ROYAL RIVER

43° 47.79’N 070° 10.45’W

4th ed. Cruising Guide page 81 Maine Coast Guide: Casco Bay 97-101

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Charts: 13290, 13288

Chart Kit: 59, 17

Casco Bay overview chart Harbor chart

THE ROYAL RIVER is a narrow, winding stream that is navigable from Casco Bay to a fixed bridge and falls below the town of Yarmouth. Its marshy banks are reminiscent of Wind in the Willows, or it conjures up images of Indians silently slipping downstream in their birchbark canoes.
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The Royal River’s high, forested banks almost completely block winds from any direction. “Best protected harbor on the coast,” says a local yard employee. At worst, you’ll ground out on a soft mudbank.
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Although surrounded by busy boatyards and civilization, the basin at the head of the river attracts its share of wildlife. You might see herons at dusk or perhaps a flock of ducks flying upstream in the early morning.
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Approaches. Harbor chart. Royal River is dredged to about 8 feet at low, although it would be safer to carry that much draft up the river on the flood at mid-tide or better. A 6-foot draft should be able to make it upriver at low.
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Approach between Little Moshier and Cousins Island and keep flashing green “1” to port. From there, the channel is carefully marked by red and green buoys and several stakes in the mud, and it should be followed just as carefully. The channel may be no wider than 50 to 100 feet, and it will wander in surprising places. Where the Cousins River joins from the north, the channel takes a 100-degree turn to port. Be particularly careful between Browns and Callen Points around nun “12.” A ledge on the very edge of the channel to the southeast was marked for several years with a floating sign which read “LEDGE 1 FOOT UNDER.” It recently earned a real buoy, can "11." Keep close to the red buoys and go slowly.
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Anchorages, Moorings. As you approach the basin at the head of the navigable portion of the river, you will pass three yards. The first, on the right, is Royal River Boat Yard, which maintains floats and a fuel dock parallel to the channel, with 7 feet at low, and 80 slips.
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Yankee Marina is on the left, where the channel broadens into a turning basin. They have 110 slips and deep water alongside. Yarmouth Boat Yard is the last yard on the left, with 150 slips and 6 to 8 feet alongside. Go slowly. Boats jam-pack the tiny basin, and there is no room to anchor.
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By reservation, Yankee rents transient slips with low-tide depths to 12 feet. Yarmouth Boat Yard has dock space with 6-foot depths and one mooring that will be rented if available.
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For the Boat. Royal River Boat Yard (207-846-9577). This yard has been owned and managed by three generations of the Dugas family, whose grandfather started a small operation here many years ago. With a 50-ton boatlift and a 100-ton marine railway, the yard can make extensive repairs on both commercial and pleasure vessels in steel, fiberglass, or wood. Gas, diesel, water, ice, electricity, and holding-tank pumps are available at their fuel dock, the only one along the river.
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Yankee Marina, Inc. (Ch. 09; 207-846-4326). Water, electricity, and pump-out facilities are available at the slips, but no fuel. Yankee can haul boats of most sizes and perform repairs of all kinds. The yard dredges alongside to 12 feet, and if you get stuck in the river, Yankee can tow you off. “We do a lot of that,” they say.
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Yarmouth Boat Yard, Inc. (Ch. 09; 207-846-9050). This yard specializes in smaller powerboats and outboards. Water and electricity are on the floats, and they have aa marine store with an extensive Evinrude/Johnson, OMC parts department. The yard has a 4-ton forklift for small boats and they can repair your engine or outboard or fix your wood or fiberglass hull.
Bayview Rigging and Sails, Inc. (207-846-8877). Bayview’s sail and rigging loft is located at Royal River Boat Yard and headed by well-known sailmaker Jan Pedersen.
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Landing Boat Supply (207-846-3777) is a complete chandlery located in the Lower Falls Landing building (see below).
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Maine Sailing Partners (207-846-6400). This full-service sail loft is also located at Lower Falls Landing. They can patch up you old sail or cut you a new one.
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Reed’s Machine Shop (207-846-5681). Reed’s is located just past the highway bridge toward the town of Yarmouth. They can weld, repair, fabricate, or otherwise perform miracles with metal.

Greene Marine (US Route 1, Yarmouth; 207-846-3184). Greene Marine is a fascinating yard located up the shallow Cousins River, several miles away by land from the anchorage on the Royal River. Walter Greene and his crew specialize in building and repairing world-class multihulls in composite-wood construction.
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For the Crew. The former fish factory between Yankee Marina and Yarmouth Boat Yard has found new life as Lower Falls Landing, a handsome complex of marine-related facilities. Landing Boat Supply is a well-stocked chandlery, and a sail loft is next door. The Cannery (846-1226) serves lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch on the waterfront. East Coast Yacht Sales’ indoor showroom is perfect for dreaming on a rainy day. You can stock up on fresh meats and pastas, patés and cheeses, cakes and coffees at Royal River Provisioners (846-1332), also at the Landing. If the choices are too overwhelming, they will provision your boat for you.
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You can obtain groceries and other supplies in the town of Yarmouth, about a mile away from the harbor. Head under the highway bridge and take Route 115 into the pretty town.
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Things to Do. Every July, on the third weekend, Yarmouth holds its annual Clam Festival with three days of music, festivities, and feasting. The Casco Bay Rowing Center, located at Yankee Marine, offers rowing lessons in Alden shells as well as a Maine rowing vacation.