Four years ago a Damariscotta nurseryman thought it would be cool to start a regatta of giant pumpkins, hollowed out and afloat, if not altogether seaworthy. Still, to venture forth on Columbus Day in a pumpkin that once weighed more than 1,000 pounds is proof of something. Nobody is quite sure what, but the idea
Managing ourselves into oblivion
Sharing the Ocean: Stories of Science, Politics and Ownership from America’s Oldest Industry By Michael Crocker Tilbury House, 2008 Softcover, 160 pages, $20 “An Enormous, Immensely Complicated Intervention” Groundfish, the New England Fishery Management Council, and the World Fisheries Crisis By Spencer Apollonio and Jacob J. Dykstra E Book Time LLC, Montgomery, Alabama, 2008
Vinalhaven veteran: “My sacrifice was worth every second of missing home and fear of death”
Last November, in honor of Veterans’ Day, Vinalhaven resident and Working Waterfront writer Kris Osgood interviewed Sergeant Kenny Spalding of the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. Spalding, the son of Lainey Young of Vinalhaven, served three tours in Iraq. The first began Dec. 4, 2004 and the last ended March 12, 2008. Spalding has left
Remembering Mainers on board the USS Maine
On February 15, 1898 the battleship USS Maine was sunk in Havana harbor. The ship had been sent to Cuba to protect American interests during a period of intense local unrest against the Spanish government on the island. Most of the 266 men who died were crew members, sleeping or resting in the forward part
Vinalhaven students explore island’s sustainability using technology
Vinalhaven middle school students are getting a very holistic approach to aspects of their education this year, and learning technology and about their community at the same time. For the past three years, students at the Vinalhaven School have been studying the question of whether the year-round community on Vinalhaven will be able to sustain
Thea Youngs, Chebeague Island fellow, at the center of activity
It’s a great feeling to be in the center of things. Thea Youngs is starting the second year of her Island Institute fellowship on Chebeague Island, where she works in the Chebeague Town Office. She says it’s a great place to be. “It’s the center of activity. I like the way you never really know
Venturing
Sailing through Gotha A photograph on the wall of Wesley Rodstrom Jr.’s office at Consolidated Yachts on City Island in the Bronx, New York City, speaks volumes about this storied place: one of the two men in the picture is Sir Thomas Lipton, the British tea merchant who tried five times to win the America’s
Donors, foundations insure future of island fellowships
A named Island Fellows endowment is one that ensures, through the generous support of an individual donor or a foundation, the perpetuity of one of the Island Institute’s most visible and valued resources to island and working-waterfront communities. To date, the Institute has successfully completed four named Island Fellows endowments: The William Bingham Fellow for
We can defend you
You caught my attention with the article, “Guns on ferries: balancing safety and rights, Working Waterfront, October 2008). My favorite part of the article was the last sentence: “There were so many guns in the wheelhouse, the captain couldn’t move.” Just before that statement, the article stated that the practice that led to that
Matinicus Post Office finds new home in part of parsonage
Matinicus Island has been without a physical post office since the accidental fire that destroyed the existing historic structure in April 2008. Over the summer, mail has been picked up and delivered by island postal service staff. Since last spring, numerous ideas have been suggested for a post office location, and a couple of island