Gagetown

Gagetown is a village of 700 people (2016) in the Saint John River Valley region of New Brunswick.

Understand
It is the birthplace of Sir Leonard Tilley, a Father of Canadian Confederation.

It hosts an artists' colony and marina on the Saint John river between the entrances to Washdemoak Lake and Grand Lake, two excellent three season sailing paradises. From the sea, The reversing falls at Saint John present an obstacle except during slack tide, when many vessels transit the gorge. The sea side harbour hosts cruise ships and ocean cargo vessels, with a public dock attached below the Delta Hotel, beside the Coast Guard dock, at one end of the sheltered pedestrian walk to the farmer's market at city centre, about half a mile walk away, with many other shopping facilities and attractions nearby. The river continues on, up to just below downtown Fredericton, where a railway bridge no longer opens to sailboats, about above the falls.

The military base, CFB Gagetown, is closer to Oromocto, to the west of the village.

Get in
From the east or west, take Route 2 (Trans-Canada Highway) and exit onto Highway 102 south.

From Saint John and the Bay of Fundy, take Highway 7 north from Saint John to Grand Bay-Westfield, then exit onto Highway 102 north.

From Fredericton, there is a Maritime Bus 3-4 times a day to Oromocto (15 min, $8-12). From there, you have to take a 30-min taxi ride to Gagetown.

Fredericton is the nearest commercial airport.

See

 * The annual Marblehead to Halifax racing flotilla rendezvous at Douglas Harbour in Grand lake.

Do
Sailing charters and chateau cabins with moorings are available, but are scarce and need to be booked in advance.

Sleep
The Falls, Kennebacasis Bay, Long Reach, Belleisle Bay, Evandale and the lakes provide affordable accommodations for sailors and many free docks and moorings. Solitude, fishing and water sports are attractions, as are river hotels common during steamship days but scarcer now, offer quality shoreside berths, or shoreside camping facilities.