Working Waterfront

Ferry service discontinues blood sample transport

ROCKLAND — Ferry captains and crew will no longer be able to carry blood samples to the mainland, a policy change that the director of Swan's Island's health clinic says will impact her ability to serve patients. The new policy was supposed to go into effect April 20, Donna Wiegle,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Deer Isle-Stonington students see big-city life

Ian Watkins is an Island Fellow, a participant in a two-year service program operated by AmeriCorps and the Island Institute, doing community development work on islands and remote coastal communities. Watkins works on Deer Isle and the Downeast coast with high school students. Last week, Ready by 21 Mentoring, an… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Remembering the Vinalhaven ferry, circa 1920

The following was written by my grandfather Ted Maddox, a fireman aboard these ferries: On a brisk late spring morning in 1920 the Governor Bodwell was docked at Tillson's Wharf in Rockland and preparing for departure to Vinalhaven. Several capable deckhands wheeled dollies loaded with freight down water-slicked ramps… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

On Casco Bay—changes in ferry, school policies cause concern

Changes in the works to ferry and school policies, though unrelated, could impact residents of the Casco Bay islands. The board of directors of Casco Bay Lines voted at their March 26 meeting to raise the age for which children are eligible for reduced fare, from 9 up through 13.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Program gives islanders a leg up on lobstering

FRENCHBORO—Residents hoping to sustain a viable lobster fishing community are celebrating the implementation of a program that allows island fishermen to get fishing licenses more quickly than their mainland counterparts. "It’s a wonderful program to sustain the island for generations to come, not just for us, but for others," said… SEE MORE

Donna Damon poses in front of a bulletin board in her classroom that reflects her life.

Working Waterfront

‘Public Servant One’ calling it quits

Let's clear this up at the outset—Donna Damon never proclaimed herself to be "Public Servant One." She does use that moniker in three different email addresses, and it might sound like she's tooting her own horn, like a politician running for office. The truth is her son, then in middle… SEE MORE

A boat under construction at Hodgdon Yacht.

Working Waterfront

Manufacturing, alive and well in… Boothbay?

Everyone wants to see manufacturing businesses return to the U.S. and Maine. And why not? The value of businesses that make tangible things in large plants where hundreds of employees go to work each morning is easy to understand. Those large-scale manufacturing businesses typically offer a range of entry level… SEE MORE

Eastport City Manager Elaine Abbott with staff. From left: Abbott

Working Waterfront

Eastport: no glass ceiling here

In Elaine Abbott's first week as Eastport's city manager, the breakwater collapsed. "It has been a rough winter," she said, a deliberate understatement. Record-setting snowfall and the logistics of maintaining services only added to the responsibilities she has taken on since January. Coming up through the ranks of city employees,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

St. George voters OK purchase of Port Clyde wharf

St. George voters supported a proposal to purchase a waterfront property in the village of Port Clyde on May 11. The move carried in a 245-104 vote. The town had negotiated a $810,000 purchase option, contingent on the vote. The former Mosquito Island Lobster Company property is assessed at $1.1 million. The… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Escaping winter in Italy brings ‘bump’ in the road

On Sunday, March 22, Bruce and I caught a windy 5 a.m. ride off island with Richard Howland on his fishing boat, Endeavor. We were flying to Italy on Monday night, but the weather forecast did not guarantee getting away from the island any later. It was just fine to have… SEE MORE