Archipelago's assistant manager Frances Holdgate shows off Richard Robertson's ceramic work.

Working Waterfront

Store serving island artists marks 15th anniversary

The challenges of living on an island are many, but for an island artist, there is one more: getting your work recognized off-island. But a shop and gallery on the mainland has made it its mission to help island artists—and Maine’s mainland artists, too—earn a living from their art. Archipelago,… SEE MORE

Brown's Head Light on Vinalhaven overlooks the Fox Islands Thoroughfare.

Working Waterfront

Vinalhaven transfers lighthouse to foundation

VINALHAVEN — Citing the burden of maintenance costs, the town has decided to transfer its ownership of Browns Head Lighthouse to a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the historic beacons. An attorney for the island town is in the process of drafting a quit-claim deed through which ownership… SEE MORE

A photo of Bishop that appeared in a 1994 New York Times review of One Art: Letters

Working Waterfront

‘Master’ poet Elizabeth Bishop had North Haven connection

By Carl Little —To have no personal moods at all, to have only the same moods that the weather has here on North Haven Island—that would be the (perfect) temperament, for the rest of life the rest of life…. When the poet Elizabeth Bishop’s letters were published in 1994,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Electric grid, social grid and ‘energy nerds’

By Rob Snyder I am increasingly surrounded by "energy nerds" (their words) and if you live in an island or remote coastal community in Maine, you may be too. They love talking about kilowatt hours, light bulbs, appliances and the like. And as with most characters, they are easier… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Busy town agenda coincides with busy island life

By Phil Crossman Vinalhaven is usually governed by a five-member board of selectmen, but this year—this month, anyway—we only have four. There were no candidates for the two vacancies in the May election and so the top two write-ins were invited to take office. I had 20-something write-in votes because,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

What you hear about lobsters, and what’s true

By Sandy Oliver There are oft-told stories that long ago lobsters were food fit only for the poor, that the prisoners at the Maine State Penitentiary (and apprentices in Boston) refused to eat them more than twice a week, and that they were so plentiful and poorly regarded that farmers… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Muffins, doughnuts and the little blue house

By Barbara Fernald Forty years ago I had a college roommate who amazed her friends by making English muffins from scratch. She baked them in a covered skillet sprinkled with cornmeal to keep them from sticking. She passed the recipe along to those of us who were interested. A few… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine Sail Freight offers new way to think about trade

What do we who produce food from the land and sea have in common? For one thing, a changing climate. Changes in the weather have big impacts on the businesses and industries that straddle nature and the market. Another challenge is that farmers and fisher people are getting older, and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lobster futures uncertain, but efforts underway to boost demand

Bobby Beckman is just 22, but when it comes to the lobster business, he takes the long view. "I figure, lobsters have been here millions of years," he says, foot propped up on the console of his boat in Vinalhaven Harbor. "I think there'll always be lobsters." Some worry about,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Poor Internet speeds hampering island economies

By Tom Groening Fast Internet is more than a matter of convenience. Economic and community vitality hinge on download and upload speeds, local and state policy makers have realized. And the status quo is not cutting it, they say. One survey puts the U.S. at 17th among developed nations for… SEE MORE