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FREDERICTON, lying some 63 miles up the Saint John River from the Bay of Fundy, is the capitol of the province of New Brunswick. The city is built on both banks of the river, which is spanned by the Princess Margaret Bridge, with 84-foot clearance at its center, and by the railroad bridge, whose 25-foot clearance marks the head of navigation for most masted vessels. Unfortunately for sailors, the downtown area and the city’s wharf lie upriver from the railroad bridge.
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Fredericton came under English control in 1759. Fredrick Town was named after the son of King George III. Beginning in 1783, the United Empire Loyalists did their usual street-straightening and urban planning. Now it is home to the New Brunswick Legislature, the University of New Brunswick, St. Thomas University, a college of craft and design, and forestry and agriculture centers, not to mention the New Brunswick Country Music Hall of Fame.
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Approaches. Once past the Oromocto Shoals, the upper Saint John is mostly free of obstacles and clearly marked. Power lines with a vertical clearance of 75 feet cross the river at Lower Saint Marys. From there to the Princess Margaret Bridge, shoals and logging cribs foul the north shore opposite the Fredericton Yacht Club, but they are well marked. Princess Margaret Bridge is fixed with a center span that has 84 feet of clearance.
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Due to Fredericton’s proximity to the Mactaquac Dam, water levels can fluctuate by as much as 2 feet from the random opening of the dam.
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Anchorages, Moorings. Sailboats with masts taller than 25 feet have two options. Jesse’s Landing marina has dockage on the north bank of the town of Lower Saint Marys. The Fredericton Yacht Club, on the south bank about a half mile south of the Princess Margaret Bridge, has moorings available for visitors. Boats that can pass beneath the railroad bridge (25 feet) can dock right downtown at the Regent Street Wharf.
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For the Boat. Jesse’s Landing Marina (Ch. 68; 506-452-8404). Jesse’s Landing is on the north side of the river in Lower Saint Marys, about 2.5 miles before the Princess Margaret Bridge. They have dockage for 125 vessels, with plenty of room for transients. Gas and diesel, free pump-outs, ice, and water and electricity are available on the floats, with depths of 10 to 12 feet. Ashore they have a launching ramp and showers. They can contract to have deep-draft boats hauled up their launching ramp for repairs of all kinds. A nearby Howard Johnsons will pick up and drop off guests or restaurant patrons.
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Fredericton Yacht Club. Identifiable by the fleet moored along the west bank, the club has a small float with water and can provide guests with a vacant mooring. Gas, groceries, a pay phone, and an excellent Chinese restaurant are nearby. Downtown Fredericton is about 2 miles away.
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Regent Street Wharf (Port Warden, Ch. 70; 506-455-1445). The Regent Street wharf lies a block away from the downtown district of Fredericton on the west bank of the Saint John, but its access is limited to boats requiring less than the 25 feet of vertical clearance provided by the railroad bridge to the south. The Port Warden can be found here in the summer, and visitors should check in. The large public float has10 feet of water alongside. Moorings, mostly seasonal, lie off the end of the float.
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For the Crew. Fredericton has numerous markets, restaurants, and stores, as well as the large Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital (506-452-5400). On Saturday mornings, farmers set up a market three blocks away from the wharf. Of the several laundromats in town, the best named is the Spin and Grin on Smythe Street. A liquor store is located on King Street, a block up from the waterfront.
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Things to Do. Tourist information (506-460-2041) is available at City Hall, two blocks west of the wharf on Queen Street. The park by the Regent Street Wharf is called The Green. Children can climb to the top of a river lighthouse in the little lighthouse museum, which also rents bikes.
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Next to The Green is Officer’s Square, a military complex with a museum and a changing-of-the guard twice daily. Free open-air concerts are performed here on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in July and August. Behind the square is the large public library.
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New Brunswick’s largest collection of Canadian and British paintings can be seen daily at The Beaverbrook Art Gallery, across the street from the copper-roofed Legislative Assembly Building, a couple of blocks east on Queen Street. The Legislative Building holds, among other things, a complete set of hand-colored copper engravings of the Birds of America by John James Audubon.
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If you would like a guided walking tour of Fredericton, go to City Hall and ask for a Calithumpian.