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by Ray Haring
(Cape Girardeau, MO)
Question: I would like to take an early morning ferry to one island, and then about noon or after take a ferry to the other island, then return to my starting point in the evening.
It doesn't matter where I leave from on the mainland (returning to the same port), we just want to experience both Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard in the one day.
This would be on May 22nd and then we would find a place for the night in that town. Is there a triangle ferry service from any of the companies?
Dee's Reply: Hi Ray - Yes, there is such a service. It's called the "Around the Sound" ferry, a service of HyLine Cruises.
The itinerary is exactly as you've described. The ferry leaves from Hyannis around 9:30 a.m., takes you to one island, then to the other, and returns to Hyannis around 10 p.m. Time on each island is about 3-4 hours.
Sorry to tell you, however, that the Around the Sound ferry won't be running on May 22nd. It's a seasonal service that doesn't start up until after your visit to the Cape.
If you really have your heart set on visiting both islands in the same day (something I don't recommend, as I'll explain in a minute), here are a few alternatives to get you there and back:
Hyannis-Nantucket-Martha's Vineyard Flights
There are daily, regularly scheduled flights from Hyannis to both islands, as well as flights between the islands, year round.
Doing the whole route by air will make it a pricey day trip.
I've just checked the airfares for an itinerary going from Hyannis to Nantucket to Martha's Vineyard and back to Hyannis. It's currently showing at about $172 per person. Yikes!
Ferry and Fly
A somewhat more economical alternative would be a part ferry/part fly daytrip.
For example, you could: