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V O L . X X X N O. X X I V O C T O B E R 2 1 , 2 0 2 4 22 M I D C O A S T / D OW N E A S T F O C U S I n June 2020, the city of Eastport hosted Norwegian Cruise Lines' 785-foot ship Oceania Riviera when is was looking for refuge during the pandemic. "We somewhat infamously housed the Riviera for almost two months," says Chris Gardner, Eastport Port Authority's director. "at was really a turning point for the port. ey had crew aboard who couldn't get off. So we brought them in." Over the past two decades, Eastport — an island city bordering Canada — has become a stop for a handful of small to mid-size cruise ships during the spring and fall. e Riviera, with 11 passenger decks, tow- ered over the small downtown. e arrival highlighted the port's ability to host large cruise ships, which had been identified by the city and the port authority as a desirable market sec- tor. Cruise lines noticed. "Last year we 'auditioned' the Zaandam," says Gardner. "People were nervous: 'Oh my gosh, a couple of thou- sand people will be in Eastport. What will we do? e island will flip over.'" But the visit of Holland America's 781-foot ship, with a capacity for 1,432 passengers, was a success. "We planned a coming-out party, so to speak," says Gardner. "e weather was the star of the day. Not a cloud, 68 degrees. People got off the boat; busi- nesses were ready." After the boat left, the port authority heard from Holland America that the stop was the highest-rated on the itiner- ary, Gardner says. "at's when we knew we could do this," he says. Strong attributes Eastport is in something of a renais- sance. Attributes include a strong cargo capacity with the deepest natural seaport in the continental U.S. ere's a robust fishing fleet. e arts and culture scene is anchored by the Tides Institute & Museum of Art, Eastport Arts Center, numerous galleries and art-focused events such as the Mermaid and the Witches of Eastport festivals. A historic district encompasses a five-block stretch of downtown Water Street. Building on those attributes, the city is marketing itself as a stop for more and larger cruise ships. And the downtown is attracting a number of new businesses. ere's synergy between the sectors. "As much as I say the weather was the star of the day, the commu- nity was," Gardner says of the cruise ship scene. "e community is very E A S T P O R T RESURGENCE The Washington County city showcases a growing cruise ship market and new downtown businesses B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y L E O K OWA L , E A S T P O R T P O R T A U T H O R I T Y P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y L E O K OWA L , E A S T P O R T P O R T A U T H O R I T Y Eastport's downtown, with the Tides Institute in the foreground and the breakwater pier in the background, is seeing more new businesses. When the city last year successfully "auditioned" the Zaandam, Holland America's 781-foot ship, "That's when we knew we could do this," says Chris Gardner.

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