PORTLAND, Maine — Whether you’re a fifth-generation lobsterman or a jet-setting vacationer, island life in Maine has its perks.
Getting things quickly from the mainland is not one of them.
Before the pandemic, Casco Bay Lines Executive Director Hank Berg said his ferries were moving 500,000 pieces of freight annually to six islands near Portland proper. That number has climbed significantly since then.
Space on ferries is also first-come, first-serve for passengers and items alike, forcing some to be patient while they wait for their things.
"One of the impacts of the pandemic, obviously, was less passengers because everyone stayed at home," Berg explained, as he stood on the ferry pier while more than 100 passengers waited in line for the noon trip. "However, it was an opposite effect on our packages. They actually increased because people had the convenience of shopping online from home."
With people traveling again, business is good for Matthew Tracy, a local wine distributor whose libations make four trips a week on the ferries in the summer. But, over the Fourth of July holiday weekend and on his day off, he himself was not immune from shipping delays.
"I actually went out last week to my brother’s house for some fireworks," Tracy recalled. "I had some stuff put on the freight and it missed the boat that we took, which was the 10 o’clock boat. It then missed the 12 o’clock boat as well, and it didn’t come until the four o’clock boat."
On Peaks Island, Peer Prescott is settling into a busy summer as well. He manages Milly’s Skillet, a food truck stationed feet from the ferry pier, and he has plenty of paying customers. They’re paying more at his window than they would across the bay.
"People are like, 'Eight bucks for fries?! What do you mean?' And it’s like, well, it does cost a little bit more," Prescott shrugged.
Food supplies must be ferried in with the people who will eventually buy from his food truck. The added shipping cost is passed down to Milly's Skillet and then its customers.
Despite the added effort, Prescott said he used to work in basement kitchens off-island and wouldn't trade his island life.
"This view, this breeze, I get to go swimming every day in the Atlantic Ocean," Prescott smiled.
"That seems very worth it to me," he added.
Casco Bay Lines has freight information, including rates, listed on its website.
While shipping is always tricky for island dwellers, for those on the mainland, delays to be seen this winter should be better in most places.
The postal service claimed 94 percent of first-class mail was delivered on time across the U.S. between April and late June. Steve Doherty with USPS said pandemic-induced delays are largely gone, but they still need to fill 57 positions across the state.
Scott Adams, the postal workers union president, agreed that mail distribution is significantly better, but said his colleagues delivering the mail still face low staffing.