Swan's Island Cloud House

M/V (Motor/Vessel) Bongo Fury is the power boat we have on the island. During the boating season(end of May to early October) it is moored in Mackerel Cove on Swan’s Island. In the off season it is tucked away in a warm Hinckley shed for the winter, across Blue Hill Bay on Southwest Harbor).

Bongo Fury is, more specifically, a 2008 Hinckley Picnic Boat (Extended Pilothouse). It can pretty easily accommodate 6-10 passengers and crew. With a cruising speed of 25 knots and a top end of about 30 knots it makes many local “remote” islands readily accessible for exploring as well as lunch or dinner at the mainland (or other island) ports a viable option.

The boat has reasonable accommodations for its purpose (a “picnic boat”). There is a galley below deck with a refrigerator, a propane cooktop and a microwave. Above deck is a gas grill, cooler and sink with hot/cold water. There is also a head with a sink, toilet and hand held shower. A V-berth provides sleeping, or napping, accommodations for two in the forward cabin. The pilot house and cabin have heating and cooling so the season is extended, mostly by the heating capability.

Bongo Fury was shipped from Oxford, MD in April of 2019 to Southwest Harbor. It now spends summers on the water in the Blue Hill Bay area and has explored destinations such as Bar Harbor, Somes Sound and Marshall Island.

Bongo Fury has a tender(dinghy) in the form of an 8.5' AB Inflatable powered by a Torqeedo 1003C electric outboard motor. It is affectionately known by the nickname, Baby Bongo. While the tender is primarily intended to be carried on the stern for transport ashore to remote islands, it is also available by itself for exploration in the sheltered Mackerel Cove area on Swan's Island. The Torqeedo will provide approximately 6 hours of runtime (18 nmiles) at half throttle or an hour (5 nmiles) at a frisky 5 knots, full throttle. This is more than enough range to explore the harbor islands from the Mackerel Cove dinghy dock on a quiet day. The motor includes a display that accurately shows speed and remaining charge/range so you can confidently plan round trips.