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January 16

Locals worry as Downeast marine facility goes up for sale

The site has hosted a ferry and other working waterfront uses
Much like ancient Gaul, Winter Harbor on the Downeast coast is divided into three parts, at least when approached from the water. To the west lies Grindstone Neck, the site of many large, elegant summer homes and the Winter Harbor Yacht Club, which offers a hospitable welcome to visiting yachtsmen. In the center, the narrow inner harbor provides mooring space…
BY STEPHEN RAPPAPORT
January 16

From the ashes, a call to action

Why a fire on Portland’s waterfront matters
In my last “From the Helm” column, I wrote about the importance of Maine’s working waterfront—the people, the structures, the boats, and the businesses that sustain Maine’s marine economy. I…
BY KIM HAMILTON
January 16

Stanley paints a Stanley

Gotts Island artist brings joy to her work
Lou Stanley remembers the day she came across Richard Stanley. Richard was in his father Ralph Stanley’s boatyard in Tremont, working on Westwind, a 40-foot Friendship sloop built in 1902…
BY CARL LITTLE
January 10

Phil Crossman, in memoriam

Remembering a giant oak of a man
When a giant oak of a man is felled on an island everyone hears it instantly and feels the loss deeply and personally. Phil Crossman, Vinalhaven writer, raconteur, businessman, and…
BY PHILIP CONKLING AND PETER RALSTON
Observer header
January 10

When Vinalhaven was its own service center

More regular ferry service has changed the island town
Longtime Vinalhaven columnist Phil Crossman passed away on Dec. 27. We wanted to run one of his own pieces, one last time. This one first appeared in August 2014. Our…
BY PHIL CROSSMAN
December 15

Kindness of others brightens a dark holiday season

Flooded with support after a grim diagnosis
A few weeks before Thanksgiving, my son Jackson and I were sitting quietly in a medical examining room with a small bed, a computer, a sink, and two chairs crammed…
BY DANA WILDE
December 9

Daphne Pulsifer’s three-dimensional life on Monhegan

Sculptor found love and life 12 miles out to sea
Twelve miles out at sea on Monhegan Island, sculptor Daphne Pulsifer often works in near solitude. In her peaceful, airy studio on Light House Hill Road, she shapes her pieces…
BY MOLLY RAINS
December 2

Outside, looking in on Maine coast

Novel turns on insular nature of small towns
Everyone Knows But You: A Tale of Murder on the Maine Coast By Thomas E. Ricks; Pegasus Books (2024) Early in Thomas Ricks’ novel Everyone Knows But You, FBI agent…
REVIEW BY DANA WILDE
December 2

A man’s love affair with airplanes

The late Jim Rockefeller’s columns show passion
From the Cockpit: Selected Writings by James S. Rockefeller Jr. From Strut & Axle, Owls Head Transportation Museum Journal 1979-2013 (June 2025) James S. Rockefeller Jr. (also known as “Pebble”)…
REVIEW BY TINA COHEN
November 28

On the record with lobster scientist Bob Steneck

In-the-water research led to understanding fishery
Bob Steneck can now add to his already impressive resumé membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The work that led to that honor for the former University…
BY TOM GROENING

Island Postcards

EPISODE 10: Keep the Light Shining

Two ambitious young women swam around the entire Island of Isle au Haut during the summer of 2019 to raise money for crucial renovations to the lighthouse.

WATCH ALL ISLAND POSTCARDS

 

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