Working Waterfront

Columbus, Squanto, and our original sin

This, the December/January issue of The Working Waterfront, prints between a couple of holidays that are sort of related—Indigenous Peoples Day and Thanksgiving. The history embedded in these dates is worth reflection, especially as our understanding of it has evolved in recent years. The 500th anniversary of Columbus arriving in… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

On the lee side of Lee

On a sunny September Sunday, Hurricane Lee was still six days away. The spaghetti lines of possible storm paths did not bode well for the Cranberry Isles. We knew we’d feel an impact from the storm but the severity was still anyone’s guess. Earlier in the day, Jeremy, the Islesford… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The horror, the horror…

Over the years I’ve made the most of Halloween. It came naturally because haunts and hauntings were a part of the lives of my three younger brothers and me. I and then the others, as they put in their respective appearances, bounced around the island, from one rent to another… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Wood, fire, and rocks

Cooking food made it possible for ancient human bodies to divert energy from digesting food to evolving larger brains, according to biological anthropologist Richard Wrangham, who wrote Catching Fire, a book to warm a cook’s heart. For millennia, pre-historic humankind cooked food before they made pottery, before metal of any… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A room of one’s own

Whatever the subject matter of my column is, the overarching theme is always life on North Haven. As Bill and I enter our 19th year on this little unbridged slice of heaven (most of the time), I’ve had occasion to think about the number one, bottom line condition that makes… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The late Ted Hoskins understood fishermen

The following is an edited version of remarks by Robin Alden about Rev. Ted Hoskins’ work in fisheries in Maine and across the globe, spoken at his memorial service on Sept. 10 in Blue Hill. After years leading churches and social justice efforts in Connecticut, Hoskins was minister on the… SEE MORE

Linda Norton’s “Belfast Harbor Tug” (1999), watercolor on paper 21 by 29 inches (now in a private collection).

Working Waterfront

Linda Norton’s red tugboat

When Linda Norton (1943-2018) moved to Camden in the late 1990s, she was returning to childhood haunts. She had spent summers there with her grandparents and had a deep attachment to the town. Born and brought up in Portland, Conn., after graduating from high school Norton spent time in England… SEE MORE

Four images by renowned photographer Kosti Ruohomaa, shooting for the Maine Sardine Council. PHOTOS: PENOBSCOT MARINE MUSEUM

Working Waterfront

From weir to can

In 1951, the Maine Sardine Council hired Finnish American Kosti Ruohomaa to document the sardine industry. The Maine Legislature created the council that year to promote high standards for the sardine industry and made it responsible for grading and inspections as well. The sardine industry was complex; one photo could… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

When settling in, home comes in small moments

Reflections is written by Island Institute Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. After three days of orientation as a new Island Institute Fellow, I hit the streets—the main street of Blue… SEE MORE

Passengers board a Casco Bay Lines ferry in Portland. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

From here to there: why transportation matters

The people who live on Maine’s 15 unbridged, year-round islands are inspiring and a model of resilience. Despite the many logistical and resource-based challenges they experience from living separated from the mainland, they find solutions through cooperation and pure genius. Perhaps no other topic highlights this better than island transportation.… SEE MORE