A Maine State Ferry Service boat near the Rockland terminal. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Ferry service proposes higher fares

The Maine State Ferry Service is proposing a 18.3% hike in ferry passenger and vehicle fares, citing inflation’s impact on wages, fuel, and vessel repairs. A fare hike was adopted in 2019, finalized only after significant opposition from residents of some the islands that faced especially high fare adjustments. The… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

What will we do with the water?

The ocean is knocking at our door. Since the torrential, monsoon-like rain in October, the island has been battered by four additional significant storms. In January, a devastating combination of wind and tide laid waste to Brown’s Boatyard, and took out boathouses, fish houses, docks, and piers. The next storm… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Offshore wind threatens centuries of fishing

The New England electric grid—ISO New England—has a website that includes a display featuring two pie charts that show where our electricity is coming from, updated in real time. Right now, “renewables” are at 7% of our total energy mix. Wind is 28% of that 7%, solar is 10% of… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Newfoundland, Maine share maritime past

Today’s Newfoundland seems prosperous in comparison to Maine. There are no mobile homes and every house, every shed, and even every doghouse is clad in vinyl siding. SEE MORE

A man walks away from the storm-damaged Rockland waterfront on Jan. 9. PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Waterfront access jeopardized by storms

The challenges of maintaining working waterfront access was the topic of a discussion at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum on March 2, scheduled well before the January storms that pummeled the Maine coast. And that was appropriate, given the shrinking footprint the marine economy faces. But a panel discussion on the… SEE MORE

The cottage on Long Island in Casco Bay. PHOTO: CANDICE DALE

Working Waterfront

Ode to an island cottage

On Long Island in Casco Bay, a summer cottage sits back from the road across from the conservation area and white sands of Fowler’s Beach. The full branches of pines and maples hide much of Hussey Sound from view off the high porch in the summer months. As autumn arrives,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine—our next big moves

I have a sharp memory of Angus King’s inauguration as governor in January of 1995. I was editor of the Republican Journal weekly newspaper in Belfast then, and we had endorsed him for the office. As an independent candidate, his thinking on the issues of the day were refreshing to… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The storm damage we cannot see

Almost two months after the January storms pummeled the Maine coast, we are still piecing together a full picture of the destruction. In the direct aftermath, of course, communities could document buildings now angled slightly off their foundations or entirely set adrift, pilings separated from their pins, and beaches and… SEE MORE

The Rockland waterfront during the Jan. 9 storm. PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Mills seeks disaster declaration

Gov. Janet Mills has formally requested that President Joe Biden issue a major disaster declaration to help Maine’s eight coastal counties recover from the back-to-back severe storms on Jan. 10 and Jan. 13 which brought significant flooding and damage. In a letter to Biden, Mills noted the cost of damage… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Coastal real estate prices rise like the sea

Compared to the rest of the Northeast, housing in Maine looks like a bargain. According to the Maine Real Estate Information System, the median sales price for a Maine home in 2023 was $353,000. For the Northeast as a whole, the fourth quarter 2023 median was $698,000, as reported online… SEE MORE