“Grand Slam” Mid-Coast Maine

20-Lighthouse Photography Tour

General Information & Policies

Boat

The Friendship V is a 112’ Jet-powered Catamaran. She is all aluminum and travels at 28 knots or 31 miles per hour. She has three decks and lots of outside viewing space and comfortable seating in the main cabin, the second deck cabin and on top of the boat. She has a full galley with a bar and three heads (bathrooms). The picture above was taken of the Friendship V near Owls Head Light by Bob Trapani Jr.

Cancellation Policy and Disclaimer

If the tour cancels for any reason you will receive a full refund. If you cancel 14 days before the tour date or sooner, you will receive a full refund. If you cancel between 13 and 7 days before the tour you will receive a 50% refund on the price of the ticket. If you cancel within 6 days of the tour and it goes there are no refunds but you can have a rebook ticket for a future tour (if one takes place) plus any increase in the fare.  The tour host or trip leaders will be taking pictures of tour participants enjoying this tour. Please understand that your likeness or image could be used in future advertising for these tours or various social media related to lighthouses.

Check in, Drivers License, Coast Guard Security

On the day of the tour, you will not need to check in at the whale watch ticket office when you arrive. Instead there will be a registration table at the top of the ramp that goes down the left side of the Harbor Place building as you are facing the front door. Please check in at the table and you will be directed to the bottom of the ramp to form a line before having your picture taken by seaside images and then directed to an area under a tent on the dock. From there you will need to show proof of identification i.e. a drivers license if you are 18 or older. This is a Coast guard requirement under the Department of Homeland Security for a passenger vessel with a capacity of more than 149 people. Some people maybe chosen for screening. Thank you for your cooperation.

Coffee

On the morning of the tour you will be able to purchase coffee and a large variety of specialty coffee drinks at Sunrise Cafe located on the dock at Harbor Place before the trip departs. During the trip you made purchase coffee and tea at the galley on the boat.

Date

Sunday, September 24, 2023.

Departure and Return

Leaves from Harbor Place, 1 West Street, Bar Harbor at 8:30 am

Return: 5:30 pm.

Boarding: Between 7:45 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.

Pre-Trip Welcome and Announcements at the dock: 8:15 a.m.

Food Included

Breakfast: Fruit and Bagels with Cream Cheese. Lunch: Gourmet Sandwiches, Clam Chowder, Cookies, Chips, Pickle and a bottle of water. When you register you will be able to choose one of three specialty gourmet sandwiches made by Sunrise Cafe.

Galley

There is a full galley and bar where you may purchase water, soda, coffee, tea, beer and beverages along with additional food items, including candy bars, popcorn and hot dogs. The galley will be cash only so please bring cash for purchases.

Guides

Enjoy fascinating stories and narration from expert guides: Jeremy D’ Entremont, New England’s Preeminent Lighthouse Expert & Author of 20 Books, Bob Trapani Jr., American Lighthouse Foundation Ex. Dir. and Lighthouse Author, Zack Klyver, naturalist, historian, and tour host & Michael Leonard, of "Phototourismbymike.com", who will assist you in taking your "best shots."   At each light we will stop for 8-10 minutes to hear the history from our lighthouse experts and additional narration describing wildlife and scenery will happen while underway.

Lighthouse Books for Sale & Signing

Jeremy and Bob will have books available for purchase and will hold a book signing in the main cabin in the afternoon. Please bring cash if you are interested in purchasing these amazing books.

Lights Visited and Route

The order of the lighthouses and route will be as follows: Bear Island • Bass Harbor • Blue Hill Bay • Pumpkin Island • Eagle Island • Mark Island • Goose Rocks • Brown’s Head • Grindle Point • Curtis Island • Indian Island • Rockland Breakwater • Owls Head • Heron Neck • Saddleback Ledge • Isle Au Haut • Burnt Coat Harbor • Baker Island • Winter Harbor • Egg Rock • We designed this route to be mostly in the protection of outer islands and this increases our chances of going and not having to cancel if there are big seas offshore. If we need to on the day of we may re-route the tour to visit lights further up in Penobscot Bay that are more protected in place of offshore lights that are exposed to the open ocean. We sincerely hope that will not happen but want to make sure that we are able to operate the tour for people that are coming from afar.

Light Route Cont. - Islands, Bays, Schooners, and More

We slalom through 100’s of pristine islands and and exquisite coastal mansions. Travel through Eggemoggin Reach - between Brooklin and Deer Isle, the Fox Island Thouroughfare - between North Haven and Vinalhaven, and along the coast of Camden to Rockland. We will have the chance to photograph sailing vessels, schooners, and lobster boats fishing. You will have ample opportunities to get your "Best Shot". During the tour we visit five bays including: Frenchman, Blue Hill, Isle au Haut, Jericho, and Penobscot.

Marine Wildlife and Acadia National Park

On many past all day light tours we have encountered much marine wildlife including harbor porpoise, harbor and grey seals, bluefin tuna, ocean sunfish, sharks, bald eagles and a great variety of seabirds. On some past trips we had up close and excellent views of Minke, Humpback and Finback Whales. In the morning, after departing Bar Harbor, we will travel along the shoreline of Acadia National Park and Ocean Drive and you will learn about early Native American, French, and park history.

Mike Leonard Bio.

Mike leads the Southern Maine Adobe Photoshop User Group and has attended 15+ Photoshop world training conventions and many classes. He worked for 36+ years in Television production and engineering and brings his expertise in technical knowledge to assist people in making the complex simple. Mike has been instrumental in bringing Photo Tourism to Maine through offering photography classes and working with the Maine Tourism Office. Mike also offers a wide variety of photo services. Visit www.phototourismbymike.com to learn more and the Photo Events page. 

Parking

Maine Coast Lights is not responsible for parking or any parking fees on the day of the tour. There is both metered and paid parking in Bar Harbor from May through October. On Sunday paid parking is required between 12 PM to 8 PM. We recommend you find paid parking near Harbor Place where the parking is $2.00/hour for Kiosk metered parking. To make sure that you are covered for the day you may choose to pay for parking from 12 to 8.

When you find a parking spot for your car in one of the Kiosk Parking Areas take note of your license plate number. When you get to the kiosk you will be asked to put in the license plate number, then a credit card and then you can adjust the parking meter for the time you need. The parking meter will begin at 12Pm so if you put 6 hours it will cover your parking from 12 to 6, or 8 hours will be 12 to 8 pm. Please see the map below which shows Harbor Place, the location of the Friendship V – your vessel, and the parking areas and Kiosks where you can purchase parking. You do not need to put the ticket on your car dash, it is recorded in the system digitally, but you will receive a printed receipt. For a more detailed online version of the Bar Harbor Town Parking map please go HERE.

We recommend that you look first for parking on or near the town pier in parking areas 78, 6, 8, and 10. If those spots are full you can proceed up the hill on Main Street past the downtown park known as the “Agamont Park” and turn onto Newport Drive into parking area 44 above the park. There is an electric charging station here. If that is full then next, try behind the West Street Hotel in parking area 42. Lastly, you can then try drive back down West Street until you reach the Kiosk parking at West and Bridge Street and from there all the way to Eden Street is kiosk parking. 

Lastly and importantly. I recommend you download the mobile parking app on your cell phone before the tour. HERE is the link to that website/app. Once you load the app and the location (Bar Harbor) on your phone, you can then go on to the app if needed and add more time. You will need to remember which parking area you parked in. We should have WIFI service throughout most or much of the tour as we do not venture far from land. This app will be important to have to avoid a parking fee if for some reason the boat comes back to the dock late because of unforeseen circumstances. Another option would be to pay the additional fee for the whole day from 12-9 pm. If you have any questions please call me at 207-460-9575.

Photography Program, "Make your best Shot" on Sept. 23

Michael Leonard will offer a superb power point slide program from 7 to 8:30 at Jesup Memorial Library on Saturday, Sept 23rd on photography. This will both be a in person event and virtual. You will need to register with Jesup Libray to attend and we will send along the registration link when it is available. See the attached flyer.

Seaside Images

When you are being checked in before the tour there will be a photographer from Seaside Images who takes pictures of people on all the tours. You will stand behind a buoy with the name Friendship V. The photo package costs $20 and includes a printed 6x8 as well as a digital image. The picture packages will be on display as you exit the tour for purchase on the dock.

 

Ticket Price and Purchasing

Tickets cost $239/person. Please click on the "Register" button above to be taken to an Event page where you can complete a registration form and find an address to mail a check. Please bring a printed copy of your ticket or a copy on your phone the day of the tour to check in.

US Lighthouse Society Passport Stamps

We will have US Lighthouse Passport Books for sale onboard the tour. Additionally, we will have stamps for all 20 lighthouses we will visit onboard. There is a suggested donation of $2 per stamp so please bring additional cash to support the USLHS if you are interested in having your passport book stamped.