Search Results for: matinicus

US coast guard woman working controls

Island Journal

‘Halfway to Where Somebody’s in Trouble’

It is practically a cliché to call Matinicus Island isolated, but it is. The closest mainland city (and U.S. Coast Guard station) is in Rockland at about 23 miles distant. In the heart of winter, the state ferry may make one trip from Rockland to the island each month. Bad weather here has a more serious definition than it does in the rest of the state. Islanders use cell phones, but no one relies on them. “Here on the island, if you’re not standing in just the right spot or facing the right direction,” says Clayton Philbrook, “you can usually text in a lot of places, but as far as having a voice conversation, it doesn’t work.” SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Strained relations with the ferry service

On a late spring morning in 1920, the steamboat Governor Bodwell was docked at Tillson’s Wharf in Rockland and preparing to depart for Vinalhaven. Shoveling coal below decks was my grandfather, Edwin Maddox. His eleventh great grandparents, William and Mary Brewster, had arrived on the Mayflower 300 years earlier. Unbeknownst to him, he was close to meeting the… Read more » SEE MORE
man with fuel tanks

Island Journal

Cornering the Island Fuel Market

When Pete Pellerin moved to Chebeague Island in 2009, he expected some basic necessities to cost more. But he wasn’t prepared for the expense of propane to power his stove and heat his home. And even though he was juggling five jobs, he wasn’t sure how he would afford it. “I was blown away that… Read more » SEE MORE
old photo of a man in a canoe

Island Journal

The Alluring and Enduring Maine Coast

The Alluring and Enduring Maine Coast Historic images from the Penobscot Marine Museum By Lisa Mossel Vietze The Penobscot Marine Museum’s photographic collection is vast — overwhelmingly vast . . . . . . Lucky for me, I had the privilege of working with Kevin Johnson, the museum’s photo archivist, who guided me in the… Read more » SEE MORE
story sky and sea as seen from a fishing boat

Island Journal

Joel Woods: Fisherman & Photographer

Joel Woods Fisherman // Photographer My goal is not to make photography a career. Very simply put, I am a fisherman, a working man who has learned to use a camera to capture the world as he sees it. I have spent most of my life bobbing around the North Atlantic on massive steel boats,… Read more » SEE MORE
Senator Angus King congratulates the Outer Islands Teaching & Learning Collaborative on its 10th anniversary in a special video message shown during a virtual celebration held May 21

News

Outer island schools celebrate 10 years in virtual birthday bash

6/29/2020 - The trajectory for this school year has been so unexpected, and in many ways so hard, which makes long-standing, successful collaborations even more valuable. On May 21, 2020, students, alumni, teachers, and families gathered together for a virtual celebration marking the 10-year anniversary of the Outer Islands Teaching and Learning Collaborative, or TLC. Even though the pre-planned party couldn't take place in person, the TLC is very good at making virtual celebrations fun and funny, and this one was no exception. SEE MORE