The old lime carrier JENNY PILLSBURY was ghosting slowly along through the Mussel Ridge Channel before a light southeasterly wind bound for Rockland with a cargo of Boston bricks in her hold. As so often happens in these waters the southeast breeze was accompanied by an unwelcome traveler, fog. It wasn’t long before the islands
Reclaiming the Waterfront – Wiscasset ponders re-developing two former industrial sites
Figuring out what to do with an abandoned power plant and 450 acres adjacent to a former nuclear reactor site can challenge the best of visionaries. Wiscasset’s unusual challenge is opening the door do unusual creativity. With active community input, professional vision and the leadership and backing of a new corporate partner named National RE/sources,
Damariscotta firm helps fishermen finance their businesses
Fishermen, like most people, need to borrow money to buy houses. But unlike the general population, they also need to borrow to buy fishing gear, trucks and fishing boats. Those fishermen who work hard at what they do make a good living, but almost all are self-employed and don’t bring home the weekly paycheck that’s
Journal Of An Island Kitchen – Molasses: Like Life Itself in Maine
As soon as it turns off a little chilly, molasses starts tasting even better than it did when the weather was warm. That thick, rich, somewhat bitter sweetness, a good deal like life itself in Maine, makes a cold island winter endurable. Despite its somewhat grim history, it is a comfort food, right along side
Full Mission Simulation – In a Wizard of Oz setting, students learn ship handling
“When you walk in the door, you have to have a sense of, `wow!’ ” said Maine Maritime Academy’s [MMA] Sam Teel, Marine Transportation Dept. Chairman, who designed the school’s new Bridge Simulation Center. He seems to have succeeded. The ship-like windows on the doors at the facility’s entrance and the narrow, angled, ship-like corridor
Red Tide Takes Its Toll On Maine’s Coast
Clam diggers in Washington County struggled to survive the summer months after being notified in July that Cobscook Bay was closed to the harvesting of clams, whelks and carnivorous snails. Other businesses in the area were reportedly affected by the loss of income that is usually generated by clam digging. Just as some Washington County
“A Very Mysterious Thing” – Picking crabmeat is a fine art
What makes one person’s crabmeat better than another’s? When Donna Bridges closed her Sunshine crab processing business this past spring, after 21 years, some customers went into mourning. “You were spoiled once you tried Donna’s,” said Robert Dick, of Castine. “She’s justly famous.” Other customers felt put out. One called several times to say she
Pizza to Porta-Potties – Island freight service responds to residents’ needs
The stuff that flows through the freight office of Casco Bay Lines is as diverse as the needs of the islanders the company serves. Cartons of milk from Oakhurst Dairy head for the grocery store on Long Island, propane tanks earmarked for home heating ship out to Chebeague – and then there’s the random, 14-inch,
New exhibit depicts an island’s farming past
Lydia Webster’s new art show, “On Solid Ground: Farming on North Haven.,” opened Sept. 4 at Waterman’s Community Center on North Haven. The month-long exhibit invites viewers to learn about the height, decline, and recent resurgence of farming on the island. Webster interviewed people for this project spanning a number of generations including Lewis Haskell,
With timely help, Vinalhaven restores its old fire hall
Father Jim Clark, a Roman Catholic minister from Rockland, Massachusetts had originally intended to bring his Youth Ministry group to Rockland, Maine, planning to stay, however, out on quieter, more remote, Vinalhaven. After calling several congregations and agencies throughout the coastal area, he could not find an organization or project that could put his 21