Camden, Maine: Down East Books, 2007 320 pages, $22.95 Dry Feet, the Great White Shark and Three-Freeze Cider Capt. Samuel S. Cottle started his life in 1931, near Point Judith, Rhode Island, the third generation of a fishing family that included the grandfather who named various parts of the surrounding coast — including Galilee and
Sailing Away From Winter: A Cruise from Nova Scotia to Florida and Beyond
Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. Soft cover: 368 pp. $17.95 U.S., 2007 Getting There is 99 Percent of the Fun Cruising books are a genre, like biographies, self-help books or stories about vampires. A few cruising books (Joshua Slocum comes to mind) are so good that they become classics. Many are truly forgettable, and a
The Wreck Of The MEDUSA:The Most Famous Sea Disaster of the Nineteenth Century
Atlantic Monthly Press, 2007 309 pages, $25.00 “Sir, you have made a shipwreck” On the morning of July 2, 1816, the French frigate Medusa, enroute to Senegal, hit a reef off the coast of Africa. The result was one of the great nautical disasters of the century; a 19th century version of the Titanic, without
NOAA recognizes Island Institute’s contributions to coastal and ocean resources
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has selected the Island Institute to receive its 2008 Excellence Award for Non-Governmental Organization of the Year. This award, given every two years, recognizes organizations whose dedication and hard work epitomize coastal stewardship, and whose contributions have helped maintain the nation’s healthy coastal and ocean resources. The Institute’s
Solving the Mystery of the X-Fish
At the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), teams of 5th grade students from Willard School in Sanford are working out solutions to questions about the X-Fish, a mystery fish they will identify by the end of their hour-and-a-half stay at the Institute, located on Commercial Street in Portland. This program, LabVenture!, is supported by
My math teacher’s a mollusk: turning oysters into opportunities
Oysters have their strong points. They’re quiet, independent, and they rarely ever complain. They don’t mind getting dirty, and, perhaps most importantly, they’re tasty with a squirt of lemon juice or Tabasco. Of all the things that oysters are, however, they are rarely thought of as good teachers. Until now. For more than seven years,
Oysters and X-Fish
Two stories this month describe the unique ability of wild creatures to teach kids about their world. At Herring Gut in Port Clyde, oysters teach middle-schoolers elements of math and science, not to mention how the value of a natural resource can be enhanced through cultivation, careful husbandry and hard work. In Portland, fish are
Coastal pollution costs $29 million in lost revenue
Once upon a time most of our seafood came from our own watery backyard. But as our population has grown, especially along the coast, more and more local clam, mussel and oyster beds have become off-limits because of pollution. Today, 181,780 acres of Maine’s nearshore shellfish habitat are classified as having impaired water quality. This
Parallel 44: Caucus system: Some islanders are more equal than others
It should have been the Maine Democratic Party’s finest hour. The Feb. 10 presidential caucus drew a massive turnout. Thousands of party newcomers — young people, independents and dissatisfied Republicans — swamped caucus sites, eager to play a part in the selection of the next leader of the free world, and the ejection of the
Cranberry Report: Winter survival is a highly-honed island art
Twenty-five years ago in February, my husband and I were learning to be parents of 1 month old twin boys. There was little sleep to be had in our house, but we knew there was a couple in Lincoln, Maine who had just given birth to triplets. Many times we got through an overwhelming moment