The Isles of Shoals Steamship Company (ISSCO), which provides tours of Portsmouth Harbor, the greater Piscataqua River, and the Isles of Shoals as well as party ships, wedding charters, and educational field trips, will offer a new Star Island Sunset Walkabout Tour each Tuesday evening beginning on June 29th.
The tour, on ISSCO’s ship, the M/V Thomas Laighton, will leave ISSCO headquarters at the Port of New Hampshire (315 Market Street, Portsmouth) at 5:25 PM, arrive at Star Island at approximately 6:45, returning to Portsmouth around 8:45.
The Sunset Walkabout Tour gives guests nearly an hour to explore Star Island’s rugged beauty and visit the historic Oceanic Hotel that, for nearly a century, has hosted summer retreats, workshops, and conferences sponsored by the Star Island Corporation. The hotel has a snack bar and gift shop and now offers overnight accommodations (up to one week) through “personal retreats.”
In addition to the Sunset Walkabout, ISSCO will also introduce a new Sunset Tour of Portsmouth Harbor every Friday from 5:55 PM to 7:30 PM, offering guests an opportunity to ease into their weekend by taking in some amazing views of historic Portsmouth, including lighthouses, the city’s stunning waterfront architecture, and the kinetic beauty of a working port.
ISSCO Tours of Portsmouth Harbor and the Isles of Shoals
“For almost 50 years, the Whittaker family has provided transport and adventure to countless New Hampshire Seacoast residents and tourists seeking to visit or explore Star Island,” said ISSCO owner Robin Whittaker. “We hope our new tours offer guests new, exciting perspectives to make touring Portsmouth and the Shoals more enjoyable.”
ISSCO will continue its Historic Isles of Shoals & Portsmouth Harbor Tour (Weekdays: 1:55-4:45 PM; Saturdays: 10:55-1:45 PM; Thursday: 9:25 AM-12:15 PM) that, in two hours, packs enough landmarks, history and human drama for its own reality show network. Portsmouth opens a portal on the past 400 years, with tales of war, pirates, ghosts, monumental murders, earth-shattering explosions, daring sea rescues, life-threatening storms—prisons, yachts, sandpipers, poetry—from the mouth of the great Piscataqua out to the Isles of Shoals.
Day Trips to Star Island on the Thomas Laighton
The first Star Island Walkabout and Stopover is set for Saturday, June 12th The Star Island Stopover and Walkabout take place each Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday on the Laighton’s morning cruise leaving Portsmouth Harbor at 9:25 AM. The Walkabout takes place from 11:15 to 12:00 on Star. Guests return to Portsmouth at 1:15. The Stopover runs from 11:15-3:00. Guests return to Portsmouth at 4:45.
The M/V Thomas Laighton has three decks, two heated, enclosed cabins, and an open Sundeck. The boat holds from 120-150 seated dinner guests; 275 for a cocktail party style cruise; and 300 for a sightseeing tour. The ship has four bathrooms. The vessel features a sweeping brass staircase, a galley bar that sells hot dogs, candy, chips, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages for passengers age 21 and over.
Coast Guard regulations prohibit bringing alcohol or glass bottles aboard. Reservations are not required for daytime sightseeing cruises, but strongly recommended. Party ship or dinner cruise reservations are required, as well as pre-payment in full; those tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.
The Isles of Shoals Steamship Company continues to provide new ways to experience the awe-inspiring group of nine islands off the New Hampshire and Maine coasts, whether your journey’s focus is revelry or reverie.
Andrew Leibs - Andrew Leibs is Suite101’s Feature Writer for Accessible Recreation. He is a longtime chronicler of the disability movement with ...
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