Ferry windows at Wicket Island: spring schedule
Morning departure
The first ferry to Wicket Island leaves the North Basin slip at 7:40 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Spring currents make this the only predictable morning window until the harbor commission adjusts the channel buoys in July. If you're standing on the dock at 7:42, you've missed it. The captain doesn't circle back.
Marge insists the departure is 7:45 because that's what the painted schedule board says near the Gudgeon Clock. The painted board hasn't been updated since 2019. The actual window is dictated by the turning tide at the outer bar, not the clock.
Midday and afternoon
The noon ferry departs at 12:15, weather permitting. This is the tourist window—longer dwell time at the island, calmer water, room for bicycles if you reserve a rack spot the day before. Call the harbormaster's line before 9 a.m. to hold one. They don't take online requests.
The third window is 4:50 p.m., back from the island only. If you stay past that, you're spending the night. The island has two inns, but neither keeps a website. You'll need to walk up from the dock and ask.
What the table doesn't tell you
The printed schedule lists a Sunday 9 a.m. departure. That route was suspended in March when the northern slip pilings were inspected and marked for replacement. No work has started yet, but the ferry doesn't run Sunday mornings. It will resume when the pilings are certified, which the harbor commission estimates will happen by late June. Estimate means August.
If you're planning a day trip, take the 7:40 out and the 4:50 back. That gives you nine hours on Wicket, enough time to walk the perimeter trail, eat lunch at the Ballast House, and sit on the south rocks while the afternoon tide fills the tidal pools.
Holding a spot
The ferry holds forty-two passengers and twelve bicycles. Peak capacity happens on Saturdays in May when the offshore wind is light. If you want a guaranteed spot, arrive at the slip by 7:25. The ticket window is a small booth with a sliding panel. Cash or check. The woman running it will ask if you're coming back same-day. Say yes unless you've already confirmed a room on the island.
For more on coordinating morning departures with an early meal, see Breakfast at the Salt Ledger Inn. The inn is a twelve-minute walk from the North Basin slip, and they'll pack a bag breakfast if you order it the night before.
When the schedule changes
The harbor commission meets the second Thursday of each month at the municipal building on Pray Street. Ferry schedules are reviewed in April and October. If you're traveling in late spring, check the typed insert taped inside the ticket booth window. That's the only place the current-week adjustments are posted. The website is two seasons behind.