An island off the coast of Maine is inconvenient for just about everyone! We really, really appreciate your efforts to make the trip.
Rockland, where the ferry terminal is located, is about a seven hour drive (without traffic) from New York City. If you want to carpool, let us know and we can try to connect people coming from the same locations.
If you want to fly, you have three main options:
(1) Fly to the Portland, Me. Jetport (jetport!) and rent a car. Rockland is a 90 minute to two hour drive North from there.
(2) Fly to Knox County Airport (also called Owl’s Head) in Rockland. Only Cape Air (866-227-3247) serves this airport. You can buy tickets on their website if traveling between two airports they serve, or through JetBlue, if you need to connect in Boston (the latter will probably be the case for most people). For those of you who are nervous fliers, you should know that this trip is on a small plane.
(3) Fly to Boston and rent a car to drive from there -- approximately 3.5+ hours (without traffic).
Once in the Camden-Rockland-Rockport area, you need to take a ferry to get to Vinalhaven. The trip takes a little over an hour. Ferries depart from Rockland on the following schedule:
7:00 a.m.
8:45 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
1:00 p.m.
2:45 p.m.
4:30 p.m.
It will also take at least 15 minutes to park (either at the ferry terminal parking lot or, if it's full, then at Knight Marine next door), and another 15 to buy your ticket ahead of time -- so leave plenty of time for these two tasks.
Unless you plan to arrive on Vinalhaven on the day before the wedding, everyone should take the 1:00pm ferry departing Rockland on August 25th. We will have vans to pick people up from the ferry terminal in Vinalhaven at 2:15pm, when the ferry arrives, to take them to Rockaway. At the end of the night, the vans will take people who aren’t staying on the island back to the ferry terminal for a chartered return trip to the mainland.
Getting cars on the ferry is a hassle (there are no advance reservations - you need to be in line with your car many hours before the boat's departure) so we advise against it. Better to rent bikes at the Tidewater Motel on Vinalhaven's Main Street if you plan to spend a few days on the island. Many places are also walkable if you're so inclined and able-bodied.
For the people who are driving, there are limited rest stops on 95 & 295. Check www.mainedot.com for any delays. Depending on traffic, consider going through Augusta —straight on 95 and then take Route 17 into Rockland.
Rockland, where the ferry terminal is located, is about a seven hour drive (without traffic) from New York City. If you want to carpool, let us know and we can try to connect people coming from the same locations.
If you want to fly, you have three main options:
(1) Fly to the Portland, Me. Jetport (jetport!) and rent a car. Rockland is a 90 minute to two hour drive North from there.
(2) Fly to Knox County Airport (also called Owl’s Head) in Rockland. Only Cape Air (866-227-3247) serves this airport. You can buy tickets on their website if traveling between two airports they serve, or through JetBlue, if you need to connect in Boston (the latter will probably be the case for most people). For those of you who are nervous fliers, you should know that this trip is on a small plane.
(3) Fly to Boston and rent a car to drive from there -- approximately 3.5+ hours (without traffic).
Once in the Camden-Rockland-Rockport area, you need to take a ferry to get to Vinalhaven. The trip takes a little over an hour. Ferries depart from Rockland on the following schedule:
7:00 a.m.
8:45 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
1:00 p.m.
2:45 p.m.
4:30 p.m.
It will also take at least 15 minutes to park (either at the ferry terminal parking lot or, if it's full, then at Knight Marine next door), and another 15 to buy your ticket ahead of time -- so leave plenty of time for these two tasks.
Unless you plan to arrive on Vinalhaven on the day before the wedding, everyone should take the 1:00pm ferry departing Rockland on August 25th. We will have vans to pick people up from the ferry terminal in Vinalhaven at 2:15pm, when the ferry arrives, to take them to Rockaway. At the end of the night, the vans will take people who aren’t staying on the island back to the ferry terminal for a chartered return trip to the mainland.
Getting cars on the ferry is a hassle (there are no advance reservations - you need to be in line with your car many hours before the boat's departure) so we advise against it. Better to rent bikes at the Tidewater Motel on Vinalhaven's Main Street if you plan to spend a few days on the island. Many places are also walkable if you're so inclined and able-bodied.
For the people who are driving, there are limited rest stops on 95 & 295. Check www.mainedot.com for any delays. Depending on traffic, consider going through Augusta —straight on 95 and then take Route 17 into Rockland.
