Rockland Harbormaster’s Office

06/10/2026

Did you know that Maine is one of two states with an official State Merchant Marine Flag??

This flag is a little too big to fly on the Harbor Boat so it flys on the building.

The other flag you'll see flying on the pier this summer that you may not recognize is the burgee for the Rockland Yacht Club - it'll be flying when there's a launch driver on duty.

For more info on the Maine Merchant Marine flag check out this article by Rocklands' own Island Institute:
https://www.islandinstitute.org/working-waterfront/maine-has-an-official-merchant-mariner-flag/

05/22/2026

Hi Friends!
It sure felt like summer these past few days, which allowed us to make great progress on pulling together the public landing for the boating season. We’re almost there—just a couple more things to check off the list. But based on the number of boats in the mooring field, you all are busy getting your boats ready, too. We should be ready around the same time!

05/01/2026

Hi Friends!

Fit-out season is here!

We are getting our floats ready to go back into the water and that means safety inspections - one of the ongoing maintenance categories is chain maintenance.

we use chain to secure the floats to our pilings. Chain is hardened galvanized steel. The friction inherent in anything maritime + saltwater eventually breaks the galvanization and the friction wears the chain away. This wear is often hidden from view during daily seasonal use, despite daily visual inspections. There are so many backups in our systems that a single point failure if rarely catastrophic and gets repaired ASAP. Unfortunately in such a dynamic environment there's no getting around wear points - its about managing them and keeping them to the easy to replace/affordable parts.

Prior to annual launching, we take a closer look and replace chains, shackles etc to set us up for success for the season.

Photos below:
Chain bail as it normally looks during the season - the PVC rollers help keep the chain from fetching up and holding the floats up or down, they also hide corrosion from view

Chain section often hidden under the PVC rollers - rusty looking but otherwise fine?

Chain section slacked- now we can see the wear pattern and that the chain has about 25% wear. Wear tends to accelerate once its gotten started so we replaced this section. We use lanocoat on the shackle threads so that the salt water has a harder time fusing them together.

PS. Now think about the hidden wear on your mooring chain....thank goodness for our mooring inspectors, Fields Dive Service, Calligan Dive Service Llc and Two Harbor Marine for providing annual inspections!

04/24/2026

The Harbor Dept is excited about the Earth-Day-Harborside-Cleanup tomorrow!

We started early and took some of the bait buckets that accumulate at the Rockland Municipal Fish Pier and ran them through the dish washer at one of our local restaurants (thanks Mosaic!) so that folks can use them to collect trash around the harbor.

a reminder to please sign up via the link below so that our team can keep the day running smoothly!

https://rocklandmaine.gov/204/Earth-Day-Harborside-Cleanup

03/11/2026

Our hearts go out to everyone involved today. Thankfully no lives were lost.

BOSTON — A crew from U.S. Coast Guard Station Boothbay Harbor rescued three people from the water approximately 23 miles south of Boothbay Harbor Wednesday morning at 9:02 a.m.Station Boothbay Harbor

03/11/2026

03/09/2026

Hi Friends!

With the warm up this week I'm sure some of ya'll will start thinking about boating season in earnest. Here are a few answers to my anticipated FAQ this week:

Docks go in May 15

Mooring Permit info is Due March 15th
Walk in office Hours are 9-11 Tuesday and Weds. Otherwise please make an appointment. Online and mail-in are also perfectly reasonable options.

Yes, we have a waitlist for moorings - there is movement, but if you are just now making plans for this season you might want to have some backups options. Waitlist process is governed by state law- even if we like you the Most, you still have to wait just like everyone else.

The water is STILL frigid even though the air is warm. Kayakers and small boaters especially please, don't. (look, we haven't even seen the first ice-shack sink yet on the lakes. It's Not time for boating yet...) If you must get out on the water this week, please dress appropriately, file a float plan with someone on shore and take your VHF radio with you and have it On.

with love,

Harbor-mom

02/28/2026

Good Morning Friends!

Reminder that Mooring Permit info (excise tax and mooring inspection) and payment for current mooring holders are due March 15th.

Yes, summer really is coming and we need your info sooner than later so we can move on to the next steps getting the Public Landing ready for ya'll.

If you are interested in getting on the waitlist for a mooring permit please visit:
https://my.onlinemooring.com/rocklandme/home.aspx
waitlist application doesn't guarantee a permit for this upcoming summer.

Additional info for summer planning on the City website: https://rocklandmaine.gov/216/Harbor-Waterfront-Department

Article VII of the City’s Code established the Harbor and Waterfront Department. The Harbormaster is charged with the care of the harbor and the “vessels and rafts therein”.

01/28/2026

Nothing like hand-clearing snow to make us grateful for those who operate the big snow removal machines!

Here's to the City of Rockland Department of Public Services, who have been plowing, salting, and shoveling since the snow started Sunday to clear roads and sidewalks (and launch ramps!) so we can all get to where we need to go.

A big thank you to the crew!

01/26/2026

Due to the storm the Rockland Harbor offices will be closed tomorrow, Monday, January 26. They will reopen on Tuesday, January 27.