.  At this point we will begin our journey east with stops in Montreal and Quebec City and follow the St. Lawrence River to the Bay of St. Lawrence where we will turn south to travel along the coasts of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island to Nova Scotia.  Traveling southwest along the coast of Nova Scotia and across the Bay of Fundy we will reach Maine essentially going west to go "down east".  Our travels will then take us south along the coast of New England in September returning home to North Carolina in October. 

Printed with permission of Capt. Cheryl Barr from her book "A Complete Cruising Guide, Down East Circle Route"

We will be accompanied on this trip by our first mate, Hali. Check back to follow our adventures along the Down East Loop.