THE STATE OF MAINE'S BOATING NEWSPAPER Volume 25 Issue 6 June 2012
PRST STD
US Postage Paid Permit, #65 Brunswick, ME 04011
Maine Coastal News FREE ARE YOU READY FOR LOBSTER BOAT RACING?
STARLIGHT EXPRESS battles WHISTLIN' DIXIE and MS. ROSE at the MS Harborfest in Portland last year.
There are just weeks before the start of the 2012 lobster boat race season, which opens at Boothbay on 16 June. There were no changes in the rules governing the boats, but the present rules will be better enforced. There are some changes in class rules, number of race venues, but the biggest change is the venue for the awards banquet, which has been moved from Rockland to Searsport. As usual there are some rumours floating around.
New Awards Ceremony Venue: Travis and Keith Otis made arrangements to move this year’s MLBRA Awards Ceremony from Rockland to Searsport. Travis said, “For the past few years the awards banquet has been held at the Tradewinds Motor Inn in Rockland, during which time there have been multiple requests to move the banquet to a more central location. We are proud to announce that the 2012 awards banquet will now be hosted at the Mermaid Pub in Searsport. The Mermaid Pub is located underneath the Homeport Inn, which was built by Captain John P. Nichols in 1861 and is in the style of an English Pub. The Mermaid re-opened under new ownership in January and has become known for the quality of their food and the atmosphere inside the pub.”
The banquet will still be held on 27 October and will begin at 1700 hrs (5:00 PM) with a membership meeting, cocktail hour at 1800, dinner at 1900 followed by awards. For
dinner reservations please call Maine Coastal News at (207) 223-8846. The cost will remain $25 per person and RSVPs are strongly encouraged so that we are able to get an accurate number for attendance ahead of time. It is also hoped that a deal can be reached with the Inn and other hotels in the area for discounted room rates. New Classes Rules: The length limit in Gasoline Class C was lowered to 24 feet so that it was in line with Gasoline Classes A and B. It was also agreed that former Gasoline Class D, Over 502 cid, 28 feet and over, natural aspirated, be brought back. Due to the cost of competing in the current Gasoline Class D, V8, Over 502 cid, 28 feet and over, Turbos/superchargers, it has become cost prohibitive for most. The Gasoline Classes will now be:
Class A, Four and Six Cylinder, 24 feet and over
Class B, V8, Up to 375 cid, 24 feet and over
Class C, V8, 376 to 502 cid, 24 feet and over
Class D, V8, Over 502 cid, 28 feet and over, Naturally aspirated Class E, V8, Over 502 cid, 28 feet and over, Turbos/superchargers New Race Venues: The Bass Harbor races were organized by Colyn and Wayne Rich of Bass Harbor, and ran for the first time last year. This was well attended by the area boats and by popular demand it will be held
again this year. There is a lot of talk from racers outside of Mount Desert Island about attending and this could make this one of the bigger events on the coast.
Another up and coming race, and just an absolutely great weekend of entertainment, is Eastport’s Pirate Festival. There are numerous fun events throughout the weekend with the lobster boat races being held on Sunday. Boats came from as far away as Beals Island and Jonesport last year and this year, racers from further away are talking about going. Others that are too far away are planning to attend by car. Race organizers tried to get Canadian boats to enter, but to date there have been no takers. Hopefully that changes this year. This is definitely a race no one should miss.
The lobster boat races associated with the MS Regatta is in its third year. Those in the diesel classes will be glad to hear that 100 gallons of fuel will be offered in each of the diesel classes again. Anyone competing in a diesel class is eligible to be entered in the drawing.
Filming: Earlier this spring, MLBRA signed a deal with John Eraklis of Exodus Film Group of North Yarmouth and Los Angeles, CA, to film this year’s lobster boat racing with the hope of marketing the races as a possible reality television show. John has ties with others that have produced this type of show, mainly the person behind Swamp People. He will be filming and then
C o n t e n t s
Calendar of Events Publisher's Note Obituaries
View from the Pilothouse III Eddie Drew & The Lowells
4 4 5 6 7
Waterfront News Museum News
Yanmar 12 AY Diesel SS UNITED STATES Off Center Harbor
9 9 9 9
San Jacinto to Eastport DELA Minutes
Commercial Fishing News Sub Committee Meetings Misc. Commercial Fishing News
10 11
11 12
Boat Yard News Cloud Burst on Saint Croix
14 22
Seventies Memories - The Crews 24 Classified Ads
25-31
send that person edited clips to see what their take is. He also just purchased a Holland 32 in New Jersey and will be using this to film from.
Rumours: There are usually rumours floating around about someone putting together a boat to beat all others. This year there are a couple of rumours floating around. One is Wes Shute of Stockton Springs bringing back out DAYDREAMER, a South Shore 30. The rumour is that he has obtained an engine that is under 500 cu. in. and produces about 2,000 hp. This will be great to see him and Galen Alley’s FOOLISH PLEASURE, holder of the gasoline speed record, going head to head.
The other rumour is that Steve Johnson of Long Island is up to something again. He gained national attention with the car-boat, a Pontiac Sunbird chained to a Silverton, which had been cut off at the waterline and decked over and powered with twin 200-hp outboards. What we do know about this project is that it involves a Corvette! The schedule for the 2012 season is Boothbay, 16 June; Rockland, 17 June; Bass Harbor (non-points), 24 June; Moosebec, 30 June; Searsport, 14 July; Stonington, 15 July; Friendship, 28 July; Harpswell, 29 July; Winter Harbor, 11 August; Pemaquid (non- points), 12 August; MS-Portland, 19 August; and Eastport Pirate Festival (non- points), 9 September.
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