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
Boatstruck
Vineyard Haven, Martha’s Vineyard, August 2002 This is how a day unfolded — my expedition to wooden boat Mecca. The inn I stayed at looked toward the harbor. There, in my view, sat the Gannon and Benjamin boatbuilding shed — luring me ever since I got off the ferry. Got my takeout tea and scone
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
Duffy
“People have a big misconception that I always wanted to build boats,” said Richard Duffy. “They’re really wrong because I never intended to build boats for a living.” Duffy’s story, to hear him tell it, is that of a poor boy who built his first boat with his father to replace an old one that
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
Tight Turns
To the editor: Great article by Harry Gratwick about U.S.S. Georgia — a Maine built battleship [WWF Feb. 2008]. I can imagine the difficulty maneuvering that heavy vessel down the bends in the Kennebec River below Bath. The story of the Great White Fleet’s trip around the world is also fascinating, as well as the
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
A merchant mariner touts a new training program for Maine’s Midcoast
David Flanagan of Thomaston works as a captain of large oceangoing vessels that perform a variety of tasks for the Military Sealift Command. Currently he’s towing decommissioned ships into lay-up. His last trip found him in Hawaii, around Pearl Harbor, but in his job — chief mate or captain — he can expect to be
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
Bad Meat
To the editor: Last Sunday’s recall of 143 million pounds of beef by the U.S. Department of Agriculture should provide a loud and clear wakeup call that federal inspection is not adequate to ensure a safe meat supply. This largest meat recall in U.S. history was actually brought on by an animal rights organization’s undercover