Visit the Sunbeam

Each summer, Maine Seacoast Mission welcomes the public aboard its iconic boat. Two recurring opportunities are Sunbeam Cruises and Open Houses and Guided Sunbeam Dock-Side Tours.

Cruises and Open Houses

• Cruise from the Northeast Harbor Marina on Wednesday, June 24 at 5:30 p.m. (boarding at 5:00 p.m.)
• Open House with the Wilson Museum at the Castine Town Dock on Sunday, June 28 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Cruise from the Northeast Harbor Marina on Thursday, July 9 at 5:30 p.m. (boarding at 5:00 p.m.)
• Cruise to the Frenchboro Lobster Festival from the Northeast Harbor Marina on Saturday, August 1 (8:30 a.m. boarding time and 3:30 p.m. return) 
• Cruise from the Northeast Harbor Marina on Saturday, August 22 at 11:00 a.m. (boarding at 10:30 a.m.)
• Cruise at the Northeast Harbor Marina on Thursday, September 3 at 5:30 p.m. (5:00 p.m. boarding time)

Registration is required for all cruises. To register email [email protected] or call (207) 801-6008.

Sunbeam Tours are guided, dockside tours that take place each Friday at 1:00 p.m. starting on Friday, July 10 and continuing until Friday, September 11 at its home port at the Northeast Harbor Marina. Visitors will learn about the organization’s history and its programming on unbridged islands and in the Downeast region. During the tour, attendees will glimpse the boat’s inner workings, learn the Mission’s history of service, and understand what is needed to provide year-round services to island communities.

These events are free, open to the public, and kid-friendly. Please note the Northeast Harbor town dock and ramp are not accessible to wheelchairs. Visitors should be able to maneuver up and down stairs.  

The current Sunbeam, the fifth of its name, has been in service since 1995 and received a total refit in 2020. The boat regularly visits six unbridged islands offering both education, outreach, and medical services. These programs support residents of all of Maine’s 15 unbridged islands with year-round populations.