Articles
A Conversation with Author George Daughan
I met George Daughan when we sat next to each other at the Books in Boothbay Book Fair last summer. I had read his latest book 1812: The Navy’s War, and was interested to hear how he developed his particular approach to history as well as to learn about his career as a teacher and
Maine’s Mr. Baseball: John Winkin
As the baseball season begins, it seems appropriate to salute the career of coaching legend John Winkin. From 1955-2008, his teams at Colby College, The University of Maine at Orono (UMO) and Husson University won over 1000 games, 1,043 to be exact. Over the years, 92 of his former players signed professional baseball contracts. Spring
Growing Up on an Island off the Coast of Maine
There is something for almost everyone in this delightful collection of short stories from the pen of Carroll Haskell. The author was born in 1927 on isolated Deer Isle in Penobscot Bay, 12 years before the suspension bridge from the mainland was completed. Until 1939, Deer Isle was truly an island. The author introduces us
The Prolific Mr. Longfellow
Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. Who of us of a certain age have not travelled in their imagination with Paul Revere on his epic ride to
The Evolution of a Furniture Maker
Peter Korn is the founder and executive director of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine. He is also a writer, a philosopher and, when he has the time, an enthusiastic sailor. The result is a man who engages his students on multiple levels. This blend of interests has sustained Korn through a career
Fly Rails and Flying Jibs: Coasting Schooner Photographs by Thomas Goddard
Anyone with a love of old sailing vessels will enjoy this interesting and informative book, published by the Mystic Seaport. What makes Fly Rails and Flying Jibs unusual is that it combines a series of superb photographs with interpretive captions that read like a text. The dedication page identifies Robert Goddard as a Financier, Philanthropist,
Maine’s First Ship Will Sail Again
After more than a decade of research and planning, the reconstruction of the first ship built in Maine was kicked of with a keel-laying party on July 3. The project started in 1997 when a group of Bath residents formed a non profit organization called Maine’s First Ship (MFS). The group was dedicated to researching
The Cook at Fort McClary
What was the Vice-President of the United States doing as a cook at Fort McClary in Kittery, Maine in the summer of 1864? The short answer is that Hannibal Hamlin’s Coast Guard Unit had been called up for duty and, as a member of Company A, he felt obliged to report. Hamlin had enlisted when
Stuart Marine and the Rhodes 19
Fred Brehob is a historian of the Rhodes 19 and, not surprisingly, he is a veritable fount of information about the boat. I learned that in 1952 distinguished yachtsman George O’Day formed his own company to build affordable, trailerable sailboats. (George O’Day was the first American to win both an Olympic gold medal in sailing
An arctic legacy
Ninety years ago this April, the schooner Bowdoin slid down the ways of an East Boothbay boatyard. The story of Bowdoin is intertwined with that of Admiral Donald MacMillan. What is most impressive about the schooner, however, is the incredible loyalty and devotion the ship has inspired in almost everyone who has come in contact