Page 4. MAINE COASTAL NEWS April 2011


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 H. "Dynamite" Payson Dies


SOUTH THOMASTON – Harold H. ‘Dynamite’ Payson, 82, died Wednesday, March 23, at Maine Medical Center in Portland, after suffering an aneurysm at his home earlier that day.


Born in Rockland, April 13, 1928, he was the son of Herman W. and Ethel M. Perry Payson. He grew up at “The Head of the Bay” in Owls Head. As a young boy Harold enjoyed scaring his sisters as they sat in the family’s living room with their suitors, by jumping up from behind the couch. His quick, loud action earned him the nickname, ‘Dynamite’, which has continued throughout his life. He attended Owls Head schools and Rockland High School until enlisting in the United States Navy during World War II.


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.


Lobstering at an early age in a double- ended rowing dory, upon his return from military service, Dynamite returned to that work, lobstering off Metinic. During that same period, he met the love of his life, Amy A. Rackliff, and they were married in South Thomaston, March 10, 1949.


Publisher Editor-in-Chief


Jon B. Johansen Rachel Elward


Advertising Deadlines: The deadline for the May issue is 15 April. The deadline for the June issue is 13 May.


They honeymooned at Metinic, and summered there during the lobstering season for the next several years. They spent their winter months in South Thomaston where Dynamite built boats with his father- in-law, Archie Rackliff, developing his boat building skills.


In the mid 1960s, he collaborated with well known Naval Architect, Philip Bolger of Gloucester, Massachusetts, who had taken admirable note of Dynamite’s work on one of his designs, the Gloucester Light Dory. Through their collaboration, Dynamite furthered his boat design and building


portfolio, and at the same time began, at the urging of Phil Bolger and Roger Taylor (founder of International Marine Publishing Company), authoring how-to books. As stated by Bolger about Dynamite “this collaboration and friendship has been one of the pleasantest enduring relationships of my life”.


He was a very reluctant author stating that he was a high school drop-out and had no idea of such things. He has since written ten how-to books. About his authoring he said, “books don’t need to be boring, I believe in letting up on a person once in awhile.”


Through his work writing and teaching, he was awarded his honorary high school diploma in 1990.


Always willing and eager to share his knowledge with others, for a time he taught boat building at the Wooden Boat School in Brooklin, Maine.


Continued on Page 21. MCN's Calendar of Coastal Events


On-Going Exhibits: -7 Aug Cold Waters, Cold War: The 21st Century Navy in Maine; Maine Maritime Museum, Bath


APRIL 4 “Finding Whales in a Changing Ocean”


Dr. Andrew Pershing, Gulf of Maine Research Institute 1500 hrs.


Alumni Lecture Room Leavitt Hall


Maine Maritime Academy Castine


8 New Volunteer Orientation Maine Maritime Museum 243 Washington St. Bath


Info: (207) 443-1316 x 350


26-28 New England Fisheries Council Meeting


Hilton Hotel Mystic, CT


30 MMM Symposium – The Navy in Maine


Maine Maritime Museum Bath


0800 – Registration 0900 – Welcome 0905 – Introduction


0910 – Broadsides Down East: USS ENTERPRISE vs. HMS BOXER, the Most Intrguing Naval Battle on the Maine Coast (1813), by James Nelson


0950 – The Inshore Patrol in World War II, The Maine Coast, by Harold Scott 1100 – Huff-Duff: Training in Maine to Hunt U-Boats in the North Atlantic, by Jack Thompson


1145 – Nazi Sabotage Agents Landed in Maine by Submarine in 1944, by Richard Gay


1330 – Bath Iron Works and the U. S. Navy: Building the Fleet, by Andrew Toppan


1410 – OLIVER HAZARD PERRY (FFG-7) Guided Missile Frigate Program in Maine, by Chuck Mull


1450 – Life in a Cold War Diesel Submarine, by Norman Smith


1600 – Bath Tin Can Sees Red: A Personal Account of the Cold War Deployment of USS TAYLOR (DDE-468), BIW Hull #194, by John Briley


1645 – NAS Brunswick and the Defense of the North Atlantic, by Harry Rich.


JUNE 4 SailMaine Shakedown Regatta Portland Yacht Services Portland


11 Centreboard Regatta Centreboard Yacht Club South Portland


18 Boothbay Lobster Boat Races Brown’s Wharf Boothbay, Harbor


Info: M. Farnham (207) 380-5295 N. Page (207) 380-5892


18-19 Pilot Race


Portland Yacht Club Falmouth


19 Rockland Lobster Boat Races O’Hara’s North Facility Rockland, Harbor


Info: S. Brooks (207) 354-8763


23 Friendship Lobster Boat Races Barge, middle of harbor Info: Wes Lash (207) 832-7807


23-24 Boothbay Harbor Regatta Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club Boothbay Harbor


21-23 New England Council Meeting Holiday Inn by the Bay Portland


25 Harraseeket Regatta Harraseeket Yacht Club South Freeport


JULY 2 Moosebec Reach Lobster Boat Races U. S. Coast Guard Station Beals Island/Jonesport


Info: E. Blackwood (207) 598-6681 31 Tom Morris Memorial Pursuit Race


9 Searsport Lobster Boat Races Searsport Town Dock Searsport


Info: Otis’ (207) 548-6362 9-10 Rockland to Castine


10 Stonington Lobster Boat Races Town Dock Stonington


Info: N. Wiberg (207) 348-2375 10 MDI Series I


16-17 Camden Yacht Regatta Camden Yacht Club Camden


16-17 MDI Series II


13 Winter Harbor Lobster Boat Races Winter Harbor


Info: C. Byers (207) 963-7139 13-14 Smuttynose Island Regatta


14 M. Brackett Lobster Boat Races State Park Restaurant Pemaquid


12-14 Monhegan Regatta Portland Yacht Club Falmouth


12-14 Downeast Race Weekend


AUGUST 1-4 ASMFC Meeting Week Crowne Plaza Old Town Alexandria, VA


7 MDI Series IV 12-14 Shipyard Cup


Hodgdon Yachts/Wotton’s Wharf East Boothbay/Boothbay Harbor


23-24 Downeast Challenge Race


24 Harpswell Lobster Boat Races Dock off Mitchell Field Harpswell


Info: H. Barnes (207) 725-2567 24 MDI Series III


30-31 Seguin Island Trophy Race Southport Island Yacht Club Southport Island


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