Whaleback Day is September 13

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Join Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses for the second annual Whaleback Day celebration. This popular event, which is sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Maine Office of Tourism, and the American Lighthouse Foundation, attracts as many as 18,000 visitors each year who climb and learn about over two dozen historic Maine lighthouses. (Click title for more)

Because there is no secure place to land a boat at Whaleback Lighthouse, it's not possible to have tours inside the tower. A dock is planned for the future, but for now you can enjoy a fun cruise near the lighthouse from Kittery Point, Maine, aboard the Sir William Pepperrell with Captain Neil Odams. There will be four cruises on Whaleback Day - at 10:30 a.m., 12:00 noon, 1:30 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. 

Each of the cruises will be about an hour long and will go very close to Portsmouth Harbor Light and Whaleback Light. Jeremy D'Entremont, historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation, will be aboard to tell passengers about some of the fascinating history of these two spectacular locations. Each cruise is limited to 13 passengers and the cost is $20 per person. The boat leaves from the dock behind the Cajun Lobster restaurant at 153 Pepperrell Road (Route 103) at Kittery Point. 

In addition, Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse in New Castle, New Hampshire, will be open for a special Saturday open house on Whaleback Day, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Live music at the open house will be provided from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. by the Southern New Hampshire Ukulele Group. This group of volunteer musicians was founded in 2012 as a way for ukulele enthusiasts to meet, jam, and share their passion for this wonderfully diverse instrument.

Why not make a day of it? See our local lighthouses by land and sea. Visit www.portsmouthharborlighthouse.org or call 603-828-9243 for more information and cruise tickets.