The Chebeague Island Ferry (also known as the CTC Ferry) is a

passenger ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

which runs between

Chebeague Island Chebeague Island is located in Casco Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Maine. It was originally used as a fishing ground by Abenaki Native Americans. Also known as Great Chebeague (pronounced "sha-big") Island, today it is a town in Cumberland Count ...

and

Cousins Island Cousins Island is an island in Casco Bay within the town of Yarmouth in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. It is listed as a census-designated place, with a population of 490 as of the 2010 census. The CDP is part of the Portland– So ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, United States. Operated by the Chebeague Transportation Company (CTC), the route was formally established in 1975, although boats have carried passengers between the two islands since the late 1950s. Around 120,000 passengers make the crossing on the ferry each year. The first ferry, a wooden vessel named the ''Polly-Lin II'', was able to carry 23 passengers. It was replaced two years later by the larger ''Big Squaw''. ''The Islander'' was purpose-built, and was launched in 1985. It was in service for thirty years and, as of 2023, is the back-up vessel. The ''Independence'', was introduced in 2019. A CTC-owned barge, for carrying cars, trucks and large equipment, is moored off Chebeague Island.

Schedule

The ferry runs seven days a week, albeit with a curtailed schedule on Sundays, from 6:30 AM to 9:30 PM (10:30 PM on Friday and Saturday). It departs Chebeague Island's Stone Wharf for the Cousins Island Wharf. The crossing takes around fifteen minutes. A bus is available to bring passengers from a satellite parking lot on

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

in Cumberland Foreside.

Construction

The vessel was built by Washburn & Doughty Associates in East Boothbay, Maine.

Gallery

File:CTC Independence 2024.jpg, The ''Independence'' berthed at Stone Wharf on Chebeague Island in 2024 File:The Islander plate.jpg, Construction plate aboard the vessel File:The Islander CTC.jpg, The ''Islander'' and barge moored off Chebeague Island in 2024

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chebeague Island Ferry Ferries of Maine Yarmouth, Maine Chebeague Island, Maine Transportation in Cumberland County, Maine