Articles
Little Things
The pace of change along the Maine coast may not be rapid, but it’s steady. The changes may not be sweeping, but — like all the little mainland towns and island communities that are this coast — they add up to something very large. Walk into a supermarket just about anywhere these days and you’ll
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
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
Fishing, boatbuilding and “green” technology
The March issue of Working Waterfront coincides with two significant early-spring events in coastal Maine: the annual Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport and the Maine Boatbuilders Show in Portland. Both bring together thousands, of people with an interest in boats, marine technologies, fishing, marine science, government regulation and dozens of other topics that are of critical
Island Journalism
Reporting from islands can be tricky, especially if you live there. Cover the town meeting, the school board or a property dispute and you’re sure to meet one or more of your sources the next day at the store, in church or on the ferry. Island journalism is not conducive to investigative reporting. Nor is
The Boatbuilder’s Apprentice: The Ins and Outs of Building Lapstrake, Carvel, Stitch-and-Glue, Strip-Planked, and Other Wooden Boats
Camden: International Marine/McGraw Hill, 2007 Hardcover, $39.95 “Logical Associations, Interesting Digressions” Greg Rossel is an engaging, talented and funny man who builds boats in Troy, Maine, and teaches at the WoodenBoat School. He also writes regularly about boatbuilding. This book’s origins lie in articles he wrote for WoodenBoat magazine and other publications, including at least
Voters speak on local, statewide issues
Citizens in several coastal communities cast votes affecting the future use of their waterfronts, including plans for the redevelopment of Portland’s city-owned Maine State Pier, a planned coal gasification plant in Wiscasset, and a proposal to allow certain zoning changes in Camden. The vote in Wiscasset could kill the coal project, although its developer announced
The Reflective Season
In Maine we’re entering the reflective season, the time of year when weather conditions nudge us indoors. Readers will turn to their books; those with a bent for history or crafts or cooking will head for libraries, workshops or kitchens. If you’re into civic engagement you’re watching local government or the legislature. The pace along
Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007 Hardcover, $19.95 Don’t press that button! Reading this little book prompted some personal recollecting, stretching back to pre-email times in the news business. Several scenes come to mind: the moment I went to work at a newsroom computer screen for the first time, probably in the late 1970s; the
Maine Island Memories
Sally Thibault, familiar to Vinalhaven audiences for her well-assembled slide show of island scenes covering 40 years of that community’s history, has now produced a DVD from the same material. “Vinalhaven — Maine Island Memories 1950-1990” is 37 minutes long, includes a nicely assembled soundtrack with selections from Dvorak and Elgar, plus Jim Wilson, Nick