The late Capt. David Allen photographed aboard the Sunbeam at Northeast Harbor.

Working Waterfront

Remembering Capt. David Allen

Starting in 1971, Capt. David Allen made thousands of trips visiting islands along the Maine coast, first aboard the Maine Seacoast Mission’s Sunbeam IV and later the Sunbeam V. David and his wife Betty, who joined him aboard the Sunbeam as the steward in 1978, were the personification of the… SEE MORE

Vinalhaven's lobster coop. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Lobster landings: catch remains high, price drops

Following 2021’s historically high values for Maine’s commercially harvested marine resources, harvesters in 2022 earned $574 million, an amount that is consistent with more recent history, according to preliminary data released from the Maine Department of Marine Resources on March 3. While overall value represents a 37 percent drop compared… SEE MORE

Alison Hill, “Coiling the Ropes,” 2015, oil on canvas, 24 by 30 inches.

Working Waterfront

Down at the Monhegan Dock with Alison Hill

The dock on Monhegan is the center of that far-out-at-sea island’s universe. “It’s our lifeline,” writes painter Alison Hill. “It’s the first thing we see when we arrive,” she notes, “and the last thing we see when we leave.” For Hill, who moved to Monhegan in May 2002, the setting… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Ferry hurdles don’t stop island competitors

Reflections is written by Island 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. Over the course of three months, I worked with nine elementary/middle school students to build and program a LEGO robot… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Building community by starting small

The music blasting from the preschool alternated between the Islands and Mamma Mia! soundtracks. The cast of Little Women, our fall show, sang along as they got into costume, makeup, and hair in the Waterman’s preschool, our de facto green room. There were 13 of them, plus a handful of… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Remembering the colorful Kirstie Alley

Only Kirstie would overnight a Marilyn Monroe costume and wig from Hollywood so she could sing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to John Mitchell... SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The school bus driver is king

It's a wonder I have a school bus driver's license at all. On the appointed day, my permit in hand, accompanied by Tiny, a fully licensed driver, I drove the bus to a public works depot for my driving test. The man in charge there couldn't have been a greater… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Logistical challenges of shipping off-island

I relish the November energy of the island “getting ready” for winter. On the dock and on the roads visitors from tour boats have been replaced with trucks and trailers loaded with traps as fishermen start to bring in their lobster gear. Caretakers have closed most of the summer houses… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Why hide the heart of the home?

Spotted recently in a mainstream national newspaper: the phenomenon of the “back kitchen.” Apparently increasingly common in million-plus dollar homes, the back kitchen accommodates all the messy business of actually preparing food and cleaning up after it, while the other kitchen stays neat and tidy for social events like children’s… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

What keeps this teacher on the job

The number 18 has a certain significance in Jewish numerology. The letters used in writing the Hebrew word chai—life—are assigned the numbers ten and eight. Monetary donations and gifts are often given in multiples of 18, and 18 is associated with life and luck. This is the 18th year we’ve… SEE MORE