Hy-Line Cruises

{{Infobox company

| name = Hyannis Harbor Tours, Inc.

| trade_name = Hy-Line Cruises

| logo = Hy-Line.png

| logo_size = 220px

| type = Private

| founded = {{Start date and age|1962}}

| founders = {{Unbulleted list|Richard Scudder|Robert Scudder|E. Raymond Taylor}}

| location = Hyannis, Massachusetts

| key_people = {{Unbulleted list|Frederic Scudder, II (President)|Philip Scudder (Vice President) |Richard Scudder, Jr. (Vice President)}}

| num_employees = 100 (year-round),
350 (summer)

| industry = {{Unbulleted list|Ferries|Sightseeing tours}}

| homepage = {{URL|hylinecruises.com}}

}}

{{Routemap

|title=Services

|legend=0

|map=

\uKBHFa~~Hyannis

uSTR+l\uABZgr+xr

uSTR\uKBHFe~~Nantucket

Oak Bluffs~~! !uKBHFe\

}}

Image:MV Great Point, Hyannis MA.jpg}}]]

Hy-Line Cruises (colloquially referred to as Hy-Line, and legally Hyannis Harbor Tours Inc.) is an American family owned and operated Massachusetts ferry and cruise company.{{Cite web |url=http://www.hyannis.com/business/show/325 |title=Hyannis Area Chamber of Commerce Hy-Line Cruises |access-date=2008-01-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517085201/http://www.hyannis.com/business/show/325 |archive-date=2008-05-17 |url-status=dead }} The company currently operates the second largest passenger ferry service between mainland Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket (after the Steamship Authority).{{cite book |last=MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning |title=Passenger Ferry Transportation in Massachusetts | url=http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Portals/17/docs/ferry/FerryTransportationinMassachusett10-4-12.pdf |date=October 2012 | accessdate=March 16, 2013}} The company also operates sightseeing cruises and fishing charters. The company's main office is located at 22 Channel Point Road in Hyannis.

History

Hy-Line Cruises began operations in 1962 as Hyannis Harbor Tours run by Richard Scudder and his brother Robert. Originally, the company focused on sightseeing harbor tours, which it still does today. The company added deep-sea fishing charters in 1966 and started running seasonal passenger-ferry services in 1970, first to Martha's Vineyard and then to Nantucket in 1972 when Hyannis Harbor Tours bought out The Nantucket Boat Company, which at that time was doing business as Hi-line. Hyannis Harbor Tours took this trade name and changed it to Hy-Line.{{cite web |url=https://hylinecruises.com/about-us.html |title=Hy-Line Cruises - About Us web page |publisher=Hy-Line Cruises |accessdate=March 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316021951/http://hylinecruises.com/about-us.html |archive-date=March 16, 2013 |url-status=dead }}

In 1995, Hy-Line Cruises started the first high-speed catamaran service to Nantucket; its original vessel was shortly replaced by a larger one in 1997, which in turn was replaced in 2003 by the Grey Lady.{{cite web|url=http://www.capecodtimes.com/article/20030629/BIZ/306299962|title=Scudder family stays the course|publisher=Cape Cod Times|date=June 29, 2003|accessdate=January 6, 2017}} Hy-Line introduced high-speed service to Martha's Vineyard in 2005, using its 1997-built ferry Lady Martha.{{cite web|url=http://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2008/10/13/12370-Hy-Line-suspends-Vineyard-fast-ferry-service-season|title=Hy-Line suspends Vineyard fast ferry service for season|publisher=Cape Cod Today|date=October 13, 2008|accessdate=January 6, 2017}} Another high-speed catamaran, Grey Lady IV, was delivered in 2016 to replace Hy-Line's monohull vessel, the Great Point on the Nantucket route.{{cite web | url=http://www.capecod.com/newscenter/hy-line-go-high-speed-routes-nantucket/ | title=Hy-Line to Go High-Speed Only on Routes to Nantucket | publisher=CapeCod.com | date=24 June 2015 | accessdate=3 September 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://www.workboat.com/news/shipbuilding/gladding-hearn-new-nantucket-ferry-hyline/|title=Gladding-Hearn delivers new Nantucket ferry to Hy-Line Cruises |publisher=Workboat|date=September 15, 2016|accessdate=January 6, 2017}}

Current operations

=Island ferry service=

Hy-Line Cruises operates high-speed catamaran ferry service between Hyannis and Nantucket (year-round) and Hyannis and Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard (seasonally). The journey time is approximately one hour. The company also operates seasonal inter-island trips between Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

All of Hy-Line Cruises ferry services are passenger only (although bicycles are carried for a small fee) due to the legal monopoly held on vehicle ferry service that is held by the Steamship Authority.{{cite web |url=http://www.steamshipauthority.com/ssa/about.cfm |title=About the Steamship Authority |publisher=The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority |accessdate=March 16, 2013}} Any new Hy-Line services must be approved by the authority, which serves as a regulatory body for service to and from the Islands.

=Sightseeing cruises=

Hy-Line Cruises also operates seasonal sightseeing cruises in and around Hyannis Harbor, and the Cape Cod Canal, (the latter sailing from the Wareham village of Onset).

=Fishing=

Out of Hyannis, Hy-Line operates seasonal half-day deep sea fishing trips in Nantucket Sound. The fishing boats, Sea Queen II and Sea Swan, go out daily in the Spring and Summer to fish in Nantucket Sound. They offer bottom fishing trips for scup and black sea bass, along with Captain's Choice trips for whatever the captain thinks will be the best fishing.

Fleet

class="wikitable sortable"
Vessel ! Service began{{cite web \|url=https://hylinecruises.com/fleet/ \|title=Fleet \|publisher=Hy-Line Cruises \|accessdate=March 27, 2020}} ! Route ! class="unsortable"\|Notes
MV Sea Queen II \| 1966 \| \| Aluminum monohull, rebuilt in 1977 by Breaux Baycraft and reintroduced to the fleet in 2000, used for deep-sea fishing trips
MV Viking \| 1973 \| Hyannis Harbor Cruise \| Steel monohull, built in 1954 by Blount Marine
{{MV\|Grey Lady}} \| 2003 \| Hyannis–Nantucket \| High speed catamaran, built by Gladding-Heam Shipbuilding
\| {{MV\|Lady Martha}} \| 2005 \| Hyannis–Martha's Vineyard \| High speed catamaran, originally named Grey Lady II and served Hyannis–Nantucket route from 1997-2003
MV Vineyard Lady \| 2015 \| Hyannis–Martha's Vineyard \| High speed catamaran, built in 2007 by Yank Marine
{{MV\|Grey Lady IV}} \| 2016 \| Hyannis–Nantucket \| High speed catamaran, built by Gladding-Heam Shipbuilding{{cite web \|url=https://hylinecruises.com/fleet/ \|title=Fleet \|publisher=Hy-Line Cruises \|accessdate=March 27, 2020}}
MV Monhegan \|2023 \|Cape Cod Canal Cruises \|Built in 1959 for the Maine State Ferry Co. as a car ferry.

class="wikitable sortable"

Vessel

! Service began{{cite web |url=https://hylinecruises.com/fleet/ |title=Fleet |publisher=Hy-Line Cruises |accessdate=March 27, 2020}}

! Route

! class="unsortable"|Notes

MV Sea Queen II

| 1966

| Aluminum monohull, rebuilt in 1977 by Breaux Baycraft and reintroduced to the fleet in 2000, used for deep-sea fishing trips

MV Viking

| 1973

| Hyannis Harbor Cruise

| Steel monohull, built in 1954 by Blount Marine

| 2003

| Hyannis–Nantucket

| High speed catamaran, built by Gladding-Heam Shipbuilding

| {{MV|Lady Martha}}

| 2005

| Hyannis–Martha's Vineyard

| High speed catamaran, originally named Grey Lady II and served Hyannis–Nantucket route from 1997-2003

MV Vineyard Lady

| 2015

| Hyannis–Martha's Vineyard

| High speed catamaran, built in 2007 by Yank Marine

| 2016

| Hyannis–Nantucket

| High speed catamaran, built by Gladding-Heam Shipbuilding{{cite web |url=https://hylinecruises.com/fleet/ |title=Fleet |publisher=Hy-Line Cruises |accessdate=March 27, 2020}}

MV Monhegan

|2023

|Cape Cod Canal Cruises

|Built in 1959 for the Maine State Ferry Co. as a car ferry.