Working Waterfront

Band offers vacation from other roles

By Courtney Naliboff A while back, I wrote my column about the joys of playing music. I mentioned, briefly, that I had started a band with two other North Haven women. We’re called Bait Bag, and I’m happy to report that we’re still a band, with some recordings, some off-island… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

In praise of wood heat

By Barbara Fernald In the middle of winter, on a tiny island off the coast of Maine, I don’t think there’s a much better feeling than standing next to a wood stove, absorbing all the warmth I want. I love our stove, even with all the mess that accompanies wood… SEE MORE

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

North Haven Community School from the air.

Working Waterfront

North Haven school gets personal with students

By Courtney Naliboff High school students at Maine’s smallest K-12 public school will start the 2019-2020 school year with something new: a personal learning plan. North Haven Community School staff have worked with Rural Aspirations this year to design a system that enables each high school student to have a… 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

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

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

Tom Werner and his children on the Peaks Island shore

Working Waterfront

Fishing, islander family takes helm of Peaks restaurant

KELLI PARK Tom and Katie Werner and their children on the deck of what will be their new business on Peaks Island, the Island Lobster Company. Story and Photos by Kelli Park When it came time to sell their Peaks Island House Restaurant, Joe and Nancy Wright knew the… SEE MORE