March weather was mild for the second half of the month, adhering to the Latin proverb, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Dip of the Month club members had no problem fulfilling their March membership obligations, and everyone has been in the water at least once in April. It feels like the early spring we always hope to have. The grass is green, tulips are up, and mud season — did we even have one? At this time last year, islanders were dealing with flooded basements and overworked sump pumps.
In the month of March, eight people continued their rigorous training toward certification as Emergency Medical Technicians. For these students, whose days of study lasted from 8 to 12 hours, the community showed support again by providing them with a variety of delicious lunches and dinners. In addition to dedicated First Responders and EMTs, Islesford now has an ambulance, thanks to a generous donation and a remembered kindness.
In 1986, when Long Island (in Casco Bay) planned to secede from the town of Portland, four of its residents came to Islesford to have a chat with Irene Bartlett and Maurice Phillips. The town clerk and the selectman answered their questions about the Town of Cranberry Isles, the residents’ petition to the State Legislature, and the resulting separation from the Town of Mount Desert in 1830. Irene even had a record of our first town meeting on June 19, 1830. The folks from Long Island never forgot the help they received in the interest of their own town’s separation. When they acquired a new emergency vehicle, they donated their old one to Islesford. At the end of the month the “new” ambulance arrived by barge. With help from the Long Island Fire and Rescue, Southern Maine EMS, MedCu of Portland, and the Cumberland Fire and Rescue, our ambulance was outfitted with plenty of new emergency gear such as stretchers, backboards, collars, medical supplies and jump kits. There is even a radio on board and, as a final touch, they painted “Islesford Volunteer Rescue” on the outside. We are grateful to Long Island for their thoughtful gift, and to our own community members who have gained the knowledge to use the equipment.
Congratulations to Ted Spurling, Jr. on the launch of his new lobster boat on March 14. HOPE is a 38-foot Stanley design produced in fiberglass by Jock Williams. It is the first fiberglass hull that Ted has owned and he chose the model because it closely resembled his old boat PANDORA, a 32-year-old wooden Osmond Beal boat he has owned since 1986. Like his father, Captain Ted Spurling Sr., Ted is quite a writer. It is fitting that the name of his new boat has a mythological connection to the old one. When Pandora opened the box given to her by the gods, she unleashed all of the misfortunes of mankind into the world. She quickly shut it, but there was one thing left inside: Hope.
At the fishermen’s co-op there is a new bridge between the float and the dock. Previously, the angle of the ramp at low tide, greater than 40 degrees and slippery with fish oil, made it comparable to the challenge of a double black-diamond ski trail. Rubber boots did not provide much traction on a steep slope lubricated with bait juice. It was hard to stay upright as one hand struggled to hold onto a wet railing while the other was pulled forward by the rope handle of a 150 lb container of salted herring, heading down the slick incline. The new bridge is 8 feet longer, making a big difference in the angle of the ramp when the water is down. Getting trays of bait to the boats at low tide just became a lot less precarious for sternmen.
With more lobster traps in the water there is an increase in talk among fishermen on the VHF radio. Steve Philbrook called to Bruce Fernald the other day, “Have you ever seen seals come up out of the water to go after seagulls?” Bruce’s response: “Maybe they weren’t finding enough to eat so they had to go out of their environment.” One thing seals like to eat are lobsters; it was a comment on the slow start of the spring lobstering season. It is not unusual to be waiting for lobsters to arrive at this time of year, they just seem late compared to the advanced spring weather on shore. In April of 2003, the whole month was cold, icy and rainy and there were almost no lobsters around. This season looks a little more hopeful in comparison. It does sound unusual, though, to hear that seals are jumping out of water to steal food from gulls.
Even more unusual was to see Bruce arrive home from the recent Canadian/U.S. Lobstermen’s Town Meeting in Portland carrying two bags of dog biscuits. Bruce is notorious for his lack of enthusiasm when it comes to canines so he made sure to arrive under cover of darkness. The treats known as “Lobster Bisque-it” are made in Canada by Blue Seal feeds using leftovers from processing lobster meat. One bag went to Aaron and Erin Gray for their dogs Guinness and Tyson, the other went down the road to Rick Alley’s dog, Coal. When I expressed my surprise to Bruce he replied, “It’s business.” The word among local dogs: “Woofie! Bruce Fernald just went out of his environment to promote his product!”
Islesford, April 16, 2006
