First off, let me say that Kevin Burnham's photograph of the Maine State Ferry launch at Washburn & Doughty's shipyard is better than mine. But we were in attendance for different reasons. Kevin had a job to do, and he was on the better side of things than I. As you can see, Kevin's photo was just right for good lighting on the boat. I was across the cove at Ocean Point Marina. From our angle the boat was back lit with an overcast sky – not a good combination unless you are photographing water lilies in the community pond.

Captain Mark Stover of “Redhook Charters,” urchins and lobstering fame, texted me the day before to let me know that there would be a launch on the high tide at 10:15. Mark is good about letting me know when things will happen. Thank you Captain.

I told my family that I was going to photograph the launch. Nobody seemed too overcome with euphoria, so, onward and upward. Then I got to thinking. Had any of my in-residence family ever seen a boat launching? Hmmm. Let me check. Sure enough, no one had. I made an executive decision and invited everyone to join me.

I called Mr. Miller at Ocean Point Marina and asked if it would be OK for me to photograph the launch from the end of one of his strings of floats. He was very gracious and said that would be fine. He thanked me for asking. I knew that his yard would be bustling with activities as boats were being prepared for launchings of their own. The last thing Mr. Miller might appreciate is my waddling into the yard getting in the way of progress. I was glad it was OK.

I ran the launch idea up the flagpole with everyone at home. It was a go. Andrei, our Romanian son-in-law, was pretty excited. Boat launchings were pretty rare in his home village and it would be fun for him to see, especially since he is a wildly curious soul. Mom and Morgan were also pleased for the invite. The float at Ocean Point Marina was a perfect viewing spot, if not ideal lighting. Thank you Mr. Miller.

The ferry was a bit reluctant to budge. All that weight stacked onto the railway for such a long time made letting go challenging. But the Winslow tug pulled and ultimately was joined by another smaller puller. Eventually gravity and momentum won out.

The first launch I photographed for Washburn & Doughty was at their location on the banks of the Kennebec in Woolwich. The boat was the Jacquelin Robin. I remember being so cold that my fingers could barely work the camera. Construction was entirely out of doors in all sorts of weather. A far cry from the more modern facility in East Boothbay.