March 2016 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 21. 70s Memories: Babe Stanley of Sullivan By Lee S. Wilbur
“Babe” Stanley: Multi Generation Lobster Fisherman
“Babe”, I asked, “Have you been a lob-
ster fi sherman all your life.” “Not yet!” That’s Babe Stanley, Sullivan, Maine and when I did ask how old he was and how long he’d been fi shing his answer this time was “Well, I’m 88”...a few seconds go by...I say “Wow, you really are doing well, still going fi shing every summer at your age!...“No, wait a minute. I’m 78, not 88. I get mixed up these days with all those 8’s.” I laughed.
“Now that’s an interesting name, Babe, I remarked, “How did you come by Babe as a given name?” “Well,” replied, “My father was real- ly interested in baseball. Named me after “Babe” Ruth, whose name really wasn’t “Babe”, it was George Herman, and I re- ally don’t know why he didn’t name me George Herman, but that was alright cause “ Babe’s” worked out okay. “The fi rst time I went lobstering I was ten years old. Hauled my fi rst trap over the stern of Grandfather’s punt. He’d given me 5 traps and said I was only to pull them over the stern, didn’t want his “big beautiful punt scraped all to hell by a kid hauling traps up the sides.” As it was, I still had to lay a hide over the stern. Second trap, I caught a counter. Big beautiful lobster. Right then I retired.”
“What do you mean, you retired right
then? You’re a lobsterman now.” “Well,” He says, “Retired is not work-
ing, right? And when you’re retired you can do anything you like, right? So if you like what you’re doing it ain’t work. So, I’ve been retired since I was 10 years old.” “And furthermore, older friend of
my father’s told me, if you go to work for someone and don’t enjoy it, if it’s work, quit and go fi nd something else you enjoy
doing.”
Babe said this past summer was the worst he’d ever experienced on the bay. Babe fi shes Taunton River and Taunton Bay. “By the time the bay had warmed up and the lobsters came in, it was time for ‘em to head back offshore again. Course the boys fi shing outside did good, but it was lousy in where I fi sh. And, as you know, I couldn’t put in until later, trying to get the boat in with my leg bad from getting it caught in the warp summer before. And that wasn’t the only time I’ve got it caught. Thank God I had a good sternman, Justin. He jumped over the pile of warp and threw her into reverse. You know four knots is quite fast when you’re towing a trap through the wa- ter by a line wrapped around your leg.” Funny thing is, I’ve never met Babe face to face. Only ever talked with him over the phone. Yet, I feel like I’ve known him for years. Someone told Babe we had an old house trailer in Hancock we want- ed to get rid of. Town Selectmen had giv- en us written notice they’d like to have the eyesore gone and we’d agreed to somehow get it done. Babe called and after a some- what lengthy conversation, I’d given it to him with agreement to get it out once the weather had shed itself of winter. I enjoyed our subsequent conversations, his “Maine humor” and with minor excuses I’ve dialed him up more than several times since. I fi nd Babe to be what I call the true
“Mainer”. A term which I myself aspire and will never be. (Wasn’t born in Maine. WWII got in the way... and my very dear moth- er was a southern lady.) However, Babe and I do share a common heritage in that “if our ancestors who arrived in or around Taunton, Mass. at about the same time didn’t happen to come on the “Mayfl ower” they missed that particular boat.” My lin- eage migrated to the Eastbrook/Waltham area (known then as “Little T’anton”) and worked the land and forest. Babe’s “many
greats” grandfather, John Stanley” in 1700 was given a grant by the English for Great Cranberry Island and the Stanleys have worked the sea ever since.
Being a boatbuilder for some thirty years, I had to ask Babe the question of what he was running for a boat. “Well,” He says, “ I bought her off of Chris Burke, who’d run her for a few years. He bought it off of Chris Briggs who’d found her up- side down in a fi eld in Rockland. She was built by “Rockland Technical Boat Works in 1975. Twin screw. He took the old en- gines out and set her up for single. Put on a new keel. She’s got a Downeast bottom and a Novi topside.”
“Must go along quite well.” “Oh, she slips along quite lively at 8
knots.” gine?”
“8 knots? What have you got for an en-
“Well, that’s another story....I’d bought the engine, a “Sisu 410” from a nursing home. They’d had it for a standby gener- ator. Only had about 40 hours on it. Well, year or so ago valve spring went in her and destroyed it. Didn’t know what I’d do, so I thought I might give my insurance compa- ny, Ocean Marine, a call. Lady there was quite pleasant and asked me if it was older than 7 years. I allowed I’d look it up and call right back. Just shy three months of being seven. They supplied me with a new engine plus installation. Now I thought that was damn good of them. Total cost was just north of $25,000.”
I asked Babe if he had much of a prob-
lem fi nding good sternmen (or women), a subject which seems to surface more than often when talking with other fi shermen. He responded with much the same remarks, “drugs and no one wants to work anymore.” “You know what the Chinese came up with in the “60’s” don’t you to solve their drug problems.”
“No, guess I don’t.” HISTORY FROM THE PAST - Bangor Daily Commercial - Early 1900s
19 February 1903 With the Ships
Much Sympathy for Capt. McKown is Being Expressed. News of the Shipping
Where the Sailing Craft Are and What They Are Doing – About the Schooners on the Coast.
The entire shipping community sympathies with Capt. McKown of the ill-fated ALICE DAVENPORT. The fi nal abandonment of the vessel last week brings to the sad end which has seemed inevitable the story which began so brightly in a Bath yard last summer. The bunting, cheers and gaily screaming whisles gave no warning of the boodoo that has followed the vessel ever since, casting her upon the rocks of Seal Island before the completion of her maiden trip, never to leave them. Capt. McKown would probably not have such luck again if he were to sail a thousand years but he is
advanced in years and the wreck probably closes what has been a long and honorable career. The end ought to have been happier. Bath Times.
Capt. D. M. Humphreys, surveyor for the shipping record in that vicinity, went to Waldoboro last week to survey the fi vemasted schooner under construction at the Welt yard. The schooner is a little more than half fi nished, being planked out to the bilge. She is iron strapped, having cross straps, and will have three decks. When completed she will be oneo of the strongest schooners ever hailing from Maine. News of the Shipping. The PENOBSCOT which left Rockland Monday night in command of Capt. Ingraham was compelled to put into Portland harbor at midnight on account of the big storm. She sailed for Boston Tuesday and will leave Boston for Rockland at 4 o’clock Wednesday afternoon.
Boat And Ship Yard News Continued from Page 20.
accommodations, which include two heads, seating in the wheelhouse and she is sched- uled to be done this spring
Leaving the middle of February is a 45 foot lobster boat going to Cape Breton. She is powered with a QSC 9 Cummings, but the engine will be going in in Canada. Just out of the mould is a 49 foot 10 inch x 16 foot lobster boat, which is being fi nished off for a local fi sherman. They are
doing all of the glass work and the owner will be fi nishing her out.
They are starting another 45, which will be going to Canada as a lobster boat. This will be followed by a 43, which will also be going to Canada as a lobster boat. They are looking to do more kit boats. They already have four companies in Can- ada fi nishing off hulls for them. Here in the United States Wilbur Yachts in Manset is doing a 45 footer, which is being fi nished out as a sport fi shing/pleasure boat.
In a letter received in Boston second mate Frank Staples of the schooner JOSEPH R. HASKELL of Rockland writes that while on her way to Jacksonville, Florida, the schooner met with hard weather and that on the night of February 8, while the storm was at its height, the fi rst mate Philip Leblanc was washed overboard and lost. He was a native of Yarmouth, N. S.
The lighthouse board gives notice that red spar buoy, 2, on Steele’s ledge, Penobscot bay, is reported adrift. It will be replaced as soon as practicable. Schooner FANNIE & FAY has arrived
at Winterport from South Amboy with coal. The schooner NORMANDY at Bath is all ready for sea with the exception of having a full crew for which she has been waiting several days. She will probably leave the last of the week.
Schooner CAROLINE GRAY is loading stone at Atlantic wharf, Rockland for Annapolis from the Booth Bros., and Hurricane Granite Co.’s quarries at Waldoboro.
Schooner METINIC is loading coal at
Lambert’s Point, Rockland, for Calais. The starboard engines on the big cruiser CLEVELAND at Bath were started Tuesday for the fi rst time and worked very satisfactorily.
The big Standard Oil sailing ship
ATLAS built at Sewall’s yard Bath last year, recently made the run from Hong Kong to Baltimore in ninety days. This vessel is commanded by Capt. McKay. The stock for the four large boilers to
be built at the Bath Iron Works for one of the Mallory line steamers has commenced to arrive. The boilers are the largest ever constructed in that city. They are 15 feet, six inches long and 12 feet in diameter.
24 February 1903 Anxious for Machias Vessel
The Little Schooner RUSHLIGHT Left Boston a Week Ago Sunday Bound for Portland – Crew of Three.
Portland, February 24.
Anxiety is felt concerning the little schooner RUSHLIGHT, Capt. Alamanda Beals of Machias, now ten days out from Boston to Jonesport, Maine. The RUSHLIGHT left Boston a week ago Sunday intending to touch at Portland. Since that time she has not been heard from. She was light and had barely enough ballast to keep her upright. Had she been loaded less anxiety would be felt. The RUSHLIGHT carried a crew of two men besides the captain. She was 66 tons gross and 63 tons net, 73.6 long, 21.2 beam, and 7.7 feet deep. She was built in Essex, Massaschusetts, in 1863 and though generally sailing from Jonesport, she has Machias as her home port.
6 March 1903 With the Ships
Dispute Over Names of Sticks of Six Masters Settled. News of the Shipping
Atlantic and Pacifi c Seamen’s Union Protests Against Passage of Bill in
“Well, they put these posters up. “Us- ers will be shot” Now you don’t hear much about any problems in China with drugs do you? What we should do in this country is to legalize all of it. Charge a good tax. Then if people choose to get hooked there’d be money to take care of ‘em. If you say no to someone they’re often bound and deter- mined to do it, whatever it might be. And then you know, he says, lobstermen are all gamblers.”
I chuckled, pretty much knowing what he was going to say. “What do you mean?” “Well, there’s not a one of us that work the sea that aren’t gamblers. We’re hooked. Can’t wait to see what comes up in the next trap, or net haul, or trawl-line, even clam diggers with a hundred asses looking them in the face and spittin’ at ‘em. Always look- ing for the big score. There’s a fellow over in Winter Harbor. Never pulls all his traps out in the fall. Leaves about a hundred in. Wouldn’t catch but a few in the winter as you know. Just does it to have the excuse to go haul. Loves it. We’re all addicted.” “You know”, He says, I love the salt
water. I came from my mother’s womb and that’s the same salinity as the ocean, and that’s where I want to go when I
die....to the ocean.”
“And that brings me to another story before I let you go. Poaching deer is an- other addiction. Fellow from around here, it was back in the “70’s”, brought up on charges before Judge Smith. Judge asked him how he pleaded. “Not guilty Your Hon- or.” How can you plead “Not Guilty” you had all the paraphenalia in your car, guns, lights, rope, the works? “Well Your Honor, I’ve got all the gearin’ to be a rapist...but I’m not a rapist”…Judge Smith brought the gavel down...“60 days.”
Babe Stanley: lobsterman, Mainer, hu- morist, salt of the ocean.
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