Between Boston and Maine, stopping spots

Kris Cringle

Kris Cringle

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eliboat said:
For sure.  I used to have a dedicated cell booster antenna on my radar pole in order to get reception.   I also remember having to drive to the top of Cadillac mountain to get reliable service to call my girlfriend at the time, that would have been in 2000.  Today it’s a different world, although I agree with Accnick that two carriers is the way to go for more or less full coverage along the coast from Boothbay to Bar Harbor.  Verizon is great in most of Penobscot bay. Further east ATT works better.  There are definitely anchorages that I go to sometimes because they are both secluded and beautiful, but I can also watch a movie on Netflix if I want to. 
 
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In 2000 when we moved to Camden, the locals referred to it as 'Radio Free Camden', the cellular signal was so spotty. We use Verizon now and it improves all the time. 

Good info in these answers. I didn't know some were carrying two providers for better coverage. 

 
Kris Cringle

Kris Cringle

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accnick said:
We use US Cellular way downeast. Got that tip from the lobstermen. ATT good in some areas E of Penobscot Bay. Penobscot Bay and west/south is Verizon country. 

Last year there was a new tower hidden on a hill above NE Harbor, and Verizon is on it. Changed everything at our homebase to have that. Saw the signal after picking up the mooring, but had to scan the hillside with binos to locate the tower.
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When you said you were working remotely in NEH, I thought of the dismal internet the harbor gets. So do you do most of your work off cellular? I think I can see your boat in my mind. I remember the dark blue trawler. 

Nice place to spend some remote working time. 

 
Kris Cringle

Kris Cringle

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Elegua said:
Cell service has improved tremendously over the past 10 years.  I remember having to row the dinghy in small circles in the half of the harbor that got good reception.  Now I can get decent service most places. 

Still not as good as the "shithole" countries I used to live, where I could get solid reception at the top of a 4k meter mountain and other out of the way places.  My personal "best" (worst?) is holding the HR review for my department with the head of HR in Australia while having my wife quietly gybing the assy on an SB3 as we went up the Johore river.  

I'm not ready for video, but I am debating installing a cell booster... 
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Cell booster, is that the go-to for remote workers afloat? What is it? :)

 
Kris Cringle

Kris Cringle

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Elegua said:
Yeah. That and updating the weather over cellular. 
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I just read some reviews on this cell booster: 

image.png

The only measure was a report that it 'boosted signal by two bars'.

So this wouldn't necessarily get a remote worker a signal that he could hot spot to and work online (not a lot of data back and forth, of course), but it could if they were on the fringe of a good signal. 

 
A

accnick

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Kris Cringle said:
When you said you were working remotely in NEH, I thought of the dismal internet the harbor gets. So do you do most of your work off cellular? I think I can see your boat in my mind. I remember the dark blue trawler. 

Nice place to spend some remote working time. 
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I have worked primarily remotely for the last 30 years, in that I have not had a permanent office outside my house or boat except for stretches working in fixed locations around the world for anything from a week to six months at a time, depending on the job.

It's a lot easier now than it used to be. When we were off cruising in our sailboat 20 years ago, I had a Nera mini-M satellite terminal, which was compact, but painfully slow and ridiculously expensive. I used to spend most of my monthly retainer on one job just checking and answering email on that thing.

We haunted internet cafes in various locations around the world in those days.

Fast-forward to today, and on the boat I use multiple cell phones to locate a signal good enough to establish a hotspot, if there is no usable local wifi. If I rent a float or a mooring in a larger harbor (think Camden or Belfast), you usually get a wifi password to use. 

I have a wifi booster that looks like a VHF antenna, with a modem down below. That is usually (but not always) usable even with NE Harbor's lousy public wifi.

As mentioned before, if you are a Comcast/Xfinity customer, you often have access to their local networks, including in odd places like Roque Island. Someone there or nearby is obviously an Xfinity customer

Every Maine public library has free high-speed wifi, even the tiny ones. In pre-covid days, we would just go into one of those if there was no alternative source accessible on the boat.

Is it always convenient? No.

Does it beat going into an office every day? Yes.

This is our current boat, Calypso. Same name as our last sailboat. Not exactly a trawler, but close enough from the perspective of a lot of sailors. I call it a sailor's powerboat. 1962952466_Calypso34.JPG

Stop by and say hello if you see us.

 
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Kris Cringle

Kris Cringle

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accnick said:
I have worked primarily remotely for the last 30 years, in that I have not had a permanent office outside my house or boat except for stretches working in fixed locations around the world for anything from a week to six months at a time, depending on the job.

It's a lot easier now than it used to be. When we were off cruising in our sailboat 20 years ago, I had a Nera mini-M satellite terminal, which was compact, but painfully slow and ridiculously expensive. I used to spend most of my monthly retainer on one job just checking and answering email on that thing.

We haunted internet cafes in various locations around the world in those days.

Fast-forward to today, and on the boat I use multiple cell phones to locate a signal good enough to establish a hotspot, if there is no usable local wifi. If I rent a float or a mooring in a larger harbor (think Camden or Belfast), you usually get a wifi password to use. 

I have a wifi booster that looks like a VHF antenna, with a modem down below. That is usually (but not always) usable even with NE Harbor's lousy public wifi.

As mentioned before, if you are a Comcast/Xfinity customer, you often have access to their local networks, including in odd places like Roque Island. Someone there or nearby is obviously an Xfinity customer

Every Maine public library has free high-speed wifi, even the tiny ones. In pre-covid days, we would just go into one of those if there was no alternative source accessible on the boat.

Is it always convenient? No.

Does it beat going into an office every day? Yes.

This is our current boat, Calypso. Same name as our last sailboat. Not exactly a trawler, but close enough from the perspective of a lot of sailors.  View attachment 439291

Stop by and say hello if you see us.
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I recognize your boat, now. I'm sure I've seen it NEH. Pretty 'office'.

I have to keep up some work correspondence and have been able to hot spot the phone to a laptop, when I need to. It's just going to be more of a thing this season, much more I bet.  

 
Elegua

Elegua

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Kris Cringle said:
I just read some reviews on this cell booster: 

View attachment 439280

The only measure was a report that it 'boosted signal by two bars'.

So this wouldn't necessarily get a remote worker a signal that he could hot spot to and work online (not a lot of data back and forth, of course), but it could if they were on the fringe of a good signal. 
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@accnick Nice boat! What is she? 

Until recently, half of my goal of cruising in Maine was to shake the electronic dog-leash - 12 time-zones and poor connectivity - but more recently I've learned how to manage it better so I am able to check-in enough to keep the juggled balls from dropping and enjoy myself.  When i was younger I would get too wound up and if you gave me something like this, I would have ruined the vacation.  I think I can handle it now  :p .  Worth a try.  Most times these days I'm just hot-spotting my cell phone for data or make a calls. 

 
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A

accnick

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Elegua said:
@accnick Nice boat! What is she? 

Until recently, half of my goal of cruising in Maine was to shake the electronic dog-leash - 12 time-zones and poor connectivity - but more recently I've learned how to manage it better so I am able to check-in enough to keep the juggled balls from dropping and enjoy myself.  When i was younger I would get too wound up and if you gave me something like this, I would have ruined the vacation.  I think I can handle it now  :p .  Worth a try.  Most times these days I'm just hot-spotting my cell phone for data or make a calls. 
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My office: 413003890_theoffice.jpg

 
Ajax

Ajax

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Kris Cringle said:
Between Boston and Maine, we're likely going to see more transiting boats this season than usual. 

There may be a new 'group' out there in 2021, the remote worker.

There are a lot of 'remote' jobs between Boston and Maine, and a lot of boats.

A few remote workers could make it work (my son used his $1 boat a few times to work for his Boston firm), either close to home or even cruising Maine (if they can make the tech work for them). 

View attachment 439135

Do we need a new signal flag to hoist? 'Working Remotely', to keep gabby cruisers at bay? 

How about a shabby basement office background fold out for zoom meetings to keep your boat office secret? 

View attachment 439137

Know any remote workers that will be afloat at times this season? 
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Interesting.  Perhaps my trip north might not be so isolated.

My spousal unit will probably do a little remote work from the boat. My work is classified so, never. 

 
Kris Cringle

Kris Cringle

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No surprise, quite a few people have been working remotely along the coast, already. Some interesting bits from Maine Sailing and Cruising: 

This guy is a professor and was teaching remotely last season: 

I have had a blackboard wall behind my desk for several years. I plan on painting one on the boat this June in hopes that those people I need to have zoom meetings with never notice the change in office location.

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My better half, a musician, sometimes does live concerts from Stinkpot using a HomeBase that works surprisingly well with 10 down and 2 up almost everywhere on the Great Loop! Almost.https://www.att.com/.../3000.../3030/ATT-Home-Base-Z700a.pdf

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When working remotely we are unlikely to go anywhere on work days. The 11 year old can do sailing camp at the Apprentice shop. Anywhere else it all breaks down

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I work aboard the summer season from my phone’s hot spot. Haven’t gone too far afield, so I haven’t had any service issues. In a couple years I plan on cruising full time and working like that...

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I’ve been living and working on my schooner since i sailed up last spring

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Yes, will be working remotely from the boat starting in Maine and then down the ICW. Use cell phone for WiFi hotspot with Shakespeare cell booster. I have AT&T and hubby has Straight Talk so one of us has service just about everywhere. We save the really remote/non-cell locations for the weekends.

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We're Mainers currently cruising and working remotely from the boat. We're in RI making our way south.  We have unlimited wifi through the Calyx Institute (anywhere Sprint and T Mobile work). I don't hide it, but Zoom lets you do a virtual background if you wanted to hide where you are. Maybe put a sock on the ladder when you're on a call?

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Definitely the plan for at least part of the summer but for the most part from our mooring in South Portland rather than cruusing. I know I have a good cell signal from there. The real problem for me is trying to stay comfortable sitting on the boat for a extended time. I'm fine at an ergonomic desk chair but on the boat I need to move much more often, so we will see how it goes.

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I’m there this summer - remote teaching 3 classes while heading up and back from Down East.

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This may be of interest to live-aboards or those who wish to be very connected but Elon Musk confirmed via Twitter that Starlink will be available to moving vehicles as the sats populate the sky. One caveat is that I think in their current form the dishes consume a lot of electricity. Still, if you want 100+ megabit connection at sea..

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I’m impatiently waiting for a marine Starlink kit. The extra speed would help me finish my work earlier and get me out enjoying nature that much sooner each day. Plus not needing to worry about being in 4G range would be a game changer for us

 
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