Custom sailmaking is an old but growing business in midcoast Maine, and it’s also something of an art. Sails must be functional yet beautiful; lightweight, tough and versatile. Sailmakers – like the crew of a sailboat – must use teamwork to get the job done. It’s no coincidence that Doug Pope was a sailor first,
Technology, Tradition Combine in Racing Boat Project
Pendleton Yacht Yard (PYY), of Islesboro is helping to pioneer a new method to repair and enhance the performance of traditional carvel planked wooden boats. The local yacht club races an aging class of Sparkman and Stephens designed Dark Harbor 20s. The Dark Harbor 20s are 20 feet long on the waterline and 30 feet
Islesboro School Holds Annual Creative Writing Contest
At a March 19 assembly, Islesboro Central School honored the winners of the school’s 11th annual Creative Writing Contest for grades 6-12. Community members, writers and contest judges honored winning entries by reading them aloud. The contest’s goal is to encourage students to value the art of written expression through positive feedback and recognition from
Harbormasters: Heavy on Tact, No Suits or Ties Required
The job of harbormaster has been transformed in many towns from very part-time to very full-time. “I do a little bit of everything,” said Kathy Messier, harbormaster in Belfast. In 11 years on the job, things have gotten busier and busier. “I do slip rentals, mooring rentals, emergency work, mooring permits, cruise ships,” she said.
Improved Markets, State Legislation May Offer Insurance Relief
Coastal and island property owners feeling the pinch of increased insurance premiums and inadequate access to insurance may be in for some relief. A number of proposals before the Maine legislature address challenges associated with finding adequate insurance coverage for Maine property owners. Market forces may help as well. “We are beginning to see a
“I Done Well”: Conary Cove Lobster Co. Survives and Thrives
“If we could row, we had traps out,” declared Basil Heanssler of his start in the lobster business. The youngest of three sons of a Sunshine Island poundkeeper, he’d hauled those first traps at age six or seven. (Sunshine is connected to Deer Isle as is Little Deer Isle, by a winding, boulder-lined causeway.) Heanssler
Assorted Seafood Cookbooks
Creative Coastal Cooking: Recipes from a Dozen Contemporary Maine Restaurants By Terry Ward Libby Rockport, Maine: Down East Books One Fish, Two Fish, Crawfish, Bluefish: The Smithsonian Sustainable Seafood Cookbook By Dr. Carole C. Baldwin and Julie H. Mounts Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books These two books all involve the cooking of some of Maine’s best
Guilt-Free Seafood
You’ve decided to meet a few friends for dinner at your favorite seafood restaurant. As the conversation focuses on the menu, someone brandishes a wallet card and says, “Wait. Before you order the baked scallops, are you sure it’s ok? Guilt-free, that is. George’s Bank scallop is rebuilding, but is it sustainable? They’re in the
Commissioner: “Close the Fishery”
“I’m here to deliver a message sterner and harsher than last year,” said George Lapointe, Commissioner of Department of Marine Resources (DMR), told the Sea Urchin Zone Council at its Feb. 12 meeting. “The best action is to close this fishery,” Lapointe said, having analyzed the season so far with input from scientists and harvesters.
Canada Faces Implementation of the United Nations Fish Agreement
Canada’s ratification of the United Nations Fish Agreement (UNFA) took effect in January. Immediately, opposition critics of the federal government raised questions about Ottawa’s ability to enforce it. During a January visit to Newfoundland, federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Geoff Regan went on a surveillance flight with Newfoundland/Labrador Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Trevor Taylor out