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,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Soft-shell clam population decline calls for cooperation

By Susie Arnold, Jessica Gribbon Joyce and Roger Stephenson Mainers likely have heard about the precipitous decline in soft-shell clam landings over the last five years. While the fishery remains the third most valuable fishery in the state at over $12 million, licenses have declined over the last several decades… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Frenchboro couple built new lobster boat by kit

PHOTO: COURTESY KIM SMITH Andy Smith Frenchboro fisherman Andy Smith, his sternman Daniel Saxby, and local contractors were scrambling in late May to finish construction of Smith’s new Mussel Ridge 46 lobster fishing boat, Sylvia Mae. After all, Smith had already sold his previous boat, a Novi named Jacquelyn Mae, to a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Islands look to neighbors for survival

Island communities survive when they work together. I experienced this alongside leaders on Long Island in Casco Bay and in dialogue with the former president of Kiribati. Spend time on Long Island and you will have the sense that anything is possible. In June, the Island Institute held its board… SEE MORE

The town parking lot after a storm surge in 2015 storm.

Working Waterfront

Damariscotta improves waterfront in face of rising seas

Damariscotta is moving forward with projects aimed at improving its waterfront. The work comes despite the Jan. 4 “king tide,” the highest tide of the year, and the associated storm surge which flooded a municipal parking lot and the lower levels of two downtown businesses. Improvements include a new facility… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Andrew Wyeth’s Rockland: Boats, planes and trains

When Edward Hopper (1882-1967) visited Rockland in 1926, he referred to it as “a very fine old place with lots of good-looking houses but not much shipping.” His watercolors from that stay represent a sampling from his repertoire, including a sea captain’s residence, a haunted house, and some waterfront studies of… SEE MORE

A kayaker explores one of the islands on the trail.

Working Waterfront

Shared mooring: Maine Island Trail, Island Institute born of same values

By Doug Welch The Maine Island Trail Association marks its 30th anniversary this month, and I believe it is important to look back at our roots and the organization that once spawned and still inspires us—the Island Institute. This story begins a “generation” before the Island Institute in the 1970s and… SEE MORE

A crew member cleans balconies on a cruise ship docked at Portland’s Ocean Gateway in 2014.

Working Waterfront

CruiseMaine evaluating potential, impact

The cruise ship industry’s growing interest in visiting Maine’s harbor towns is being hailed as opportunity by some, and branded as threat by others. While communities like Bar Harbor and Rockland are debating the relative merits of this part of the tourism economy, there’s no denying its size and impact.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A drowning island-nation portends wider climate change disasters

In 2015, Sermary Tiare moved her family from Kirabati to New Zealand to escape the rising seas that were devastating her village. The mother of seven and small-business owner lived on the remote atoll of Abemama. She became one of 75 climate-change refugees at the time awarded New Zealand citizenship… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Penobscot Marine Museum hosts remote control lobster boat, America’s Cup sailboat model races

On Saturday, July 7, from 11 am to 2 pm, the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport will host a model boat race featuring lobster boats and America’s Cup yachts. The event will take place at the Searsport Town Dock. For more information call 548-2529. About Penobscot Marine Museum What inspires model makers to… SEE MORE