The Cranberry Isles Life-Saving Station photographed in about 1885.

Working Waterfront

When mariners in distress got help

Whether it is for work or play, anyone spending significant time on a boat knows that help is a radio call away, and that other beacons and signals can be relied upon to alert to the need for help. But how would that work if there was no one designated… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Keeping credit cards working on an island

At an April 4 event celebrating a federal award to expand Maine’s broadband access, Peggy Schaffer, director of ConnectMaine, put it best when she called establishing the high-speed internet a “team sport.” The $28 million federal grant would not have been awarded without community members, internet service providers, elected officials,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

String theory—violin lessons embraced by islanders

Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. “Violin lessons at the Islesboro Community Center for all ages, free of charge! Sign up with Anne McKee by June… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine—as it should be, as it is

On a recent rainy day, I was able to indulge two interests—history and journalism. I was researching 1980s history for a story for our annual Island Journal about working waterfront access in Portland. Those who were here then will remember the turning point moment when condos—large, four-story structures—rose on Central… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Running the regulation gauntlet

My husband, Bruce, launched his lobster boat at the end of March and was setting traps by the first week of April. He spent the winter painting buoys, repairing old traps, and building new ones. By the time he was ready to set out again, 600 of his 800 traps… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A survey of recent Maine settlement

Sideshots: Stories from a Land Surveyor’s Traverse through the District of Maine By John T. Mann, illustrated by Earle Mitchell (2020) Review by Dana Wilde In the 1970s, Maine was changing, especially along the coast. After nearly a century of being a summer destination for tourists and hideout for the… SEE MORE

Maurice Freedman (1904-1985), Stonington Pier, 1954, oil on canvas, 30 by 40 inches. Courtesy Greenhut Galleries.

Working Waterfront

Maurice Freedman’s Stonington pier

The town of Stonington’s fish pier has a Facebook page. In addition to informational posts, the page features photos of the pier and its surroundings taken by visitors. There are views down Main Street, a shot of William Muir’s monument to local stonecutters, and a study of colorful lobster buoys.… SEE MORE

This image from the Captain William Abbott Collection at the Penobscot Marine Museum shows a schooner being towed by a tug.

Working Waterfront

Even schooners relied on tugs

The photo accompanying this month’s column shows the Ross Towing Co. tug Walter Ross with a four-master in tow down the Penobscot River, seen from the Stockton Springs shore, off Verona about three miles above Fort Point. Blue Hill is barely visible through the haze in the background. A fish… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Unpacking lobstering’s windfall year

The closest I have come to regretting giving up my lobster license was this past summer. My father's still an active fisherman, and as we had a beer and looked out at our wharf in Round Pond, he told me the boat price for lobsters. I was shocked! I will… SEE MORE

Bicycles on Chebeague Island's Stone Pier. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Navigating change focuses on relationships

For mainlanders like myself, a 15-minute ferry ride to Chebeague Island is a novel way to start a Thursday morning. The parking fee and the shuttlebus ride? Economic and logistical challenges faced by islanders every day, but a welcome change from my morning routine working from home in Portland. Throw… SEE MORE