Enjoy an up-close and personal tour
of the natural beauty of coastal Maine!
The
Aaron Thomas: The next best thing to your own personal cabin
cruiser.The Aaron Thomas is a true coastal cruiser, able to navigate the islands comfortably or sneak up to the shore in only a few inches of water. We carry a maximum of six passengers, so it's almost like being on your own personal cabin cruiser.
When you join us for a 3-hour cruise on the Aaron Thomas, you'll enjoy unspoiled nature as we glide past colonies of seals and cormorants basking on the tidal ledges.
You'll watch bald eagles soaring overhead (look closely, and you may spot their nest on one of the small islands as we cruise by). Loons, great blue herons, arctic terns, razorbill auks, and several kinds of gulls are likely to fly past. Curious harbor dolphins occasionally surface for a look at us.
Weather permitting, you'll have an up-close-and-personal view of Atlantic waves breaking against the ledges around Moose Peak Light, shooting into the air in an explosion of green water and foam.
You'll also see the old quarry dock on Head Harbor Island, built of stacked pink-granite blocks as big as refrigerators. You'll discover the lost town of Sealand, once a thriving settlement, now abandoned except for lilac and apple trees that mark the vanished homesteads. And you'll see the island harbor where Samuel de Champlain anchored in the early 1600s on his way to map Maine for the French king Henri IV.
Your crew
Capt. Laura Fish, a U.S. Coast Guard certified captain, is your guide to the natural beauty of Moosabec Reach and its islands. Harry Fish, her brother, pilots the Aaron Thomas through cruising grounds he has known all his life.
Laura and Harry are descendants of Thomas Kelley, whose family settled Kelley Point, Jonesport, in 1772. Schoolteachers during the rest of the year, they decided to carry on their seafaring heritage in 1994 with summer cruises on a boat that bears an old Kelley name.
Your cruise choices
Blue
line indicates our usual cruise course. However, we'll be glad to take you to
Roque Island, around Great Wass, or anywhere else within 3 hours of Jonesport.view
larger imageClassic Moosabec Reach Cruise
3 hours
Eagles and islands and seals, oh my! The Aaron Thomas's quiet tunnel drive lets us ease close to birds and other wildlife, so you can get a good view — or a great photograph.
Due to the cost of fuel, we've had to raise our minimum trip price this year. If you have a group of fewer than 6 people, we will try to fill the remaining places in order to reduce the per-passenger cost for you. Children under 2 are free.
| Classic Moosabec Reach Cruise | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number of Passengers | Cost per Passenger | Total Trip Cost |
| 1 | $200 | $200 |
| 2 | $115 | $230 |
| 3 | $85 | $255 |
| 4 | $70 | $280 |
| 5 | $60 | $300 |
| 6 | $55 | $330 |
Aaron Thomas Day Charter
5 hours
This extended charter includes our 3-hour classic tour of Moosabec Reach, plus 2 hours ashore on an island that you can imagine to be your own. You might like to bring a shore picnic, go hunting for berries, or just enjoy the peace. We also offer the possibility of visiting Moose Peak Light (but take care: going ashore on Mistake Island is tricky).
| Aaron Thomas Day Charter | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number of Passengers | Cost per Passenger | Total Trip Cost |
| 1-6 | N.A. | $500 |
We may get a chance to watch a lobsterman haul his traps, or to wave at the sternman as a boat heads back to the co-op, loaded with the day's catch.
How to find us
Take U.S. 1 to Maine Route 187. Follow Route 187 south into Jonesport. All trips depart from the Jonesport Town Marina on Sawyer Square.
- If coming east from Ellsworth (about 55 miles), allow 1-1/2 hours.
- If coming west from Machias (about 25 miles) allow 40 minutes.
To make a cruise reservation
The Aaron Thomas sails only when chartered. Maximum capacity is 6 passengers. For information about reservations and payments, please click here. To make a reservation, contact Capt. Laura Fish by e-mail, or by phone at 207-801-1957. Please be prepared to leave a phone number where you can be contacted.
To make a cruise reservation
The Aaron Thomas sails only when chartered. Maximum capacity is 6 passengers. To make a reservation, contact Capt. Laura Fish by e-mail, or by phone at 207-801-1957.
Please be prepared to leave a phone number where you can be contacted.
Please watch your step!
We comply with all Coast Guard safety regulations for a vessel of the Aaron Thomas's size. However, boarding, disembarking, and travel aboard the boat are at your own risk.
Dress warmly
It can be chilly out on the water, so bring an extra sweater or jacket — even if you don't think you'll need it.
Got lunch?
Restaurants in town will provide lunches that you can eat on the boat, or take ashore if you've booked a day charter. Among them are:
- The Lighthouse Cafe
(207-497-5650) - Tall Barney's Restaurant
(207-497-2403)
Walking to Moose Peak Light
The Nature Conservancy, which owns Mistake Island, doesn't maintain the landing site. We do not recommend that people with limited agility try to go ashore. After you land, there's a 10-minute hike to the lighthouse over a boardwalk.
Interested in diving?
We'll be glad to customize a vacation experience that includes a dive trip through Dive Downeast, our sister enterprise, along with a tour on the Aaron Thomas. For more information, please contact us.
The Aaron
Thomas is skippered by a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captain and complies with
all USCG safety regulations.