Working Waterfront

Reflections on divides, as island summer wanes

The birds in our front yard take turns at the two feeders—a yellow finch, a chick-a-dee, a cardinal, sometimes a blue bird. I watch the elegant dance of two whirling hummingbirds who return each day to suck the sugar water hanging off a feeder on the front porch column. We… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A lesson in island living

Everything is harder when you live in a remote, rural town. Especially on an island. Especially in summer. When George Gershwin wrote about the easy livin’ of summertime, he wasn’t on a Maine island. Your houseguest’s forgotten prescription? The missing ingredient in the recipe you are making? (It was on… SEE MORE

Ben Dinsmore, the new general manager and CEO of Casco Bay Lines.

Working Waterfront

Casco Bay Lines names new GM

Casco Bay Island Transit District, also known as Casco Bay Lines, announces the appointment of Ben Dinsmore as its next general manager and chief executive officer. A seasoned maritime professional with over 25 years of global experience, Dinsmore brings deep operational expertise, strategic leadership, and a personal understanding of Maine’s island communities. SEE MORE

Boats gather off Frenchboro to memorialize and remember the late David Lunt. PHOTO: PETER RALSTON

Working Waterfront

An island patriarch is laid to rest

Dean Lunt, David’s youngest son, presided over the solemn event, with spiritual comfort provided by the Maine Seacoast Mission pastor who arrived on the Sunbeam. Following the committal in the small cemetery that the Lunt family had donated to the town, guests boarded a solemn procession of lobster boats... SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Hotchkiss’ latest explores theme of isolation

Mildred finds she enjoys listening as the women talk, seeing their conversation as knitting them together while their actual knitting created nets… SEE MORE

Filmmaker Laura Hamilton interviews Capt. Matt Ridgway general manager of the Chebeague Transportation Co. PHOTO: SUSAN STRANAHAN

Working Waterfront

An island lifeline at 50

CTC operates 4,000 regularly scheduled trips a year. In addition to transporting islanders, off-island workers, summer residents, visitors and school students, CTC also provides 24-hour emergency service, working closely with Chebeague's volunteer rescue squad. SEE MORE

A view of the harbor, framed by trees. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

When life gives you a library

Now the library is poised for a new chapter. It holds over 15,000 volumes and finds its home in a spacious and modern facility that would never have come to be without the 2008 tragedy. After many successful years as “just a library,” we feel like we can dream bigger. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Overheard at the bird feeder

Two goldfinches—a couple, clearly—were enjoying a dinner engagement at my feeder, as they often did this time of day. Clearly absorbed in a blossoming romance, etiquette and civilized consumption—one seed at a time—were paramount. It was a delightful thing to observe, adorable and very peaceful. This duo had been together… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Thanks for the gift of island life

My cousin Gail, the eldest of five of us, spoke at my grandmother’s funeral in 1992. What I recall most vividly is her saying, “Without Nanny, we wouldn’t have Islesford.” I’ve had the privilege of spending summers on little Cranberry Island, also known as Islesford, my whole life, as did… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Coastal aquifers face new challenges

Salty wells are not new to the Maine coast, but the problem is getting more attention in recent years. All aquifers are impacted by fluctuations in precipitation, particularly the big annual swings we've had recently in Maine with the entire state experiencing drought conditions in the summer/fall of 2024, following… SEE MORE