Here is my 'report' on our 3 day trip to Rowe's Wharf in Boston from Portsmouth, NH to any newbies who have not made the trip – don't wait as long as we did! We left about 8:00 am with 6 boats from our marina in Portsmouth, NH, all power. Within 1 hour we found that 2 had radio problems and only 2 with working radars – however, the day was beautiful and seas flat, so all was good! After about an hour running time, one boat had electrical problems that hampered his long range ability to receive and other operators had to 'relay' any pertinent info to him as he had to use his handheld. Our last boat left our marina at about 9:30 am and could easily catch up with he can top 40 knots. However, he did not catch up but we could hear him on our coordinated channel hailing us to ask where we all were. The reason he didn't catch up was that he relied on the rest of us and did not chart his own course! He started hailing us very close to rocks north of Cape Ann! When he finally found his way the rest of us could relax and everything went smoothly for the rest of the trip to Rowe's Wharf. Note to newbies: always chart your courses and never rely on anyone else to do the work for you!
When we arrived in Boston about 11:30 am - the dock hands gave excellent verbal directions helping to tie up as all boats were waiting at the same time and the dock space is long and narrow - the most maneuverable boats had to be on the inside -- about 20' from the ramp to the hotels. 3 sides of 10 story hotel buildings around as we sat on our boats viewing Boston Harbor - an extreme experience for my husband and I -- having never been in a вЂcity marina' before! Yes, we are very sheltered! The showers were very close to the docks and Rowe's Wharf restaurants and pool area very close, too. Of course, the whole city of Boston is practically at your dockside! I won't bore you all with details except to encourage all boaters to either take their own boat or the ferry to George's Island, one of the many islands in Boston Harbor, for a 2 hour walking tour – it is well worth the visit. We went to George's Island with another couple who have been to Boston and all over many times and was fantastic! Ft. Warren was very interesting and would be a wonderful trip for kids! Our friends treated us to an interesting and informative tour of Boston Harbor, to visit the locks, pointing out all the sites and buildings and the Cambridgeside Galleria for lunch and later on across to Marina Bay for dinner! What a wonderful experience we had – coming across Boston Harbor at 40 mph following a GPS trackline at night was such fun! Our trip back to NH was uneventful. We went on the outside going down but traveled the Anisquam River on the way back north for a stop for those who dared to swim!
I highly recommend the trip and we plan to visit again after saving our pennies as it is expensive at $4.00 per ft at Rowe's Wharf!
When we arrived in Boston about 11:30 am - the dock hands gave excellent verbal directions helping to tie up as all boats were waiting at the same time and the dock space is long and narrow - the most maneuverable boats had to be on the inside -- about 20' from the ramp to the hotels. 3 sides of 10 story hotel buildings around as we sat on our boats viewing Boston Harbor - an extreme experience for my husband and I -- having never been in a вЂcity marina' before! Yes, we are very sheltered! The showers were very close to the docks and Rowe's Wharf restaurants and pool area very close, too. Of course, the whole city of Boston is practically at your dockside! I won't bore you all with details except to encourage all boaters to either take their own boat or the ferry to George's Island, one of the many islands in Boston Harbor, for a 2 hour walking tour – it is well worth the visit. We went to George's Island with another couple who have been to Boston and all over many times and was fantastic! Ft. Warren was very interesting and would be a wonderful trip for kids! Our friends treated us to an interesting and informative tour of Boston Harbor, to visit the locks, pointing out all the sites and buildings and the Cambridgeside Galleria for lunch and later on across to Marina Bay for dinner! What a wonderful experience we had – coming across Boston Harbor at 40 mph following a GPS trackline at night was such fun! Our trip back to NH was uneventful. We went on the outside going down but traveled the Anisquam River on the way back north for a stop for those who dared to swim!
I highly recommend the trip and we plan to visit again after saving our pennies as it is expensive at $4.00 per ft at Rowe's Wharf!
I usually go into Portsmouth from the Merrimack river area. It takes about 30-45 min to get to the Piscataqua and we are usually not rushing it. Along the coast you'll go by Seabrook, Hampton, Rye then Portsmouth. Heading up is great. You can dock at Prescott Park, get out, and walk around Strawberry Banke and the rest of the downtown Portsmouth.