From Out West to Back East: How the Maine Island Trail Brought This Cruiser Home

At Dockwa, we believe the best stories don’t just happen on the water... they’re shaped by the places we explore and the responsibility for the environment we carry with us as boaters. That’s why we’re proud (and super excited!) to kick off our summer story series with the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA), a non-profit rooted in the belief that recreation and stewardship go hand in hand. Throughout this summer, the crew at MITA will bring us along the nooks and crannies of the coast, and inspire you to venture towards new horizons through their own epic tales of adventure, impact, and love for the sea.

First up in the Dockwa x MITA summer series comes from Nick Parson, MITA’s staff photographer and a lifelong boater. Through his lens (and his logbook), discover that the Maine Island Trail isn’t just a route on a chart, but a living, breathing connection between people and place. Whether you're a lifelong Mainer, planning your first visit, or simply curious why Maine is considered to be one of the best cruising destinations in the world, this one’s for you.

Back East, at Last: Finding Home on the Maine Island Trail
By Nick Parson, The Maine Island Trail Association 

For skiers living in the eastern part of the United States, there are two words that can make the heart soar like no other: out west.

I had the good fortune of living in Colorado for some years, and skied there as much as I could. Taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by high elevation, I would click in for the first time in October, and sometimes not hang it up until July.

When I started telling my friends about my desire to return to Maine, where I had grown up, the confusion was palpable. The answer I gave them was the same every time: “For sailors, Maine is ‘out west’”. Even though most of my friends had never been, they understood what I was saying.

We don’t have the consistent sporty winds of San Francisco Bay, nor the lucid waters of the Caribbean. What we do have is the most incredible constellation of islands that offer beauty, challenge, and unique opportunities for exploration and seclusion. Just how many of these islands there are off Maine’s coast depends on your definition, and who you ask. Generally speaking, you’ll hear a figure ranging from 3,000 to 4,600. In any case, it’s a lot.

Around 200 of them are a part of the Maine Island Trail. Established in 1988, the Maine Island Trail is a network of islands and some remote coastal mainland sites that are made publicly accessible through the efforts of the Maine Island Trail Association. Each year, MITA publishes information on these islands through an annual printed guide as well as a digital app, giving boaters and recreators of all types the resources they need to have experiences in these remarkable places.

Mistake Island from above. Photo by Nick Parson.

Lucky for me, I landed a spot on MITA’s staff upon my return to Maine. Serving as the communications manager and photographer, I find myself in the field a lot. Most of the time it’s aboard one of MITA’s iconic 18’ red skiffs, but I also have the privilege of getting out on my own boat as well. I’ve enjoyed cruising on sailboats for as long as I can remember, but in my role as photographer I now have a more specific purpose when exploring Maine’s islands.

My boat is based in Center Harbor in Brooklin, just north of Deer Isle on the opposite side of Eggemoggin Reach. This positions me near the center of the Maine Island Trail, in the dense region of the Deer Isle Archipelago. As MITA’s photographer, there’s no other place I’d rather be.

Nick's Boat, Aderyn, on the hook at Sheep Island last August. Photo By Nick Parson.

When I’m not gunkholing around myself trying to capture the next sunset or other quintessential “Maine moment”, I spend much of my time photographing the tremendous efforts of our volunteers, all up and down the coast. Each year, we mobilize over 1,000 of them on the Maine Island Trail to do work that ranges from shoreline debris removal to campsite maintenance to privy construction and more. While there are a number of reasons for a landowner to include their island on the Trail, the level of care that MITA provides the land often tops the list.

For us cruisers, how much more fortunate can we get? Maine has thousands of places to drop an anchor, and in almost every possible condition in the summer, we can find protection in the lee of an uninhabited island. If that island is on the Maine Island Trail, then we have the trust of the landowner to explore and experience it, and the work of MITA volunteers to thank for enhancing that experience.

An island clean up lead by the Maine Island Trail Association last June. Photo by Nick Parson.

There’s nothing wrong with exploring Maine through its postcard-perfect towns and idyllic small marinas. There is a lot to see and hear and feel, wherever you find yourself along this coast. But don’t forget about what makes Maine truly one of a kind: the islands. I encourage anyone who visits these waters to build the necessary skills to safely navigate and anchor confidently, because it will open up a part of Maine that I wish everyone could experience but relatively few do. If you have the boat, the time, and the geographic fortune to be here in Maine, then I urge you to go and discover what brought me home.

About the Maine Island Trail Association

The Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of Maine’s wild coastal islands. Founded in 1988, MITA believes that those who explore these remote places can (and should) help preserve them. Through responsible recreation, education, and stewardship, MITA paddlers, sailors, and power boaters help keep the islands healthy for future generations.

Learn more about the Maine Island Trail at mita.org, or join MITA at mita.org/join

Be the first to access boater stories like this one by subscribing
to our boater newsletters,The Running Fix and Dock Talk!