The boats to and from the Cranberry Isles are crowded in summer.

Working Waterfront

The real question is, ‘What’s island living like in summer?’

The Cranberry Isles get a ton of visitors in July and August. And why not? The islands are a beautiful place to wander and wonder about. It is not unusual to be asked, “Do you live here year round?” Most of the time a positive response is followed by the… SEE MORE

Tracie Martin instructs a group of middle level students about how to don a life jacket while in the water at Lawson's Quarry

Working Waterfront

Forty years of swimming lessons has been island lifesaver

It is a well-known irony—at least along the coast—that many fishermen don't know how to swim. According to Leonard "Buddy" Skoog, it was this paradox that drove Vinalhaven's Lions Club to begin a Red Cross swimming program on the island 40 years ago, when he estimates some 70 percent of… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Bridge project delayed, locals unhappy with ‘highway’ appearance

NORTH HAVEN — Frustrations are mounting for all involved parties as the Pulpit Harbor Bridge renovation, scheduled to begin in January, has been postponed for at least a year, according to Maine Department of Transportation senior project manager and project engineer Michael Wight. After acquiescing to community concerns over a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Cranberry Isles hopes to coordinate patchwork ferry system

CRANBERRY ISLES — On a sunny summer day, the ferry from Southwest Harbor to the Cranberry Isles is packed with day-trippers and year-round and summer residents. The day-trippers carry sunscreen and cameras, the residents lug groceries. The captain’s mate slings a couple of bikes on the roof of the pilothouse,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Winds of change blow through island schools

A mom who owns a small business arrives just in time, having raced home from her store to help get dinner on the table and then raced off again for a school board meeting. She joins her fellow board members, who include two other parents, a lobsterman grandfather, and a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The ship that helped turn the tide for American independence

Christmas truly came in July for the tiny town of Castine and it is hoping the gift it received will keep on giving. The gift was a two-day visit from the tall ship Hermione—a replica of the 18th-century frigate that brought the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States in… SEE MORE

Members of the Friends of Fort Gorges and volunteers gather for a group photo.

Working Waterfront

Portland’s Fort Gorges hits its 150th birthday

SEE SLIDESHOW Whether you’re out for a stroll on Portland's Eastern Promenade or cruising on a boat on Casco Bay, you can't miss Fort Gorges, the stone sentinel that sits on a tiny island in Portland Harbor. Construction on the fort began in 1858 and it was completed in 1865.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine’s ‘Boatbuilder Laureate’ wants to sell his waterfront property

SOUTHWEST HARBOR—When wooden boatbuilder Ralph Stanley retired five or six years ago, he was hoping to see his shop converted into a living museum with a teaching component, with Stanley as artist-in-residence. Despite interest from a number of organizations and individuals, the potential cost of endowing and operating such an enterprise… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Portland’s growing Indian population drawn by high-tech jobs

This is the second in a series of stories about how immigration is changing coastal Maine. Jennifer Atkinson is a lawyer based in Friendship who specializes in immigration matters. As Maine’s flagship coastal community, the greater Portland area is home to immigrants from all over the world. In recent months,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors show this weekend in Rockland

In addition to nearly 50 new exhibitors, the Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show has assembled a varied flotilla of new events and displays for the 13th annual event, which runs Aug. 14-16 on the waterfront in Rockland. While regular attendees have come to count on displays of fine boats in… SEE MORE