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

Working Waterfront

Don’t fear the spotted produce… or slimy pork chops

Apparently Seattle is fining people who toss food waste instead of composting it. And in big cities like New York, some chefs are making a point of using up every last bit of broccoli stalk and cucumber butt in order to cut closer to the economic bones of their businesses.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Town meeting time on the islands

Town meeting is a celebration at best, or a tense endurance test at worst. Sometimes, it's both. It really depends on what seat you're in. Emerging island leaders find themselves working alongside selectmen who've held their seats for decades. Each person in the audience has a personal relationship to every… SEE MORE

Students from the Blueberry Harvest School learn about sustainable fisheries during an August 2014 trip in Frenchman Bay.

Working Waterfront

Hispanics help Washington County grow

Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of stories about how immigration is changing the face of the Maine coast. The writer, Jennifer Atkinson, is a lawyer in Friendship who specializes in immigration matters. If asked to name the most ethnically diverse towns in Maine few people would… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Tall ships festival sails into Portland in July

PORTLAND — Sailing Ships Portland has announced a new maritime festival that is expected to bring tens of thousands of people and a fleet of tall ships to Portland's waterfront this summer. The festival, called Iberdrola USA Tall Ships Portland 2015, will take place from July 18-20 on the Maine State… SEE MORE

Community

Working Waterfront

Keeping it live at Andy’s in the Old Port

PHOTO ESSAY BY KATIE JOHNSON SEE THE SLIDESHOW Looking for live music? Andy’s Old Port Pub is locally famous for having music every night of the week. Owners and Great Diamond Island residents Rick Frantz and Jennifer Fox’s support music draws performers from all over the state, country and occasionally… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Chebeague celebrates Islander with free passage on April 6

The distance between the Stone Wharf on Chebeague Island and the Cousins Island landing is just 1.7 miles. But over the 30 years that the Islander ferry has been making the daily runs, she has logged enough miles to take her to the moon and halfway home. On Monday, April 6, the Chebeague… SEE MORE