Page 4. MAINE COASTAL NEWS February 2010
Maine Coastal News P.O. Box 710
(207) 223-8846
Winterport, Maine 04496-0710 U.S.A. E-mail -
igmatats@aol.com
Web site:
www.mainescoast.com Fax (207) 223-9004 Publisher's Note Anyone who has been a consistent
Maine Coastal News is dedicated to covering the waterfront of State of Maine. It covers commercial fishing, yachting (power and sail), boat yard and waterfront news and maritime history. Maine Coastal News is published 12 times per year. The distribution of Maine Coastal News is from Eastport to Kittery and is free on the newsstand. It also can be by subscription. A year subscription, 12 issues, is $20.00. A single copy is $2.00, which covers the postage. Foreign rates for subscriptions are $40.00 per year. The Maine Coastal News office is located at 966 North Main Street, Winterport, Maine. Comments or additional information write: Maine Coastal News, P.O. Box 710, Winterport,
Maine 04496. Publisher Editor-in-Chief
Jon B. Johansen Rachel Elward
Advertising Deadlines: The deadline for the March issue is 12 February. The deadline for the April issue is 12 March.
reader of Maine Coastal News, even a partial reader, knows how dedicated we are in documenting maritime history, especially Maine’s maritime history. We have been databasing vessels and sea captains and transcribing pages and pages of newspaper articles. This is all basic material that has yet to be computerized for easy access. Well, I had a copy of all this work on a couple of CDs at the Penobscot Marine Museum so that if something happened to my files in my office computer there was a backup safely tucked away somewhere else. Ben Fuller, the curator at the Museum, asked how much time was involved in this material and that was something that I had not thought about before, but probably 20,000 hours or more. That was certainly a sobering conversation. I am not afraid to live on the edge, push the envelope, but there is a point when ignorance becomes absolute stupidity. How many times have you heard about someone losing their hard drive and all the material that could not be saved? I have been fortunate over the last twenty years and have only lost one hard drive and that was in a laptap that had limited information on it, but still several hundred hours of work. I gave it to my computer guru and he saved my butt. From now on there will be a backup for all this work at another location.
While we are on the subject of museums, when is the last time that you visited one? If you think the economy has hit businesses hard, it has devastated the museums. Most of the trouble experienced by the museums was not due to the downturn in the economy,
but it has made some of their futures questionable. The problem stems from the fact that few people visit museums. Is it because the majority of today’s society has lost its appreciation of history or have museums not stayed interesting enough? One of the most commented aspects of Maine Coastal News is the maritime history articles we do. The age group that comments is varied. Now most of the articles have something to do with shipwrecks and people love reading about human suffering. Would the history articles be as popular if they were on the history of types of vessel, sea captains, or old marine businesses? For museums the questions is how do you get a family on summer vacation to stop and come in. Several years ago the Penobscot Marine Museum had pirate flags all over town and their numbers that year increased dramatically. That was all because tourist’s children wanted to stop and see the pirates. Well, I would have milked that for as long as I could. Get the families in and have some people dressed up as pirates keeping those little rug rats happy, but also keep the serious exhibits of what the museum is really all about the main attraction. Some museum’s are changing their philosophy and becoming more like Disneyland, which, in my opinion is a major mistake. With a little thought, any exhibit can be made interesting for all ages.
The bottom line is that our museums, whether marine or other, are extremely important and need our support. So the next time you pass a museum stop in and show your support!
MCN's Calendar of Coastal Events
UPCOMING & ON-GOING EXHIBITS – 18 April
Big Ships, Bulk Cargoes Maine Maritime Museum 243 Washington Street Bath, Maine (207) 443-1316
FEBRUARY 12
Maritime Surprises from the Museum’s Collections Mystic Seaport
“Fishing in the Footsteps of Dr. Charles K. Stillman: A Look into One of Our Founder’s Favorite Hobbies” 5:30 - 7 p.m. Mystic, CT
24
Info: (860) 572-5322 Mystic Seaport
Maritime Authors Series Ann Davidson will discuss Catherine’s Cadeau, a historical narrative that is based on the horrific deportation of 11,000 French Acadian farmers by the British Government in 1755. Exile ships carried the Acadians to coastal towns in America, including nearby New London, CT, and to Louisiana, where the culture known as “Cajun” developed. G.W. Blunt White Building Mystic, CT
Info: (860) 572-5339 26
Big Ships, Big Cargoes: Lecture Series, 6 PM
“Ro-Ro at War: Roll-On/Roll-Off
at D-Day and Beyond” Capt. Chris Lloyd
Maine Maritime Museum Bath
Info: (207) 443-1316 24 24
MARCH 4-6 Maine Fishermen’s Forum Samoset Resort Rockport
Info: (207) 442-7700 12
Maritime Surprises from the Museum’s Collections Mystic Seaport
“A Return to the Cabinet of Curiosities: A Behind the Scenes Tour” 5:30 - 7 p.m. Mystic, CT
Info: (860) 572-5322 19-21
Maine Boatbuilder’s Show Portland Yacht Services Portland
Info: (207) 774-1067 Mystic Seaport
Maritime Authors Series Stephan J. W. Platzer will discuss Bringing E Home, the true story of his journey as radio operator on a transatlantic voyage from Cape Verde to America. Based on the author’s journal entries, the book details the 3,400-mile sail that included weeks of becalmed seas, unexpected squalls and close encounters with freighters as 14 sailors learned to survive and thrive on the 105-foot fishing vessel.
G.W. Blunt White Building Mystic, CT
Info: (860) 572-5339 28
APRIL 9
Maritime Surprises from the Museum’s Collections Mystic Seaport
“Gideon Denison, Southern Land
Deals and the Slave Trade” 5:30 - 7 p.m. Mystic, CT
Info: (860) 572-5322 23
Big Ships, Big Cargoes: Lecture Series
6 PM Maritime Mistakes”
“Fragile: Handle with Care - By Chet Hopkins
Maine Maritime Museum Bath
Info: (207) 443-1316 Mystic Seaport
Maritime Authors Series William H. White, avid sailor and maritime historian, will discuss When Fortune Frowns, his account of the 1790 voyage of the HMS Pandora that sought to find the men who revolted against the Bounty and Captain William Bligh. The historical novel details the quest and capture of the remaining mutineers and the perilous return trip. Storms, monotony and shipwreck all figure into this epic tale carefully researched from original documents, including a study of the Pandora’s logbook. G.W. Blunt White Building Mystic, CT
Info: (860) 572-5339 20
JULY ?
19
JUNE 9-10
World”
By John Henshaw Maine Maritime Museum Bath
Info: (207) 443-1316
Commercial Marine EXPO New Bedford State Pier New Bedford, MA Info: (207) 799-1356
Maine Lobster Boat Race Boothbay Harbor Info: 380-5295/380-5892
Maine Lobster Boat Race Rockland
Info: (207) 354-8763
Maine Lobster Boat Race Moosebec Reach Beals Island/Jonesport Info: (207) 598-6681
10 11
Maine Lobster Boat Race Searsport
Info: (207) 548-6362
Maine Lobster Boat Race Stonington
Info: (207) 348-2375
Maine Lobster Boat Race Friendship
Info: (207) 832-7807
MAY 21
Big Ships, Big Cargoes: Lecture Series
6 PM “Maine’s Ports in a Changing
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