Thomaston Town Inlet

About

Introduction:

Thomaston is a small Maine village that is located about 11 miles up the St. George River from where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Geographically, Thomaston is 14 miles west of Vinalhaven and 22 miles northeast of Pemaquid Point.

The image above is a view from the east looking west over the St. George River where it bends into the town of Thomaston north of Hospital Point. Off on the right-hand (north) side of the image is the Lymnan Morse shipbuilding facility where some of the finest down-east Maine boats are manufactured. They have a lift for haul-outs and related repairs. Off to the left around the forested point of land are Jeff’s Marine Service and the Thomaston Town Docks. Both facilities accept transient guests and Jeff’s Marine Service has a lift for haul-outs.

Navigating the Water:

Use NOAA Chart 13301.

The passage to Thomaston is fairly simple and straightforward, as the river is well-marked at its shallow edges yet deep for most of its length.

The St. George River empties into the Atlantic Ocean just west of Caldwell Island near Goose Rock. Green can buoy “1” not only marks the beginning of the passage upriver, but also marks the location of Rock Ledge, a rock outcropping with seven-foot depths. Green can buoy “1” is located near waypoint N43 56.14 W069 18.64.

Once you have picked up green can buoy “1,” set a course to the north to intercept green can buoy “3,” which marks the location of five-foot-deep Gay Cove Ledge. After you have cleared green can buoy “3,” set a new course of approximately 057 degrees magnetic for 1.1 miles to pick up green can buoy “5” at Pleasant Point. From this point you can head upriver, staying in center channel, but using your chart and the buoys in place to keep out of trouble.

After green can buoy “5,” you will follow green can buoy “7,” green can buoy “9,” green can buoy “11,” green can buoy “13,” green can buoy “15,” and then red nun “16” and flashing green “21” into the town of Thomaston. Flashing green 21 is visible in the image above on top of a large concrete structure, and several private aids to navigation can also be seen.

A fixed bridge with a vertical clearance of five feet limits navigation upstream. Depths in the harbor are between 14 and 16 f

Local Notices to Mariners:

Local Notices to Mariners are available online from the U.S. Coast Guard.