Sea Streak Martha's Vineyard Offers Lighthouse Trail Tour of Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound

NEW BEDFORD, MA (6.14.11) – With lighthouses such a source of fascination and delight, Sea Streak Martha’s Vineyard is providing passengers with the opportunity to get up close and personal with the historic sentinels that stand along the shoreline of Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound.
Every Monday through Thursday through October 12th, Sea Streak Martha’s Vineyard will depart from New Bedford at 12:30pm and cruise by six storied lighthouses, arriving in Oak Bluffs at 1:30pm. After a half-hour layover, the vessel will depart at 2:00pm and arrive in New Bedford at 3:00pm. The round-trip fares are: adults, $35; seniors, $31; children 3-12, $20. The tour package includes a brochure recounting some legends and interesting facts about each lighthouse.
The Lighthouse Trail Tour is an opportunity to combine a bit of history with the amenities of Sea Streak Martha’s Vineyard during an enjoyable cruise, said Sea Streak General Manager Paul Dunphy. Our captains get a lot of questions about the lighthouses from passengers, especially those who are visiting the area for the first time. This tour is a nostalgic look back to the days when lighthouses were navigational aids that represented hope for safe passage.
The scenic Lighthouse Trail passes by Palmer’s Island Light in the Acushnet River on the west side of the entrance to New Bedford Harbor, the scene of the tragic death of the keeper’s wife in the 1938 hurricane. At Butler Flats Light, also in New Bedford Harbor, the keeper’s young daughter enjoyed saluting passing vessels by sounding the fog bell. At the southernmost point of the City of New Bedford in Fort Taber Park is Clark’s Point Light, which was relit in 2001. The keeper at Nobska Point Light in Woods Hole counted 188 vessels crossing through Vineyard Sound on one day alone in 1864. The two areas of land protecting the harbor at Vineyard Haven are East Chop and West Chop. While the grounds of West Chop Light are closed to the public, East Chop Light is open to the public on summer Sundays around sunset.
To book passage on the Lighthouse Trail Tour, visit www.seastreakmv.com or call toll-free
1.866.MV FERRY (866.683.3779).
June 14, 2011