Page 4. MAINE COASTAL NEWS October 2016
Maine Coastal News Winterport, Maine 04496-0710 U.S.A.
P.O. Box 710 (207) 223-8846 Fax (207) 223-9004 E-mail -
igmatats@aol.com Web site:
www.mainescoast.com Publisher's Note They say that the two happiest days in Maine Coastal News is published 12 times a year and is dedicated to covering the news
along the entire coast of Maine, Kittery to Eastport. We cover general marine news, commercial fi shing, yachting (power and sail), boat yard and waterfront news and maritime history. Distribution of Maine Coastal News is from Eastport to Marblehead, MA and is free on
the newsstand. It also can be obtained 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.
T e Maine Coastal News offi ce is located at 966 North Main Street, Winterport, Maine. Comments or additional information write: Maine Coastal News, P.O. Box 710, Winterport,
Maine 04496.
a boat owner’s life is the day he buys it and the day he sells it, well that is not always true. In the last issue I talked about the 34-foot Wheeler Playmate that had been donated to the Library and about bringing it from Manchester, MA to Portland. It was a great time and she is a great boat. Since she was more than reasonably priced she easily found a good home. Her sale was extremely important to the International Maritime Li- brary as the funds will be used to build the much needed website. I was not happy to see her go, but the Library needs the website as it is the backbone of all the research I have done over the last 25 years. In early September, I wrote on the
Publisher
Editor-in-Chief Advertising
Jon B. Johansen Rachel Elward Sara MacCorkle
To contact Sara directly: (207) 350-7094
mainecoastalnewsads@gmail.com
Advertising Deadlines: T e deadline for the November issue is October 14. T e deadline for the December issue is November 11.
MCN's Calendar
On-going Exhibits -30 September See the Face of Admiral Lord Nelson
Naval War College Museum Newport, RI
Info: (401) 841-4052
-16 October Wish You Were Here – Communicating Maine Penobscot Marine Museum Searsport
Info: (207) 548-2529
-2 January 2017 Sea Change: Portland on the Edge of the New North Maine Maritime Museum Bath
Info: (207) 443-1316
OCTOBER 1 PYC Fall Series Portland Yacht Club Falmouth
8 PYC Fall Series Portland Yacht Club Falmouth
15 Maine Lobster Boat Racing Assoc. Awards Banquet & Dinner Robinson’s Wharf Southport Island Info: (207) 223-8846
NOVEMBER
15-17 - NEFMC Meeting Hotel Viking Newport, RI
DECEMBER 8 Maine Built Boats Conference Maine Maritime Museum Bath
JANUARY 24-27 NEFMC Meeting Sheraton Harborside Portsmouth, NH
MARCH 2-4 Maine Fishermen’s Forum Samoset Resort Rockport
Info: (207) 442-7700
24-26 Maine Boatbuilder’s Show Portland Sports Complex 512 Warren Ave. Portland, 04103 Info: (207) 774-1067
APRIL 18-20 NEFMC Meeting Hilton Hotel Mystic, CT
JUNE 20-22 NEFMC Meeting Holiday Inn by the Bay Portland
SEPTEMBER
19-21 NEFMC Meeting Beauport Gloucester, MA
NOVEMBER 14-16 NEFMC Meeting Hotel Viking Providence, RI
tugboat Yahoo group that the tug SATURN needed to fi nd a new caretaker. There was some discussion, but nothing serious. Be- fore that someone came and visited a friend in Winterport and went up to see her. Not long after that he called and said he was in- terested. While at the Newport International Boat Show in Newport, RI the middle of September I received a call from him stating that he would take over the restoration of SATURN. It was a relief in a lot of ways, but I did not feel happy not completing the project I set out to do. I have owned SATURN for more than
14 years and hated to give up on the project, but time and money was becoming a serious issue as support had disappeared. SATURN has been an incredible lesson. It forced me to attended Maine Maritime Academy in Castine as it became obvious right at the start this was not a simple vessel and I needed to learn more quickly. I studied mostly cours- es for a deck offi cer, but really I needed to learn a lot more about the workings of the engineering space. I came to appreciate what the Academy off ers, the professors I had and the students, who get that hard work spells success in your future. The problem for me came when I ac-
cepted positions to run Maine Built Boats (MBB) and the Maine Lobster Boat Racing Association (MLBRA). Both organizations are extremely important, but in diff erent ways. MBB is a marketing organization for the boatbuilders of the state, especially the small companies who do not have access to a PR fi rm. In the high-tech era you have to be more visible and many smaller companies are not. So MBB hosts a website, an annual conference and attends boat shows to help market Maine built boats. As for lobster boat racing, this brings a lot of entertainment up and down the coast. The average attendance is 50 to 60 boats and at Stonington we can see more than 100 entered. It is absolutely amazing how many people follow these rac- es, including the tourist that come to witness the fun. Lobster boat racing has even caught the eye of others from out-of-state and a group from Newport, RI want to host a race next year. Yes, this is about entertainment, but more importantly it brings notoriety to the boatbuilders and engine makers. These, coupled with working on this newspaper, excess time is non-existent. Then there was a plea made to compile the quarterly journal of the Tugboat Enthusiast Society “TugBitts” and that was the fi nal nail in the coffi n of time. However, not long after the interest in the Tugboat Enthusiast Society and assistance with the journal dwindled to the point it made no since to continued. Un- fortunately this has happened to many fi ne organizations, interest and funds, decline to the point that they disappear. It makes you wonder what the future is for some non-prof- it organizations. Even though I absolutely hate not com-
pleting a project, she needed a new caretaker and the relief was welcomed, but still it was
subdued moment. As I mentioned, I headed to Newport
from the Newport International Boat Show in mid-September. Without question this is the best boat show in New England and a must for those looking to better their ma- rine business. I was there for Maine Built Boats and fi elded questions all four days on Downeast boats. People had questions about new boats mostly in the 20 to 30 foot range, but a couple of people were looking for 40+ footers. Some talked about the ones they own, which is always interesting to get feedback from. I also had questions on where they could get repairs done or store for the winter. The show was very well attended and more than worth the price and eff ort. I did feel that the Downeast boat needs to be better represented with more boats on display. This is something as head of Maine Built Boats I will try to stress over the winter for next year. One thing I always do at the show is
walk around the tents, displays and in-water boats to see who is there. The centre console market has exploded the last several years and every year they get bigger with more and more glitz. There were several models over 40 feet with three or more huge outboards on the transom costing over a million dollars. How about a Seven Marine engine at 600+- hp and costing just less than $100,000? Yet when one quickly looks at them they all looked the same, Tupperware boats. Now many of these were fi tted out for sportfi shing and the fi rst thing I wondered if you were out in the canyons and the weather soured you had little protection from the elements and you were in a boat that may have some issues in extreme weather. Not saying you would not get back in, but your comfort level would be nearly non-existent compared to a big Downeast sportfi shing boat and for less money. With the completion of this boat show,
summer has come to an end for me and the pace slows a bit. Really it just means my weekends are free and it is now time to catch up with things around house and I begin heading to UMO to work in their library in the old newspapers. It was defi nitely a good summer and I am sorry to see it over. There is no secret that my favourite part
of the Maine coast is Washington County. After I returned from the boat show I learned that Stevie Carver’s BIGGER DIRLS had gone up in fl ames at her mooring. The outpouring of assistance was impressive, but as I was down getting information and what the details were it became blatantly obvious so much more work needs to be done to preserve our history. Beals Island and Jonesport is a very special place and the history of the people and their boats is certainly captivity to many. Unfortunately, many of the people who should have been documented have passed over the bar, but fortunately someone had the fore-thought to document some of them on Beals Island in the 1970s. I need to make a better eff ort interviewing those in the know, but I can- not forget the documentation from the old newspapers. I have been working on a list of New England shipwrecks, now nearing 7,000 disasters. First I crashed a list from my uncle’s work and then two other lists that added a few more or confi rmed certain details. However, when I fi nd a shipwreck in an old newspaper many times it is not noted anywhere or many of the details were not known. Some wonder about the size of this project and should it focus on a specifi c aspect of our history. Oh, probably, but that is not challenging. The scope is way beyond one person’s ability to complete, but who else is crazy enough to try it ?
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