LOOKING from Cross Island Narrows, Northeast Harbor’s shores appear natural and unspoiled. But from the harbor itself, the view is dominated by the enormous radio towers on Cutler Peninsula. These towers, some almost 1,000-feet tall, form one of the world’s most powerful radio transmitters and are used by the U.S. Navy to communicate with their submerged submarines (see Little Machias Bay, next). Here, across the Narrows, contrasting worlds seem to collide. At night, red lights silently pulse on each tower, and low-lying mists come alive with an eerie and beautiful glow straight out of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
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In contrast, there are signs of bears on Cross Island and an abundance of deer. Bald eagles have nested on Mink Island. Cross Island is uninhabited except for the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School (HIOBS) base at the old Coast Guard station, just east of the harbor. The island was formerly owned by Tom Cabot of Boston, who gave the Coast Guard buildings to HIOBS and the rest of the island to The Nature Conservancy, which passed it on to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
COPYRIGHT 2002 DIAMOND PASS PUBLISHING
Approaches. Harbor chart. Approach Northeast Harbor through Cross Island Narrows, either from the west or east. At the western end of the Narrows, leave green can “7” off Dogfish Rocks to starboard. Run through Cross Island Narrows almost to green can “5” before turning south toward Northeast Harbor. Leave Mink Island to port and favor it slightly.
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Coming from the east, pass to either side of green, rocky Old Man Island. If you are downwind, you can guess why the island was originally called Old Man’s Ass. One-hundred-and-forty pairs of razorbills nest in a cleft in the middle of the island—one of the few nesting sites on the east coast of the United States. When eiders faced extinction in Maine, the last pair nested on Old Man. Seals bask on the ledges east of Mink Island.
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Find flashing green bell “3” (Fl G 4s) close to the end of Cutler Peninsula and leave it to port. Follow the narrow buoyed channel, leaving red beacon “4” to starboard and green can “5” to port. Turn sharply to port around can “5” to head south into Northeast Harbor. Leave Mink Island to port and favor it slightly.
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Anchorages, Moorings. Anchor to the southwest of Mink Island in 10 to 12 feet at low. This should be far enough in to get you out of the current of Cross Island Narrows. HIOBS has several moorings here, but they are small 100-pound mushrooms.
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Things to Do. There are trails leading all around this spectacular island. Row in to the south shore and walk around the shoreline to the HIOBS base.