To all our faithful fans, followers, customers, and passengers of Mid-Lakes Navigation:
It’s been almost a year since, with apprehension, we made the announcement regarding safety concerns that would lead us to cease the operation of the Barbara S. Wiles (U.S. mailboat) of Skaneateles Lake.
We are grateful for your lasting support and patience as we continue to navigate this difficult situation. Last season, we honored our agreement with the U.S. Postal Service and delivered the mail on a small Boston Whaler. We will start the 2025 season in the same fashion without passengers.
Over the course of the year, we have extensively searched for a vessel that will honor the tradition of delivering mail to our long-time patrons and residents. For many, this ritual has developed into a significant part of living on Skaneateles Lake in the summer.
We are excited to announce that we have purchased and begun preparation on a new mailboat. The boat is now located in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and was operated as a passenger ferry off the coast of Massachusetts until 2023. She is currently undergoing maintenance that includes a new engine installation. We are expecting her arrival in Skaneateles sometime in late summer of 2025. We are hoping to have her on a maiden voyage mail run in mid-August. We are pleased to announce that we are confident she will have a full spring 2026 season ahead of her.
We are also excited to announce that we have reached an agreement with the Wiles family to lease a portion of their barn in Borodino. The Wiles operated Mid-Lakes Navigation from 1968-2019 and built the Judge Ben Wiles in the Barn in 1985. Our plan is to move Barbara S. Wiles to the Borodino Barn and conduct an extensive review of her structure, as well as explore the possibilities of renovating and returning her to a condition for future safe operations here on Skaneateles Lake.
On January 1st, 2020, Mid-Lakes Navigation was purchased by the Eberhardt family. The operations of the company are now led by Ben Eberhardt, the son of Bill and a long-time resident of Skaneateles.
We know and share the emotions that everybody feels about the role of Barbara S. Wiles. She has been our mailboat since 1981. The long tradition of delivering mail here on the water dates back to the 1800s. We are working with the best intention of bringing her back to full service; however, we won’t know what we are up against until we can open the vessel and conduct a thorough inspection.
We believe our community members and patrons of the vessel will have questions throughout this process, and we plan to keep you all informed as we determine her future.
In addition, we vow to keep you informed about the new mailboat's status, launch, and operational schedule.
Again, we greatly appreciate your love for what we do, and we look forward to boating with you this 2025 season.
