The first time I had the overwhelmingly awesome experience of being served Yorkshire pudding was on a sailboat somewhere out in the middle of the ocean.

It was during the first of three voyages I made from Boothbay Harbor to the Caribbean on a 60-foot ketch. The sailboat was the Symfoni, built for the king of Sweden back in the 1930s. The captain and cook were both English, and the captain was, to put it nicely, set in his ways. Think Captain Bligh. Wicked smart, and a world class sailor, but not the sweetest nature.

There were lots of firsts on that trip for a 21-year-old Maine girl who had just married a sailor after knowing him for three months. The previous summer I had been hired as a deckhand on a 53-foot gaff-rigged schooner that sailed out of Boothbay Harbor on a daily or weekly basis. I had never stepped foot on a sailboat before. But I was cute, and willing to learn. (Actually I’m really not sure how I got that job. I wasn’t that cute.)

I was waiting on a dock the day the Mary E sailed into Boothbay Harbor from Southwest Harbor, where she had been having work done. At the helm was the newly hired Captain, Stan Parks, wearing a green cap with long, thick, curly dark brown hair blowing out behind him. Anyway, three months later we were married.

I know. You don’t have to say anything.

Around a month after becoming a young bride I found myself aboard the Symfoni with a crew of six, headed out to sea — first to Bermuda and then on to the Caribbean.

It was a huge adventure, and a rude awakening, all wrapped up into one big eye-opening life-changing experience.

But we’re talking about food here.

Among the many foods I was introduced to during that three-week ocean voyage were some typical English things. Canned kipper snacks, heated, were served with scrambled eggs for breakfast. The captain doused his eggs with Tabasco sauce, so I followed suit. Still do.

And there was teatime. A must for Capt. Mel. Every day around three we were served tea and some elegant pastry. The wind might be howling with seas crashing over the relatively small boat being tossed around in the middle of the ocean, but that cook would be down below in the galley making a bundt cake or some scones.

High tea was never skipped. It was served daily at 1500 hrs.

To the crew, who were either on watch at the helm or being tossed around in a damp bunk, teatime was a huge treat. A bundt cake has never tasted as good as it did on that boat out in the middle of the ocean.

One of the things I missed most on ocean voyages was cold milk. The refrigeration was limited to a small generator-run icebox, so we had to resort to Long Life milk, or UHT – ultra high temperature pasteurized. It didn’t need refrigeration. Warm milk just doesn’t cut it.

Anyway — Yorkshire pudding.

I don’t remember what the occasion was, but the cook prepared a dinner of roast beef with roasted potatoes and asparagus — and Yorkshire pudding.

We were somewhere in the vicinity of the Bermuda Triangle. I had taken a watch with the captain the night before, and he had entertained me with stories about boats mysteriously disappearing in the triangle. I’m thinking he might have suggested a roast beef dinner as a possible last supper. Just to scare us of course. He had no intention of letting that yacht go down.

I remember being up on deck at the helm with the aroma of roast beef wafting up from the galley. At dinnertime, the boat was put on automatic pilot and the six of us gathered around the beautiful varnished teak table in the main cabin and enjoyed one of the best meals I’ve ever had. I’ll never forget the perfect tender prime rib, roasted potatoes and asparagus, and the golden brown, crunchy-on-the-top, baked custardy inside, Yorkshire pudding.

It was made the way Yorkshire pudding should be made — in the pan with the drippings from the roast beef. The cook had made a dark brown gravy with more of the drippings, and that was ladled over it.

The cook made popovers during that voyage, too, for breakfast and teatime. Fresh out of the oven, golden brown and crunchy, with butter melting inside their airy interiors, they were heavenly. The good news about popovers is that they're simple to make. Google popovers and/or Yorkshire pudding. For a variation on Yorkshire pudding, here’s my mother’s recipe for Swedish pancakes, a fabulous breakfast:

1/2 stick butter, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup flour, dash of nutmeg

Beat all together and pour into 9” square pan, greased, and bake 20 minutes at 400. Top with butter and maple syrup. Just like pancakes only better!

I have made Yorkshire pudding over the years of being a landlubber, but it has never tasted as good as it did that day out in the middle of the ocean.

The only thing lacking was a Manhattan before dinner and a glass or two of good red wine with it. There WAS a bar on that yacht. It was varnished teak with big carved fishes on the top, and it was full to the brim with top of the line bottles of every kind of booze imaginable. But that was for the owners and their friends to enjoy when they flew down to meet the boat in Antigua a few weeks later. The crew was fed well, but there was no drinking allowed.

And believe me, there were times during that cruise, like after we survived a fast-moving hurricane off City Island in New York, when a Manhattan would have been welcomed.

Thankfully there was plenty of rum in St. Thomas.

I’m not a chef. I lay no claim to being an authority on food or cooking. I’m a good cook, and a lover of good food. And I know how to spell and put a sentence together. This column is simply meant to be fun, and hopefully inspiring. So to anyone reading this whose hackles are raised because you know more about the subject of food than I, relax. I believe you.

The Schooner Harvey Gamage returns to the waters of her birth.

Freshly arrived from the balmy Cuban climate, and with many educational programs in the works for the future, we are so excited to be charting a course for Boothbay Harbor to participate in the Windjammer Days festival! In the best physical condition since her first swim in South Bristol in 1974, we hope you take the time to swing by Pier 1 at Boothbay Harbor Marina on the Wednesday, June 29 and Thursday, June 30. We will be offering tours Thursday morning to show you around above and below decks.

As the last schooner built by master shipwright Harvey Gamage of South Bristol in 1974, the ship represents an important piece of our local cultural history. Having logged hundreds of thousands of miles under her keel in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas, the lessons of seamanship have been learned on her decks by students of all ages. Education continues to be a focus for new operators.

After the closing of the Ocean Classroom Foundation, the nonprofit who operated the vessel until 2014, the Harvey Gamage underwent an extensive refit at Portland Yacht Services. Many planks, frames, and much hardware were repaired or replaced. Much of the rig has been freshened as well. Immediately after the refit, we set a course for 180 and the shores of Cuba to explore the opportunities for future winter educational programs.

Summer-time Maine based educational programming are being developed as well, focusing on the pertinent subjects of Island Ecology and the exploration/study of Maine Aquaculture. Programs will be directed towards enriching our local students’ understanding of marine policy, marine biology, and the human ecology of sailing.

For the Harvey Gamage to act as a platform to support local relationships with our ocean resources and to promote both leadership and stewardship in our community is our vision. See you at sea!

 

Larry Stevenson knows outboard motors. He told the history of the Champion, Scott-Atwater, and McCulloch outboards as the first of a six-part summer lecture series at Boothbay Railway Village on Tuesday, June 7.

Stevenson's fascination with outboards began at the age of 12 when he exchanged his lawn-mowing money for a 2 1/2 hp Sears Elgin Motor that he dubbed “Rosebud.” His interest accelerated a decade ago when he and his wife Jane traveled 6,500 miles to 20 states to pick up motors he had purchased online.

Many of the 300 motors were brought to Maine and stored in a local barn. They will soon be part of an exhibit at Boothbay Railway Village in a renovated 20’ x 100’ space.

“It is about the people. His heart and soul is in telling us his story,” said Boothbay Railway Village Executive Director Margaret Hoffman in introducing Stevenson to about a dozen enthusiasts gathered at the Boothbay Town Hall.

Stevenson’s first lecture began in the Midwest with the development of the Champion and Scott-Atwater motors and ended with the industrial empire created by Robert Paxton McColluch at his Lake Havasu City, built on the banks the Colorado River.

Stevenson said the demand for outboard motors began in the 1920s among sportsman who required low-horsepower motors for fishing and hunting. 

“During the war there were not many made except for the government,” he said. There was an embargo on aluminum, a major component for the motors.

Following the war, families became more affluent and had more leisure time, so demand grew.

“They wanted the better things of life. In the 1950s it became a family sport,” he said.

Manufacturers were encouraged to build more powerful, quieter and better-looking motors. Companies hired designers to come up with sleeker models with more horsepower. Advertisers catered to women, who were shown riding and operating the boats in two-piece bathing suits. Makers that could not keep pace either shut down or were bought out by larger and more forward-looking companies, he explained.

McCulloch was bought out by Husqvarna in 2008, as detailed in handouts provided by Stevenson.

The lecture series continues on Tuesday, June 28 and runs until Tuesday, Aug. 23. A complete schedule and short biography of Stevenson can be found on the Boothbay Railway Village website. 

Stevenson summers on Juniper Point and winters in Florida.

Hoffman said the board of directors voted in November to accept Stevenson’s gift. Work began in the winter to renovate space to house the collection which will include interpretative displays.

She also hopes to collect stories from local people who want to tell their tales about their outboard motors.

“We would love to hear people talk about it,” she said.

The exhibit should be ready for the public mid-summer, said Hoffman.  

 

 

This one really lived up to the tradition, a great baseball game between two longtime rivals pitted against one another in the quarterfinal round of the Mountain Valley Conference playoffs. When the dust settled after close to two hours of play, it was Hall-Dale that came away the victor, 8-7, over Wiscasset.

The weather was perfect for the June 8 game played at Farmingdale, 70 degrees under sunny skies with a light breeze blowing from left to right. A good crowd was on hand to take in the game.

The two ball clubs met earlier this season at Wiscasset, with the Bulldogs winning 12-1 in six innings. The Wolverines had greatly improved since that initial meeting, winning three of their last four games of the regular season.

The Wolverines threatened early after Grant Hefler led off the game with a double off of Hall-Dale’s starting pitcher, Quinn Stebbins. Stebbins gave up six hits before he was lifted in the fifth inning with his team on top 8-4.

Wiscasset then rallied for three runs in the sixth off reliever Ryan Sinclair. Logan Orr and Hefler led off the inning with back-to-back walks. Daren Wood followed with a double to deep center field, driving in Orr and Hefler. Conlon Ranta then grounded out but advanced Wood to third. Wood stole home after Tyler Bailey squared to bunt and the ball got by the catcher. Just like that, it was an 8-7 ballgame.

Cole Lockhart was brought in to pitch the final inning for Hall-Dale. Once again the Wolverines got the lead-off batter on base, with Brandon Sprague singling up the middle. Chayse Reed then reached on a fielder’s choice, a ground ball to the pitcher that Lockhart alertly threw to the second baseman to get Sprague. The next Wiscasset batters struck out and popped up and the game was over.

It was the final high school game for Wood, a graduating senior. He started on the mound and scattered six hits over five innings. He struck out three and walked two. Tyler Bailey worked the final inning in relief, setting the Bulldog battery down in order.

Hall-Dale scored three runs in the first, one in the third and three in the fourth inning. The eventual game-winning run came in the fifth, when Tylor Dubois led off with a double and advanced to third on a ground out. He scored on Dean Jackman’s squeeze bunt.

Wiscasset scored three other runs in the second. Jake Traylor led off with a base hit and was moved along to third on a bunt single down the third base line by Brycson Grover. Sprague drove in Traylor with a RBI single. Brycson later scored on a throwing error and Wood drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. The Wolverines’ other run came in the fourth inning, an RBI groundout by Conlon Ranta.

Coach Gregg Wood and the Wolverines finished the season with an 8-9 record.

"Our Achilles heel all season was leaving men on base,” Coach Wood commented. "We averaged leaving 7.1 men on base per game. It’s tough to win leaving 120 potential runs on base over the course of the season. 
 
"The bright spot was the top three batters, Grant Hefler, Daren Wood and Conlon Ranta collectively had a batting average of 0.410. I’d venture a guess that there isn’t another team in any class this year that can top that ... This was a successful season for Wiscasset’s 2016 baseball team and we all had fun along the way.”
 
 

 

 

Whether you like your shelter rounded or with right angles, Midcoast Conservancy has a course for you! From June 24-26, a Yurt building course will give participants an opportunity to learn about the benefits of yurts and then put that knowledge to work constructing one. For traditionalists, a Timber Framing will be offered from July 14-17. Over the course of the four-day class, students will take locally harvested wood and turn it into a beautiful and sturdy timber frame structure. Both workshops will be held at Hidden Valley Nature Center.

As part of the Yurt workshop, students will be introduced to the practical, low impact, sustainable living structure that has been used for thousands of years. Using basic, readily-available raw materials, they will learn how to build and raise a dwelling with incredible structural integrity this it also entirely adaptable and transportable to virtually any location and climate. Participants are encouraged to stay on-site in portable yurts that will be provided as part of the workshop. This course is suitable for all skill levels and all tools and materials will be provided, as well as a light breakfast and full lunch each day, with a cookout, music, storytelling on Saturday night.

Course instructors are Caleb Erskine, the owner of Living Intent Yurt Co., and his team; and John Brooks, an instructor on low impact, sustainable.

The July Timber Frame course gives participants a hands-on experience taking raw wood from log to aloft in four days. Students will work in small groups to learn the basics of timber frame construction, and ultimately to build and erect the frame of a small building. The class will be led by Bob Lear of Bob's Beams in Whitefield, ME, along with assistance from several other experienced staff members.

Tools and equipment are all provided, but students should bring their own tools if they have questions about them. Breakfast and lunch will be provided each day. Class will run 8am-4pm each day. Camping space is available, and HVNC huts are available at a discount to students.

Hidden Valley Nature Center is part of Midcoast Conservancy, an organization dedicated to supporting healthy lands, waters, wildlife, and people in Midcoast Maine through conservation, education, and recreation. For more information about either course or to register, go to midcoastconservancy.org/events, or call (207) 389-5150.

The guy who's famous for doing spooky illustrations for Stephen King books was in Boothbay Harbor on June 9 doing some not-so-spooky touch-ups on a mural.

The mural that Glenn Chadbourne first painted for China by the Sea on Townsend Avenue in 2001 had gotten in some disrepair.

“This is a testament to house paint right here,” the artist said. “It's lasted, on cement, for 15 years, with people crashing into it, and snowplows backing into it.”

He started the fix-up at 8 a.m. with a coat of white paint over the whole 100 or so feet of wall. “I'm quick on the draw,” he said. “And it's latex.”

Next he applied a couple coats of different shades of blue over the water and sky. “A little dash on that lobster trap over there and a little shadow of blue in the water and I'm finito benito,” Chadbourne said, in classic Glenn Chadbourne style.

Chadbourne said the job was pro bono. “I like doing it. I'll get some Chinese food for the wife and me. I'm counting on karma. You put it out there and hope it comes back.”

Tracy Penniman and her friend and helper, Bonnie Nielsen, were at the Boothbay Farmers Market on June 9, weathering the unseasonably cold wind, and the blasts coming from work being done at the nearby golf course.

Penniman said she and her husband, Tom, who live in New Harbor, began their business in 2008, selling lobsters out of a roadside truck in Connecticut, where she's from. The lobster business was so good, they started taking fish and other shellfish along. That went well, too.

“So we were selling lobsters and other seafood on the side of the road in Naugatuck, and then we started doing farmers markets in Fairfield County.”

She said that after traveling back and forth between Pemaquid and Connecticut, the ride got to be a little too much. So they decided to start doing farmers markets in Maine — sometimes two on the same day. Tracy goes in one direction and Tom goes in another. They include Boothbay, Damariscotta, Belfast, Camden and Bath in the summer and Belfast, Bath, Belfast and Brunswick at indoor markets. “So we're still doing a lot of driving but at least we get to sleep in our own bed every night,” Penniman said.

The Pennimans have a commercial HACCP-certified kitchen in New Harbor where they make their specialty seafood products: lobster mac & cheese, fish and salmon burgers, crab cakes, lobster pies, crab dip, scallop casserole, chowders, lobster bisque, marinara clam sauce, an Old English fish pie, and more. “I keep coming up with new products,” Penniman said. “We only sell fresh fish, so when it doesn't sell immediately we make it into something.”

Over the winter, the Pennimans developed a Swedish-style haddock chowder, which has smoked haddock — finn & haddie, in it, which she said gives it “a nice smokey background.”

“We're staying busy,” she said.

The business is located at 17 Penniman Road in New Harbor, Maine, 04554. Visit the Pemaquid Lobster & Seafood facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Pemaquidlobster/?fref=nf, or their website at www.pemaquidlobster.com, or call 207-350-7054.

Wawenock Sail and Power Squadron has partnered with the Sea Tow Foundation to promote the Designated Skipper Program for boaters. The goal of this important new program, which is supported by a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration & Boating Trust Fund as administered by the U.S. Coast Guard, is to help eliminate boating under the influence (BUI) and alcohol-related accidents on the water while keeping boating fun for everyone. Through the Designated Skipper Program boaters pledge to respect the legal drinking age, be responsible for their vessel and all passengers, and be or designate a sober skipper every time they leave the dock.

Boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs (BUI) is a serious safety risk, against the law in all states, and is 100% preventable if a designated skipper is appointed before every nautical outing. Alcohol can impair balance or coordination, which are already hard to maintain on a boat. In addition, environmental stressors, wind, vibration, noise and the sun can intensify the effects of alcohol on the water. An average of 290 boating accidents with an average of 111 fatalities occur annually because of BUI. 16% of all fatal boating accidents were the result of alcohol or drug use by a boat operator. Any person who is suspected of BUI can be arrested, face steep fines, be imprisoned, or have their boat impounded. Some boaters could even lose their car driving privileges.

Why be or designate a sober skipper? While always safer for all passengers on a boat to remain clear-headed, should individuals choose to drink alcoholic beverages while boating, someone needs to stay sober, do the driving, and make sure everybody gets home safely – the same thing you would do if you were heading out for a night of fun in your automobile. If you're a boater - take the pledge, and if you're the skipper, stay alert - stay sober.

 

 

 

Road race enthusiasts will have the opportunity to take on a new challenge in Boothbay this summer, with the Boothbay Trifecta Race Series. Those who register for all three races will become VIP members of the Trifecta Race Club, and receive an exclusive gift at the completion of the third race. All three races are fundraisers for local organizations:

Saturday, July 2: The 36th annual Rocky Coast Road Race is a fun run/walk for all ages and abilities. Aligned with the Windjammer Days Festival in the Boothbay region, proceeds from the Rocky Coast Road Race support LIVESTRONG at the YMCA, a free 12-week program offered by the Boothbay Region YMCA for cancer survivors and their families. Events include a 10k run, 5k run and 5k walk. Start time is 8 a.m. at the Boothbay Region YMCA, 261 Townsend Avenue. Registration is $25 for all races. Visit www.BoothbayRegionYMCA.org to register online or download form to register in person at YMCA front desk. Race Sponsors: Dead River and J. Edward Knight

Saturday July 30: The seventh annual Lobster Roll 5k Run/Walk supports the ongoing community effort to build a track in the Boothbay Region. One hundred percent of the proceeds go directly to this cause. Events include a 5k run, a 5k walk and a Lobster Dash Fun Run for Kids. Start time is 8 a.m. at the Boothbay Region High School, 236 Townsend Avenue. Registration is $25 in advance and $30 on race day. Visit www.LobsterRoll5k.weebly.com to register online. Race Sponsors: Gold: Glidden Point Oysters, First Federal Savings; Silver: Colby & Gale, The First National Bank, Lincoln Medical Partners, J. Edward Knight Insurance; Bronze: Brown's Wharf Inn, MMR, Bath Savings, Hammond Lumber, Janson’s Clothing, Southport Island Marina.

The 5k course is USATF Certified and flows along the rolling hills of Maine's rocky coastline, crosses the harbor over a wooden footbridge, and skirts Boothbay Harbor's beautiful downtown.

Sunday, September 4: The fourth annual Harbor Fest 5k & Half Marathon is part of a ten -day festival missioned to showcase the creativity and individuality of local businesses, organizations and individuals.

The race benefits the Diabetes Prevention program, offered through a partnership with the Boothbay Region YMCA, the Central Lincoln County YMCA and Lincoln Health. This DPP program will serve all of Lincoln County and is planned to begin in the fall of 2016. Events include a 5k Trail Run/Walk and a Half Marathon. Start time is 8am at the Boothbay Region High School, 236 Townsend Avenue. Early registration is $30 for 5k and $50 for Half Marathon; Early registration discount ends on June 22. Visit www.BoothbayHarborFest.com to register online or download form to register in person at YMCA front desk.

Race Add On Features: New to the Harbor Fest Race this year is the Be Vibrant Wellness Fair. The fair will be conveniently located at the race Start & Finish Line. Attendees will enjoy group yoga demos, mini massages, a breakfast bar, spa and wellness demos, entertainment, even a peace garden to sit back and experience the Boothbay Harbor region World of Wellness. Two accomplished authors will offer book signings for newly released cook books: "Refreshed," written by Jim Bailey, the Yankee Chef, features over 180 recipes emphasize fruits, vegetables, and low-fat ingredients for a more healthful diet. Chef Ronaldo Linares, featured on the popular Food Network series, "Chopped," will be signing for his #1 new release, "Chef Ronaldo's Sabores de Cuba," which features nearly 100 recipes, all of which will wow your taste buds and meet the strict nutrition guidelines of the American Diabetes Association.

Harbor Fest Sponsors: Ambassador: Maine Magazine, WCLZ Portland Radio Group, WMTW Channel 8. Captain: TravelMAINE, Harborfields Waterfront Cottages, Boothbay Register, Rocktide Inn & Restaurant, COCO VIVO Artful Living, Spruce Point Inn Resort & Spa, Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce Claw Down, Lincoln County Magazine. Harbor Fest Master: Key Bank, BRCTV, Townsquare Media -92 Moose. Life of the Party: Topside Inn, First National Bank, Sweet Bay Shop, Sherman’s Books and Stationary, Calypso Clothes.



More changes in state rules may closely follow the ones Wiscasset is now looking at fitting into its shoreland zoning, Town Planner Ben Averill said. The changes the state made in 2015 are the ones the Ordinance Review Committee was looking at Monday night, but state staff have said to expect additional changes soon, Averill told the ORC.

Until the town adopts the mandated, 2015 changes, the town is out of compliance, but he wasn’t aware of any repercussion other than the possibility the state would be sending the town letters and emails,  Averill said.

Ordinance changes take a town vote. The ORC drafts them; selectmen can return them to the ORC for more work or put them on a town meeting warrant. Monday’s meeting was the ORC’s first review of how Averill said the ordinance would look according to what the state is requiring. Local rules need to be at least as stringent as the state’s but can be more stringent if the town chooses, he said.

According to paperwork Averill handed out at the meeting, the state’s updates include limiting a lot to one dock, pier, wharf or similar structure that reaches below the normal high water line, unless the lot has at least twice the minimum shore frontage. Also, watercrafts registered with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife would be the only structures that can be built on a float.

The state is ordering most of the changes, but a couple are optional, perhaps only included in this round to lay the groundwork for requirements still to come, Averill told the committee. For example, the panel can consider defining a hazardous tree or, as the state terms it, a “hazard tree,” he said. “If we choose not to add it, then there’s no harm, no foul.”

In addition to the state’s updates, panel members spotted other possible changes to consider. Among them, Al Cohen suggested possibly expanding the definition of garbage to include food packaging as well as paper towels and other items used to prepare food. And Gordon Kontrath, who also serves on the Wiscasset Historic Preservation Commission, observed that the definition of a historic structure cites the U.S. Department of the Interior but not the local commission.

Averill said he would search Wiscasset's ordinances for their use of the terms garbage and historic structure. Depending on the outcome, there may be no reason to further define them, Averill said.

Finding other things that may or may not need work is part of the process when updating an ordinance, according to Chairman Karl Olson. “That’s what happens when you open these worm cans,” he said, smiling.

 

Several Wiscasset Middle High School spring sports athletes were recently named 2016 all stars by a vote of the respective coaches in the Mountain Valley Conference.

Darrin Wood was name a first-team all-star for baseball. Jake Traylor received honorable mention.

Natalie Corson was named a first-team all-star for girls track.

Lindsey Gordon and Stephanie Jones received honorable mention for softball.

Ethan James was named a second-team all-star for boys tennis.

Brandon Goud received honorable mention for boys track.

WMHS academic all stars included Darrin Wood, Samantha Arsenault, Tyler Bailey, Amanda Marcus, Christopher Perkins, Alisyn Richardson and Alexander Webber.

The following awards were recently presented to the 2016 spring sports athletes at Wiscasset Middle High School.

High School awards

Girls tennis

MVP, Brooke Carleton; Coaches Award, Samantha Arsenault; Most Improved, Hayhlee Craig; and Sportsmanship, Alisyn Richardson.

Boys tennis

MVP, Ethan James; Most Improved, Matthew Martin; Coaches Award, Sam Strozier; and Sportsmanship, Chris Perkins.

Boys track

MVP, Matthew Chapman; Coaches Award, Sam Storer; Most Improved, Caleb Gabriele; and Sportsmanship, Christian Loyola.

Girls track

MVP, Natalie Corson; Coaches Award, Gabrielle Chapman; Most Improved, Keara Hunter; and Sportsmanship, Amana Marcus.

Softball

MVP, Stephanie Jones; Coaches Award, Lindsey Gordon; Most Improved, Corey Campbell; and Sportsmanship, Leah Potter.

Middle School awards

Boys track

Coaches Award, Joshua Jones; Coaches Award, Matthew Gillespie; Most Improved, Noah Watson; and Sportsmanship, Cedric Loyola.

Girls track

Coaches Award, Cara Viele; Coaches Award, Lily Souza; Most Improved, Kaitlyn Main; and Sportsmanship, Natalie Potter.

Baseball

Coaches Award, Matthew Eckert; Coaches Award, Dalton Roy; and Most Improved, Ryan Potter.

Softball

Most Improved, Joanna Collins; Sportsmanship, Kelsey Jones; Coaches Award, Farrah Casey; and Coaches Award, Shannon James.

Summer 2016: It’s a sunny afternoon in Boothbay Harbor or Wiscasset or Bath, a perfect day for an outing on the boat with the family. Approaching from your starboard side is an odd looking silver boat with a bright orange collar running around the hull at the waterline; as it draws nearer the words “U.S. Coast Guard” and the flashing blue light come into focus. You’re about to be boarded and the list of items that may either not be on board or in good order flashes through your brain.

You are experiencing “Boarding Anxiety” and the common symptoms include sweating, muttering and sudden, agitated thoughts such as:

“How old are my flares? Do I even have flares? Do I have a life jacket for everyone on board? Did I remember to get the 2016 registration done? Where’s the paperwork? Do I still have that blue throw-cushoiny thing someplace?”

As the odd looking boat with the flashing blue light pulls alongside with four or five a very polite Coast Guard members on board you’ll soon hear the words, “Good afternoon, we’d like to come aboard and conduct an inspection of your vessel.” And come aboard they will.

Unlike the restrictions under which law enforcement must operate on land in terms of a search of your vehicle during a traffic stop, the Coast Guard requires no “probable cause” to board, inspect or search your vessel. Once on board the boarding officer will go down a list of federally required items that must be on board and in good working order. The list consists of basic safety or environmentally related items and it’s not a long one. Registration, life jackets, flares, lights and means to secure an onboard toilet from accidental overboard discharge are common items that may need attention.

While big fines are rare, you will be required to prove to the Coast Guard or a designated representative, such a Coast Guard Auxiliary vessel examiner, within a specified time period that any issues have been resolved. In most cases there’s a quick fix, buy new flares, get a few more life jackets, etc.. If the problem is non-working navigation lights or a dead bilge ventilation blower due to faulty wiring or a bad switch, the fix may be a lengthy one and put you at risk of exceeding the grace period for getting things resolved and rechecked without a fine.

The good news is that there’s an easy and free way to avoid “Boarding Anxiety”; a Vessel Safety Check or “VSC” from the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. The CG Auxiliary checks the same items that the Coast Guard boarding team or Maine Marine Patrol will check except what you’ll receive is a confidential report with a list of any items that need attention. After that it’s up to you to decide what you want to fix and what you may decide to risk putting off until later. If your boat passes, a “VSC” decal will be applied to indicate that everything is in compliance with federal and state requirements.

There’s no guarantee that you won’t be boarded again but at least you’ll be inoculated against Boarding Anxiety because you’ll know that everything is onboard, correct and in good shape.

Pass or Fail no reports will be filed and the report form only has 2 copies, one for you and one for the examiner to keep if you’d like him to return to confirm that all the problems have been adequately addressed.

There are several ways to get a free Vessel Safety Check: scheduled events at several local marinas (see schedule below); from anywhere go to cgaux.org/vsc; in the Boothbay to Bath area contact CG Auxiliary Flotilla 2-5 at flotilla25.org; or contact the nearest Coast Guard station and tell them you’d like a Vessel Safety Check from the CG Auxiliary.

A few minutes now may save you anxiety, inconvenience and expense later, plus finding out that your lights are all out, the bilge blower isn’t working or your fire extinguisher has lost its charge may save your family’s lives.

VSC Locations and Times

19 June - Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

25 June - Hodgdon Yacht Services (formerly Boothbay Region Boat Yard), Southport 9 a.m.-noon

25 June - South Gardiner Marina 9 a.m.-noon

26 June - Ocean Point Marina, East Boothbay 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

2 July - Carousel Marina and Brown`s Marinas, Boothbay Harbor 9 a.m.-noon

2 July - Tugboat Marina, Boothbay Harbor Noon-2 p.m.

Friends of Windjammer Days announced the date of the annual Antique Boat Parade for the 54th annual Windjammer Days in Boothbay Harbor.  The festival will take place from June 26 through July 2.  If you cherish the beauty of old boats with all of their character and history, then the Antique Boat Parade is an event not to be missed.

The parade will take place on Tuesday, June 28 from 3-4 p.m. Over 40 antique boats are expected to participate in the 2016 parade. You can watch from anywhere in the harbor but for a special treat, relax with a beverage on the deck of Rocktide Inn & Restaurant and enjoy a reception following the parade.  You will have the chance to meet and talk with boat captains and old salts alike and even get to tour the classic crafts berthed at the Inn’s dock.  Some of the captains will share stories at the reception about their adventures on the sea or the history of their boats. 

If you have an antique boat and want to participate in this event, applications and information may be found on the Windjammers Day website www.windjammerdays.org  or call Doug, one of the event organizers, for more information at 207-633-6009.

Windjammer Days will take place June 26 – July 2. The full line-up of events and activities will be available at www.windjammerdays.org.

Check out the Friends of WIndjammer Days on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Friends-of-Windjammer-Days

Windjammer Days 2016 is presented by the Friends of Windjammer and includes the following sponsors: Maine Magazine & Maine Home+ Design; 94.9 WHOM, Portland Press Herald, Boothbay Register, BRCTV, Fisherman’s Wharf Inn, Tugboat Inn, Boothbay Harbor Inn, Pepsi, Pine State Trading Company,  J. Edward Knight; Knickerbocker Group, The Giles Family; Rocktide Inn & Restaurant; Federal Distributors, Nathaniel S Wilson Sailmaker, Cabbage Island Clambakes, Tindal & Callahan Real Estate, Getagadget, Cruzan Rum, First National Bank, Cap ’n Fish’s Boat Cruises, Compass Rose Events, Brown’s Wharf, Small Town Brewery, Ted and Cherly Nelson, Sherman’s Book & Stationery, Bud Light, McSeagull’s, Boothbay Harbor Electric; Topside Inn, Flagship Inn, Five Gables Inn, Boothbay Harbor Marina, Sea Tow;  LincolnHealth, Gimbel’s of Maine, Kavanaugh Amusements, Vacasa; Atomic Studios, Osman Page, Balmy Days Cruises, Boathouse Bistro, Cod’s Head, Mine Oyster, American Schooner Association, Boothbay Region Land Trust, Boothbay Region YMCA, A Maine Wedding, Yale Cordage and Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club.

 

 

 

Who can resist a taco? Not I. I think if I had just finished a big meal and someone placed a taco in front of me I'd have no choice but to eat it.

Okay. I'd have a choice. I’d choose to eat it.

Burritos, quesadillas and nachos are great too, with all those Mexican spices and ground beef, or pork, or chicken, and refried beans and melted cheese and whatever else you choose to put in them, but give me a taco or five with white corn crunchy tortilla shells any day of the week.

According to an article about tacos on Smithsonian.com, University of Minnesota history professor Jeffrey Pilcher cited Mexican silver miners as the likely inventors of the taco in the 18th century. He claimed Mexican Americans in the Southwest reinvented them, and they were introduced to many of us via the Taco Bell shell. The crunchy one. Pilcher came up with these theories after he traveled the globe eating tacos. Lucky him.

He states that the first time he noted a mention of tacos in the U.S. was in a newspaper in 1905 when Mexicans were starting to come into the country to work in mines and on railroads. There was a group of Mexican women with pushcarts selling Mexican street food in Los Angeles.

I have no idea when I had my first taco. I'm pretty sure I never had them growing up in Sanford. Pizza and the occasional Chinese food were about as adventuresome as we got in the Thayer household. Not that my mother wasn't adventuresome. We were probably one of the first families in Sanford to have fondue when that become popular in the ’60s. We'd get home after a day of skiing and have steak or cheese fondue. Best fondue ever.

Anyway, most tacos, around these parts anyway, are made with ground beef cooked with Mexican spices like chili powder, garlic and cumin. Make your own taco seasoning. Google it. It's simple and much better than that stuff in the package. Crunchy or soft corn or flour tortillas are used, and toppings include shredded iceburg lettuce (yes, iceburg — it's crunchy), diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, and salsa or some kind of spicy sauce. And you might even go crazy with some chopped onions and avocado. Sour cream is good too. Or Greek yogurt. I can't tell the difference.

At Mexican taco stands and restaurants these days you'll find a variety of different kinds of tacos. A popular one is the fish taco — preferably made with fried haddock.

Bet Finocchiaro, of Bet’s Fish Fry in Boothbay center, isn't a big fan of fish tacos. And who can blame her? Why bury a piece of the best fried haddock on the peninsula — some say this side of England — under spicy condiments and Mexican salsa?

But she said she does make fish tacos now and then for her “kids,” or employees. She fries up some fish and puts it in a crunchy deep fried flour tortilla, then tops it with coleslaw mixed with a mayonnaise and confectioner sugar dressing. “The best coleslaw on the planet,” she said. “And it's the best fish taco in the whole world.” She said she won't sell them — just makes 'em for the kids. “Those kids gobble them up like there's no tomorrow.”

She's not thrilled when people buy her fish to make tacos, so if that's your plan don't tell her. She can be a little scary.

I actually stopped by once for that very reason. I didn't tell her my plan. And as it turned out, by the time I got home, after smelling the fried haddock for 15 minutes, I poured a glass of wine, sat on the couch, and pigged out.

But seriously, have you ever seen the size of her fried haddock portions? You could easily get a dozen or 15 tacos out of one of them.

There's a new taco stand in Newcastle. It's only been open a few weeks, but it's already got a loyal fan base. The owners, Sara McKenzie and Michael Castillo, know their tacos. He's from South Central Los Angeles. His parents are both from Mexico. Want an authentic Mexican street food style taco? Go to ¡Que Rico!

Some of my coworkers and their now fiancés/husbands used to have a Taco Tuesday night. They invited me the first few times, but I never went. Most are in their late 20s or early 30s, and I'm old. I don't like being out late on a work night. I have a hard time saying that because people make fun of me, so I make up excuses. They started sending group texts before a Taco Tuesday, and one of them would say something like, “Suzi won't be able to come. She has an appointment for a manicure for her dog.” Or “Suzi can't make it. She's going to be getting her eyebrows waxed.” The first time was funny.

Anyway I got tired of them making fun of me so I had a taco Tuesday at my house. We had a choice of beef or fish tacos. Seven people —  I'm always the seventh wheel in that group. There were platters full of food — soft and crunchy tortillas, fried fish, spiced beef, diced tomatoes and avocados, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese — you name it. I’ve been making a sour cream avocado mixture too — with lime juice, cumin and cilantro. And roasted corn. I always hope for leftovers after a spread like that. I'm cheap, remember? There were none. No wine or beer left over either.

And no leftover chocolate bread pudding with hard sauce. That would have been good with coffee the next morning. Bummer.

FYI: Herringbones, in Boothbay Harbor, has a Monday night taco night. I hear they’re wicked good. And cheap. A buck a taco!.

And if any Mexican silver miners out there are reading this, thank you.

I’m not a chef. I lay no claim to being an authority on food or cooking. I’m a good cook, and a lover of good food. And I know how to spell and put a sentence together. This column is simply meant to be fun, and hopefully inspiring. So to anyone reading this whose hackles are raised because you know more about the subject of food than I, relax. I believe you. Now have at it, Margaret!

The Lincoln County Rifle Club (LCRC) will hold a special open house for women only Saturday, June 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the club’s facilities at 431 Main St.,
Damariscotta.

Planned by LCRC’s women members exclusively for other women, the event will feature tours of the Club’s grounds and facilities, including the indoor, outdoor and personal protection ranges, as well as several informative talks, discussions and demonstrations by experts in the field, including a special presentation by Andee Reardon, founder of the East Coast School of Safety.

Sponsored in partnership with Liberty Tree Arms of Waldoboro, this jam-packed day will offer self-defense demonstrations, a look at many firearm related products from a variety of vendors, as well as information on joining the LCRC and other shooting sports organizations. Members will be on hand to answer questions and provide guests with opportunities to handle and discuss different types of firearms in a safe and welcoming environment.

“This is a great opportunity for women who have been wondering how to become more involved in the shooting sports, or who are just trying to figure out something as basic as how to go about choosing the right firearm,” said event chairwoman Victoria Hamilton. “There’s so much to learn and our members are especially eager to help and share what they know because we’ve all had to start somewhere.”

The event — with lots of activities, door prizes and light refreshments — is free and open to interested women at all skill levels. Reservations are not required but for planning purposes attendees are encouraged to RSVP at www.lincolncountyrifleclub.com/ladies.

Founded in 1933, the LCRC is a private, all volunteer organization dedicated to the safe enjoyment of shooting sports and the safe handling of guns used for personal or home protection. For more information about club membership, go to www.lincolncountyrifleclub.com.

 

The first Maine Summer Adventure Race will take place July 23, offering exploration of the woods and lakes around Jefferson, Maine.

The MSAR will involve teams of two, three or four competing in a nonstop race involving trail-running or trekking, road and mountain biking, flat-water paddling and orienteering. Teams will have to combine athleticism with strategy and navigation to guide themselves to as many checkpoints as possible within the time limit.

Both the eight-hour and three-hour versions of the race will start at Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson. The race is designed by Cliff and Kate White of the Strong Machine Adventure Racing team and will be hosted by the Midcoast Conservancy, a nonprofit  dedicated to conservation, education and recreation.

The race will challenge expert adventure racers and beginners alike with a fun and beautiful course that travels through thick pine forests, across deep cold lakes and rivers and up to promontories that offer the occasional revealing glimpse of the nearby Atlantic Ocean.

“Maine is a beautiful state and this area of Maine is one of our favorites,” said race co-director Cliff White. "When we started exploring the area, our first thought was that it would be the perfect place for an adventure race because it has so much varied terrain. We can’t wait until the race, when we’ll be able to send racers out to explore all the cool places we’ve discovered.”

First-time adventure racers and families can discover how fun the sport of adventure racing is with the beginner-friendly, three-hour race, said Kate White.

“If you can walk or jog a 5K, bike five miles and paddle one mile, you will be more than prepared for the three-hour race,” she said. “The eight-hour course is designed to be more of a challenge, with longer distances and more navigational components. However, this race is still appropriate for the outdoorsy, beginner racer since the more difficult routes will be optional.”

Thanks to cooperation with the Midcoast Conservancy, entry fees are quite modest as far as adventure races go, with per-racer fees between $50 to $90, not including discounts offered to Midcoast Conservancy members. Race entry includes a T-shirt, swag bag, post-race feast and drinks (including a featured microbrew), maps, canoe and paddle rental, prizes and giveaways and facility and land-use fees.

The race will be sanctioned by the United States Adventure Racing Association and will count as part of its points series.

For more information, visit MaineSummerAR.weebly.com or search for the Maine Summer Adventure Race on Facebook.

 

The Sailing and Racing committee of Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club would like to invite all area sailors to participate in the summer sailing activities sponsored by BHYC. These races are open to all and details can be found on the website, racing section at www.BHYC.net/racing.html.

Every Wednesday evening the BHYC PRO will have a 4:30 p.m. start off the Maine State Aquarium in the inner harbor. Races will be one design and PHRF with a post-race analysis in the clubhouse. This is a popular series, open to all comers. Be there by 4:15 to check in.

The Commodores Cup is a three race series over the summer with the first race set for June 26 at 1 p.m. with a start off Tumbler Island. Pre-registration on the BHYC website is required and a Skippers Meeting will be held at 11:45 a.m. at BHYC. The second and third races will be held Aug. 7 and Aug. 21. There will be multiple divisions based on PHRF handicap plus a separate division for BHOD boats.

The Classic Boat Race is a two race series (July 22 and Aug. 19) organized to be fun and includes a wide range of sailboats and competitors ranging from the “I don’t know anything about racing” group to the experienced racer following a pursuit course in the outer harbor. This race is guaranteed to be exhilarating for both beginning and advanced sailors racing on classic boats launched 25 years ago or more!

Meet fellow sailors and get involved on the water!

Other sailing activities

The Annual ‘Round Southport Race takes place July 3 at 11 a.m. Always a fun race, and BHYC fully expects to win back the “Garbage Can Trophy,” wrested from BHYC last year by a strong Southport Yacht Club performance!

In support of junior sailing, the BHYC Junior Program Foundation Cup will be held at 10 a.m. July 10. Extra scoring consideration is given for having juniors sailing (ages 13+) on each vessel and is a great opportunity to get juniors out on bigger boats, as crew.

The Seguin Island Race, hosted by Southport Yacht Club, takes place July 23, and is a competitive GMORA race that attracts many boats from the mid-coast area. The start is in the mouth of the Sheepscot River and the course goes to Seguin Island area.

One of the biggest GMORA races in Maine is the BHYC Regatta which takes place over two days, July 30 and 31. This event has multiple divisions including several PHRF classes and a cruising, non-spinnaker division. Always competitive, but always fun, try racing with the big dogs! On Saturday evening there is a social event at the club featuring a lobster bake and entertainment with the Scott Davis Quintet.

Every Tuesday at 11:45 a.m., Ladies Sailing takes place with lunch followed by an afternoon of sailing. Contact a club member to be a guest, sail with us and find out how much fun it would be to become a member!

The local fleet of Boothbay Harbor One Design sailboats also has an active schedule for the summer with races and a rendezvous! Contact Debbie Snyder via email to get involved, dvswan@icloud.com.

Pre-registration is required for all races and can be done via the web site at www.bhyc.net/racing.html, then click on “register online”. The “Notice of Race” and “Sailing Instructions” for each race are also available online or at the yacht club.

Need crew? Contact us and we will arrange crew. Need sailing lessons or just want a refresher course? BHYC can get you into a class on your level.

For further registration information or sailing classes contact: Charles Barclay, adult sailing and racing director at adultsailing@bhyc.net 207-633-5750 ext. 108



 









Boothbay Harbor is a popular destination for boaters. Between the hundreds of local fishing boats that make the harbor their home port, and the pleasure boats that visit and tie up at docks for days and weeks during the summer, there’s a definite need for boating supplies.

Now there's a marine supply store, accessible by car or boat, for fishermen and boaters to get pretty much anything they need to keep their boats running and working properly.

The Boothbay Lobster Wharf, known for its seafood and other dishes that can be enjoyed at a picnic table on a working wharf where lobster boats do their daily business, has opened a new store selling commercial fishing supplies, equipment and gear.

Owners Tom and Susan Philbrick, and manager Drew Wallace, came up with the idea for the practical store last winter. The closest places to buy marine supplies, till now, have been in West Bath, Brunswick, Thomaston or Waldoboro. “In the middle of summer, with all the Route One traffic, it could take a lot of time to get supplies,” Wallace said.

Wallace said all the supplies come from Brooks Trap Mill in Thomaston. “We have everything to do with fishing — runners, vents, rope, pliers, oil pans, boots, gloves, knives and foul weather gear — anything and everything you might need.”

A delivery truck comes from Brooks Trap Mill once a week, every Tuesday, so if something is ordered on Monday, it's next-day delivery.

Right now the store is stocked with supplies needed for commercial fishing, but soon there will be yachting supplies available too — fenders/bumpers, rope and line, jackets and other necessities for recreational boaters.

There will be oils and filters in stock for fishermen and recreational boaters to do their oil changes, too. Right now they have to go somewhere out of town to get oil change supplies. This will eliminate the travel time, not to mention the cost of gas to get there.

”We're still in the beginning stages, just starting to build it up,” Wallace said. “If someone comes in looking for something we don’t have in stock, I tell them we’ll have it the next Tuesday. Eventually we're going to have a little bit of everything.”

Wallace said he's surprised no one in Boothbay Harbor has done this sooner. “I thought it was a brilliant idea,” he said. “Tom has been friends with Stephen Brooks forever, so it just made sense. And Stephen has done a lot to help us get this going.”

And after the restaurant at the wharf closes, they'll start building traps. They’ve already started getting orders.

Call 207-633-4900 to place an order. It will be at the store on the following Tuesday. In an emergency, they will get overnight deliveries, via UPS.

The owners are looking for a reliable person to man the store.

The Clough Point Town Preserve on Westport Island is ideal for an enjoyable walk or picnic lunch. Located on the north end of Westport Island, the eight-acre preserve is about a 10-minute drive from Wiscasset. It abuts the Back River offering some beautiful views of Wiscasset harbor and Fort Edgecomb.

From Wiscasset take State Route 144, also known as Birch Point Road, and head to Westport. After crossing the Westport Bridge, turn left on North End Road and follow it almost to its end. The preserve will be on your left a little ways past the Boatyard Road. You’ll see a small parking area and a kiosk with rules for enjoying the preserve. The preserve has a handicapped access trail and handicap parking space.

The path from the kiosk leads to a small inlet with steep rocky sides. In bygone days, it served as a natural landing spot for vessels. From here you can either go left and follow the “Camp Molly Loop” or right, the “Clough Point Trail.” Both offer nice river views and have a number of picnic tables along the way and granite benches inscribed with the names of donors.

During my recent visit, I saw a dozen or more Pink Lady’s Slippers in full bloom. They’re a member of the orchid family and bloom in June and early July. They take a number of years before maturing into flower-bearing plants and shouldn’t be picked.

A small rise on the Camp Molly Loop offered a view of the former Mason Station power plant across the river on Birch Point. The generating station built in the 1940s was once owned and operated by Central Maine Power Co. It was decommissioned in 1991 and now sits abandoned.

The Clough Point Trail runs roughly northeast along the wooded shore. Just past the inlet are two more scenic overlooks offering views across Wiscasset Bay. This is the widest part of the Sheepscot River. On the far side you can see the brick former Custom House, the steeples of the Congregational and Episcopal churches, the town clock and Castle Tucker.

The path surrounded by pine and oak trees ends near the island’s northernmost point overlooking the narrow river channel where the Sheepscot and Back rivers converge. In Colonial times, this was called “Decker’s Point,” named for an early pioneer, possibly Joseph Decker who operated a trading post here when the island was still known by the name of “Jeremy Squam.”

The rushing waters are often choppy, filled with many swirling eddies and whirlpools. When the tide is running, the river current here runs from four to six knots. This place is a favorite spot for harbor seals that can be seen feeding here almost any time of day. It’s also a popular place for lobstermen.

The distance separating Westport from the Davis Island shore in Edgecomb is about half a mile. You’ll see Fort Edgecomb’s blockhouse built for defense of the harbor during the War of 1812 and its massive stone batteries overlooking the shore. For added protection against a British attack a second fortification was built in 1814 on Clough Point. It was called Fort McDonough and I seem to recall reading that it was star-shaped; no trace of its earthen ramparts remain today.

The Clough Point Preserve was purchased in 1971 with private contributions and Federal Land and Water Conservation Funds. Funding for maintenance of the trails is provided by the town and the Maine Deptartment of Conservation.

The preserve is open during daylight hours. Dogs are permitted here but need to be under their owner’s control at all times. No overnight camping or fires are allowed. Remember whatever you carry in, to carry out. Parties over nine persons need permission of the town office before using the preserve. Visitors are asked not to pick any wild flowers.

Even though Boothbay Harbor has plenty of beautiful waterfront, there are very few places to swim if you’re not used to cold Maine waters. If spending the day in a heated, saltwater pool appeals to you, you can now purchase a pool pass to Linekin Bay Resort for only $10/day (per person). You can order food and drinks from the convenience of your lounge chair and we will even provide you with a pool towel for the day. Passes are available all season long and can be purchased at the resort’s Welcome Center or Sail Shack. A limited number of passes will be available each day (based on resort occupancy), so be sure to call before you come. If you want to arrive by boat, our tender service will be happy to pick you up from one of LBR’s guest moorings and ferry you to the pool.

If the thought of lounging poolside all day sounds boring, why not rent a canoe, kayak or standup paddleboard from LBR’s waterfront? The cost is $20/hr and rentals are offered during June, September and October. 

Purchase of a pool pass does not guarantee availability of a pool chair; all food or beverages consumed on property must be purchased at the resort. Pool hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Call 207-633-2494 for more details. 

On Sunday, June 26 at 1 p.m., the Boothbay Harbor One Design sailboats will have short races in the inner harbor to announce the start of Windjammer Week.

All One Design owners, whether or not you belong to the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club, are invited to race and to join the fun and camaraderie following the races at the Yacht Club. Following the races will be prizes and a Commodore’s Punch. Among the prizes, the owners of the Gold/Smith Gallery of Boothbay Harbor are donating one their special Boothbay Harbor One Design bracelets made of stainless steel and designed by Guy Beard.

One Designs that do not have their own mooring can tie up at the Yacht Club dock following the races or ask the stewards for an empty mooring. Look for the starting boat off McKown Point.

The best viewing locations for the Windjammer Day One Design races will be from the Department of Marine Resources on McKown Point Road in West Boothbay Harbor.

Midcoast Conservancy’s Hidden Valley Nature Center will host a guided tour of its own kettle hole bog ecosystem on Thursday, June 30 at 10 a.m. Hildy Ellis, a horticulturist and District Coordinator at Knox-Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District, will lead visitors on a walk along the margins of the bog and on the 220 foot boardwalk extending into the heart of the wetland. The bog boardwalk, installed in 2012, was made possible through several generous grants and a huge amount of volunteer effort. With the boardwalk in place, it is now possible for visitors to interact with a fascinating, but incredibly delicate ecosystem.

The bog ecosystem is an iconic piece of Maine’s natural landscape. These wetlands have been forming over millions of years in a completely unique fashion. Much of the flora and fauna found in the bog is unique to this area and other places like it. The kettle hole bog is home to many beautiful flowering plants, including several varieties of orchids and pitcher plants, all of which will be in bloom, and unique bird species including the relatively uncommon yellow-bellied flycatcher. Along the ¼ mile hike in, you will also enjoy a large patch of lady slippers still blooming.

Hidden Valley Nature Center is part of Midcoast Conservancy, an organization dedicated to supporting healthy lands, waters, wildlife, and people in Midcoast Maine through conservation, education and recreation. For more information or to register, go to midcoastconservancy.org/events, or call (207) 389-5150.

 

The Maine Marine Patrol will be on heightened alert for those violating Maine’s boating under the influence laws during the national Operation Dry Water weekend, June 24-26.

Operation Dry Water is a national awareness and enforcement campaign coordinated by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) that focuses on deterring boaters from boating under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Marine Patrol Officers will be conducting patrols on Maine's coastal waters from Kittery to the Canadian border focused on boaters who may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” said Maine Marine Patrol Major Rene Cloutier.

They will also be taking every opportunity possible to provide information on safe boating practices and the importance of wearing life jackets.” According to US Coast Guard statistics, 85 percent of drowning victims in 2015 were not wearing a life jacket.

Nationally, alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents. According to the US Coast Guard, in 2015 alcohol use was the primary factor in nearly one-fifth of boater deaths.

Law enforcement agencies from every U.S. state and territory are expected to participate in Operation Dry Water weekend, focusing their efforts on detecting impaired boaters and educating the public about the dangers of boating under the influence.

The decision about whether to boat under the influence is a choice,” said Major Cloutier. “Boating under the influence is a 100 percent preventable crime. The Maine Marine Patrol strongly encourages boaters to stay safe by staying sober while boating.

Environmental stressors such as wind, noise, and the movement of the boat while on the water intensify the effects of alcohol or drug use on an individual while boating. Boaters can become impaired more quickly on the water than on land.”

In 2015, law enforcement officers from 582 local, state and federal agencies across the U.S. made 278 BUI arrests for both drugs and alcohol, issued 17,942 citations and made contact with over 125,087 boaters during the annual three-day weekend.

The Maine Marine Patrol participated in 11 Operation Drywater details in 2015. The operation involved 21 Officers. Patrols took place in the Penobscot River, the Kennebec River, Boothbay Harbor, Southport Island, Portland, Harpswell, Bar Harbor, Rockland, Matinicus Island and Castine.  A total of 107 boats were checked with 329 persons on board. 30 warnings were issued for various safety equipment deficiencies.   

Operation Dry Water is a boating under the influence awareness and enforcement campaign with the mission of reducing the number of alcohol and drug related accidents and fatalities through increased recreational boater awareness and by fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol and drug use on the water.

For more information on Operation Dry Water, please visit operationdrywater.org.

 

 

Whether you are a casual paddler or a hard-core kayak racer, the Sheepscot River Race on July 2, starting at 11:30 a.m. in Newcastle, invites your participation.

This is a six-mile canoe and kayak race starting in Newcastle at the Route 1 Sherman Lake rest area bridge and finishing at the waterfront in Wiscasset Village. According to race organizer Scott Shea, “This is one of the most scenic race courses with four miles of moving water meandering through beautiful protected marshes and riverbanks.”

This Wiscasset-based race has been held for almost 30 years. What started as a recreational event, part of the Wiscasset Recreation’s summer programming, is now a qualifying race for the Maine Canoe and Kayak Racing Organization (MaCKRO). It’s their rules, says Shea, which guide the race.

Originally there were only a few competitive participants, but now it’s a professional race that includes recreational kayakers. The most competitive racers finish in about 42 minutes, Shea explained, while the more casual participants finish in about 1 1/2 hours. At the end of the race in Wiscasset Harbor, awards and prizes from Seaspray Kayaking are given out.

For years, the Wiscasset race has been scheduled for the Saturday closest to the Fourth of July. Depending on the tides, the race may start in either Wiscasset or in Newcastle. This year, the tide will be going out just around the start of the race at 11:30 a.m. so the participants will be getting a ‘push’ as they paddle and row with the tide towards Wiscasset.

Registration to participate in the race is currently open and continues until shortly before the race begins. Registration fee is $12 in advance or $15 on the day of the race. For more information and registration application, visit www.mackro.com. With advance notice, MaCKRO will provide kayaks and equipment to youths who want to take part.

The race is sponsored by Seaspray Kayaking in Freeport. For more information, contact Scott Shea at info@seaspraykaying.com or 207-865-4189.

 

 

Chewonki Campground co-owner Pam Brackett is an early riser anyway, but there were many others waking early Saturday in Wiscasset for a special reason.

The inaugural running of the Rock Lobster Relay from Bar Harbor to Portland had two stops in town, the first on Water Street, with the Sheepscot River on one side and the former federal customs house looming large and picturesque on the other side; the second was south on Route One, in the Shaw’s supermarket parking lot, with another enthusiastic crowd of volunteers meeting the teams that began arriving around sunrise.

Volunteers interviewed said they had gotten up at 4 a.m. or earlier.

It was a morning of many causes, including the Wiscasset Community Center’s Cooper-DiPerri Scholarship Fund that helps local families afford the center’s programs. Wiscasset Parks and Recreation Director Todd Souza said $500 for each of the local stops, for a total of $1,000, was going to the fund. Committee members for the fund manned the stop at Shaw’s. Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce, Wiscasset Yacht Club and the Wiscasset Waterfront Committee manned the one by the river.

“I think it’s great,” Souza said about seeing the teams arrive at the Shaw’s stop, by van or by sneaker, depending on who had that leg of the race. “These people are so excited and so happy for each other, and they’ll sleep well tomorrow.”

“I just thought it would be a good idea, as a way to support my community and the chamber,” Brackett said about why she came to help on Water Street. Sarah’s Cafe had fruit salad and bread with eggs and cheese to refuel runners between legs.

One of the Sarah’s employees on hand, Josh Pottle, said he’s been a runner for about 10 years so he figured he would like to help at the event. “People love running, plus I love living in Wiscasset,” he said.

“This is awesome,” scholarship committee member Nancy Wyman said as a runner arrived at the Shaw’s stop.

In addition to the volunteers earning money for causes at the handoff sites along the 200-mile course, several teams interviewed had also picked charities to run for. A team from the University of Maine School of Law, including Dean Danielle Conway, chose the school’s Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic. It gives the students experiential education and helps more than 650 people a year, who could not otherwise afford legal help and may have never been introduced to it before, Conway said.

Runners Saturday were describing GiddyUp Productions’ new race as well-organized and offering magnificent settings. “The nature is definitely the best part,” Yarmouth’s Angela Nasveschuk of Runners Orange said. One leg was on a cliff in Bar Harbor, she said. “You don’t get a more scenic race than this.”

Nasveschuk also praised the Penobscot Bay YMCA in Rockport for letting the runners sleep and shower there.

First-time Maine visitor Tim Hughes took several photos during his run from the American Legion in Damariscotta to Wiscasset, including capturing the sights as he crossed the Donald E. Davey Bridge from Edgecomb to Wiscasset.

“I love it,” the Your Maine Squeezes team member said of the early morning view coming into town.

 

For a Maine girl who grew up spending summers on the coast of Maine, and as an actual grown-up (sort of) who has lived either on or near the coast for more years than I care to disclose, lobster is a familiar subject.

During my preteen and teenage years I spent summers at my family cottage in Cushing, walking, always barefoot, on the rocks along the edge of the ocean, through the woods to the blueberry field where my mother picked blueberries when she was a kid, and boating to islands where we’d spend days lazing around, cooking hot dogs over a fire, and walking around the island. It was a rule that we had to walk around the entire island on the rocks, whether it was a quarter mile or two.

That was before cell phones. I won’t get into that.

Okay I will. There’s something disturbing about kids, and adults, not just, well, being, without texting and taking photos with their iPhones. As I’ve said before, I’m old. And I’m just as guilty as the next guy.

So anyway, lobsters.

At the cottage we’d often fall asleep to the sound of the fog horn at the Marshall Point lighthouse in Port Clyde, and wake to the sound of lobster boats slowly puttering their way out to haul traps for the day. I liked the ones with diesel engines that made a glug-glug-glug sound.

My grandfather had some lobster traps, and sometimes he’d pull up in front of our cottage and pick up one or two of us kids to go out hauling with him. Most often it was my younger brother and sister, Peter and Wendy, as I was above that kind of thing, being a sophisticated teenager. Plus he used to take the big crabs that had made their way into the traps and smash them against the boat rail. He hated those crabs. I hated watching him kill them.

We had lobsters often. There were summers when I couldn’t stomach the thought of eating another one when it came time to close up the cottage and head back to Sanford for the winter.

When my grandfather didn’t give us lobsters we’d walk down the dirt road, barefoot of course, to John Olson’s wharf. He was a real lobsterman. Still is. He’s in his mid 90s now and still lobsters out of his small motorboat. He hauls his traps by hand. John’s son, Sammy, who grew up lobstering alongside his father, now has a big wharf where he buys and sells lobsters big-time. Last I knew he was selling to Red Lobster. Should have married him when I had the chance. I wouldn’t have to be slaving away writing these silly food stories every week. I really never had the chance, but I like saying that.

As a young teenager I waitressed at the small restaurant John Olson and his wife, Betty (she was a rig), built on their lobster wharf. It was called Our Place. When it wasn’t busy I’d take off my sneakers and hang out on the wharf with Sammy and Jonathan Milord, a summer kid from Connecticut. We would actually dangle our legs over the edge of the wharf and watch the lobster boats come and go, just like in old movies.

Not to beat a dead horse (hate that phrase), but kids don’t simply hang out on wharves these days watching boats go by. They’re too busy texting.

Anyway, lobster dinners at the cottage. We boiled the lobsters. (Well, my mother did. I usually ran outside with my ears covered while that slaughter went on.) Of course we always had melted butter, and usually some corn on the cob and some good bread. And strawberry cream pie for dessert. And if it wasn’t raining, or buggy, we ate outside on a picnic table. Lobsters are meant to be eaten outside, on a wharf, or at least somewhere next to the ocean.

Oh. And wine. A lot of wine. Sparkling white, Champagne or Prosecco, preferably.

I love lobster rolls too. And lobster stew. On the off chance there’s any leftovers.

Lobster stew is simple: Sauté the lobster in as much butter as you want, for just a minute or two. Too long will toughen it, and the lobster is already cooked. The sautéing is really just to bring out the sweetness and create that beautiful orangey color floating on the top of the stew. Pour milk or cream, preferably at room temperature, s-l-o-w-l-y into the cooled lobster, until you reach your desired ratio of lobster and liquid.

Let it cool, cover the pot, and stick it in the fridge overnight. Just walk away. It will have so much more flavor the next day, the day after that, and the day after that.

Mary Brewer knows lobster, and lobster stew. She makes hers in a big frying pan. She starts with evaporated milk that she has let the “ragged bodies,” the shells, sit in for a while, for flavor. She sautés the lobster and lets it cool, then s-l-o-w-l-y pours the evaporated, and some whole milk, in, while stirring. “And I always let it sit overnight,” she said. “It’s best when it’s been heated up three or four times.”

Some buttermilk biscuits would be perfect with it.

If you choose to make lobster rolls instead of stew, use the white-sided hot dog rolls, grilled in a little butter. And lobster and mayonnaise. Do NOT use lettuce. Lobster and mayonnaise. And there needs to be tail meat in there. Do not ever give me a lobster roll with just claw meat. Never. I’m serious. I don’t even like claw meat. And what do those restaurants who cheat you out of tail meat do with it?

Anyway, after those lobster dinners at the cottage it was usually my job to take the buckets of shells down the steps to the landing and throw them back into the ocean, from whence they came. Wasn’t really my job. I just liked to do it. I still do.

Just don’t ever expect me to throw the lobsters into the pot. Mary Tyler Moore may be a little over the top, but I empathize with her about killing lobsters. I can eat ‘em but I can’t kill ‘em.

I’m not a chef. I lay no claim to being an authority on food or cooking. I’m a good cook, and a lover of good food. And I know how to spell and put a sentence together. This column is simply meant to be fun, and hopefully inspiring. So to anyone reading this whose hackles are raised because you know more about the subject of food than I, relax. I believe you.

 

Across the world, waving a white flag in battle symbolizes defeat, used by weaker contenders to indicate surrender. When it flies at Wiscasset Speedway, drivers and fans receive a very different message: go hard. Triggering white knuckles on steering wheels and tense toes to accelerators, this is the white warning of one lap to go. Champions finish as hard as they start regardless the cautions, collisions and chaos in between. In his second win of the season, Bryan Robbins in the #51x of Montville denied defeat all the way to victory lane, claiming first in the Strictly Streets 35-Lap Spotlight Race last Saturday night.

Starting strong, this division kept spectators on the edge of their seats until tricky traffic on lap five caused the first caution. Chris King from Burnham conceded the night when his #29 car left the shuffle horizontal at the top of turn one. Through intense smoke billowing from beneath Robbins as he climbed the ranks, fans could barely make out the flash of the yellow flag less than five laps later. In the second caution, Ryan Ripley’s #09 car spun from turn three into four, while Mike Duffy’s #02x barely managed to stay on the track.

After the green flag, Robbins pushed past the #2 of Joe Hutter and the #56 of Dan Somes, to lock sights on the #55H of Kurt Hewins from Leeds. Like the flames on her car, Kimberly Knight’s #00 blazed ahead of the pack in lap ten, intent on seeing victory lane for a second time this season. In a moment of déjà vu, another caution in turn three sent three cars down pit road for the night, including first-time racer, Faith Cleaves, driving the #89 from Freeport.

When engines roared again over the white line, all eyes were on Robbins and Hewins, as the latter waged war entirely from the outer lane. Lap after lap, Hewins pushed his pink machine to the limits, finally settling for a seat behind Robbins in the smoking section. In a heated showdown throughout this fearsome top five, Robbins flew victorious across the finish lane for his second win of the season, followed closely by Knight and Hewins.

Like a disturbed nest of bees, ten tiny NELCAR Legends buzzed next on to the track for their 25-lap feature. The deadly swarm was heard before it was seen, warning spectators not to underestimate the sting of their scaled-down silhouettes. These fan favorites never fail to disappoint, between their nostalgic curves and bold colors. Kevin Girard Jr. took yet another victory home to Old Orchard. Second place went to Chris Burgess of the #47 and third to Bobby Weymouth of the #399.

Miniature motors were soon replaced by massive ones as the NAPA Modifieds erupted from the pits, ready to rock their 30-lap feature. Hailing from West Bath, Nick Reno of #7 fell immediately in love with the lead, refusing to let it out of his sight. Other eligible bachelors who declared their intentions included the #1, driven by Adam Chadbourne of Wiscasset, in second and the #5, driven by Mark Lucas of Harpswell, in third. However, the finish line only had eyes for Reno. After a brief, caution-free courtship, he decided to take the relationship to the next level with a first place trophy and a trip to victory lane. Chadbourne stood as the runner up for the second time this season, with Lucas taking third for the second week in a row.

Sponsored by Kennebec Equipment Rental, the Outlaw Minis stayed true to their name early in their 25-lap feature, with traffic going three cars wide up and down the course. For twenty laps, the course remained competitive yet quiet until the #5, driven by Jimmy Childs of Leeds, lit up like a campfire coming out of turn one. If he were a boy scout, Childs would have earned his safety badge without question – jumping out of his seat to subdue the flames with the same speed he shows on the track. Zach Audet of the #19ME from Oakland later placed first, with Shawn Kimball of the #20 from Augusta taking second and Rob Greenleaf of the #2x from Bath taking third.

When the Late Model Sportsman division launched into action for their 35-lap feature, Nate Tribbett, driving the #13 from Richmond, reminded us that every race is a fresh chance to shake things up. A less welcome reminder came at the top of turn four when the feature’s only caution sent both Bryan Robbins’ #66 and Ben Erskine’s #4 into the front wall tires. After pack leaders took the opportunity to regroup, Tribbett clung to his lead well beyond the halfway mark, only to place second behind Will Collins of the #25 from Waldoboro, who swooped in with single digit laps remaining. Third place was claimed by the #17, driven by the 2016 Coastal 200 Champion, Chris Thorne of Sidney.

Feeling overlooked at the office? Taken for granted around the house? At Wiscasset Speedway, you are always our favorite – just don’t tell everybody else. Let our family take care of yours next Saturday, July 2 at the season’s first Fan Appreciation Night. Presented by The Dream Ride for Special Olympics, this event is all about the fans! Join us at 5:00pm for a Meet ‘n Greet to get autographs from your favorite drivers and kids take over the track with their bikes. For the 2016 Race Schedule and more, visit www.wiscassetspeedway.com. Be part of the action by following Wiscasset Speedway on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

Sponsorships: Grow your business this year by joining the Wiscasset Speedway family as a Premier Division Sponsor. To reach thousands of race fans each week, contact Ken Minott at kmwiscspeedway@yahoo.com.

 

Author of "Butterflies Up Close: A guide to Butterfly Photography," Roger Rittmaster, will meet program participants at the Hidden Valley Nature Center parking lot, 131 Egypt Road, Jefferson on Wednesday, July 6 at 9:30 a.m. for a discussion of butterflies, dragonflies and other cool insects. Roger, a Maine Master Naturalist, will help participants learn the difference between a butterfly and a moth, a dragonfly and damselfly, and why insects are essential to the lives of other species, including us, during an exploration of the diversity of insect life in this fascinating nature center, a program of the Maine Conservancy. Donations in support of the Coastal Community Center and Maine Conservancy programs appreciated. Advanced reservations required. Please call 563-1363 by July 5 to express your interest.

Roger Rittmaster is a retired endocrinologist, who moved back to Maine in 2011 with his wife, Jeannie Hutchins. He has a lifelong interest in natural history and nature photography, and over the past 15 years has focused on photographing insects. He is a Maine Master Naturalist and currently serves on the Board of Coastal Mountains Land Trust and is Chair of the Camden Conservation Commission. Roger and Jeannie live along the Megunticook River in Camden.

Hidden Valley Nature Center is part of Midcoast Conservancy, whose mission is to to support and promote healthy lands, waters, wildlife, and people in Midcoast Maine through conservation, education, and recreation. For more information, go to midcoastconservancy.org or call (207) 389-5150.

Bristol is home to several enjoyable land trusts on the Pemaquid Pennisula, one of those being Bass Rock Preserve along the shore of Muscongus Bay.

The wooded 10-acre preserve is part of the Pemaquid Watershed Association and is located a short distance from Round Pond Village, a place noted for its eclectic Fourth of July parades.

From Route 1, take the Damariscotta-Newcastle exit and follow Main Street through the Twin Villages. At the traffic signal, bear right onto State Route 129, (Bristol Road) which eventually becomes Route 130. Just past the Bristol Post Office, turn left onto Upper Pond Road and follow it to Route 32, where you’ll turn left again. The preserve is on Back Shore Road, which will be on your left by the Granite Hall Store. Rules for the preserve and a sign-in sheet are at a kiosk where the main trail is blazed blue.

The short walk carries you through the woods to the bay, where it ends on a rocky shore. Along the way it intersects with the green and yellow trails. The entire trail system can be traversed in under an hour, making it ideal for all ages. A map is posted on the kiosk, or you can download one from the Pemaquid Watershed Association website.

Pinioned in rock along the shore we were surprised to find a bronze U.S. Coastal Geodetic disk, also known as a “bench mark.” These are used as a point of reference for surveyors. This one was dated 1943. These discs can be found all over the country and there are a number of clubs whose members go out in search of them to photograph, an activity that’s called bench mark hunting.

The green trail takes you on a short loop through the woods and dozens of bright green forest ferns to an unusual geological feature pictured in the brochure, a two-foot-wide round cavity in the rock. A small, naturally formed crevice appears to show where seawater once ran in and out of it. Maybe eons ago the action of the tides gave it its round shape.

Of the three paths, the yellow trail appears to be the most heavily used. It carries you to a large rocky beach, where we found rocks of all sizes and shapes. The depth of the water must really drop off quickly here, for not too far from shore were a line of lobster buoys.  Across the bay to the right you’ll see Louds Island; to the left is Hog Island, home to the Hog Island Audubon Camp. Since 1936, the camp has offered environmental education programs for adults, teens, families and conservation leaders.

On the way back, take time to stop and explore Round Pond Village and its picturesque waterfront.

As stated in the brochure, the Pemaquid Watershed Association, established in 1966, is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving the natural resources of the Pemaquid Peninsula through land and water stewardship and education. Bass Rock Preserve is open year-round for low-impact use from dawn to dusk.

To learn more about the preserve or the association, visit www.pemaquidwatershed.org.

CASTINE —The Hagerty Education Program at America’s Car Museum has awarded a second grant of $5,000 in funding to Maine Maritime Academy towards renovation of the historic schooner Bowdoin. The training vessel has been in Camden over the last winter and spring, and was relaunched into the water earlier in June.

A National Historic Landmark, the Bowdoin is also the Official Vessel of the State of Maine.

The renovation project is part of a long-term maintenance and care plan to replace Bowdoin’s deck and foremast and complete systems upgrades. The renovation is funded through the Bowdoin Centennial Campaign, a $1.6 million fundraising campaign to cover the renovation cost and strengthen her endowment. The aim of the campaign is to keep the Bowdoin exploring, sailing, and training for the next 100 years.

Hagerty Education Program at America’s Car Museum (HEP) is an educational grant-making program of LeMay-America’s Car Museum. HEP is funded by collector vehicle and classic boat enthusiasts to serve youth and young adults on their pathways to careers in automotive /marine restoration and preservation along with the long-term interests of the collector vehicle and classic boat communities. Visit www.hagertyeducationprogram.org for more information.

The Bowdoin serves as the key training ship for Maine Maritime Academy‘s Vessel Operations and Technology undergraduate program and Small Vessel Operations program, as well as the platform for MMA’s Sail Training Minor. When not in use for training purposes, Bowdoin’s popularity and historical charm keep her calendar full with public and private tours, appearances, and excursions. 

The Bowdoin enjoys a long history of seafaring education and Arctic exploration. Commissioned by explorer Donald B. MacMillan to facilitate his work in the high northern latitudes, Bowdoin has made 21 trips above the Arctic Circle, 18 of them before 1954 under the command of MacMillan. MacMillan sold Bowdoin to the U.S. Navy for use in World War II during the Greenland Patrol. After the war, MacMillan bought the ship back for $3,000 and continued to sail Bowdoin for nine more years around Greenland. After MacMillan's retirement, the boat belonged to the Schooner Bowdoin Association until 1988, when Maine Maritime Academy purchased the vessel for the purpose of training students.

Maine Maritime Academy is a co-educational, public college on the coast of Maine offering 18 degree programs in engineering, management, science, and transportation. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of Maine Maritime Academy in 1941. For more information, visit mainemaritime.edu.

The Friends of Windjammer Days announced 2 schooner tours beginning this morning, Thursday, June 30, in Boothbay Harbor.

Tour Privateer Lynx at the Carousel Marina at Whale’s Tale, Atlantic Avenue, all day through Saturday, July 2. Just stop on down!

The Schooner Harvey Gamage is docked at Boothbay Harbor Marina, at the Town Landing-Pier 1 area. Tours are from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. TODAY only.

 

 

Do you live near a lake or pond? Have you noticed any erosion on your property, or dirty water running toward the lake after rain storms? The Youth Conservation Corps is here to help!

The Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program at Midcoast Conservancy is making it easy for landowners to curb their erosion troubles by installing low tech projects, such as shoreline plants or pathways that slow dirty storm water before it reaches your lake. Controlling erosion is so important to keeping our lakes clean and beautiful, that Midcoast Conservancy is providing the labor at no cost.

It all starts with a free, no obligation site evaluation by Crew Leader, Brianna Smith, who will provide a project estimate, permitting assistance, and complete shopping list of materials with recommended vendors. These simple yet effective projects are all installed by our youth crew, who start work this week! Last year we completed 25 erosion control projects, and we can do twice as many this year with your help.

If you live in the Midcoast Conservancy service area, from the headwaters of Sheepscot Valley to Damariscotta Lake watershed, the YCC would love to help you care for your lake or pond. For a site evaluation, please contact the YCC Crew Leader, Brianna Smith, at 207-389-5158 or crewleader@midcoastconservancy.org. Brianna is a Civil and Environmental Engineering student at the University of Maine and will be able to help with many of your property runoff needs. Midcoast Conservancy’s YCC crew looks forward to working with you!

For more information on Midcoast Conservancy, go to midcoastconservancy.org or call (207) 389-5150.

Runners, take your marks! Midcoast Conservancy is taking registrations now for two exciting races. The first is the Maine Summer Adventure Race (MSAR), which will take place July 23, 2016, offering a full day (or half day) of exploration of the woods and lakes around Jefferson, Maine, in the midcoast region. The second is the annual fall Race Through the Woods at Hidden Valley Nature Center on October 2; fall may sound like a long way off, but training for a half-marathon takes some planning!

The MSAR will involve teams of two, three or four competing in a nonstop race involving trail running or trekking, road and mountain biking, flat-water paddling and orienteering. Teams will have to combine athleticism with strategy and navigation to guide themselves to as many checkpoints as possible within the race’s time limit.

Both the eight-hour and three-hour versions of the Maine Summer Adventure Race will start at the Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson, ME, on Saturday, July 23, 2016. The race is designed by Cliff and Kate White of the Strong MachineAdventure Racing team and will be hosted by the Midcoast Conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation, education and recreation.

 First-time adventure racers and families can discover how fun the sport of adventure racing is with the beginner-friendly three-hour race, said Kate White

“If you can walk or jog a 5K, bike five miles and paddle one mile, you will be more than prepared for the three-hour race,” she said. “The eight-hour course is designed to be more of a challenge, with longer distances and more navigational components. However, this race is still appropriate for the outdoorsy, beginner racer since the more difficult routes will be optional.”

Those interested in the Maine Summer Adventure Race can find more information at MaineSummerAR.weebly.com or by contacting Cliff White, Maine Summer Adventure Race Co-Director, (646) 522-5630StrongMachineAR@gmail.com.

At the 6th annual Race Through the Woods trail races, runners can choose between a half-marathon (13.1 mi) or a 5.5 mile race, which begin at 9am. Racers of all levels are encouraged to participate; some people will be racing the clock and others will be racing themselves. The day will feature local, delicious food , and beer from Sheepscot Valley Brewing.

Kids ages 4-9are invited to participate in a Kids Race Through the Woods beginning about 10am. The race will be a short obstacle course and will be timed. After the official race, the kids course will be open all day.

Registration information is online at www.hvnc.org/trail-race. All proceeds will support the maintenance of HVNC trails and educational programs. This event is sponsored by Sheepscot Valley Brewing, Lamey-Wellehan shoes, and Trail Monster running.

Every spring for many years I have come to my family’s place on Westport Island in midcoast Maine and carefully taken from the old horsehair plaster wall a fragile framed photo that beckons me into the past. Most recently I saw something mysterious in that picture that I hadn’t noticed before. I needed magnification to see it. What I saw got my imagination racing.

One is easily drawn into this sweeping black-and-white photograph of the same place in winter probably taken in the late 1800s when it was a ship’s chandlery. Many current residents of the island have also taken in this iconic scene, as the same photo graces the cover of a history of Westport published in 1993 and still available at the town offices.

Looking toward the Sheepscot River from a short hill, the photographer captures a quintessential coastal Maine home and schooner landing. A horse-drawn sleigh carves through light snow cover past a tidy white saltbox house with dark shutters and a good view of the river and the working waterfront below. There’s the chandlery, hard by a huge wooden pier with a two-masted schooner nestled alongside.

The ship’s mastheads puncture the overcast sky. Her main boom holds gobs of furled heavy canvas and is so long that if it got loose in a stiff northeast breeze it might swing across the pier and smack the side of the chandlery. The slightest breeze lightly ripples the chilly river. The scene draws a wistful sigh, as I wonder about this place and the people who lived in that long-ago-burned house just up the rise, people who worked that schooner and stored their sails and perhaps sold goods in the very place that shelters me now 100 or more years later.

 Who is that guy looking into the schooner?

Before placing the dusty black frame back on the wall, I get out my smart phone and snap a new photo of the old photo. Later, I stroll through the scene again, using my fingers like tweezers on the phone’s screen to enlarge the image. Tiny in the distance and the dimness of the old photo there’s another schooner lying at anchor further upriver toward Wiscasset. I have noticed that ship in the picture before with the naked eye but it’s even more intriguing to see it enlarged with the aid of technology and a flick of my fingers.

I keep scanning. Then I see something else that I’d never seen in all these years. It’s a lone human figure. The sight of him hits me like a virtual boom across the head. His back is to me. My fingers twitch trying to make the image larger. He’s standing, bulky and bundled up, on the edge of the pier looking into the schooner’s helm.

Today all the structures in the photo are gone except for the chandlery and the granite pilings that supported the huge pier. The pier itself has long since rotted away and the pretty little white house on the hill burned in the early 1900s, not long before my grandparents, Alvin F. Sortwell Jr. (of the Wiscasset Sortwells) and wife, Elise, bought the property and turned the old chandlery into a summer place. The family that had lived and worked on this waterfront operation bounded by a cove on one side and the Sheepscot on the other faded into history along with the age of sail itself.

The search begins

Questions hover like mist. Just who was it in the photo, standing on the pier that day? Was he the captain? Where had the schooner been? What was its next destination? How about that other schooner in the distance? This is the story of what I found as I searched for the ships and captains of McCarty Cove, Westport Island.

As I imagine is the case all up and down the Maine coast, family graveyards and fading headstones are often the starting place for learning about the early seafarers who settled nearby. So it was for me with the McCarty’s. As a child I trudged with my mother in search of the McCarty graveyard, through the thick woods several hundred yards inland and upland of where that little white farmhouse had stood. It was always a great, if creepy, relief to find the little three-row plot, framed by a corroding wrought-iron fence. All the granite-inscribed birth and death dates were sobering, especially since I knew they were people who had walked and worked the land I stood on and water I swam (at least on really hot days in August).

The inscription that fascinated me the most was “lost at sea.” And that phrase attached to more than one memorial headstone in the McCarty graveyard. Lost at sea. How did it happen? Was it that guy on the dock by the schooner in the photo? His uncle or cousin? What could I learn about these seamen that sailed far and wide, casting off from that pier in the photo?

You never know what you might find till you start digging. There were hundreds or perhaps thousand of ships and captains hailing from mid-coast Maine, dozens and dozens from Westport Island alone.

A treasure chest for anyone looking for the stories of Maine ships and captains is the archives of the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, where I found plenty of information on little index cards, each one revealing another piece of the puzzle of the rich seafaring history of the McCarty’s of Westport Island. They were an enterprising 19th century Maine family who like many others built their lives around the sea and what it offered.

More on the McCarty’s later, but the most fascinating find at the Bath MMM was a McCarty family connection to a notorious case of murder on the high seas.

There is no mention in any records I’ve seen of any Westport McCarty him- or herself having killed or been killed by anyone at sea or on land, though the family certainly lost its share of McCarty captains to the sea over the 100 years for which their maritime exploits are documented. Rather it was the scene of the crime, the ship itself, that connected directly to another Maine captain with Westport connections, Thomas McLaughlin. He married a McCarty girl.

Look for the second installment, including more on the shipboard murder case, at a later date.

Harry Castleman can be contacted at hcharryc@aol.com

Special thanks to Maine Maritime Museum Senior Curator Nathan Lipfert and the staff of the museum library.

The Old Jefferson Town House will be ringing with an eclectic mix of music Friday, July 15 from 7-9 p.m. The "Rusty Hinges" and their friends Rob Littlehale and Bill Tozier will put on a casual but professional evening of music for the benefit of the Jefferson Historical Society's projects, especially the continued restoration of the treasured old building.
 
Featuring an exciting recipe of folk, oldies, country, contemporary and home-grown tunes, the Midcoast musicians will lift the spirits and fill the hearts of the audience with their music and enthusiasm. The Hinges are Charles Chiarchiaro (resophonic guitar,) Brian Dunn (mandolin and banjo,) Nan Jones) guitar, fiddle and penny whistle,) Chuck McGregor (stand-up bass( Johnny Monterisi (guitar.) Award winning musical artist Littlehale and vocalist Tozier will  make a most engaging and entertaining evening.
 
The Old Town House is located at 7 Gardiner Road, at the intersection of Bunker Hill and Gardiner Roads, Jefferson. It is handicapped-accessible.Tickets $10.
For more information, call 207-:549-5258.



Runners and walkers came out in force on Saturday, July 2 to support the Rocky Coast Road Race which benefits the Boothbay Region YMCA’s Live Strong cancer program. Live Strong is a free 12-week program for cancer survivors.

Willson Moore of Freeport won the 10k division with a time 38:40. Seth Chatterson won the the men’s 5k race with a time of 20.41. Tess Milomiskey won the women’s 5k race with at time of 21:03. Elizabeth Lynch won the women’s 10k with a time of 45:36.

Seventy runners competed in the 10k race and 91 runners competed in the 5k. There were also 33 walkers.

The event was sponsored by J. Edward Knight Insurance, Dead River and The First.

A 51-year-old Alna woman was taken by helicopter to a Portland hospital Sunday after a power boat struck the kayak she was using in Nobleboro, Warden Chris Dyer of the Maine Warden’s Service said Monday.

Neither the woman’s name nor those of other parties in the July 3 crash were being released yet, Dyer, the investigating warden, said.

It happened at about 7 p.m. on Pemaquid Pond; the woman received a broken rib and cuts to her head, Dyer said. It was not yet known if she struck her head on the boat or the kayak. That was still being sorted out, he said.

The boat was towing a wake boarder, Dyer said.

The kayaker was conscious, alert and talking after the crash; she was taken first to LincolnHealth’s Miles Campus in Damariscotta, then on to Maine Medical Center in Portland on a Lifelight helicopter for the advanced level of treatment she could get at MMC, Dyer continued in Monday’s phone interview.

No one was else was hurt. The investigation is continuing; no one has been charged, Dyer said.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Nobleboro Fire Department also responded to Sunday’s accident.

Sitting in the shade of a canopy on the Wiscasset waterfront July 4, World War II-era veterans George Jones and Roy Farmer reflected on what it felt like to hear parade-goers’ applause for them that morning.

“Very flattering ... an honor,” Farmer said in the brief joint-interview.

“I enjoyed it. And I appreciate it,” Jones said about the reception they received along the route.

Minutes later, Bill Cossette Jr., commander of American Legion Post 54 of Wiscasset, called each of the two men up to award them certificates: Farmer, for taking part in the parade; and Jones, for 70 years as a member.

Also during the ceremonies, a certificate went to Neal Page, for his 22 years of military service; and Jeffrey Lucas of Edgecomb accepted a Gold Star banner honoring his son, Army SPC Joseph Lucas, who died Dec. 15, 2005 on his second tour of duty in Iraq.

“It means a lot,” Jeffrey Lucas said about the honor, after a playing of the national anthem concluded the ceremony. “My son was just one of the many who have been killed in service, and in my opinion, the government doesn’t do enough to honor those who have fallen, and other veterans.”

Town Manager Marian Anderson gave this year’s grand marshal, Norma Gordon, a certificate honoring Gordon’s many years of service to the town.

Earlier, Jones, Farmer and other Legion members got some of the biggest applause of the parade. So did an entry featuring Lincoln County Historical Association’s 1896 American flag. Several people carrying it called out facts and patriotic statements that drew cheers, including one man’s shout, “110 percent American.”

“That was cool. It was awesome,” parade-goer Lynn Dennis of Darien, Connecticut, said later.

The LCHA flag appeared at the waterfront ceremony also, alongside the flag the Legion was raising.

Sarah Whitfield took one for the First Congregational Church’s Summerfest team by wearin a lobster costume, hood and all, as she walked the parade route in the heat and the bright mid-morning sun. The church’s entry previewed the annual event with signage and more, including Whitfield in the costume.

“All I’ll say is it’s a rain forest in here. It’s keeping all the heat in,” Whitfield, still in costume, said later, smiling and eating a hot dog.

Asked what her secret was for not passing out, Whitfield credited the little breeze and having a lot of water and a freeze pop.

Her mother Jan Whitfield went as herself, and carried a sign describing Wiscasset as the worm capital of the world.

Wiscasset Ambulance Service and other entrants handed out the freeze pops. New faces in public safety this year included Toby Martin, Wiscasset EMS director, and Wiscasset Police Chief Jeff Lange.

“Super community involvement, and I couldn’t have asked for a better day, weather-wise,” Lange said about his first Wiscasset Fourth of July.

Lincoln County sheriff’s officers marched and area fire departments joined Wiscasset’s in taking their towns’ trucks along the parade route.

More photos

 

 

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences opened its doors to the public on July 1 for a tour of several of its research facilities. About 100 individuals had indicated they would attend, according to Dana Wilson, communications director for the lab.

Bigelow works primarily with the ocean microbiome, that is, microscopic organisms in the oceans. According to the tour guides, most of the organisms in the oceans are not yet described — that is, most do not yet even have a scientific name. Little is known about the properties of most of the organisms in the ocean, and this provides a great deal of fodder for research — and also for possible commercial exploitation.

The lab was named after the founder of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute on Cape Cod. It is celebrating its 42nd year this week. The lab moved from a small facility on McKown Road in West Boothbay Harbor several years ago to a sprawling new campus in East Boothbay, with a grant from the Maine Technology Institute and a matching anonymous grant, and continues to expand. A new greenhouse for growing algae, and a new residence hall for visiting scientists, post docs, and interns are both currently under construction at the site.

In addition to the work on site, there are also dozens of field missions ongoing at any given time, taking water samples and collecting sea plant and animal samples.

The lab has 16 senior research scientists and a bevy of undergraduate interns and post docs who work with them. For this tour, four labs were open to the public, including a deep ocean research center studying bacteria that live on iron, rather than light or biological organisms. Dave Emerson, the senior research scientist involved with that project, said the deep ocean organisms are difficult to study, requiring the use of manned and unmanned submersible devices. His organisms are found at hydrothermal vents at sea mounts or at mid–ocean ridges and deepwater trenches, where they use the energy of the planet to sustain themselves. Many of them cannot tolerate oxygen, and therefore, can’t live close to photosynthetic bacteria and plankton that live near the surface.

Other labs visited included a lab studying the effect of ocean acidification and warming on slightly larger organisms — in this case, young lobsters. By the end of the century, it is expected that carbon in the atmosphere will be at 1200 parts per million, and a lot of it will dissolve in the oceans, causing them to acidify. This process is already under way, but will become stronger by the end of the century. The oceans are also expected to warm up significantly, according to the researchers. The students raised juvenile lobsters under various conditions of acidic ocean water and increased temperatures.

Another lab looked at the changes taking place in the Gulf of Maine with the upper layer of water and the amount of plankton present in the water. Using “gliders” that slowly traverse the Gulf, images from satellites, and manual transits across the Gulf, this year on the Cat ferry, the researchers are looking at decreasing plankton, caused mostly by increased fresh water from snow runoff and ice melt entering the Gulf. Researchers say that the decrease is making the Gulf less productive over time, but much more information is needed to identify what is happening long term. Researchers say that the gulf’s biome may change, making it less attractive to lobster and other cold-water species. Cold fresh water may also be acting as a cap over warmer salt water, preventing upwelling that brings nutrients to the surface. More ominously, there have been minor changes to the position of the Gulf Stream, which keeps New England and northern Europe at a moderate temperature because of the colder surface water.

Much of what Bigelow does is pure science, but there are also applied sciences that find a home at the laboratory. Identifying new potential in ocean organisms for commercial growth is also a part of the mission.  Studies currently under way to determine how plankton and other ocean photosynthetic organisms might be used in new fuel or food sources are major focuses. The lab also studies how blooms of certain zooplankton and other organisms can cause problems for various industries, such as the shellfish industry, as part of a joint effort by various departments of marine resources and the lab.

The Bigelow Laboratory is also a teaching institution, and works with students from juniors in high school, through its Keller BLOOM program, through college programs. It has a relationship with Colby College, and several of its instructors teach at the college and invite students to come down as interns. Its undergraduate program is competitive, providing students with paid learning experiences for ten weeks each summer.

Bigelow also offers a lecture program given by its scientists through its Cafe Scientifique program each year. For information on this year’s program, visit https://www.bigelow.org/news/welcome-bigelow-laboratory-s-cafe-scientifique/2015-cafe-sci-schedule/.

 

 

It's time for the Dresden SummerFest on Sunday, July 10 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pownalborough Court House!

This year's event features the Abenaki Nation Fish River Singers performing traditional dance and song. And the Steamboat Gypsy Band will be playing American folk, and Dresden's own Accordion Dude will lead a sing-a-long.

Take a horse-drawn carriage ride with Hideaway Farms, visit the goat petting zoo, and take a tour of the courthouse and adjacent nature trails.

Games set up for SummerFest include croquet, bean bag toss, a hay scramble and … hula-hooping!

To keep you energized, the Fire Department will be cooking up burgers and a hot dog BBQ or bring your own picnic lunch.

No summer fest event would be complete without a pie judging contest! All proceeds will be donated to the Richmond Food Pantry.

Community groups and businesses will have booths: Gryffon Ridge Spices, jewelry, physical therapy demonstrations, body juggling, a Steak Shack, and many others.

There will also be a Spirit of America awards presentation.

Dresden's SummerFest is sponsored by Dresden Arts and Recreation Committee and the Lincoln County Historical Association.

For more information, contact Peter Walsh: 207-737-2807 or mpwalsh1@roadrunner.com.

The Pownalborough Courthouse is located at 23 Courthouse Road in Dresden Mills.

 

It’s summer. Hamburgers abound.

According to the Serious Eats website, a form of hamburger may have actually begun with Mongols who stashed raw beef under their saddles. After much riding and jostling about, the meat became tenderized. Interesting, but gross.

Originally called hamburg steak, the name, over time, evolved into hamburger.

There are a few different theories as to how hamburgers, as we know them today, came to be.

One cites Louis’ Lunch, in New Haven, Connecticut, as the originator. It states that in 1900 the owner threw a broiled beef patty between a couple slices of bread for a man who was in a rush to eat and run.

Another claim cites a guy named Charlie Nagreen as the inventor of the hamburger. Supposedly Charlie was selling meatballs at a fair in Seymour, Wisconsin, and came up with the brilliant idea of smashing them between a couple slices of bread. He called it a hamburger.

A third theory is that a couple of guys, Charles and Frank Menches, invented the hamburger at a fair in Hamburg, New York in 1885.

But according to most authorities the word hamburger came to us from Hamburg, Germany. That has never, ever even occurred to me. Margaret Salt Mclellan probably knew, but I didn’t.

Lisa Kristoff’s third husband, Joe, told her that when he was in the Air Force in the late 60s, bars in Germany would serve raw hamburg as a snack, instead of peanuts. I guess if you were hungry and had had a few beers ...

Wherever they hail from, hamburgers are now one of the most popular items on restaurant and diner menus, at least in the U.S. I’d start researching hamburgers’ popularity throughout the globe, but that stuff is fascinating and can take hours, which I don’t have today. If you’re that interested, Google it yourself.

Hamburgers, or burgers, as everyone but me calls them, are simply a slab of cooked ground beef thrown into a bun. You can adorn them with cheese and call them cheeseburgers, and add whatever condiments you like — mustard, relish, onions, ketchup, mayonnaise, tomato slices, lettuce — or more obscure things like the capers and caviar upscale restaurants are throwing on them now and transforming them into a gourmet $23 meal.

I like mine simple. Just a good crusty bun or roll and a ground beef patty with mustard, relish and onions. And pink salt, and lots of fresh ground pepper.

But that’s not to say any ground beef patty will do. I rarely order a hamburger in a restaurant because I insist on 90 percent ground beef. I don’t want any of those grisly chunks or a lot of fat in my hamburger. And the patty has to be no more than a half-inch thick.

Some people say the fatter the better. I disagree. Big in circumference is good, but a half -inch thick, and cooked to perfection — just slightly pink inside. And the burger has to fit the bun perfectly. That’s probably the artist in me. If I use a crusty oval-shaped roll I shape the burger in an oval, slightly larger than the roll, to allow for shrinkage.

Sorry. Who cares?

If I do get a hamburger in a restaurant I want it to be five or six bucks, not $18 or $20 unless it’s big enough that I can cut it in half and save half for the next day’s lunch.

I’m not really a snob about the quality of the meat though. Remember the greasy hamburger Faye Dunaway bit into in Bonnie and Clyde? It screamed grease. Even the bun was greasy. Every time I watch that movie I crave a greasy hamburger.

I’ve always liked McDonald’s hamburgers too. I remember going to a McDonald’s for the first time with my mother, after shopping in Portland for back-to-school clothes. A hamburger and the best french fries I’d ever had.

This may surprise you but I would still prefer a McDonald’s hamburger and an order of fries over the same in a restaurant. It’s a lot cheaper and you know what you’re going to get. There are no surprises at McDonald’s. Unfortunately they don’t serve beer or wine.

When I was a kid we skied at Bauneg Beg mountain outside Sanford. There were two rope tows. There was a billy goat that would come out of a barn to butt us when we skied by on the back trail. And there was Dirty Pete.

Dirty Pete worked the grill in the small lodge, or hut, at the base of the mountain. In the center of the hut was a woodstove that was usually covered with sizzling canvas mittens, drying after getting ringing wet on the rope tows.

We’d take off our ski boots and set them near the woodstove to warm up, and order hot chocolate and a hot dog or hamburger from Dirty Pete. His fingernails were always dirty, and there was always a Playboy-style calendar on the wall. Pete was dirty in more ways than one.

We didn’t care. The hamburgers were good, if greasy.

Those winters learning to ski with my mother and father and sister and two brothers and cousins and friends from Sanford make for good memories. I can still smell the woodstove, the cooking canvas mittens and the greasy hamburgers. And staring wide-eyed at Dirty Pete while the boys stared wide-eyed at his calendars.

In a memoir on a website about the now long-gone Bauneg Beg, my father, who also skied Tuckerman’s Ravine at Mt. Washington, was mentioned: “The club … took top honors … Sanford’s Wendell Thayer earned the title of ski meister.” And “Wendell Thayer dethroned Al Peel and had a downhill-slalom combined time of 80.5 seconds.”

Great skier and the kindest man I ever knew. And he loved a good hamburger.

It’s a rare occasion for me to have a hamburger for dinner. But when I do I usually have some Alexia sweet potato fries with it. If you haven’t had them you need to. They’re at Hannaford in the frozen foods section.

I don’t think I need to tell you I have a glass of wine, too. And if I’m lucky there’ll be a piece of chocolate cream pie for dessert.

You know what I’d really like to do? I’d like to open a hamburger joint. Just a fantastic hamburger and fries. $6.50. And if anyone had the audacity to ask for a hot dog I’d be like Bet when someone asks for a lobster roll. I’d put up a sign that said, “Don’t even ask for a blankety-blank-blank hot dog!” A hamburger or nothing.

Oh! But I would offer milkshakes — chocolate, strawberry, vanilla or coffee. And maybe some mini chocolate cream pies for dessert. That’s all.

OK I’m starving. See you next week.

Meanwhile always feel free to post positive comments online.

I’m not a chef. I lay no claim to being an authority on food or cooking. I’m a good cook, and a lover of good food. And I know how to spell and put a sentence together. This column is simply meant to be fun, and hopefully inspiring. So to anyone reading this whose hackles are raised because you know more about the subject of food than I, relax. I believe you.

The day was picture perfect for the arrival of four Friendship sloops that tied up at the Wiscasset Yacht Club on July 6. The owners of traditionally built yachts are all members of the Friendship Sloop Society.

The crews were sailing up the Maine coast on their way to Rockland for the annual Homecoming Rendezvous and Races. Their visit was arranged by WYC member Steve Erskine of Wiscasset, who recently joined the organization. Erskine is building his own Friendship sloop that he hopes to launch later this summer. The crews planned to stay overnight on board their boats and set sail on the morning or afternoon tide.

The design of Friendship sloops originated in the 1880s at or near Friendship, Maine. The boats were originally used for fishing and lobstering; today they’re enjoyed for sailing and racing. The Friendship Sloop Society’s Maine rendezvous includes a visit to Southwest Harbor July 16.

This year marks the 55th year of the Friendship Sloop Society, a non-profit organization that encourages the building and sailing of Friendship sloops. The organization recently published a book, “Lasting Friendships — A century of Friendship Ships.” To learn more about the organization, go to http://www.fss.org.

The night before boarding a plane to Colorado Springs, Aleeya Jones, 13, was excited July 6 to be moving into her highest level of training yet in the sport she loves, volleyball. But she said she was just as excited that the building where she would be training late into the evening is next door to the one where Olympic volleyball players are also training.

The Olympics were her goal when Wiscasset Newspaper readers met a younger Jones, and they still are. “I feel like I’ve improved so much,” she said. A recent growth spurt to about 5’7’’ has helped her playing; in volleyball, taller is better. “Oh, yes,” she said in a new interview with mother and coach Julie Jones at her side, on bleachers in the Wiscasset Christian Academy parking lot. Aleeya will enter her freshman year at the school next fall.

“This is a very crucial time for a volleyball player, because once they enter high school, all the college coaches can now look at them,” her mother said.

The Wiscasset girl has trained outside Maine before, after earning a spot at tryouts. But this month’s session, in the USA Girls’ Select National A2 Invitational Team Program, is her highest level of training yet. Julie Jones said her daughter is the only Maine girl ever selected for it, and this year, the only New England girl going.

“It’s so much fun, but very serious at the same time,” the teen said about past sessions she’s trained in. “You always have fun at these things if you love the sport, because you learn a lot and you want to keep doing it, like stay there the rest of your life.”

“Yeah, it’s hard to drag her away,” Julie Jones said. She was going with her daughter on the latest trip, as in the past. They expect to see little of each other due to the long training schedule, and the fact Aleeya would be staying in a dorm. She’ll have a friend at the training, a girl from Hawaii she first met at a Fort Lauderdale, Florida event, when they were 10.

“She just texted me a couple days ago and asked if I tried out. And I told her I was in the A2 division, and she said, ‘Me, too!’”

“That makes me feel better, a little ease that she knows someone going in,” her mother said.

Follow Aleeya’s progress in her sport on Youtube, at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBzsT0r-843AwKL-xE6_suA and on Facebook.

While she continues her volleyball pursuits this summer, she and her family have gearing up to host the second annual Dean Snell Cancer Foundation Volleyball Tournament. The fundraiser is set for July 23 at Jones Sand Court, 15 Suki Lane in Wiscasset. First serve is at 9 a.m. For more, contact Julie Jones at 522-8240 or justjules31@gmail.com.

 

 

On Saturday, July 9, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts will host their 22nd annual Salad Days, a fresh-food extravaganza featuring a delicious buffet lunch and handmade ceramic plates that visitors can take home. Much of the food for the event is sourced from neighboring organic farms and over 30 area restaurants will contribute dishes for the picnic. The festival draws crowds of over 400 from around New England and beyond. 

This year’s event will showcase a well-known group of artists who are part of an online ceramics collective called Objective Clay. The group’s 2.5 week artist residency at Watershed coincides with Salad Days and provides a rare opportunity for members to work alongside one another, share ideas, and collaborate. During Salad Days, Objective Clay artists will be selling work in an extensive pottery sale and performing wheel throwing and hand building demonstrations throughout the day. 

In addition to the pottery sale, visitors can choose from dozens of handcrafted beer steins made by regional potters and participate in a raffle featuring ceramic art pieces made by notable artists including Chris Gustin and Kathy King. For those who want to get their hands dirty, Pots on Wheels!, a mobile classroom that brings pottery lessons to communities around the Northeast, will offer visitors a chance to play with clay.

Funds raised during Salad Days support Watershed’s programs for clay artists. Admission is $35, which includes the meal and a handcrafted plate by artist Liz Hafey. Visitors coming just to the pottery sale are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased on site that day or online at www.watershedceramics.org.

For directions to Watershed and details on Salad Days, visit http://www.watershedceramics.org/events/salad-days/



A new Open Mic begins Friday, July 8 at the St. George River Cafe in Warren with featured performing group, Meteora. This open mic/concert series will be offered on the second Friday of each month. Suggested donation is $6.

The sign up for open mic will be at 6:30 p.m. At 7 p.m. performers can share two songs each.  Acoustic instruments are preferred. Musicians who are interested in performing as the featured performers are asked first to come play for the open mic.  Kat Logan is organizing the open mic and scheduling the featured performers. For more information, call Kat  at 207-226-7446.

The trio Meteora (translates from the Greek as “suspended in the air”) was formed in 2011. The band plays a fascinating and eclectic array of original songs, folk ballads, and traditional songs and original arrangements. The trio is made up of venerable musicians Will Brown of Lincolnville and Kat Logan and Jim Loney of Friendship. “Meteora”

Meteora has performed throughout New England and the east coast in concerts, folk festivals and house concerts. Both Kat Logan and Will Brown were featured on the Grammy nominated CD, “Singing through the Hard Times,” a tribute to the late Utah Phillips, and have recorded with artists such as Gordon Bok, Cindy Kallet and Anne Dodson. Jim Loney comes from a blues background and performed with the band the Bluetonics.

The group is particularly appreciated for their tight three-part harmony and instrumentation that includes guitars, banjo, piano, trumpet, percussion and accordion.

This concert will feature music they will be including on their CD which they are presently recording in Brunswick with Jud Caswell.

Nick Appollonio will be the featured performer in August and Caswell at the Sept. open mic.

The St. George River Cafe, owned and operated by Ann Gonzalez and Fanny Faye Davis, is located at 310 Main Street, right off of the bridge in Warren.  

 

 

 

 

When David Hughes was about 3, his mother discovered he liked the water. “He would want to go to the pool, and dive, and go under the water.”

It was awful for her. She had never learned to swim, so she could only watch, Irene Marchenay said. So the Cornell University lecturer took lessons and learned.

Marchenay was raising her son in Ithaca, New York then. Now she teaches French at Wiscasset Middle High School. The twice-retired Marchenay will start her first full year in the job this fall.

Her son’s interest in swimming faded, but, while still in his youth, Hughes found another passion that has stayed with him. It has taken him all over the world and now, at 38, to the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

At her new home on Edgecomb’s Dodge Road, the Paris, France born-and-raised Marchenay recalled her son’s journey in the sport of sailing and shared the good from it and one downside.

When she’s in Texas later this month for his team’s sendoff party, it will be the first time the two have seen each other since 2014.

“I’m very excited to see him.”

Traveling internationally to train and compete, even at Christmas, has been necessary for the University of Southern Maine graduate to reach the Olympic level, his mother said. The long span between visits is hard, she said. But they make due. “Here he is, flying and sailing all over the world, as busy as can be, and he calls me. He texts me. He’s very attentive to his mother.”

Lately, he’s also sent her presents tied to his upcoming Olympic experience. One is a jacket with the U.S. team emblem.

He told her to wear it proudly. She intends to. After Friday’s interview, she planned to wear it in public for the first time — on a trip to WalMart in Brunswick.

Is she proud of her son? “You bet, ya,” she said, not only for his accomplishments but for the man he is. “He is the sweetest, nicest man. Sometimes I can’t even believe it, that I’m the mother of such a strong person,” so focused on whatever he is doing, she said.

She cited that focus as one of the qualities that may help explain his high achievement in the sport. “He’s a meticulous young man. He thinks of everything before he does anything. He’s very precise,” she added.

It has also served him well outside sailing, even taking him to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Marchenay said her son interned for U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and then did an internship in the Chief of Staff’s Office in the White House during the Clinton presidency.

While sailing has not been his lone pursuit, it has held a strong interest for him since he took it up as a teen. He, his mother and then-stepfather moved to Maine and Marchenay was looking for something for her son to do the summer before he entered Yarmouth High School. He was not into team sports, so his mother got him into a summer program at Harraseeket Yacht Club in Freeport.

“I said, ‘It’s you, the water and the boat.’”

The combination clicked. “At the end of (the program), he said, ‘Can I go to the second session of it?’ He was hooked.”

Hughes was still in high school when he became an instructor at the club; and after high school, he served as director.

As Marchenay pointed out, the parent of a sailing Olympian is in the less common situation of not being able to watch from the stands. She’s used to it from his earlier years in the sport. “It was hard because I could not see him at his best, because they’re on the water.” For the same reason, an event didn’t always end on schedule. “If there was no wind, I had to wait and wait” for him to be able to sail back, she said.

Marchenay keeps up with her son’s competitions by tracking them online; that’s her plan for next month’s Rio games as well. He’s always surprised when she already knows how he did, she said.

This is David Hughes’ first run at an Olympic medal, but not his first trip to the Olympics. He coached one of the U.S. sailing teams four years ago in the London games, his mother said.

Hughes and teammate Stuart McNay of Providence, Rhode Island will compete together in the Men’s 470 (four meter, 70 centimeter) Two Person Dinghy event.

His sister has also chosen a path that keeps her in the outdoors. Annalisa Marchenay Carson is an emergency medical technician on the ski patrol at Mammoth Lakes in California. Their mother likes working outside, in her new vegetable garden.

 

Emergency responders rescued four people after a 23-foot Sea Ox skiff struck rocks nearshore at Spruce Point just after midnight on July 9.

Boothbay Harbor Police Chief Bob Hasch said police received a call at about 11:30 p.m. about a boat in the inner harbor with no running lights, acting suspiciously. Hasch, who was off duty but downtown with Sgt. Pat Higgins at the time, jumped into a private boat while Officers Tom Chryplewicz and John Braley searched for the boat from shore.

Hasch said police then began receiving more calls about the vessel and these reports indicated a possible fight on board. Harbormaster Nick Upham arrived and joined in the search with his boat. Hasch said the search was complicated by the moonless night.

Just after midnight, Lincoln County Communications received a 911 call from a woman on the boat, but was unable to get an accurate location. At 12:19 a.m., a woman on board the vessel called 911 again to report the boat had crashed near Spruce Point. Hasch said Officer John Braley was first to locate the boat, floating nearshore off Central Avenue.

In addition to BHPD, Boothbay Harbor and Boothbay fire departments, Boothbay Region Ambulance Service and the Coast Guard responded to the scene. When they arrived, two men were injured on board and an injured woman was outside the boat on the rocks. A second woman was attending to the unconscious man in the boat.

The vessel was adrift in a small cove between ledge outcrops. The tide was low and an extensive seaweed-covered, rocky shoreline stood between rescuers and the vessel.

“Trying to carry 200-plus pound men over the seaweed and rocks was going to be very difficult,” Hasch said.

Fortunately, Upham was able to maneuver his vessel into the rocky, narrow cove and tow the boat to a nearby private float, where the injured could be safely carried to shore. Hasch said ambulance crews transported three people to the hospital.

On Saturday morning, Hasch and Marine Patrol Specialist Mike Forgues and Marine Patrol Officer DeniAnne Kilgore returned to the accident scene. They located fiberglass from the boat hull, as well as pieces of the boat’s Yamaha 225 HP engine on the ledge outcrop and in the water. They also identified scrapes on the rocky ledge and were able to estimate the boat’s trajectory. The vessel apparently struck the nearshore ledge with enough force to break the engine bracket and lose power.

“The impact shut the motor down. Once that happens the boat is susceptible to the elements,” Forgues said.

Luckily for those on board, the skiff remained upright, maintained buoyancy, and prevailing winds and seas pushed it towards the shore instead of further out.

“They were lucky. They were very fortunate to not have sustained life-threatening injuries,” Forgues said.

“If the boat had sunk, I don’t know if we would have been able to get there in time,” Hasch said.

Hasch said the immediate, large response by area police, fire and EMS was impressive, as was Lincoln County Communications’ assistance throughout the incident.

“There were so many people there on scene and they were a huge help. It’s always such a good turnout in our region with folks coming to help in these situations,” he said. “Dispatch was also excellent with coordinating all the players on the scene and with locating the vessel. It was a difficult situation and I can’t thank everyone enough for their assistance.”

BHPD and Marine Patrol are conducting a joint investigation into the accident. On Saturday evening, Forgues reported that the boat's operator was Greg Miller, 33, Boothbay; Lisa Carvalho, 32, East Wareham, Massachusetts, Scott Grady, 33, Boothbay Harbor, and Erin Miller, 29, Boothbay were passengers. The boat is owned by Wayne Moore. Hasch said those operating the vessel did have permission to use it. Police said they believe alcohol and other causes may have been a factor.

 

For all of her teaching, coaching and other experience, Mandy Lewis said being a good listener may be one of the biggest helps in her new job as Wiscasset schools’ first districtwide assistant principal and athletic director.

“One thing I would love to know is, how does the community see my role? I’m eager to connect with the community on the sidelines of games and at different events at the elementary school or the middle high school,” she said.

Lewis, 36, started work July 1. The Brunswick woman has been meeting staff and others and can’t wait to meet more as the school year nears. In an interview at Wiscasset Middle High School on Friday, Lewis, fresh off a longtime teaching job in Yarmouth, shared her outlook on serving students.

She also explained what she finds so appealing about going to work in a small town: She came from one. “Hollis, Maine. We didn’t even have a stoplight in Hollis. They have one now,” she added.

The fact that many Wiscasset graduates are part of the school community as educators or in other ways was another good sign. “I think that that just speaks very highly of the traditions in this town, so I’m excited to be a newer member of that.”

Lewis described her job’s dual role as an exciting challenge professionally, and one she’s glad will encompass all the department’s grades. “The continuity that that will bring to my position and hopefully the schools is really exciting,” she said. “I think I have a steep learning curve, for sure, in understanding the culture in both schools, but (the principals) have been so welcoming, as has (Superintendent of Schools) Dr. (Heather) Wilmot, that I think both schools are in a place where they are excited to have an administrator who will work with both.”

In her years in Yarmouth, she learned that working collaboratively helps provide the best learning environment possible for students, Lewis said.

She also noted that, as she gets to know the coaches on staff, she is finding them to be incredibly dedicated to the student athletes.

The athletic director part of the job helps her stay a part of a side of education she expected to be giving up as she moved from teaching to administration. She has coached as long as she has taught. “So moving into an administrative role and not being able to coach was a difficult decision to make, and getting to work with athletes and with coaches was certainly a draw to this position,” Lewis said.

Sports were a huge part of who she was during her own school years, she said. A three-sport athlete at Bonney Eagle High School, her field hockey team won a state championship; she played varsity basketball all four years; and she threw javelin in outdoor track. Her rugby team at Ithaca College took the state title for Division III two years in a row.

Asked for her thoughts on Wiscasset’s plans for a collaborate football team with Boothbay Region High School in the fall, Lewis noted the philosophy with which she’s approaching her job. She wants students to have as much access as possible to things that will connect them with their education. “And for some students, that connection really stems from being able to play sports. And so ... I hope to advocate for things that will provide student athletes with things that will keep them engaged.

“So I am working on understanding the (team) with Boothbay. We have some student athletes who are going to take advantage of that this fall, and we’ll see how successfully that goes,” Lewis said.

Outside work, Lewis and spouse Amy Lewis, a guidance counselor at Lisbon High School, are busy keeping up with their 18-month-old son and taking him on adventures, Mandy Lewis said. She has also gotten into running, including training for half-marathons.

“I am not a fast runner, but I certainly love it,” she said, laughing. Asked about a personal best time for a mile, she said, still smiling, she doesn’t think she has a personal best. “I do my best to run at a pace that’s challenging for me.” A run in Acadia National Park in June was beautiful, she said. “Hilly, but beautiful.”

“We have two crazy dogs, and so if I can take them on an eight or nine-mile run, they’re very happy.”

 

Dresden held its 11th annual Summerfest on Sunday, July 10 during a midday break between rain showers that kept many fairgoers away. The event was held at the Pownalborough Courthouse.

A small crowd enjoyed music, a pie-tasting event, a petting zoo, buggy rides, and food served by the Dresden Fire Department.

“It is just a relaxing afternoon,” said co-organizer Peter Walsh.

The trio Steamboat Gypsy from Bowdoinham played folk and fiddle music.

“It is a Little House on the Prairie type of day. Eat, make friends, enjoy,” said co-organizer Pat Theriault.

The pie competition was run by Janette Sweem, director of the Richmond Area Food Pantry.

“Sample the pies and vote for your favorite,” said Sweem, who was accepting donations for the pantry.

The Fish River Singers beat a Native American drum and led a circle dance.

Leader Bill Pelkey said he has been able to trace his heritage to the Mi’maq (MIcMac) Huron tribe of Quebec. The group welcomes drummers of different tribal backgrounds, he said.

Ryan Cote presented resident Mary Walsh with the Spirit of America award for 2016.

“She has been part of many activities that bolster the civic health of the community,” said Cote.

Walsh said she was surprised to be this year’s recipient.