Maine Seacoast Mission’s ‘Sunbeam’ gets back to work

NORTHEAST HARBOR, Maine (WABI) - The Sunbeam V is back at its slip in Northeast Harbor for the first time since May of 2019. The ship has been at Front Street Shipyard in Belfast for a retrofit of the steel hull which was beginning to rust from the inside out.

“Today’s our first trip," said ship Captain Mike Johnson. “The nurse on board is doing flu shot clinics on Great Cranberry Island and Frenchboro, so this is our inaugural trip.”

“She’s a tool for our work, and like a knife, we just sharpened the knife," added engineer Storey King. “We just sharpened the tool for our work.”

Getting to the rust meant tearing out, redoing, and updating some of the Sunbeam’s older, interior amenities.

“Much more commodious, I guess is the word," Johnson laughed.

The Maine Seacoast Mission’s ship brings telemedicine, meals, fellowship care, and also serves as a social gathering place to people who live in Maine’s year-round island communities.

“Even if we didn’t have the minister or the nurse on the boat, we would still actually serve a pretty important function just with the coffee machine and the cookies," said Johnson. “A lot of people come out for that.”

It’s been almost a year and a half since the Sunbeam could do its work for the Maine Seacoast Mission, and her Captain and crew are excited to have her back on the water.

“I’m ready," said Johnson. "I’m a boat captain. I’m not an administrator, I’m not a refit supervisor. At heart, I’m a captain, and I’m ready to get out and do what my profession entails.”

“She’s a very good vessel," said King. "She’s no speed demon, but she’s comfortable. She’s safe. She’s secure. She gets us there. She lets us do what we need to do.”

“It’s become iconic," said Johnson. "In the central and Downeast coast, everybody knows the Sunbeam. Everybody knows what we do. I think it has a special place in a lot of people’s hearts.”

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