An island family helps a boat land at Frenchboro's ferry landing.

Working Waterfront

Ferry watching on Frenchboro

Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in remote coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. By Natalie Hyde-Peterson The first time I visited Frenchboro, I got off the passenger ferry onto the town dock where… SEE MORE

Melinda Boumans now owns and operates Anderson Marine & Hardware.

Working Waterfront

Essential hardware: Gouldsboro marine store keeps waterfront working

By Tom Walsh Five years and 15,000 miles later, the changing of the guard at Anderson Marine & Hardware in seaside Gouldsboro has so far been smooth sailing. Nearly 70 years ago, Don Anderson began selling nuts and bolts, fishing vessel necessities, and basic fishing fleet supplies and began buying… SEE MORE

Housing in Portland’s Munjoy Hill neighborhood has increased in value dramatically in recent years.

Working Waterfront

Home brokers try to tap Maine millennials

By William Hall Across the country, the millennial generation—roughly speaking, people born in the 1980s and 1990s—now dominates home-buying decisions that shape the future of many communities. In Maine, where residents are older on average than those of any other U.S. state, millennial buyers play an especially pivotal role. That… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Waypoints Forum envisions a more welcoming, diverse Maine

By Tom Groening Despite being in the depths of winter—or maybe because of it—a Feb. 8 gathering in Portland saw a host of forward-looking ideas aired that may shape the Maine coast and islands through the next decade. The Waypoints Forum 2019, hosted by the Island Institute (publisher of The Working… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The merits of living on Vinalhaven when illness strikes

By Phil Crossman Late last year I began to experience a pronounced discomfort in my abdomen and, towards the end of the year, on several occasions, it became much more than simply discomfort. I was sent to the Penobscot Bay Medical Center’s emergency room in Rockport for tests. Thus began… SEE MORE

Luke's Lobster will operate a lobster buying station on Boothbay Harbor's Sea Pier.

Working Waterfront

Luke’s Lobster now operating from Boothbay’s Sea Pier

Luke’s Lobster, an international chain of restaurants founded by Cape Elizabeth native Luke Holden in 2009, has announced it will operate a seafood buying station in Boothbay Harbor. The company is partnering with the Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation, a recently formed nonprofit that purchased the town’s Sea Pier. The pier… SEE MORE

The Machigonne II underway for Peaks Island.

Working Waterfront

New Peaks Island ferry stirs stormy waters

By William Hall The trip from the Portland waterfront to Peaks Island is short—less than three miles due east. The Machigonne II, a 399-passenger ferry operated by Casco Bay Lines, makes the 17-minute crossing over a dozen times a day. But plans to replace that vessel are following a more tortuous… SEE MORE

Donna Wiegle poses with Island Institute president Rob Snyder

Working Waterfront

Swan’s Island’s Wiegle honored at Waypoints Forum

By Tom Groening Donna Wiegle turns the concept of time on its head. Many of us would demur if asked to serve on a committee or take on a volunteer project, saying we’re too busy. Wiegle, seemingly, says yes to every opportunity. The Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront, awarded her… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

How do we bring a feminist approach to our work?

By Rob Snyder My daughter’s favorite new baseball cap has nothing to do with sports. It is light blue with the word “Feminist” embroidered across the front in hot pink. Her enthusiasm for the feminist movement is exciting to me, but according to her, it is cause for concern, confusion, and fear… SEE MORE

A crew member and passenger walk off the ferry to Islesboro.

Working Waterfront

Ferry service seeks do-over

By Tom Groening With the election of Gov. Janet Mills in November and the formation of a new administration, the Maine State Ferry Service will revisit the rates and fees it adopted last spring. But citing an ongoing lawsuit and mandated rulemaking timelines, a new rate structure could be proposed… SEE MORE