Join the Mission and visit the 74-foot, flagship vessel Sunbeam during cruises and Friday guided, dock-side tours this summer in Northeast Harbor.
Cruises and open houses include:
- Cruise at the Northeast Harbor Marina on Wednesday, June 24 at 5:30 p.m. (5:00 p.m. boarding time)
- Open House at the Castine Town Dock on Sunday, June 28 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. with the Wilson Museum
- Cruise at the Northeast Harbor Marina on Thursday, July 9 at 5:30 p.m. (5:00 p.m. boarding time)
- Frenchboro Lobster Festival cruise to Frenchboro on Saturday, August 1 (8:30 a.m. boarding time and 3:30 p.m. return)
- Cruise at the Northeast Harbor Marina on Saturday, August 22 at 11:00 a.m. (10:30 a.m. boarding time)
- Cruise at the Northeast Harbor Marina on Thursday, September 3 at 5:30 p.m. (5:00 p.m. boarding time)
Your gift to the Maine Seacoast Mission makes you part of all we do.
The dock-side tours are every Friday at 1:00 p.m. starting on Friday, July 10 and continuing until Friday, September 11. The Sunbeam is docked at the Northeast Harbor Marina on Sea Street.
During the cruises, visitors can tour the boat and learn more about the work the Mission does on outer islands and in Downeast Maine. Cruises last approximately 90 minutes and are weather dependent.
Walk-aboards are guided, dock-side visits on the Sunbeam while it is docked in Northeast Harbor. During the tour, attendees will get a glimpse of the boat’s inner workings, learn more about the Mission’s history of service, and understand what is needed to provide year-round services to island communities. This is a guided tour that lasts 30 minutes and during these tours the Sunbeam will not leave the dock.
The Frenchboro Lobster Festival is on Saturday, August 1 and the Sunbeam will transport attendees to the festival on the island. The boat will leave the dock at 8:30 a.m. and will return that afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Attendees will need to pay for their own meal at the event.
The Sunbeam will also be at the Wilson Museum in Castine on Sunday, June 28 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. during the museum’s Hands-On History Open House. The boat will be at the Castine Town Dock which is a 15-minute walk from the museum.
The Sunbeam regularly visits six unbridged islands offering both education, outreach, and medical services. The Mission’s island-based programs support residents of all of Maine’s 15 unbridged islands with year-round populations. The current Sunbeam, the fifth of its name, has been in service since 1995 and received a total refit in 2020. With the assistance of the Sunbeam, the Mission provides health services, education programming, and community building initiatives to year-round populations on Maine’s remote islands. In addition, a full-time nurse offers flu and Covid vaccination clinics, leads a network of eldercare facilities, conducts healthcare check-ups, and connects residents to mainland specialists.
These events are free, open to the public, and kid-friendly. During cruises, children must wear life jackets while the boat is in motion if they are out on the deck. Please note the Northeast Harbor town dock and ramp are not accessible to wheelchairs. Visitors should be able to maneuver up and down stairs.
Registration is required for all cruises, please contact [email protected] or call (207) 801-6008. For a full list of Sunbeam events, click here.