Photographer Peter Ralston’s first artist’s talk at Archipelago Fine Arts Gallery on Aug. 9 was such a success that he’s been invited back for an encore presentation on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. A master raconteur, Ralston has a treasure trove of stories behind his iconic images of the Maine coast, several of which
Our world’s place in the big world
They come increasingly from all over the world for a brief taste of Maine island summer. Well, maybe not China and Japan so much, but certainly from all over this hemisphere and Western Europe. The days when Northeast Harbor was known as Philadelphia on the Rocks or when Boston Brahmins recycled remnants of 19th century
Knitting knots fishermen and women’s social network
This is the story of how I became a knitter and made friends on Swan’s Island. As you may be able to guess from the fact that those stories are one and the same, I am not the island cool kid. There was a point when I first moved here when I could have made
Maine Maritime wants to do R&D for tidal power
CASTINE — Rick Armstrong, executive director of the Tidal Energy Demonstration and Evaluation Center (TEDEC) at Maine Maritime Academy, is getting a number of international visitors these days. They see the academy’s center in Castine as a prime spot to test out new technologies in tidal power generation. “I’m looking at five
Performance of ‘On the Edge’ features Dennis Damon
On the Edge, a one-act performance art play will be presented in two performances at 8 p.m. on Aug. 30 and Aug. 31 at The Neighborhood House in Northeast Harbor. The play, written by Eva Murray of Matinicus, features 20 paintings by Philip Steel depicting year round living on Maine’s offshore islands. The story is told
Abandon ship!
SEARSPORT — At 2 a.m., 35 miles out to sea, with winter winds howling and water temperatures around 40 degrees, there can be no two more frightening words. On a perfect summer day off the town dock, though, “Abandon ship!” was more educational than terrifying. Sponsored by the Penobscot Marine Museum, the demonstration by Don
Repeated hoax distress calls irk Coast Guard
PORTLAND — For the last three years, the U.S. Coast Guard has gotten a series of calls from a voice they don’t want to hear. It’s almost always the same, says Lt. Nick Barrow, who until recently supervised the Coast Guard’s regional search and command center in Portland. A male voice says “Mayday, Mayday” over
New pier work funded in Gouldsboro
GOULDSBORO — Residents may soon have improved waterfront access, thanks to some flexible thinking on the part of state and town officials. At a June 12 town meeting, residents voted to provide partial funding to build a new pier on the shorefront site of a demolished barge. In a creative move, town officials asked for
Navigation aids victims of Coast Guard cuts
CHEBEAGUE ISLAND — About a month ago, Chebeague Island resident Deb Bowman noticed on a night ferry ride that an important lighted buoy was burned out. The buoy marked a channel on the approach to the island. Bowman’s mind went to her daughter, who commutes by ferry at night to a job on the mainland.
Fishing on land: Saltwater fish could tap high-value market
FRANKLIN — The first black sea bass and California yellowtail to come from a trial land-based culture method have earned excellent reviews from chefs and consumers. That’s the word from Ed Robinson, co-owner and director of Harpswell-based RAS Corporation. Now plans are in the works to expand RAS’s limited trial run of 1,000 each of