MACHIAS BAY

44° 37.45’N 067° 23.30’W

4th ed. Cruising Guide page 354

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Charts: 13326, 13325

Chart Kit: 78, 24, 25

Downeast region overview chart

MACHIAS BAY is neither grand nor extensive, but it is blessed with wonderful scenery, wildlife sanctuaries, and relative anonymity. The barren Libby Islands guard the entrance, with a lighthouse at their southern end, now automated.
COPYRIGHT 2002 DIAMOND PASS PUBLISHING
To the east is Cross Island, one of the largest undeveloped islands on the coast, home to deer, bear, seal, eiders, bald eagles, razor-billed auks, and Outward Bound students. North of Cross, the skyline is dominated by the huge radio towers on the Cutler Peninsula. Do not rely on your Loran in this area. The towers can cause sudden interference, or—even worse—inaccurate readings.
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The western shore of Machias Bay is particularly beautiful. Dramatic Yellow Head Island lies like a dragon in the water, and high and handsome Bare and Bar Island stand in attendance beyond. Part of Salt Island is a preserve of the Nature Conservancy and a home to bald eagles.
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At the entrance to Machias Bay, the 90-foot cliffs of Stone Island drop straight into deep water. In the 1960s, there were plans to off-load supertankers here, abandoned only after a decade of public debate. Stone Island eventually became part of the Nature Conservancy, and now great blue herons, ospreys, and bald eagles nest on these forbidding shores.
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In Howard Cove, there is a rare jasper beach and a gravel bar. At low tide, the bar is exposed, and the residents of Starboard Island can drive across it to their homes.
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Looming over Howard Cove—and hard to miss anywhere in Machias Bay—are the huge, white radomes on Howard Mountain. Bucks Harbor is an excellent anchorage with good protection and a large and active lobster fleet.
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The Machias River empties into the northwestern corner of the bay, passing on its way the town of Machias, home of the best strawberry pie in Maine (at Helen’s Restaurant, 255-8423) and also the home of Downeast Hospital (255-3356). Machias is the Indian word for “bad little falls.” In the past, there were lumber mills here and shipyards and extensive fisheries based in Machiasport. In the early 18th century, pirates such as John Rhoades and Captain Bellamy kept their ships in this remote area.
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Machias Bay is open and generally free of obstacles in its southern reaches. High Avery Rock marks the middle of the bay with its beacon and adjacent bell. Sailing is clear as far north as Round and Salt Island, but beyond that the bottom degenerates into the flats and shoals of Holmes Bay. A good chop can build up in Machias Bay, especially with the southwest wind blowing against the ebb, but generally it provides a lovely sail.
COPYRIGHT 2002 DIAMOND PASS PUBLISHING
The Machias area is full of historical footnotes. At Burnham’s Tavern, now a museum, in Machias, patriots met to discuss the British demand for lumber to build barracks. The discussion continued on June 11, 1775 near a little stream now known as “Foster’s Rubicon.” Calling for resistance to the British, Colonel Benjamin Foster leapt across, followed by the men of Machias. The next day saw the first naval battle of the Revolution and the capture of the armed British schooner Margaretta by the patriots’ sloop Unity, under the command of Captain Jeremiah O’Brien.