Bajupa at Journey's End boatyard in Rockland.

Working Waterfront

The story of Bajupa is the story of lobstering and Matinicus

This story first appeared in Landings,the monthly publication of the Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance, and appears here with permission. By Melissa Waterman It’s rare to find a boat that nearly every fisherman would term “pretty,” but in the case of Bajupa, that phrase rings true. Built in 1946 by Robert Rich, proprietor of Bass Harbor Boat… Read more » SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Readers respond to Stonington, Matinicus photos

We asked for reader with information about old photographs we published in the May and June issues of The Working Waterfront, and you did not disappoint. First, the Matinicus photo, which depicted a woman playing an accordion-like instrument. Across the sepia-tone image, the date was hand-written. Several readers correctly pointed out that it was the… Read more » SEE MORE

Event

SHANE CHARLES: WAITING FOR THE SUN TO RISE

May 10 - 12, 2023 - As the culminating public component of his 2022-23 Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA) Artist Residency, Maine-based artist Shane Charles will present his public art projection, Waiting for the Sun to Rise, on the facade of The Island Institute and Archipelago storefront in downtown Rockland for a period of three hours beginning at sunset on May… Read more » SEE MORE

The Machigonne II on its way to Peaks Island. FILE PHOTO: MICHELE STAPLETON

Working Waterfront

New ferries on the way for Maine

New ferries, the vital link between Maine islands and the mainland, are in the pipeline. In recent months, construction has started on ferries to serve Peaks Island in Casco Bay and Matinicus off Penobsot Bay, and funding has been earmarked for a vessel to serve Islesboro and for a second boat for Casco Bay. Here… Read more » SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A well-deserved poetic tribute

Wedmore brings these women alive with vivid descriptions of their experiences and their emotional underpinning. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Island autumn and birds on the wing

The birds aren’t the only thing migrating these days. From shallower water the lobster traps start to either come ashore or get moved out to deeper water... SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

How to determine the degrees of ‘Away’

Away happens and it comes in many forms as does the process of making an accurate determination of whether one is from here, from here only to a degree, or from elsewhere. The means-testing that has emerged is quite sophisticated and, when applied carefully, reveals relative nativeness with uncanny accuracy. I was born in Massachusetts… Read more » SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Ferry service studied, users surveyed

Maine plans to spend $1.8 billion on its state roads and bridges over the next three years, and so the Maine State Ferry Service’s annual operating budget of $12.5 million might be seen as a pittance. But for people living on the six islands served by the state ferry, that spending is of great interest.… Read more » SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Beaches conference: Future, past collide

More than 400 years after the Plymouth colony was established, historians are still unraveling what the New England coast looked like, before and after. One fresh understanding of that history, which came from examining the colonial impact on New Hampshire’s Great Bay, shed light on the region’s ecosystems today. The presentation was one of several… Read more » SEE MORE

Sam Vail

Sam is responsible for research, writing, editing, submission, and reporting of the Institute’s grant requests to private, corporate, and public foundations. As part of the Philanthropy Team, Sam works closely with program staff who facilitate the Island Institute’s major initiatives to help fund their work in the community. With his career spent running development departments… Read more » SEE MORE