In the mini-woods where my small house sits, with a glimmering dawn diminishing the dark in early a.m. hours these days, I wonder where David Henry – or Henry David, as he preferred to be called – was when he jotted in his journal, “the sun is but a morning star…” Was he in Emerson’s
A Visual Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast
This very straightforward guide incorporates reduced-scale NOAA charts, brief navigation descriptions and aerial photographs to provide clear instructions on how to enter or leave several dozen Maine harbors. It’s readable and straightforward, with the spiral binding that cruising sailors always yearn for as they struggle with their books and charts at the tiller, wheel or
Venturing
Sail yourself from the Virgin Islands to Bermuda and you’ll encounter a number of working waterfront outposts, places where dedicated individuals provide the services that make this sort of travel possible. Aboard a 44-foot sloop the trip takes a little over six days. In our case it required the services of a commercial marina and
Hit By Lightning!
The weather report that Friday night last August called for “thunder showers, ending by morning.” It also mentioned “possible lightning strikes.” Now I’ve always put lightning strikes in the category of shark attacks. You hear about them, but they rarely happen, especially to you. Suffice it to say that the lightning storm we experienced on
Down East Lobstermen’s Association prepares for harder times
Lobstermen all along the coast are worried about the possibility of this year’s lobster harvest dipping below last year’s, which was the fourth year of a slide from the peak, prompting fears the trend would continue. That worry is why downeast lobstermen are putting their traps in later this year, and why many curtailed their
FERC grants nine tidal energy permits in Maine
In the eternal pursuit of energy, Americans have pumped the desert ground, drilled the Arctic tundra, and blasted the mountains of Appalachia. Now, a new frontier in alternative energy is being explored in coastal bays, harbors, and rivers, and Maine is at the very edge of that frontier. Relatively untapped and unexplored before a 2005
Firm tests new tidal power equipment in the Eastport area
Could electric power generated from tidal currents in Passamaquoddy and Cobscook Bays be sufficient to take Eastport and, possibly, Washington County off the power grid? Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) and Eastport officials are betting it can. To that end ORPC plans to begin commercial power production by October 2009, according to company president and
Island Institute to celebrate its 25th birthday
The Island Institute turns 25 this summer and will launch its silver anniversary with an extensive show of new work by Peter Ralston, well-known photographer of the Maine coast and the Institute’s executive vice-president and co-founder. The show will run through October 25 and includes new work since his celebrated 1997 book, Sightings: A Maine
Community Supported Fisheries
In the rear parking lot of the First Universalist Church in Rockland, parishioners and neighbors stop to talk as usual after the Sunday service. It’s a familiar scene to anyone driving by, but a closer look reveals a surprising new twist: several of the people talking or heading to their cars carry plastic bags with
Islanders face food sticker shock
As the general manager of Carver’s Harbor Market in Vinalhaven, Renee Jones is used to the high prices charged by her distributors. But even she was shocked when the prices of some food jumped a dollar in the space of a week. “I had to check the books,” Jones said. Other island grocers could commiserate.