As a thunderstorm passed over Islesford at 7 a.m. on Oct. 17, I turned on the VHF radio to hear what kind of weather the lobstermen were experiencing. In the space of a half-hour they heard thunder and saw lightning, hail, rain, rainbows and double rainbows. “I’m looking at the sun and I have rain
Firefighters discuss training, common concerns
In the event of an emergency, what if the Bracys’ lobster boat is out of the water? While such a question may not make sense to many people, island residents know that the answer to questions such as this may literally prevent the loss of human life. For many islands, lobster boats are the best
Students experience Antigone on another island
North Haven, Vinalhaven and Deer Isle are three very different islands with a wonderful common feature. All three have new theaters and drama programs that are flourishing. North Haven recently dedicated the Islands Theater, with 150 seats, to director John Wulp during performances of Little Women this summer. Vinalhaven, with its new Smith Hokanson Memorial
North Haven students travel to Deer Isle’s theater
On the weekend of the fifth and sixth of November, myself and five other students took a trip with Keely Felton and Keith Eaton up to Deer Isle to visit the community there and watch a performance of Antigone, put on by the local high school. Just coming back from a leadership conference in Bar
Eastport objects to Passamaquoddy LNG facility
Debate and protests over the possibility of a Liquefied Natural Gas facility at Sipayik, near Eastport, continue, as do negotiations between the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Quoddy Bay LLC. The latest expression of concern has come from Eastport City Manager George “Bud” Finch and the City Council. In an Oct. 18 letter to Sipayik Governor Melvin
Cod
The signs are there, along the western Maine coast at least: growing numbers of small cod in lobster traps, increasing trawl and gillnet catches in inshore waters, a steady number coming through the Portland Fish Exchange. To the east things aren’t as good, but even in Stonington, once the base of a large gillnet fishery,
Imagining and Adapting
Maine boatbuilders are nothing if not adaptable. In fact many of them wouldn’t exist today had they not been able to change their methods from plank-on-frame to fiberglass to cold-molding to various other systems combining wood, metal and more exotic materials. So it’s not surprising to encounter one shop setting up aluminum frames designed on
Islands Coalition
Given the difficulties island residents face when they have to get to an off-island meeting, it’s remarkable that the new Islands Coalition has been able to hold four meetings since it came into existence last spring. It’s also a testament to the tough issues these small communities face: the lack of affordable housing, unfair property
The Long View – Will the Internet Change Island Life?
The old joke is that there are four seasons in Maine: almost winter, winter, still winter and construction. So as we approach the winter season when lobster traps and boats come ashore and lights become fewer and far between, we feel the pace of life shift to a different mode. We move indoors, physically and
From The Deck – December
The sun is low, the day is short, and it is too rough to haul. The stove is warm, the roof is tight and there is nothing to do but knit bait bags and yarn about summer days. I think of cruising way down east and cheery people whose words I can never forget. Mary