The Circus Ship Island Author and History Tour has returned to port after a unique and wonderful journey. We visited 10 Maine island schools and communities: North Haven, Vinalhaven, Isle au Haut, Deer Isle Stonington, Frenchboro, Mount Desert Island, Swans’s Island, Islesford, Islesboro and Matinicus Island. Our thanks to all for the warm welcome and
Take care of crabs
In the 1930s crabs put food on the table for a lot of Maine fishing families, whether it was eating the crabmeat, or selling it. Now, we lobstermen treat crabs as nothing but a nuisance or maybe bait. Some bait on every crab they catch. We have started out second year of depressed lobster prices
Vinalhaven childhood inspires David Crossman’s mystery series
Mystery writer, musician and artist David Crossman grew up on Vinalhaven and graduated from the island school in 1970. The roots of his mother’s family (Roberts) extend back to the earliest settlers on the island who arrived in the late 18th century. David stressed that he and his younger brother Matt were born on the
Vinalhaven lobstermen grapple with MRSA outbreak
In the last four months, nearly two-dozen Vinalhaven residents were sickened during the state’s first fishermen-centered outbreak of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). A coordinated effort by community members and health care officials and seems to have contained the outbreak. Several Vinalhaven residents required intravenous-administered antibiotics and minor surgery to deal with the deep lesions that
New Town Landing completed on Isle au Haut
A new Isle au Haut Town Landing that includes major design improvements required by the island community has just been completed Prock Marine Company built the new wharf in two and a half months. It was a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) project funded by several sources and representing a cooperative effort. The Isle au
Skipjack: The Story of America’s Last Sailing Oystermen
St. Martin’s Press 2009 Hardcover, 372 pages, $25.99 A saga of the last working boats under sail It would be fair to say that Skipjack is as powerful as The Perfect Storm without the tragedy. Yet, the tragedy here is the decline of historic sailing dredge boats called skipjacks, which are barely still in use,
How To Read a Nautical Chart: A Captain’s Quick Guide
Cranberry Report: Parallel Christmases
At the beginning of December, there is still room for eager anticipation of the winter holidays. There is time to finish that knitting project, shop for gifts, and get excited by glossy new recipes in cooking magazines. We can think back on what we so liked about this time of year when we were children.
Venturing: Good neighbors, high water
An article in the Times-Picayune reminds us yet again of change on a waterfront. While I was in New Orleans in early November, the newspaper reported that the New Orleans City Council had approved a zoning change to allow the creation of a new park along the Mississippi River, in a downtown district that has
Cutbacks at Port Clyde store upset residents
Many regular customers are upset by the recent and abrupt cutbacks at the Port Clyde General Store for the winter. For the first time in the memory of residents, store hours will be curtailed to six hours a day until May. Marking the literal end of Route 131, the huge wooden Port Clyde General Store