After weeks exploring Nova Scotia, we boarded the CAT high-speed ferry from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor — a 3.5-hour crossing that brought our Maritimes adventure full circle.
Loading the RV Below Decks
Getting a full-size RV onto a high-speed ferry is its own small adventure. The CAT runs from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to Bar Harbor, Maine, and the crossing takes about 3.5 hours — fast enough that you barely have time to settle in before the Maine coast appears on the horizon. Loading was straightforward: RVs go below decks, and once you're parked and chocked, you head upstairs to the passenger lounge for the duration of the crossing.
"It's the kind of in-between time that travel gives you: not quite here, not quite there, just moving through open water with nowhere else to be."
The Lounge, the Views, and the Writing
The lounge on the CAT is a genuinely nice space — comfortable seating, big windows, a café for breakfast, and enough quiet corners to get some writing done. We watched the Nova Scotia coastline recede behind us while the Atlantic opened up ahead. It's the kind of in-between time that travel gives you: not quite here, not quite there, just moving through open water with nowhere else to be.
Dogs Onboard — Sort Of
Our dogs had to stay in the RV for the crossing, which meant the first order of business on arrival in Bar Harbor was a long walk on solid ground. They were patient about it, but you could tell they were ready to stretch their legs. Bar Harbor in September is beautiful — the summer crowds have thinned, the light is golden, and the dogs were thrilled to be back on terra firma sniffing every inch of the dock area.
The End of a Great Trip
From Bar Harbor we turned south and headed home, the Maritimes trip officially behind us. Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick — each province had offered something distinct, and the CAT crossing felt like the right punctuation mark at the end of it all. If you're planning a Maritimes loop with an RV, the ferry is absolutely worth it. It saves hundreds of miles of driving and gives you a moment to breathe before re-entering the familiar rhythms of home.
