GAGETOWN is a quintessential river town, laid out straight and true along the straight part of Gagetown Creek. Its modest Front Street parallels the river, with small shops and fine homes and an inn at the old steamer landing. French Arcadians settled here in 1691 and called the town Grimross, Malecite for “place of settlement,” only to be bodily unsettled by British forces lead by Colonel Robert Monckton in their 1758 effort to drive French settlers from the lower Saint John River Valley. Renamed Gagetown after Colonel Thomas Gage, the original grantee, it was transformed again with the arrival of Empire Loyalists in 1783, who laid out the town on a block grid as other Loyalists had done in Saint John and Saint Andrews. A small and welcoming marina in the center of town has floats along the banks and moorings in the creek itself, so it is easy to land and explore.
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The southern half of Gagetown Island, across the creek, is the Mount Ararat Wildlife Management Area.
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Approaches. Approaching from downriver, be careful of the cable ferry that crosses from Scovil Point. Find the green-red-green bifurcation buoy “JU” at Gagetown Creek near Scovil and keep it to starboard as you enter Gagetown Creek. You will see the floats and moored boats of the marina ahead.
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Current in the Creek can run a couple of knots, and southerly winds can make it dance. Tides at Gagetown have a range of about 11 inches, and they are felt about 21&Mac218;4 hours after the tide at Saint John.
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Anchorages, Moorings. Gagetown Marina has dockage or moorings. The marina floats are on the west bank, visible as soon as you are in Gagetown Creek. Dockage is also available at the Steamer Stop Inn farther upriver. Use caution in maneuvering to the docks in the strong current. Dock port side to, heading into the current.
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If you anchor, drop the hook above the marina to avoid snagging their ground tackle. Protection is good from east or west, but southerlies and northerlies funnel up and down Gagetown Creek.
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For the Boat. Gagetown Marina (Ch. 68; 506-488-1992; www.gagetownmarina.ca). The marina has premium and regular gas, diesel, propane, water, pump-outs, and ice. Owenr Ross Wetmore will pick up or deliver crew to the Frederiction airport, and he can arrange help in delivering your boat to the Saint John River or through the Reversing Falls from as far away as Lubec.
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Steamer Stop Inn (506-488-2903) can also accommodate boats overnight on their dock.
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For the Crew. The marina has showers and a small laundromat. K&W Quality Meats next door on Front Street is a small but well-stocked market with good meat, beer, and liquor departments. Front Street also has a book store, a bank, a post office, a coffee shop, and a couple of eateries. The Gagetown Fruit and Farm stand is several blocks away toward the fairgrounds. Try fish and chips at Cortney’s Cafe and Take Out (506-488-2424), at the south end of Front Street, or Up The Creek, the new bar in town. The Steamer Stop Inn (506-488-2903), to the north, serves dinner by reservation.
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Things to Do. Gagetown publishes a nice map of the town that highlights the town’s historical heritage. There is a beautiful Greek Revival courthouse and the Tilley House of 1786, now a museum, and there are numerous craftspeople in the area.
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The Mount Arawat Wildlife Management Area has several hiking trails open to the public. Take your dinghy to one of the boat landings south of town and on the opposite bank.