As a Rockland resident, I have read the news articles concerning the introduction of mega-cruise ships into Rockland Harbor. After reading Sally Noble’sWorking Waterfront article on the Web (“Rockland to welcome 2,500 passenger cruise ship”) I was surprised by her cheery perspective, describing the megaship, Jewel of the Seas, arriving in Rockland October 4, as having “size
Vinalhaven childcare program marks first anniversary
Island life doesn’t always afford the same amenities and services that mainlanders often take for granted. Affordable and reliable childcare is one of those. So when several new and expecting Vinalhaven mothers saw a need, they did something about it. Island Village Childcare (IVC) opened its doors in September 2008 and marked its first anniversary
Monumental truths
Those of you who venture out towards Eagle Island in Casco Bay are familiar with the Little Mark Island Monument. Having sailed the length and breadth of the Maine coast a number of times, I am quite sure that there is nothing else like it in these parts, which has made it a popular topic
Who gets to lobster from Matinicus Island?
Lavon “Biscuit” Ames is proud of his lobstering heritage, going back to a great-great-grandfather whose sloop is at Old Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut. Ames, 46, started fishing at 10, with four traps and a skiff in the harbor. Now his daughter, 10, and son, 7, are fishing a string of traps using the same
Island readers program takes The Circus Ship to 10 islands
Mention the 1836 wreck of the Royal Tar to some islanders and you’ll hear some very amazing tales. Some will tell you about rumors of an elephant arriving on the beach, or serpents seen slithering on various islands way back when. You might even be told that there are some places where people still won’t
Harpswell marina expands and goes green
At the Dolphin Marina, located on Basin Point in Harpswell, “Every inch of the property is being reorganized,” says Bill Saxton, who with his brother Chris, has been representing their family in the marina’s redevelopment project. Both Bill and Chris started working at the marina when they were five years old. If you happened to
Schooner captain sets sights on old shipyard
Captain Jim Sharp isn’t averse to risk. Instead he seems to thrive on it. He has bought old schooners and then brought them back to life as paying windjammers. He helped rescue the Arctic exploration schooner Bowdoin; he gave the schooner Adventure to her homeport of Gloucester. Over the years, this feisty waterfront entrepreneur has
Coastal cleanup on Matinicus Island
I’ve been reading Curtis Ebbesmeyer and Eric Scigliano’s recent book Flotsametrics, a happy accidental find in the Rockland Library. The book describes the science of worldwide ocean currents, or gyres, that circulate floating objects such as the many thousands of Nike sneakers lost overboard from a container ship in a 1990 storm. Beachcombing becomes more
The Original Maine Shrimp Cookbook
Island Institute, 2009 74 pages, $16.95 Just peel and eat Aside from the couple of times I journeyed (by car) or voyaged (by sailboat) to Maine in June for weddings, I ventured northward from New York to Maine in the winter. My city friends could not understand such insanity-even when I described the incomparable culinary
Debate continues over lobster buyers on town docks
How do you figure what to charge an out-of-town company for the use of a town’s public dock to buy lobster? It’s an old story and problem still seeking solution. Two years ago this paper carried a story about dealers parked on the Stonington Fish Pier buying lobster at a price higher than local dealers