(gentle music) - Everyone has an image of America.

A land of big shops and bright lights, of asphalt highways stretching right across the continent, but there's another America, and I'm going to find it.

Dotted around this nation's shores are many thousands of islands that also fly the stars and stripes.

To discover them, I'm going on a 10,000 mile island-hopping journey, looping around the USA from west to east.

It's really beautiful.

From Hawaii's islands of fire to Alaska's islands of snow and ice.

From California's secret marine paradise.

This is unbelievable.

To the people playgrounds off the New England coast.

(Martin screaming) Along the way, I'll see nature at her most spectacular.

Whoa!

I'll encounter the animals that inhabit these far-flung places.

Oh, hello.

Oh boy, there's my first white shark.

And I'll be meeting people who live in their own seabound world.

(people cheering) I knew I was gonna be like this.

Each with their own identity.

- I'll find the deep spots for you.

- Thank you.

(tribal chanting) And their own unique story.

(fireworks blasting) So, if you wanna see a different USA, come with me and discover the islands of America.

(gentle music) (traffic bustling) (upbeat jazz music) New York City home to over 8 million people.

It's one of the most densely populated places on the planet.

(upbeat jazz music continues) Walking along these busy avenues, it's easy to forget that New York is a city of islands.

I've travelled up America's east coast from Virginia.

My starting off point is Manhattan Island on the Hudson River Estuary.

(traffic bustling) Manhattan is an island packed with skyscrapers, and at its heart, looming over its neighbours, is the world famous Empire State Building.

For many years, the tallest, manmade structure on the planet.

In 1930, thousands of workers began assembling it with remarkable speed.

It only took them 400 days, and they must have all had great heads for heights, unlike me.

Oh, God.

Oh, oh boy.

Oh, there's the old, what's it?

Ah, bloody hell.

I've been given special access to the 103rd floor, right at the very top of the building, at the base of its radio mast.

Why have you brought me up here?

Oh, I mean it's, yeah, it's high, isn't it?

Photo would've done though, wouldn't it?

Oh boy.

Being over 1,000 feet up, with only a tiny hip height handrail, is frankly terrifying.

Oh, please take that thing off.

Oh, ah, daddy.

Wow, God, it really is a big city.

Oh, okay.

Ah, that's your lot.

It's too scary, come.

(Martin chuckling) (gentle upbeat music) From up here, you can clearly see how New York's been shaped by the water.

The city boasts more than 500 miles of coastline and over 40 islands.

And I'm heading to an island that one in three Americans can trace their roots from, Ellis Island.

(upbeat music) In 1892, Ellis opened as an immigration centre for those arriving to the US by sea.

Over the next six decades, more than 12 million people were welcomed through its doors, including, I'm told 62 Clunes'.

Today, America can be a tough country to get into, but here on Ellis, the experience was often very different.

America needed workers, so immigrants were only required to pass a few simple tests.

- Make your mind up right now.

- Okay.

- I'm here to meet Park Ranger and guide, Doug T.. Immigration is seen as a dirty word now, but this is obviously, being built to impress everyone coming in.

- Definitely.

The most people that everyone from one place to another on planet Earth in the history of our species did it in this room.

- It was in this grand hall that the fates of millions of families were decided.

The first step was to pass a physical exam to weed out the incurable and contagious.

And if doctors had any lingering doubts about you, some also faced a test of mental agility.

- [Doug] You see the square?

- [Martin] Yes.

- You take these blocks, you put them inside in the shape of a square.

- Okay.

- Three minutes or less.

Go!

All right, fantastic.

Look at that.

He's got nothing right yet, but he's doing pretty good.

- Really nothing right?

Fail this- - [Doug] Excellent.

- and I'll be labelled feeble-minded and sent back home again.

- In a minute.

Oh yeah, three right.

Yes, and where's that gonna go?

Three minutes on the nose.

- [Martin] Phew.

- [Doug] Solved.

- Only one hurdle remained.

Some rigorous questioning.

(hand slamming) - What is your name?

- Martin Clunes.

- Are you a communist?

- No, sir.

- You an anarchist?

- No.

- Even better, are you a polygamist?

- Sagittarius.

- I beg your pardon, Martin.

I'm gonna take that as a no.

- No.

- Welcome, you're in, pal.

You would go down the stairs into the whole rest of your life.

Good luck!

- Almost all immigrants passed the citizenship test.

They walked down these very steps and out in search of the American dream.

(upbeat music) I don't know whether any of the Clunes clan ever made it out to Coney Island, but given its popularity, I wouldn't be surprised.

Coney is the last stop on the New York summer line and pleasure seekers flock here in their millions every summer.

(people screaming) Brooklyn-born teacher, Richard Rodriguez, is my Coney Island guide.

- My childhood days, my mom and dad would take my brother and sister and me to ride the rides that was our treat.

- Here?

- Right here.

It was the big place to go.

It's got something for everyone.

- Well, it's still doing it, look around.

- Yeay, it's great.

You can go to the beach, you could go.. go to Nathan's and have hot dogs.

- Is that all part of the package?

- It's all part of the deal.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- These are my great childhood memo.. (upbeat jazz music) - New Yorkers have been coming here since Victorian times and several of the rides have become stars in their own right, including The Wonder Wheel.

Opened in 1920, it's listed as a New York City landmark.

- My mom and dad, the week before they were married, they came to Coney Island and came on board The Wonder Wheel.

- They rode this?

- Yeah, they loved it.

It was, they thought it was a roman.. and I don't know that the proposal took place in this, I think it was before.

- Get her up high and scare her.

- Right, into saying yes, right, right.

- You really get a sense that you're on an island up here, don't you?

More than you do on the ground.

At 15 stories high, I can just about cope with the altitude and gentle pace of The Wonder Wheel.

But there's plenty more here at Coney Island for thrill seekers.

As Richard is just itching to show me.

(ominous music) This is The Cyclone, a vintage wooden rollercoaster, and especially, close to Richard's heart.

When he was 19 in 1977, Richard got his name into the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest-ever rollercoaster marathon.

- Thank you very much.

- Just hop in.

This is where I did my world record car number six.

The great, famed Coney Island Cyclone.

The world's greatest wooden coaster.

My favourite of all time.

All right, now we're locked in.

There's no turning back.

- Okay.

Richard spent 104 hours riding The Cyclone.

- [Richard] Okay.

- Here we go, okay.

Pausing only for bathroom breaks.

- Ah, you'll like this.

I was on this thing 2,375 times when I did the record.

- Wow.

Richard's enjoying himself, but I'd like one of those bathroom breaks.

You get a nice view of a, yeah.

- It is a beautiful day.

I don't know why we're doing this.

- Well, we'll be on the boardwalk soon.

- Oh, here we go.

- [Richard] Here we go.

- This is gonna be bad.

- No, you'll be all right.

(Martin screaming) - ..... - There you go.

(Martin screaming) - We hit speeds of 60 miles an hour, but you'd hardly know it from the smile on Richard's face.

- Oh, faster.

(Martin screaming) - Doing great.

Give you a handshake on that one.

(Martin chuckling) - He is still laughing.

That was exhausting.

- So, you've been initiated, see now?

- Yeah, I have.

- What do you say, one more?

(Richard laughing) - The Cyclone may be nearly 100 years old, but it's an almighty adrenaline rush.

And on my next island stop, there'll be plenty more of that.

(water splashing) (gentle guitar music) The next stop on my journey around America is the island of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.

(gentle guitar music continues) I've travelled 200 miles from New York to this beautiful island in the Atlantic.

Lying seven miles off the mainland, it's only accessible by air or boat.

(upbeat music) Martha's Vineyard is a magnet for holiday makers and a playground for the wealthy.

I've come to Edgartown the island's east shore.

Founded by British colonists in the 17th century, it's a picture postcard kind of place.

If you're a film buff, some of these charming streets might look familiar, because in the 1970s, Martha's Vineyard provided the backdrop for one of the biggest blockbuster movies of all time, "Jaws".

(ominous music) Drawn to its stunning beaches and shallow waters, director Steven Spielberg and his crew descended on Martha's Vineyard for nearly six months To tell the story of "Jaws", a giant man-eating shark terrorising the island.

(ominous music continues) "Jaws" may have been a rather cumbersome mechanical prop, as this behind the scenes footage shows, but it proved a box office smash and created a whole generation of moviegoers who were terrified to go into the water.

More than 40 years on, the film still resonates with me.

I remember when I first saw "Jaws" with my friend Jason Foster at the Putney Odeon, and we came back in the 93 bus and we got off and we had to walk across a bit of Wimbledon common.

And I said to him, I said, "Just imagine if the shark could like come out on l.. and it was behind us in the common like that."

And we walked on a little bit.

We looked back then we both just started running, because it just could have done it was so big and so scary.

Put everyone off swimming for ages, didn't it?

I'm not going in there anyway, it's where it all happened.

(seagulls squawking) Just up the coast, near the island of Monomoy in Cape Cod work's being done to try and rehabilitate the great white's terrifying image.

(water splashing) (ominous music) Dr.

Greg Skomal is a senior marine biologist.

Twice a week, he and his research team, assistant Megan and Skipper John, head out into the Atlantic in a surprisingly small boat to search for great whites.

It feels very reminiscent of a certain Hollywood blockbuster.

- Oh, I loved that film.

I loved that film.

- Do you have a fondness for them, even though... - [Greg] I do, I do.

- A bit of healthy fear too.

- [Greg] Yeah, yeah, I respect.

- Yeah, yeah.

- I think it's respect.

I'm fascinated, but I am admittedly, I suffer anxiety sometimes when I deal with them and they're big fish.

As you'll see today, they're big fish.

- Greg runs a conservation project aiming to improve our understanding of these frightening, but majestic creatures.

- We're trying to figure out how many white sharks live here in the summertime, and the best way to do that is to go out and count them.

So, one of the things we're finding out is sharks come back to Cape Cod each year after migrating literally thousands of nautical miles.

Coming back sometimes the very same day.

- [Martin] Amazing.

- They have very distinctive colour.. particularly, where the grey of the back meets the white of the belly.

- Right.

- We use those markings to differentiate indivi.. and build our catalogue.

- And how many have you got in your database?

- [Greg] Over 320 right now.

Just in this area.

- [Martin] When "Jaws" was filmed in the 1970s, shark sightings in these waters were pretty rare.

But since then, their numbers have risen dramatically.

The reason's simple, there are plenty of seals and sharks love eating seals.

- There's a seal right there.

Now you can't turn around without hitting a seal.

- There's just loads of them.

Seals are now a protected species and their population is booming.

That in turn, has drawn hungry sharks here in large numbers.

And as some of Greg's own footage shows, that's causing a real problem, because the great whites hunting grounds are also popular with holiday makers.

Setting people and predators on a collision course.

(plane egine roaring) It makes Greg's work all the more pressing.

With the help of a spotter plane, piloted by former Vietnam war vet, Wayne, his team can track sharks from the air.

(plane engine droning) - Shark, about a mile, 512, 512.

- Okay, we're on our way.

Wayne, our spotter pilot just saw a shark.

This is the dance, this is the game.

(suspenseful music) - [Wayne] Yeah, dead ahead there.

You got about 12.30, six boat lengths coming at you.

About five boats straight ahead now.. - Now, it's close.

We'll climb the pulpit.

- You're gonna go out there?

- Yeah, I'm gonna go out there.

- [Martin] Oh, can I come out there with you?

- Yeah.

- [Martin] Okay.

- Hold on, you don't wanna fall in?

- No, I've never held on so tight in my life.

(Martin laughing) - Yeah, okay, about 1:30 almost 2 o'clock now.

- Great whites are well camouflaged.

And unlike in the movies, they tend to glide beneath the surface.

So, you rarely see that distinctive fin slicing through the water.

Even close up, it's hard to spot them.

- You got a job he's just a couple of boats lengths.

- [Greg] I see it.

- [Martin] What?

- It's dead ahead of me.

There it is, right underneath.

You can see that grey shadow.

- Oh yeah.

Oh, boy.

- [Greg] Look at that.

- [Martin] Naughty shark.

- [Greg] There's your first.

- That's my first white shark, wow.

- It's your first great white shark.

- [Martin] Oh, it's beautiful actually, isn't it?

It really is.

- [Greg] What I'm doing is just getting sweeps of its colour patterns.

- [Martin] Greg uses a waterproof camera on a long pole to record each shark's unique identifying markings.

- And it's not a very big one.

This is not a that large a shark.

- No.

And are you able to tell if it's one you've tagged?

- That's what Megan's doing right now.

She's got the hydrophone in the water and she's listening.

And if it's tagged it'll omit a ping, ping, ping.

So, we haven't heard anything from this shark, which means it's not tagged.

- [Martin] So, you'd quite like to tag that one?

- [Greg] I would, but he's going deep though.

- [Martin] He's got another one.

- He does?

- Yeah.

- We'll move on to the other one.

- I can see it, I can see, yeah.

- [Greg] Moving in, what?

- [Martin] It's there.

- Right there that shadow.

Yeah, it's bigger than the last one.

- [Martin] Oh, yeah.

- That's probably an 11-foot shark.

- [Martin] Ooh.

- And what it's doing is just patrolling, hoping to encounter a seal that's leaving the beach to feed.

(water echoing) Oh, this one's onto me.

Look at that.

- [Martin] Look at that.

- These sharks they can accelerate.. They can burst up to speeds of 25 to 30 miles an hour.

- Wow.

- Keep coming round, you've got about four boats.

- Oh!

- It's not small.

- [Wayne] Dead ahead another one.

- [Martin] Wayne guides us to shark .. - [Greg] I just wanna get more of it without spooking 'em here.

- [Martin] I don't see him right now.

- [Greg] Right under me.

- [Martin] He's here.

From eight foot titlers.

- Here he.

- [Martin] He could just jump up couldn't he, and just take my foot off?

- [Wayne] Keep coming.

- [Martin] To some real giants.

Oh, look at that.

- No tag, no tag.

- Oh my God.

- [Greg] Two beautiful pilot fish.

- [Martin] What a fatty.

- [Greg] What a fatty is right.

You're that big, not much bothers you.

- And it's not just sharks.

There it is.

Within touching distance, a humpback whale.

But then, right by the bathing beach, the big one is right on the beach.

- [Martin] It's near the bathing beach.

- Yep, north end of the bathing beach we have a shark.

Very popular beach.

- [Martin] Oh my God.

- We're gonna put an alert out to the lifeg.. that are gonna pull the people from the water.

- I just sent the alert.

- [Wayne] Probably like three quarters or maybe a mile.

- As lifeguards pull swimmers out the water, we head north as fast as we can.

- Yeah, you have three, three and a half now.

Little bit to port, there you go.

Yeah, keep coming.

- [Greg] Look left, look right.

How close are we?

- Six boats, it's coming at you by the way.

- Whoa, okay.

- He's coming right at coming at yo.. - [Wayne] Coming at you, coming at.. - Oh my god, oh boy.

Look at the size of that.

Gee whiz.

It's the biggest shark I've ever seen.

13, maybe.

- Wow, maybe, see right below us.

- Whoa, fish.

And as I stand out here, just a few feet above it, my heart's racing.

- That is a big shark.

- Yeah, he is.

(water echoing) - Wow.

Yeah, he's heading out at a good pace, John.

- Yeah.

Thankfully, this huge shock moves away from shore.

- [Greg] Stay out you, bugger.

- And shortly after, the beaches can reopen.

- So, here you see a whole bunch of people in the water here.

- Yeah.

- And I mean this is the coexistenc.. Can people still go in the water when we had a shark just metres away.

And it's a tough one, it's a real tough one, 'cause this is a very popular area.

- Yeah.

There are warning signs on these beaches, but some still take their chances.

- They're waving.

- [Greg] Yeah.

- They're waving.

All right, shark, you are going to lose your legs.

I just wouldn't relax and opt for a swim here.

I really wouldn't.

I wouldn't go in the Wimbledon swimming pool after seeing "Jaws", just in case.

(Greg laughing) - We have another one, very close to the beach.

- He's going shallow.

- Yeah, it's going right in.

- In just a few hours we've encountered 12 great whites.

It's been exhilarating, but also, a bit alarming, because what I've learned is that a great white could be swimming along right next to you and you'd never know it was there.

- [Greg] There it is.

- [Martin] What?

- Jesus, do me a favour and don't go in.

- [Martin] That was about two metres from the shoreline wasn't it?

- [Greg] Yeah, pretty darn close.

(ominous music) (ominous music continues) - With so many sharks and so many people in close proximity, the inevitable was bound to happen.

A few weeks after I was here, a young man was bitten and killed just metres from the beach.

It was the first fatal attack in Cape Cod since 1936, but it's hard to imagine that it'll be the last.

(ominous music continues) (suspenseful music) This is Maine, America's most easterly state.

After the thrill of chasing sharks, I'm travelling at a more leisurely pace.

It's an ideal way to take in Maine's beautiful, rugged coastline.

There's hundreds of islands off the coast of Maine and they've got some terrific names.

One's called Pound of Tea, another Sow and Pigs or Gooseberry, Junk of Pork, or my favourite, Dingly.

I wonder if they've got Adele there.

I wonder.

(gentle music) I'm starting my tour of Maine in Harpswell, a peninsula connected by bridges to three islands.

Bailey, Orr's and Sebascodegan, that's really hard to say, so the locals just call it Great Island.

(gentle music) And I am heading there to meet one of the oldest families in the area, the.. They've owned the local store here on the quayside since Victorian Times.

And it doesn't seem to have changed much since.

Today, it's run by 73-year-old Rob Watson.

What's the story about your great-great-grandfather?

How come your family ended up here in this store?

- They were on a ship similar to that one and they got blown in here in a storm and decided to stay.

- Really?

- Yeah.

- As accidental as that?

- Accidental as that, yep.

That's how the story goes, it was around 1850.

- It's a hell of a spot.

- It is, it's a nice spot.

- This view here, ye.. - [Rob] It's a nice spot.

- When Rob's great-great-grandfather was washed up here, his family began keeping records of all the merchandise they sold to Islanders.

- Harpswell, August the, 14th 1863.

1 gallon of molasses 44, - 44 cents, I guess.

- 44 cents?

- [Rob] I guess so.

- Amazing, mind you, I said that, I dunno what the price of molasses is now.

Two dog buttons.

Oh no, two dozen buttons.

I haven't been reading long.

- I'm relieved to see Mr.

Coffin buying only peas and cucumbers.

- These names of the customers are there many of those that are still around, the families that are still around?

- [Rob] Yeah, Wallace, Darling, they're all still.

- They're all still around.

- Yeah, there's some of them around s.. - Is there a sort of a strong sense of community here?

- Oh, there certainly is, yeah.

We're fortunate to be here, but weren't it for our forefathers blown in here during a storm.

We wouldn't be here.

I don't want to go anyplace else, I don't.

(Rob and Martin laughing) (gentle music) - Rob's customers are mostly fishermen and their families.

They make their money from the lobster trade, which is worth around $1 billion a year to Maine's coffers.

When she's not in high school, Rob's granddaughter, 15-year-old Lexi, does her bit to keep those traditions alive.

I'm joining her on her lobster boat, the I Mean Business.

- You perfectly happy out here on your own?

- Yep.

- What do you enjoy about it?

- Just being out on the water I guess.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

Being able to like run my own boat probably.

- Lexi is a seventh generation islander, and even though she's only 15, she's been working these waters for quite a few years.

- [Lexi] I've been fishing since I was eight.

- Since you were eight?

So, who taught you?

- My grandfather.

- And with school, are you just trying to get through it quick and then you're going to fish full-time and work on your family business?

- I'm not sure yet.

I know I wanna go to college, but... - But you don't think you want to necessarily just full-time be a lobsterman.

- I have no clue yet.

- Okay.

Lexi has 25 lobster traps dotted around the bay, many of which she made herself.

Oh, the big one?

- Yeah.

So, watch your fingers.

Okay, so this one it's tail is really skinny.

So, it's a male.

- [Martin] Yeah.

- If it was female the tail would b.. - But that's a good size, is it?

- [Lexi] We'll see.

Yep, it's a keeper.

(upbeat music) - When Lexi's ancestors first settled these islands, lobster was seen as a poor man's food.

So bountiful, it was even fed to Maine's convicts, but today, it's become a luxury.

All right, a couple of good ones.

And Lexi earns around $10 a kilo for these bad boys.

Wow, oh, that's a whopper.

Nice big claws.

- [Lexi] Yeah.

- You're making quite good money doing this, aren't you?

- Yeah.

So, I have to save up for .. - Have you always been quite business minded even before you started fishing?

- Not really.

- Not really.

This was done it for you, was it?

- I was young,.

- Yeah.

- So, I didn't really know anything.

(gentle music) - As the father of a teenage girl myself, I can't help but be impressed by Lexi's work ethic.

But sometimes hard graft alone isn't enough to get by here.

(lively music) As I head further north along the Atlantic coast, Maine's islands get increasingly remote, and life for the people on them gets even more challenging.

(boat engine starting) (horn blowing) I've hitched a ride aboard the Sunbeam support ship, a charitable mission that's been going for over 100 years.

(gentle music) The ship's crew, Skipper Mike, Chaplain Douglas, Nurse Sharon, Engineer Storey and Ship Steward Gillian, head way out into the Atlantic Ocean to offer their help to the most isolated island communities.

Arranging everything from coffee mornings to counselling sessions.

- We just want to help these communities be as healthy as as they can be.

They tell us what they need, whatever it is, spiritual health, physical health, mental health.

- And they depend on you?

- They do, they do depend on us.

They're very independent people, but it is really challenging to live on an island year round, because of their remote and isolated locations.

(sombre music) - Given their isolation, it's perhaps no surprise that the island populations are dwindling.

A century ago, about 300 of these islands were inhabited year round.

Today, it's only 15.

After a four-hour crossing, our first island stop, Matinicus is in sight.

- And the harbour reminds you of 100 years ago.

It's just all little fish shacks and docks and it's pretty neat.

It just gets tight here.

- [Martin] Are you steering with that?

- I am with this little knob here.

- [Martin] Our captain, Mike, skillfully guides us into port.

- Just can't believe you can get this boat in there.

I mean it's just, it's crazy.

- The entrance is barely wider than the Sunbeam itself, but luckily for them, I'm here to help.

Steady ahead, pull her in.

Wow, he really has put this very, very big ship- - Hard to port rudder to see if you can get on.

- into a very small space.

- [Mike] You got it, all right.

- Lucky I was here.

What?

(gentle music) Like so many of the main islands, Matinicus is a traditional fishing community, but over 20 miles off shore life here can be basic.

Matinicus may have a schoolhouse, a post office, and a library, with wifi and fax, but it doesn't have a single shop.

It all feels very far from where I started this leg of my journey in Manhattan.

I've gone from America's most overcrowded island, home to millions, to this one where only 30 to 40 people live all year round.

(gravel crunching) - And you know, that's one of the reasons.

- I'm joining the Sunbeam's nurse, Sha.. on one of her regular home visits.

Today, she's checking up on Bill Hoadley.

- Hi again, Bill.

- [Bill] Hi.

- Bill's lived on the island for over 30 years and he makes a living running a B&B from his lovely shingle-clad home.

- How are you feeling today?

- So-so, the usual.

- [Sharon] The usual.

- Yeah.

- I brought you some cookies as per usual.

- Bribe.

- This is why Bill likes to see me come.

- Yeah, yeah.

- That's real medicine.

- Yeah, that's the best medicine.

I'm just gonna check your blood pressure.

- Okay, still there as far as I know.

- Still there?

- Yeah.

- If it's not, we won't bother with.. - Bill, is it a comfort to know that Sharon's gonna come and see you every now and again and check on your blood pressure?

- Oh yeah, she always stops by, yeah.

- Bill always has the best blood pressure on th.. - [Martin] Really?

- Yeah.

- Yep.

And the oldest person on the island, right?

- That's me, yeah.

I'm 81.

- Are you?

- Yeah, yeah.

- Congratulations.

- Yeah.

- Talking to Bill is a real insight into what makes these islanders tick.

- So, I've lived on three islands.

- Why is this the one you've stuck with?

- Well, the others have changed so much and they've gotten built up and I prefer a little bit more breathing space.

- Does it worry you as the population thins out there aren't replacements coming through, kids aren't staying here.

- No, doesn't bother me.

As long as I can still stay out here, that's fine.

- Okay.

(playful music) Bill's your typical independent islander.

He fitted every one of his home's wooden shingles himself using local timber.

But there's only so much this tiny island can naturally provide.

Everything else, must be imported by sea or air.

Islanders rely on flights from the mainland making deliveries to Matinicus International Airport.

Though hand on heart, I can't recommend their long-term parking solution.

(plane engine roaring) - How are ya?

Another day in paradise.

Good morning.

- Bill's here to collect some everyday essentials and he's not alone, half the island has turned out.

(people chatting) If a single picture can tell a story about the challenges of island life, it's this one.

- Is that it?

- Islander Gary Peabody explains.

- How important is the plane to the... - It would be very difficult to live here without that.

I mean, it's a lifeline for us.

In the morning, when they bring us our groceries, our mail and then in the afternoon you'll bring the freight.

- [Martin] Twice a day?

- [Gary] Twice a day.

- [Martin] Even in the winter?

- Yeah, with 23 miles of water betw.. it's basically an on demand service.

If somebody is sick or ill needs to get off the island, they will fly us off.

They've never failed us yet.

- Yeah, I bet.

As the sun sets over Matinicus, I'm back aboard the Sunbeam heading towards the island of Isle au Haut.

The very last stop on my journey around America.

(gentle music) (seagulls squawking) It's dawn on Isle au Haut, my final island stop.

And the crew of the Sunbeam support ship are preparing a massive breakfast for the Islanders.

It is a chance for one of America's most isolated communities to catch up over a cuppa.

(people chatting) - Good morning, everyone.

Welcome to the Sunbeam.

So, we're about to kick off our third year of Know Your Neighbour.

So, I present to you the Isle au Haut School.

(people applauding) - Every fortnight, children from Isle au Haut's primary school give a presentation in the Sunbeam's cabin.

- Know Your Neighbour started with the idea of interviewing people who lived year round on the island and getting their stories.

Today, we are featuring Diana Sanispago.

- [Martin] Today's subject, Diana, is a bit of an island celebrity.

She runs Isle au Haut's only restaurant, and she's just won the prestigious Golden Claw Award for America's best Lobster sandwich.

- Diana works at The Lobster Lady.

She won first place at the Lobster Rumble in New York City.

(people applauding) If you haven't had one yet, treat yourself to a lobster roll.

(people laughing) - [Speaker] Ah, nice.

(people Applauding) (gentle music) - Only about 50 people live on Isle au Haut all year round.

In the summer, some tourists do come to hike its woodland trails, but winter here can be tough as temperatures plummet as low as minus 20 degrees centigrade.

(gentle music continues) Despite its hardships, a core of families stick it out.

And replenished by a hearty breakfast, their children are back at school today at the start of the autumn term.

- Good morning, Isabelle.

- Hi, Ms.

Rita.

- Good morning, Gianna.

- Good morning.

- Morning, Gab.

- Good morning, Ms.

Rita.

- Good morning, Ocean.

No good morning from you?

- A century ago, Isle au Haut had four schools, but now, as its population tumbles, it's one school only has four pupils.

- [Ms.

Rita] The elegant science.

- I wonder how they feel about living and learning so far from the mainland.

- From an egg.

But what do you remember about Monarch butt.. - Teacher, Rita McWilliams has invited me to sit in on this morning's class.

- Do they stay an Isle au Haut all winter?

- [Class] No.

- They migrate just like the birds do.

Where did they migrate to?

- [Students] Mexico.

- Down to Mexico.

- What do you think growing up on an island?

That there's one thing you could change, what would it be?

- Probably if there was a little bit l.. - Less cars?

- [Martin] Really?

- There's barely any cars already.

It's called traffic, if there's three cars in the road, Ocean.

- I know.

- Isabelle, what would you change?

- I would change, if there was less mosquitoes.

- [Martin] Good change.

- Yeah.

- [Gab] Yeah.

- Probably, the moose flies.

- [Martin] The what?

- Moose flies.

- [Martin] Oh, moose flies.

Flies with horns like a moose.

- No, no, no.

- [Gab] I think Ocean would appreciate a cou.. - Oh yeah.

Okay, let's turn this into a boy.

This into a boy and this into a boy.

- [Gianna] I would prefer to stay as a girl.

Thank you very much.

- Cool, don't you see.

- Some people might assume that being so tiny Isle au Haut school wouldn't work, but these lovely children are clearly very happy and very engaged.

To them, this is simply school, whatever the subject.

- [Douglas] Okay, time to dance.

Time to dance, folks.

- Today, I would like to focus a little more on expressing our emotions.

and happiness.

- Douglas from the Sunbeam is ropi.. to one of his regular dance classes.

- In every part of your body.

How do you move when you feel happy?

(feet pounding) - I start to hear giggles and laughter.

(sombre music) - It seems right to finish my journey here with these children.

They're the future of this island.

And seeing them enjoy the simple pleasures of island life will stay with me for a very long time.

It's been a remarkable trip over 10,000 miles around this vast continent.

Finishing here on America's most eastern edge.

And what struck me more than anything is how no two islands have been the same.

I'd never expected such diversity.

I've seen stunning landscapes, encountered extraordinary wildlife.

but more than anything, I'll never forget the wonderful people.

(gentle music) It's the end of my trip around the islands of America.

It's been epic, absolutely epic.

And I'm knackered, but I've had an amazing time.

I'm very grateful to have done it.

We could go on, there's loads more, but now we have to stop.

(gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle guitar music) (gentle guitar music continues) (gentle guitar music continues)