Captain Jack Farrell and The Shining Star of Star Island

Neither snow nor rain nor wave nor rolling fog will sway Capt. Jack Farrell from completing his rounds to Star Island. He and his ship, a custom-built Mussel Ridge 46, The Shining Star traverses the waters between the Isles of Shoals and Portsmouth two to three times a day, bringing staffers, food, supplies and charters up to the Shoals’ main island. 

The Shining Star is lovingly called the Star Island Mailboat, because Farrell delivers the island’s mail to the historic Oceanic Hotel on his morning run. But The Shining Star carries more than packages and letters. She and Farrell have been Star Island’s lifeline for the past 25 years.

New Hampshire Magazine: Tell us about how you got your start on The Shining Star. 

Jack Farrell: I was always a sailor, and I got tired of being a contractor. I first went out to Star with my dad in 1959, because it was a good place to go for a short trip and spend a night out there, so I’d known the place for a long time and thought it might be a good place to offer sailboat trips. I had worked on a sailboat that worked out of a hotel in Kennebunkport, and thought ‘Hey, this is great!’. So, I called the (Oceanic) Hotel, and they said ‘Come on out,’ and I did that for a few weeks, and then they said they needed someone to run the supply boat part-time.

NHM: And you’ve been running the supply boat ever since?    

JF: I did that for a year or two on the side, and then I became the facilities manager and then the general island manager for about five years. I lived on the island from April to the end of November, and I learned an awful lot about how the island works and did a lot of good projects out there. While I was there, we installed a solar electric supply system, which at the time was the biggest off-grid solar project in New England, and I think maybe still is. I did a lot of work repairing buildings and catching up on maintenance that had been neglected over the years. It
was really fun! 

NHM: When did you decide to step back?   

JF: I got tired of the pressure of being the manager. It was really hard, because (especially in the summertime) there’s sometimes 500 people there. When you’re the manager, you’re the mayor and the police chief and fire chief and everything. You sleep with the radio by your ear and with your shoes on because you never know what’s going to come up. I did my time doing that, and I really wanted to keep doing some of the projects out there, and stay involved in the repairs
and the improvements.

NHM: What did you do next? 

JF: I really liked the running the boat part, so I decided to make a proposal to get my own boat and build a boat that’s perfect for the island. It’s complex, because it needs to carry a combination of people and cargo.

NHM: So, The Shining Star was built specifically for being Star’s freighter?    

JF: Yep — we had other boats over the years that had their strong points, so I knew what we really needed. This boat can take 49 passengers, if it has to, and can carry about 12 tons of freight, and a combination. We went through a process with the Coast Guard to design it, because it’s a passenger and freight boat hybrid. It’s important that we’re able to do both, because when the island needs food or fuel or whatever, we’ve got to go. 

Jack Farrell and first mate Kate Fifield tie the Shining Star to the dock.

NHM: What kind of boat is The Shining Star?   

JF: It’s basically a lobster boat; we would call it a Downeast hull. There were probably 40 of these built — most of them are lobster boats, or offshore fishing boats. The Maine lobster boat is a very safe and sturdy boat, because it can go through any kind of weather.

NHM: What was the building process like?   

JF: There are builders that just build the hulls, and will have molds made up for a particular hull. You choose which hull you like and work with that guy, and you buy the hull and then finish it yourself. When you first get it, it’s like a giant empty bathtub, and you get to decide where you want the cabin, the deck, the engine — all that stuff. We did that for about five months in 2022 with a crew from South Berwick, and it was cool because the hull was designed by Albert Hutchinson, who is a guy originally from New Castle. He passed away, but he built a lot of them, and there’s three or four of these boats in the Piscataqua.  

NHM: How often are you going up to the island?   

JF: Last year, I did almost 300 round trips to the island and 200 other trips. 

NHM: Is this an official mail delivery service?

Summer workers on Star Island help to load and unload whatever the Shining Star is hauling that day.

JF: We’re not the U.S. Mail. The island sort of has a secondary mail service with an island postmark on it, but it’s not official. I brought in a bunch of letters yesterday, and they have the Isles of Shoals postmark, which is very fun, and I bring back mail and packages for guests and staff members. I bring and pick up the mail from the main office on the mainland. I call the service the Mailboat, because it’s a service people have in other places, and I thought it would be an interesting option for people to have a boat ride.

NHM: So people can ride the Mailboat?  

JF: Yep — you can get on a boat and have a cocktail and get a canned speech and stuff, but here you can meet people that are working on the island and see the inner workings of things. It’s a different way to see the island, and we do all sorts of customized trips for people. Sometimes we have a party, or a history tour, or people want to see seals. We’ll give as much information and narration as they want, but sometimes they just want to turn up the music and dance. You can also book a charter with me for weddings and burials at sea.

NHM: What is your favorite part about making these trips?   

JF: Bad weather. I like it when the weather is challenging. Today is foggy and the seas are coming up, which is challenging. Calm, sunny days are nice, but just aren’t as fun. Every day is different, and it keeps me interested.

To ride the Star Island Mailboat, or for more information on booking a charter or tour, visit seacoastmaritimecharters.com