Casco Bay Lines (also known as the Casco Bay Island Transit District, CBITD) is a publicly run transportation company that services the residents of the islands of

Casco Bay Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. The city of Portland sits along its s ...

. These islands include Peaks Island, Little Diamond Island, Great Diamond Island, Diamond Cove, Long Island,

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

Cliff Island Cliff Island is an island in Casco Bay, Maine, United States. It is part of the city of Portland. As of the 2000 census, the island had a year-round population of approximately 60 people. In the summer, the island's population grows to about ...

. The company has a fleet of five vessels. Schedules to the islands vary seasonally. During the summer months, many more ferry trips go back and forth to the islands, while there are significantly fewer trips during the winter.

History

Casco Bay Lines Ferry Maquoit II passing Peaks Island, 2006

The Casco Bay Steamboat Company began providing permanent year-round service to Casco Bay Islands in 1878. In 1881 the Harpswell Line began providing regular service to the outer bay islands. The lines merged in 1907 as the Casco Bay and Harpswell Steamboat Company. The company shut down in July 1919 as a direct result of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. A smaller company named Casco Bay Lines was formed that winter. CBITD is a non-profit organization that was established through emergency State legislation in 1981. CBITD acquired CBL assets through bankruptcy proceedings to ensure the continuation of transportation service between their primary terminal hub in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

and the islands of

. CBITD is governed by a board of 12 directors, 10 of whom are elected from the island communities. One is appointed by the City of Portland; another is appointed by the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Transportation. Many workers from the island communities depend on CBITD to get them to work every day and to take them home. All school children who live on the islands have to use CBITD service to get back and forth to school (this applies to 6th grade and up.) There is a car ferry that services Peaks Island and a freight ferry that services all of the "down bay" islands, including Long Island,

, and

. The signature color patterns of the Casco Bay Lines fleet is (from bottom up): black, yellow, white, and red. Casco Bay Lines was once located at Custom House Wharf but was moved in the 1980s to its current location on the

Maine State Pier The Maine State Pier is a municipal-owned deepwater marine facility and music venue located at the intersection of Commercial Street and Franklin Street on the eastern waterfront in Portland, Maine. It was completed in 1924. In the mid-2000s, co ...

. When the company was first established it used steamboats to transport its cargo. Some of the more famous steamboats included the Aucocisco, Maquoit, and Machigonne. Its first ferry was the Abenaki, which operated on Casco Bay for nearly five decades. The Portland Ferry terminal received a substantial renovation and addition in 2014 designed by

Scott Simons Architects Simons Architects (SA) is a fifteen-person (four partners & eleven staff) architecture, design, and planning firm located in Portland, Maine. Background SA was first established in New York City in 1983 by Scott Simons, FAIA and has since produ ...

Fleet

Casco Bay Lines ferry Aucocisco III passing Peaks Island, 2006

*''Aucocisco III'' *''Maquoit II'' (the Casco Bay mailboat) *''Machigonne II'' *''Bay Mist'' *''Wabanaki'' (Christened February 2014 and entered service shortly thereafter)

Retired vessels

*''Cadet Merrycneag Longfellow'' *''Machigonne'' *''Maquoit'' *''Quickwater'' *''Abenaki'' (now a charter boat on the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

in New York City named ''Half Moon'') *''Aucocisco'' *''Aucocisco II'' (last operated as the Silver Star in Essex, CT. Scrapped in 2007) *''Emita II'' (sold first as a canal boat on the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

and again sold in 2018 to Harbor Country Adventures in New Buffalo, MI) *''Sunshine'' *''Gurnet'' *''Berkley'' *''Island Adventure'' (now tour boat Cosmo operating in New York City) *''Island Romance'' (sold in late 2014 to El Dorado Cruise LLC, Staten Island, NY) *''Rebel'' *''Island Holiday'' (sold on 11/15/06 to Chattanooga Water Taxi, LLC; renamed ''Fat Cat'') *''Narmarda'' *''Admiral'' *''Tourist'' *'' Sabino'' (now a tour boat at

Mystic Seaport Mystic Seaport Museum or Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea in Mystic, Connecticut is the largest maritime museum in the United States. It is notable for its collection of sailing ships and boats and for the re-creation of the cra ...

in Mystic, CT) *''Emita'' *''Joan'' *''Edward B.'' *''Sebascodegan'' *''Pilgrim'' *''Nellie G. III''

Terminal

The Casco Bay Lines Ferry Terminal is located in

on the

. It was originally constructed in the 1980s. In the summer of 2014, a major renovation and addition designed by

opened to the public---effectively doubling the size of the original building. The new terminal received an Honorable Mention at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New England Design 2014 Design Awards and an AIA Maine Honor Award in 2016.

References

External links

Casco Bay Lines Official SiteLong Island Tourism SitePeaks Island Tourism SiteCliff Island Tourism SiteSecondary Peaks Island Tourism SiteDiamond Cove Site
{{Authority control Ferry companies of Maine Peaks Island, Maine Companies based in Portland, Maine Casco Bay