Cruise ship owner eyes Eastport for possible tour stop

The head of a company that runs small cruise ships was scouting out the Eastport area recently to see if visits to the port next year might be feasible. Richard West, chairman of CruiseWest of Seattle, Wash., was checking to see if the 102-passenger Nantucket Clipper, which has previously stopped at Campobello and currently calls at Bar Harbor, Bucksport, Bangor, Camden, Bath, Boothbay Harbor and Portland, might expand its itinerary to include places farther east. He was also making a visit to Jonesport.

CruiseWest is a family-owned cruise line, and Richard West's parents started the business in Alaska in 1946. Today, eight of the company's 10 ships are in Alaska, with only one on the east coast. "Maine is so much like Alaska," observes West.

The 207-foot Nantucket Clipper makes both a spring coastal trip and a fall foliage trip to Maine. West says they are searching for "a real Maine experience" and are interested in the Native American culture. He says among possible activities that the cruise ship passengers might take part in while in the Eastport area include learning about the Passamaquoddy culture, having a lobster bake on an island, visiting the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, kayaking, and visiting sites such as Raye's Mustard Mill. Unlike large cruise ships, he says smaller cruise ship companies have to find programs that would be attractive to their guests.

Among the strengths he and his wife Leslie and friends Karen and Lee Reno identified in Eastport were "the warm and friendly people" and "the welcoming attitude." They note that Bar Harbor is filled with gift shops. "It's good to visit a place so authentic," says West. "We're impressed with our tour of Eastport. It's very attractive, and the people are very friendly and welcoming and eager to assist in any way they can."

Possible weaknesses include the additional distance the cruise ship would have to travel and the fear that many people have not heard of Eastport. Other issues could include clearance through Customs to travel to Campobello and the lack of public restrooms.

West says that it's possible that Eastport could be included on the itinerary for the spring and fall trips in 2007 for the Nantucket Clipper. A decision should be made within the next few weeks.

Along with the visit by CruiseWest, representatives from Destinations Canada/New England, a cruise ship planning team, and Brian Nutter, director of the Maine Port Authority, scoped out the area on June 4, and Robert Hastings, executive director of the chamber of commerce in Rockland, will be visiting Eastport on June 19 to help assess the city's strengths and weaknesses in attracting cruise ships. Cruise lines now make a port of call at Rockland.