A couple enjoy the Maine State Ferry Service boat ride past Owls Head light on the way to Vinalhaven.

Working Waterfront

Angry words exchanged at ferry board meeting

Tempers flared at the July 12 meeting of the Maine State Ferry Advisory Board about, ironically enough, angry ferry passengers. The board serves as a citizen advisory group, representing the interests of islanders before ferry service managers. The service is operated by the state Department of Transportation, and serves Frenchboro, Swan’s Island, Islesboro, North Haven,… Read more » SEE MORE

One of Fournier's tugs works alongside Maine Maritime Academy's State of Maine last summer.

Working Waterfront

Fournier family continues tug tradition in Belfast

If Belfast has an icon representing it to the wider world, it’s probably the three red tugboats docked at the foot of Main Street. As pretty as those boats are, with their clean decks and fresh paint, they are not props for tourism marketing. The Penobscot Bay Tractor Tug Co. is a business that plays… Read more » SEE MORE

The ferry departs Lincolnville for Islesboro.

Working Waterfront

Ferry service chooses rate increase plan, Islesboro hit hardest

A new Maine State Ferry Service rate plan will be implemented beginning May 21. The new fare structure eliminates the on-island discount in favor of a price consistent at both mainland and island terminals, and also is consistent among the six islands the state ferries serve: Frenchboro, Swan’s Island, Islesboro, North Haven, Vinalhaven, and Matinicus.… Read more » SEE MORE

Islesboro residents gathered at the island's community center on April 19th to highlight the concerns the community has with the new Maine State Ferry Service fares.

News

New Maine State Ferry Service Fares Cause Concern on Islesboro

4/21/2018 - On April 17th, the Maine State Ferry Service released a new fare schedule for service to the six island communities they serve. The new fare schedule is the first fare increase since 2009 and comes after the state ferry service backed away from a proposal to give Maine residents a discounted rate compared to non-Maine residents. Different communities will feel the impact of the fare changes in different ways, with Islesboro seeing a substantial increase. On Thursday April 19th, Islesboro residents organized a gathering to highlight the concerns the community has with the new fares. SEE MORE

Blog

Passengers disembark from the Islesboro ferry.

Working Waterfront

Ferry service impacted with rising emergency trips

The state ferry service is concerned about a recent trend in which more emergency boat trips are made from the islands to the mainland, disrupting scheduled trips. At its March 1 meeting in Rockland, the ferry advisory board learned from ferry service manager Mark Higgins that statistics from the last five years show an increase.… Read more » SEE MORE

Snow-covered pines add to the quiet beauty on Matinicus

News

Life on an Island: Silence, Beauty and a Long Wait for the Ferry

2/23/2018 - On remote islands off the coast of Maine, small bands of residents stay through the long winter. They embrace the emptiness and a frontier sensibility. The snow had begun falling overnight, and fell throughout the day, draping the towering pines and the lobster traps, stacked up on land for the winter, in blankets of white. SEE MORE

In the news

Working Waterfront

Ferry service floats resident, non-resident fare plan

A Maine State Ferry Service proposal to raise revenue by creating resident and non-resident rates will be aired at public hearings on Islesboro on Jan. 29 and on Swan’s Island on Jan. 30. A hearing was held on Vinalhaven on Jan. 23. The plan also would eliminate the current discount on island-purchased tickets, a practice… Read more » SEE MORE

Inter-island News

Axiom Technologies installs a tower on Islesford to link the broadband infrastructure between Great and Little Cranberry Islands.

News

Connecting Maine’s communities through broadband

12/19/2017 - Simply stated, “broadband” is a high-speed internet connection. It provides the reliability and speeds required by businesses, telecommuters, students of all ages, telehealth users, municipalities and emergency services, and residents who seek 21st century economic and social opportunities. Over 30 island and coastal communities in Maine are working to bring broadband and its benefits to their towns through their economic and community development efforts. SEE MORE

Blog

Working Waterfront

Letters to the editor: Nantucket thoughts

Nantucket native remains islander To the editor: What a delightful surprise to open November’s issue of The Working Waterfront to see a story and pictures of my native Nantucket Island. It was a fine article and so vividly portrays what has happened to it in the past half century. Unfortunately, I discovered a mistake in… Read more » SEE MORE

TLC teachers and students during the 2017 fall field trip

News

The TLC’s Golden Circle

10/30/2017 - Before the start of the new school year, the teachers from the Outer Islands Teaching & Learning Collaborative (TLC) gathered in Rockland for their (now) annual Teacher Retreat. The focus of the retreat is to allow work time and planning for the year ahead, but what became the driving focus for the day, though, was not the “what” or “how” of our work, but the “why.” By taking time to clarify and (re-)define the “why,” the purpose for our work this year, all the other components more or less fell into place. SEE MORE

Blog