Postcard Harbor Tours

Postcard Harbor Tours Postcard Harbor Tours takes you on a tour of picture-postcard Wellfleet Harbor aboard a picture-postcard gaff-rigged Catboat. Enquire for rates.

Postcard Harbor Tours consists of myself (the Captain, John Wolf, U.S.C.G.-licensed for up to 50-ton power and auxiliary sail) and my 18-foot Marshall Sanderling Catboat. The catboat is generic to New England (and especially Cape and Islands) waters, and from shortly after the Civil War was used in the inshore fishing and shellfishing industry, as well as for pleasure boating. Featuring a mast loc

ated forward in the bows and one large, gaff-rigged sail, they are as picturesque as the waters they ply, and for a century-and-a-half have been the centerpiece of innumerable postcards-hence the name! GALA VI is of fiberglass construction and is equipped with a reliable, single-cylinder Diesel auxiliary engine, ship-to-shore radio, GPS, and all Coast Guard-required safety equipment (life jackets, signaling devices, etc.). Wellfleet Harbor is widely regarded as among the most picturesque and varied in New England, with a storied history which I enjoy imparting to those who would like to know more about what they are seeing. I take day trips (usually ±3 hours), sunset trips (spectacular!) and-when appropriate-moonlight excursions. I also take trips out to Jeremy Point/Billingsgate Island for swimming, picnicking, etc. I can take up to a maximum of six persons. Trips are, of course, subject to the vagaries of the weather and tides. I typically operate between June (this year, early July) and late October or early November.

06/01/2026

It is getting fairly close to launch time for s/v EPISTROPHY. Tentative launch date is June 15; fingers crossed that my frenetic schedule as Chair of the Wellfleet Selectboard will allow me the needed time to prepare EPISTROPHY for the 2026 sailing season. However....

Unfortunately, the current administration in Washington, coupled with a thoroughly dysfunctional Congress, has thrown sand into the gears. Due to the prolonged government shutdown which began in the fall of 2025, the customary letter/e-mail which should have alerted me to the expiration date of my Captain's license was never sent; it expired in early December, and I didn't become aware of that until March. When I renewed in 2020, it took 3 weeks or so once all the paperwork was in. I turned in all my paperwork last week, only to find out the due to the shutdown (which only recently ended), there are 18,000 applications ahead of mine; I could be waiting as long as a year.

I am hoping that I can persuade the Commander of Coast Guard Sector S.E. New England in Wood's Hole to issue me a letter allowing me to operate POSTCARD HARBOR TOURS for the coming season; I will keep you updated on this page, and will also try to find time to update the website as appropriate. Fingers crossed that the ongoing malfeasance in Washington won't torpedo my 2026 charter season.

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Another season comes to an end, and the dismantling begins. This is a good opportunity to thank my 2025 customers for th...
11/09/2025

Another season comes to an end, and the dismantling begins. This is a good opportunity to thank my 2025 customers for the best charter season so far! 

Late season excursion…
11/09/2025

Late season excursion…

A beautiful late August day. While I can’t believe it’s almost Labor Day, we still have September and October ahead of u...
08/27/2024

A beautiful late August day. While I can’t believe it’s almost Labor Day, we still have September and October ahead of us, beautiful fall sailing in Wellfleet Harbor! [photo courtesy of Steve & Marilyn Pechonis, s/v XARA]

Dawn, s/v Epistrophy
07/17/2024

Dawn, s/v Epistrophy

At long last – Epistrophy is afloat and in business! Looking forward to having you join us in the timeless surroundings ...
07/04/2024

At long last – Epistrophy is afloat and in business! Looking forward to having you join us in the timeless surroundings of Wellfleet, Harbor! (Epistrophy under sail with the first charter of the season, July 3)

Don’t be fooled if you don’t see my banner in Epistrophy’s rigging; I took it down for the upcoming little storm arrivin...
09/22/2023

Don’t be fooled if you don’t see my banner in Epistrophy’s rigging; I took it down for the upcoming little storm arriving this weekend. As long as Epistrophy is in the water, Postcard Harbor Tours is in business! Barring a major hurricane, I expect to be operating through October. 

AT LAST-s/v EPISTROPHY is in the harbor, and POSTCARD HARBOR TOURS is back in action for the 2023 summer and fall season...
06/25/2023

AT LAST-s/v EPISTROPHY is in the harbor, and POSTCARD HARBOR TOURS is back in action for the 2023 summer and fall season! Reach out to me via text/call at 774-487-8917 or (2nd choice) e-mail to: [email protected]. Looking forward to a nice, long, busy season!

P.S.-if anyone e-mailed me at the above address over the last few months, I made a major blunder resulting in the erasure of all of those e-mails; please reach out again!

Another Postcard Harbor Tours season ends, the first with s/v EPISTROPHY. All the best to everyone for the upcoming Chri...
11/26/2022

Another Postcard Harbor Tours season ends, the first with s/v EPISTROPHY. All the best to everyone for the upcoming Christmas season, and may blessings abound for the new year! Looking forward to seeing everyone on or close to Memorial Day weekend!

Getting Close to the end of the 2022 sailing season for EPISTROPHY. A quiet late fall sunset sail…
10/23/2022

Getting Close to the end of the 2022 sailing season for EPISTROPHY. A quiet late fall sunset sail…

Address

Wellfleet Marina
Wellfleet, MA
02667

Telephone

+17744878917

Website

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