For the first time ever, it will soon be possible to take a trip to and from Frenchboro in one day, year round.
After several years of effort and discussion, the State Ferry Service has agreed to add periodic one-day round-trip runs to Frenchboro from Bass Harbor. Until now, ferry service was limited to one-way trips on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. This meant one could go on or off the island on one of those three days, but not both in one day. For single-day visits, residents and visitors were limited to a Friday passenger-only ferry that ran only from April to November.
The new ferry will run the first and third Wednesdays of the month, beginning in July. The boat will leave Bass Harbor at 9 a.m. and then depart Frenchboro at 10 a.m. On the afternoon run, it will leave Bass Harbor at 2 p.m. and return from Frenchboro at 3 p.m.
For island residents, the change makes some new things possible. It will allow islanders to attend doctor or dentist appointments on Mount Desert Island without staying overnight. Because the Wednesday afternoon boat doesn’t leave until after the end of the school day, island children will be able to go off-island with their families and miss only one day of school instead of two. And if an islander is especially quick, there might be time to dart into Ellsworth for a stock-up run and return the same day.
For those coming onto the island, this will also provide flexibility. Repairmen and other short-term workers will be able to make single-day trips to the island. Since the time falls right in the middle of the school day, it will permit guidance counselors, special-education teachers, and other specialists from the school district to come to Frenchboro school for a day without paying for a chartered run. And the length of time available on the island, 5 ½ hours, may prove to be perfect for some day-trippers interested in a shorter trip than the nine-hour day the Friday boat provides.
Despite the obvious benefits, adding the ferry run was not a simple matter. Because Frenchboro shares its ferry, the Captain Henry Lee, with Swans Island, Swan’s will lose some of its runs to accommodate Frenchboro. The timing of the runs will also require slight overtime for the ferry crew, which is a cost to the system.
The change will be reviewed in January, when the Ferry Service reviews and adjusts all its island runs.
Cherie Galyean is a freelance writer living in Bar Harbor.