Boating in Acadia NP

Boating

Acadia Outfitters (106 Cottage St. 207/288-8118) rents canoes and sea kayaks. Coastal Kayaking Tours (48 Cottage St. 207/288-9605 or 800/526-8615) conducts tours of the rocky coastline led by registered guides. National Park Sea Kayak Tours (39 Cottage St. 207/288-0342 or 800/347-0940) leads guided kayak tours.

The Bar Harbor Ferry (Bar Harbor Inn Pier. 207/288-2984. www.barharborferry.com) travels six times daily between Bar Harbor and Winter Harbor, home to Acadia National Park's Schoodic Peninsula. Along the way passengers are treated to great views of the mountains and a few lighthouses. A free bus shuttle from the ferry terminal goes to Winter Harbor, Schoodic Point, Birch Harbor, and Prospect Harbor. You can bring a bike along.

The CAT. Surely, the best boat excursions out of Bar Harbor must be the rides on "The CAT," North America's fastest international ferry. This is a high-speed (55 mph) catamaran that, in season, jets from Bar Harbor across the Gulf of Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and back. You can do it all in one day, or you can take one of the one- or two-night package trips that include tours. The CAT can whisk you to Nova Scotia in a mere 2¾ hours You can have lunch at a waterside restaurant, do a little shopping, and come back the same day. On board, you will find a café for food, a bar for drinks, and a duty-free gift shop. The morning departure is around 7:45, and the returns are at 1 and 8:30 PM. 12 Eden St. 888/249-7245. www.catferry.com.

The big 151-foot four-masted schooner Margaret Todd (Bar Harbor Inn Pier. 207/288-4585. www.downeastwindjammer.com) operates 1 1/2- to 2-hour trips three times a day among the islands of Frenchman's Bay from mid-May to October. The sunset sail is the most popular. The schooner Rachel B. Jackson (Harborside Hotel & Marina. 207/288-2216) offers three-day cruises and sunset cruises.

If you are curious about what's lurking in the deep, set sail on The Seal (Bar Harbor Inn Pier. 207/288-3483. www.divered.com). While "Diver Ed" is exploring the sea bottom with his underwater video camera, you can see what he finds by watching an LCD screen on the boat; also get an up-close look at the creatures he brings back.