Ride The Star Island Mailboat

Get an insider's view at island logistics on M/V Shining Star.

This is the only excursion that we offer where you do not have to rent the entire boat. Must Call ahead and book reservation!

2024 Schedule - Coming Soon

**Mailboat service to Star Island will continue through the fall - please call Captain Jack at (207) 337-0446 for availability!**

Example Schedule:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday - Leaving Kittery at 8:15am (estimated time - please be prepared to depart a little earlier or later) and returning before 11:00am. Please note that loading supplies can cause delays - we will call you if there is going to be a long delay.

Tuesday Afternoons - We offer an expanded trip which includes a guided tour of the islands and a tour of the grey seal colony on neighboring Duck Island. This trip departs Kittery around 1:20 pm, returning to the dock at around 6:00 pm.

**Mail Boat service will continue into October - Please call us for availability!**

Other Mail Run trips are available throughout the season from April to October, on which there is usually room for guests. These trips often have a quick turnaround, and do not always allow for island walks. Guests are welcome on all of these runs, space permitting.

Departing from Pepperrell Cove in Kittery, ME!

Look for the M/V Shining Star

Rates

Monday, Wednesday, Friday - $30/person. Children 12 and under ride for free.

Tuesday Afternoons - $40/adult & $20/child

Call us today to reserve your spot and for more details!

More details about Riding The Mailboat!

While most of our charters are private group trips by advance reservation, we do offer individual tickets on scheduled mail and freight runs to Star Island at the Isles of Shoals. Star Island supports a population of up to four hundred people in the summer. This historic location is little-changed since its heyday in earlier centuries. These trips provide an insider’s view into the comings and goings of island life, and are an interesting and unique way to experience the Isles of Shoals.

On a typical trip, guests will ride out with mail, food, freight and whatever else is headed out to Star Island that day- along with commuting island staff, hotel guests and volunteers. Some trips include a stop at the local lobster wharf to pick up the evening’s meal.

In summer, our coastal weather is generally calmest on the morning trips. On the way, out we typically see seals, porpoises and the occasional whale- in addition to gannets, loons and a variety of other birds, including bald eagles. We will most often pass close to working fisherman and commercial traffic navigating the Piscataqua River. The run to the Isles of Shoals takes about an hour. Guests are welcome to engage in conversation with the crew, help navigate the boat or simply enjoy the ocean breezes and the sunshine sparkling on the water.

Once at the island, visitors have the opportunity for a self-guided forty-five-minute walk ashore (morning trips only) of beautiful Star Island (don’t forget to peek into the historic stone chapel) while the vessel is unloaded and readied for the return trip.

On the return trip back to America (as the original Isles of Shoalers would say) the passenger list may include island staff and guests as well as mail, luggage, recycling, empty fuel tanks and the occasional surprise. (We have hauled everything from pianos to palm trees and everything in between.)

We encourage you to grab some breakfast and a coffee to go, and join us for a fun and fascinating experience.

Last minute reservations are encouraged, as long as we have room on the boat.