Matinicus

Individual and shared flights are also available on a daily basis according to weather and schedule. (www.penobscotislandair.net) The Maine State Ferry makes 24 trips to the island annually, once a month in the winter and four times a month in the summer. Matinicus Excursions, a private water taxi operated by Captain George Tarkleson, runs May through October. (www.matinicusexcursions.com)

The winter population of the island is approximately 35-40 people. The summer population of the island runs closer to 100. There are currently six students enrolled in the island’s K-8 one-room schoolhouse. Students attend high school off-island, either moving off with their families, boarding with relatives, or attending a boarding school.

The main industry on the island is lobster fishing. There are no stores or restaurants on the island; groceries are either ordered by fax and flown in by plane or purchased on the mainland. The main venues for public gatherings are the church, town hall, and school. The island post office was recently renovated, and there are ongoing renovations of the Centennial building, with plans for a future bar and café.

A market is held one to two times a week during the summer months in the church basement, featuring crafts, soaps, scarves, jewelry, rugs, baked goods and other items handmade by island residents. Also open during summer months is a seasonal bakery, run by Eva Murray, and a gift store, The Fisherman’s Wife, run by Donna Rogers.

Electricity is generated on-island, and fuel is delivered by barge. There is a year-round bed and breakfast, Tuckanuck Lodge, run by island resident Bill Hodley. (www.tuckanuck.com) The island minister is Rob Benson of the Sunbeam Seacoast Mission, which visits the island every other week throughout the year. During the summer months, visiting ministers stay in the parsonage for one to four weeks at a time.