5 Top Day Cruises on New England's Waters

Enjoy the natural beauty and culture of New England from a unique viewpoint: its waters. Here are five day cruises that take advantage of New England's clear lakes, rivers, and coastline. Sail on a schooner or take a ride on a high-speed catamaran, a Victorian-era riverboat, or lobster fishing boat.

Relax for the Afternoon on Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire

A relaxing hour-and-a-half tour of Lake Sunapee is accompanied by the ship captain's narrative about the geologic history of the clear glacial lake, with some cultural history thrown in. The region has grown over several decades as a vacation spot for the wealthy--the list of names of people who built grand lakefront vacation homes reads like the New York social register--and the captain singles out many of the homes, sharing colorful stories about the residents, past and present. Choose an afternoon cruise on the MV Mt. Sunapee II or throw in dinner aboard the MV Mt. Kearsarge, which offers a daily buffet.

The MV Mt. Sunapee II tours the lake daily at 2 in the afternoon until Labor Day; after Labor Day until mid-October, the ship goes out Saturday and Sunday. The MV Mt. Kearsarge goes out at 6:30 p.m. every day but Monday until Labor Day; after Labor Day the Kearsarge goes out every Saturday until mid-October at 5:00 p.m.

Lake Sunapee Cruises
P.O. Box 774
Bradford, NH 03221
1-603-938-6465
http://www.sunapeecruises.com
mvk@tds.net

Dine and Dance on This Tour of Lake Winnipesaukee

With four levels, three dance floors, and a capacity of 1,250 passengers, the M/S Mt. Washington is a floating festival as it travels around the perimeter of this, the largest lake in New Hampshire. Choose from three ports--Weirs Beach, Alton Bay, or Wolfeboro--and a variety of two-hour cruises, from a Sunday brunch to a sunset tour to a romantic evening dinner cruise. Special events are scheduled throughout the season.

If you're not into partying, just lean back and enjoy the view. The same glacier that over 10,000 years ago formed the lake bed of Winnipesaukee and its many islands also ringed it with mountains, and the result is some pretty spectacular scenery, made even more strikingly beautiful during northern New England's fall foliage season. The tours for the 2009 season run through October 24.

M/S Mount Washington
411 Lakeside Avenue, Weirs Beach, Laconia, NH 03246
P.O. Box 5367, Weirs Beach, NH 03247
1-888-THE-MOUNT
www.cruiseNH.com
(Contact form available on the website)

Set Sail from Gloucester, Massachusetts

Want to sail out of a famous fishing port on a genuine two-masted schooner? The schooner Thomas E. Lannon, whose design was adapted from that of a ship built in the early twentieth century, offers two-hour tours, sailing from the Seven Seas Wharf in Gloucester Harbor to explore the rugged, picturesque coastline of northeastern Massachusetts.

Learn the rich history of the port town of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and of schooners and the fishing industry as you watch sailors work the sails; or participate if you want. You may choose to sail during the day, opt for one of the schooner's romantic moonlight sails, or schedule your tour during one of the many seasonal special events. The schooner Thomas E. Lannon sails through mid-October.

Schooner Thomas E. Lannon
63 rear Rogers St. (Route 127)
Gloucester, MA 01930
1-978-281-6634
http://www.schooner.org/
info@schooner.org

Sight Whales, Puffins, and Other Wildlife Off Bar Harbor, Maine

Connect with nature by taking one of the many cruises offered by the Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company and get to view a fascinating variety of marine wildlife. Throughout the summer participants can take part in one of several whale watches and get the chance to spot migrating whales as well as dolphins, porpoises, and seals, or enjoy a cruise that also seeks out the many oceanic waterfowl living along the Maine coast. Tours take anywhere from one and a half to four hours.

While the opportunities for whale watching are limited to summer because of the creatures' migratory nature, the season for spotting marine birds extends well into the fall. The colorful Disney-character-looking North Atlantic Puffin, which nests and raises its young in several large colonies including one in the protected Petit Manan Wildlife Refuge, is a popular sight for nature-loving tourists. A few of the many other marine bird species include eagles, a variety of terns, gulls, and sea ducks. Other tours mentioned on the company's website include a sunset whale watch, a lobster fishing and seal watching tour, a lighthouse and park tour, and a special sunset whale watch.

The Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company operates a fleet of four vessels, including two high-speed catamarans, a lobster fishing boat, and The Acadian, a twin-diesel cruiser featuring a heated cabin, two decks, and modern radar equipment for the ultimate in safety.

Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company
1 West Street
Bar Harbor, ME 04609
1-207-288-2386 or 1-888-WHALES-4
http://www.barharborwhales.com/
info@barharborwhales.com

Relax on the Beautifully Pristine Lower Connecticut River

The Connecticut River gives birth to itself in northern New Hampshire, acts as a border along the length of New Hampshire and Vermont, then bisects both Massachusetts and Connecticut before spilling into Long Island Sound at the end of its 400-mile journey. Once suffering the effects of pollution from effluent dumped directly into its waters and those of its many tributaries, it benefitted from a federal cleanup program in the 1980s and is now clear, with fish and wildlife returning to its waters and banks.

Connecticut River Expeditions, a cruise company that sends its boat, the River Quest, daily out of Haddam, Connecticut, takes advantage of the natural beauty and aquatic bird life in offering cruises on the river through all four seasons of the year. Depending on the time of year, participants may spot bald eagles and ospreys as they travel through the wide, clear, still waters of the Connecticut, as well as signs of human life--upscale mansions with river frontage, the famous Goodspeed Opera House and Gillette's Castle, and the Chester/Hadlyme Ferry, which the cruise website designates as the second-oldest operating ferry in the country. During the fall, the cruises are particularly beautiful as the New England fall foliage transforms the region into a many-colored landscape.

Connecticut River Expeditions
Eagle Landing State Park
Haddam, CT

Mailing Address:
PO Box 496
Essex, CT 06426
1-860-662-0577
http://ctriverquest.com/default.asp
captainmark@yuknat.com

Sources:

Lake Sunapee Cruises

M/S Mount Washington

Schooner Thomas E. Lannon

Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company

Connecticut River Expeditions