Thu, 09/20/2018 - 04:03 pm

Greg Latimer

Passengers observe the Hendricks Head lighthouse on Southport Island Maine Maritime Museum’s vessel Merrymeeting during one of the Museum’s Lighthouse Legends and Lore Cruises with Red Cloak Tours. Courtesy of Greg Latimer

Maine Maritime Museum and Red Cloak Tours are again offering their popular Lighthouse Legends and Lore boat excursions, including a landing on Burnt Island and exploration of the haunted lighthouse station.

A portion of the proceeds from the Lighthouse Legends and Lore cruises will go to benefit the restoration campaign at the historic Burnt Island lighthouse, offshore of Boothbay Harbor.

The cruises depart from the Maine Maritime Museum (243 Washington St.,Bath) every Saturday at 2 p.m. through October 27 aboard the museum excursion vessel Merrymeeting.

Passengers aboard the Lighthouse Legends and Lore Cruises will see up to six lighthouses, depending on weather and sea conditions. Those destinations could include Doubling Point Light, Hendricks Head Light, Seguin Island Light, Ram Island Light and The Cuckolds. The visit to Burnt Island will include landing on the island for an up-close look at the keeper’s house and other facilities, including the majestic Burnt Island Light tower. Guests will learn the stories behind these iconic beacons; about the lives of some of the keepers and their families - daily routines, traditions and hardships, as well as the legends and lore surrounding them. The tours will be guided by Sally Lobkowicz, the mysterious Lady in the Red Cloak from Red Cloak Tours.

Participants will return to shore with a new and very personal understanding of the lighthouses, and the people who manned them. Stories will be told of the lives saved by these humble keepers while enduring personal privation and their own physical limits as they offered those who went to the sea in ships a hopeful light toward home.

Guests are welcome to bring aboard food and non-alcoholic beverages. A cash bar, with light snacks, is available onboard.

Cruise prices are: Maine Maritime Museum members - $54; nonmembers - $68; children 6 to 12 -$44; under 6 - $10. (Price includes museum admission.) Space is limited, so advance reservations are required for these exclusive tours.

Reservations for the cruises are available through Maine Maritime Museum, at www.mainemaritimemuseum.org/events/lighthouse-legends-and-lore/ or by calling 207-443-1316.

For more information on Red Cloak Tours, call 207-380-3806, email redcloaktours@gmail.com, or visit redcloaktours.com.