Whale-watching in Salem

We hear this question all the time. Whale-watching boats are popular attractions in New England, part of a broader trend in marine tourism that has gained popularity over the last 50 years.

Salem, of course, has a rich maritime history dating back to the colonial era, known primarily for its trading and privateering. But whaling was never a big part of the mix, at least until the 1830s, a time when Salem was struggling to reinvent itself after war and embargo had decimated its profitable maritime trade.

The Izette, Salem’s first vessel dedicated entirely to whaling, sailed from Salem in March of 1831. Under Captain Hoit, the Izette traveled to the South Atlantic before returning, a little over a year later, with 1600 barrels of oil.

With the success of the Izette, Salem’s whaling industry began to grow. In 1832, advertisements calling for young men willing to enlist in whaling voyages appeared in the Salem Gazette, and by July, four more whalers had sailed from Salem.

In 1837, the Salem Gazette reported that Salem’s whaling fleet was the sixth largest in America, with eighteen active whalers. However, after 1837, Salem’s whaling industry began to decline. The financial panic of 1837 made Salem businessmen less willing and able to invest in whaling. In the 1840s, a number of Salem’s whalers were destroyed at sea and, due to a lack of funds, they were never replaced. Salem businessmen began to invest in other industries – particularly in railroads and manufacturing – and the whaling business faded away.

In 1859, Edwin Drake drilled the world’s first oil well in Pennsylvania and, during the oil boom that followed, whale oil prices began to drop. Whales continued to be hunted, however. By 1900, bowhead, gray, and right whales were nearly extinct, and whaling declined. It revived with the invention of harpoons shot from cannons, explosive tips and factory ships. As each species was reduced to the point where it was hard to find, whalers moved on to the next species, catching blue whales, fin whales, sperm whales, sei whales and minke whales in sequence.

In 1931, 27 countries signed the first convention for the regulation of whaling. This began a long, stop-and-start process in which quotas and seasons were established, modified, and often ignored. Whales are still hunted today.

The Evolution of Whale Watching

Along with the efforts to limit whaling came an increased interest in whales, whale-watching and environmental tourism. The first organized commercial whale-watching tour is often attributed to Cheryl Szatko, who started offering tours to see grey whales off the coast of California in 1956.

Under Albert Avellar Jr. the schooner Hindu was instrumental in the establishment of the whale-watching industry in Provincetown, Massachusetts during the 1960s. Avellar benefitted from the presence of whales on nearby Stellwagen Bank to offer whale-watching under sail, which unfortunately is no longer available in New England thanks to the distances that must be covered.

Whale Watching in Salem

By the 1980s and 1990s whale-watching was well-established as a significant New England tourist attraction. Provincetown, Boston, Newburyport and especially Gloucester all offered trips. For several years, Salem visitors could go on whale watches aboard the Super Ranger, docked at Pickering Wharf, and as late as 2003 there were cruises aboard a smaller vessel, the Privateer IV.

Despite the number of tourists in Salem, the whale watching cruises struggled. Salem was further from the whales than other ports, which meant that whale watches from Salem often lasted four or five hours — more time than most visitors wished to commit. The long trips also meant higher fuel bills and lower profits for the boat operators.

Since 2003, there have been no whale-watching cruises out of Salem.

Boating Options in Salem

The importance of Salem’s maritime history is represented today by several other kinds of vessels.

The longest-running commercial vessel in Salem is the Schooner FAME of Salem (www.schoonerfame.com). Fame is a traditional wooden schooner, a replica of a successful privateer from the War of 1812. This business is a three-time winner of TripAdvisor’s “Best of the Best” award honoring the top 1% of attractions worldwide.

Fame is a 70’ schooner certified for 49 passengers, although only 32 tickets are sold for public sails. It is based at Pickering Wharf Marina right downtown. Drinks and snacks are available for sale on board. The captain and crew, all locals who are great resources for those visiting the area, talk about the history of Salem and of the original Fame, which captured the first prizes of the War of 1812. The cruise concludes with the firing of the cannon.

There are other sailing tours from Salem (www.SunsetSailSalem.com), although these boats are not based in Salem year-round and have no particular historical connection to Salem. They are docked ¾ of a mile from downtown Salem at Blaney Street, near the Power Plant.

Closer to the downtown attractions, there is Mahi Cruises (www.Mahicruises.com), which operates a small fleet of motorized vessels. They offer a variety of tours of Salem Sound including live music events on their larger vessel, the Hannah Glover. The Glover is the largest commercial vessel in the harbor.

In recent years, Tiki Boats Salem (https://tikihutboats.com) has two small “tiki boats” for up to six passengers at a time. These quaint-looking rafts are restricted to the harbor but offer a variety of custom tiki cocktails and have proved quite popular.

Finally, the landing craft Naumkeag is operated by Essex Heritage, and takes visitors out to Baker’s Island on Fridays and Sundays (www.bakersislandlight.org). Naumkeag also visits Misery Island during the summer months, and offers occasional historical and narrated tours.

The large replica tall ship operated by the National Park Service, the Friendship (www.nps.gov/places/friendship-of-salem.htm), does not offer sails, but is open to visitors. Friendship is a 171-foot replica of a 1797 East Indiaman. It was built in 2000 in the Scarano Brothers Shipyard in Albany, New York.

Whale Watching in Essex County

Cape Ann Whale Watch, Gloucester: https://www.seethewhales.com/

Seven Seas Whale Watch, Gloucester: https://www.7seaswhalewatch.com/

Newburyport Whale Watch, Newburyport: https://www.newburyportwhalewatch.com/

Whale Watching in Massachusetts

New England Aquarium, Boston: https://www.cityexperiences.com/boston/city-cruises/whale-watch/

Dolphin Fleet, Provincetown: https://whalewatch.com/

< Older Post

FAME named “Best of the Best” again!

By Michael Rutstein • September 16, 2025

Schooner FAME is a “Best of the Best” honoree THREE years in a row!

A sailboat is floating on top of a body of water.

Five Top Things You'll See on your Salem Cruise

February 3, 2025

1 - You’ll see the sails go up… and the captain turn off the motor! Yes, we really do sail our traditional wooden schooner, and we love the reaction we get when our guests realize that the wind alone is powering our progress through Salem Sound! One of our skippers calls out “Welcome to the 19th century!” as he cuts the motor. As long as the weather is reasonable, guests are welcome to take a turn at the tiller and feel the pressure of the water on the rudder as FAME sails along. The schooner’s eight-foot-long locust tiller is a thing of beauty, handcrafted especially for FAME at the local boatyard where she was launched in 2003. 2 - You’ll see lighthouses — lots of them! We generally can see five or six lighthouses on a typical trip. The Derby Wharf and Hospital Point lighthouses we usually see quite close up, as they are right in Salem Harbor. But after that it depends on where the wind is coming from, because the wind determines our route for each trip. If the wind carries us to Beverly, you get a good look at the Hospital Point lighthouse. If we end up sailing to Marblehead, you’ll see the hundred-year-old steel tower of the Chandler Hovey Light. Either way, off in the distance you’ll see the lighthouse at Baker’s Island, once an important landmark. And if you’re joining us for a sunset cruise, you’ll see all these lights come on as the sun nears the horizon. You may even sight the distant blink of the Eastern Point Light, 12 miles away in Gloucester. See our other blog entries for more on each light! 3 - You’ll see islands — and each island has its own story. Misery Island was named by a stranded, miserable boatbuilder; Children’s Island has had at least two other names and got its current one because it hosts the Marblehead YMCA camp. Winter Island is no longer an island, but archeology has shown that it was the site of indigenous settlements for thousands of years before European settlers arrived here. Misery, Bakers, and Children’s Islands all hosted resorts back in the heyday of the “Gold Coast” when wealthy Bostonians flocked to the shores of Salem Sound each summer. See our other blog entries for more on each island! 4 - You’ll see over a thousand boats, in the marinas and on the moorings of Salem and Marblehead Harbors. Between Salem, Marblehead and Beverly nearly 2000 private yachts are kept here each summer, making the North Shore one of the boating capitals of the East Coast. Most of these boats rest quietly at the dock during the week, but on a sunny summer day you can see dozens and maybe over a hundred vessels “underway, making way.” Marblehead boasts some gorgeous private boats. It is also the site of six yacht clubs and a sailing regatta seemingly every weekend all summer, featuring everything from small dinghies to large cruisers! 5 - You’ll see our competent, experienced, personable crew, who are there to answer your questions, make sure you’re comfortable, and tell you more about lighthouses, islands, forts and beautiful waterfront homes we are passing. They’ll be looking for volunteers to raise the sails and take the tiller. They’ll explain how our vessel works and how our ancestors used wooden sailing ships to explore the known world, trade with distant lands, chase the valuable shoals of codfish and mackerel, and in FAME’s case, hunt down and capture enemy vessels in times of war! Our crew are wonderful sources of historical information and local knowledge — don’t hesitate to ask them questions. They may even explain how the cannon works — and give you a live-firing demonstration!