"Share the Harbor" Cruises See Unprecedented Demand

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's new "Share the Harbor" initiative of free public cruises to the Boston Harbor islands has seen unprecedented interest from the public. The September 29th cruise to Spectacle Island had nearly 1000 people sign up within three days of opening registration.

"This year we piloted a new program with the help of Mass Humanities to host more than a dozen free cruises and each one has been more popular than the last," said Bruce Berman, Director of Strategy and Communication for Save the Harbor.

After setting up a waitlist for the 29th cruise, reservations continued to climb, reaching nearly three times the capacity of the boat before the registration form was closed.

"We've been hosting a couple of free cruises to the Boston Harbor Islands each year for more than a decade and we've never seen this many people sign up for a single cruise," said Berman. "But we've always known there was this level of demand for opportunities to visit the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park, and we're glad to be able to help meet much of it. We'll be hosting another Spectacle Island cruise on October 20th."

In the meantime, those who aren't able to make it on the boat on the 29th can still enjoy Boston Harbor just a short way away in South Boston. Save the Harbor, along with our partners at the City of Boston, Boston Parks and Recreation Department, Greenovate Boston, Boston Harbor Now, The Trust for Public Land, the Boston Circus Guild, Piers Park Sailing Center, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation at Discover Moakley from 10AM-3PM at Moakley Park and the Edward J. McCormack Bathhouse at Carson Beach in South Boston!

"It is going to be a terrific event," said Chris Mancini, Vice President for Programs and Operations at Save the Harbor, "with fun in the park and on the beach featuring free kayaking instruction, art on the shore, fishing, clamming, and our terrific troupe of performing pirates, as well as aerialists, acrobats, hula hoopers and jugglers from the Boston Circus Guild."

The next free "Share the Harbor" trip to Spectacle Island is scheduled for October 20th. This trip is being planned in partnership with the National Park Service, The Department of Conservation and Recreation and Boston Harbor. There is still plenty of room on that trip, but it is sure to fill up fast. Make your reservation for our October 20th trip to Spectacle Island today using this form. 

Visitors will have the opportunity to join Save the Harbor and Park staff for fishing and crabbing on the pier, kite flying on the North Drumlin, and tours of the island including hunting for seaglass on Treasure Beach. Visitors can also explore the island on their own, relax to live jazz music, or join in the fun of a heart healthy hikes, scavenger hunt, tour of the island, and junior ranger swearing in ceremony.

Save the Harbor's "Share the Harbor" sunset cruise to Boston Light, has similarly hit high registration numbers in a short time. More than 1000 people have registered for the cruise in a week, and interested attendees are being placed on a waitlist at this time.