We are so excited to be offering a trip after 4 months without seeing everyone! Come see one of Maine's most charismatic species on this Maine Audubon-organized trip!
With its colorful, clown-like face and oversized bill, the Atlantic puffin has become one of the Maine coast’s most celebrated icons—a remarkable accomplishment for a species that had nearly disappeared from the state a century ago. Its resurgence is a testament to the dedication of Audubon biologists who led the way in reestablishing Maine’s seabird colonies, including Eastern Egg Rock at the mouth of Muscongus Bay.
This popular evening boat ride sails out of New Harbor to Eastern Egg Rock, where we will circle the island several times for great views of puffins, terns, and other seabirds.
COVID-19 POLICY FROM HARDY BOAT:
Please read the following operating procedures and protocol based on the guidance of the federal CDC, Maine CDC, Maine Dept. of Economic and Community Development and Executive orders from Gov. Janet Mills. These operational policies are in place to limit the transmission of COVID-19.
Passenger expectations:
All passengers should be in compliance with Maine’s 14-day quarantine. Anyone not in compliance with this state order is not permitted to board the HARDY III. New Hampshire and Vermont are now exempt from the 14-day quarantine requirements.
Any passengers exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 should not come to any Hardy Boat Cruises locations.
Passengers must wear face coverings on all docks, ramps, floats and boats. Please bring your own. As per Maine’s state order, passengers are REQUIRED to wear face coverings in public spaces where social distancing cannot always be maintained. Ferries, as buses and other public transit, are defined as a public space.
Passengers must practice social distancing at all times where possible on all docks, ramps, floats and boats.
Passengers are expected to practice good hand hygiene. Hand sanitizer will be made available on premises and required immediately before boarding.
LOGISTICS: We will meet at the Hardy Boat Cruises Dock. The boat will leave promptly at 5:00PM. Hardy Boat requests that you arrive 30 minutes before you scheduled departure time. We plan to be out until 7:00PM. Please allow for adequate time to make it through the bottle neck at the Wiscasset Bridge.
WHAT TO BRING: Masks will be required for the entire trip. If you do not have a mask please let us know and we can provide one for you. Dress appropriately. We suggest dressing in layers. Remember the weather on the Maine coast is changeable. Bring binoculars, camera, hat, sunscreen and sunglasses. If you need binoculars, MYBC can provide them for you. We will be on a boat, so if you tend toward seas sickness please take proper precautions.
PARKING: $5 per day per vehicle and payable in CASH ONLY. No credit cards or personal checks are accepted. Parking is located around the corner from the dock in a large grassy field. The dock is a short walk from the parking area. Hardy Boat asks that you come prepared with exact change for your parking fee to limit staff/customer contact. All parking fees will be paid for at the ticketing booth on the dock.
CANCELLATION: In the event that weather or sea conditions make the trip impossible, we will reach out to the parent of any kids who are signed up to attend, We will do so as soon as we are notified of any scheduling changes.
We have 5 seats available for young birders. Please RSVP if you plan to attend and fill out this WAIVER. We do encourage parents to attend this event as well. There is no cost for the kids to attend and sending an RSVP to this email is all they need to do to register. However, parents will need to purchase a ticket on Maine Audubon's website in order to attend the trip. If there are any financial concerns please contact us at info@maineyoungbirders.org to request assistance to attend.
