Novelist Alice Greenway sailed a leg in the first-ever Black Sea Tall Ships Regatta last spring. Along with Greenway, the crew of the 170-foot Kaliakra included twenty-five Bulgarian maritime high school students, two teachers, and a dozen seamen.
In the last decade of the 20th century, the Hinckley Company – for a long time associated with sailing yachts of classically traditional design – underwent a change of course, and launched a spectacularly successful series of jet boats. It was only a matter of time, though, before a new generation of sailors again looked to Hinckley. The result is the new Hinckley Bermuda 50 — a dramatically modern looking, high-end sailboat.
Maine, with its vast fields of subterranean rubble left by retreating glaciers, has some of the most wonderful rock gardens to be found anywhere, and some of the most creative gardeners. Rock gardeners utilize every crack, fissure, crevice, and pothole to their advantage.
North Atlantic fishermen called it white frost or black frost. It is common in polar regions (where it is called Arctic sea smoke), but can form over any body of water if conditions are right. Catherine Schmitt explains the science of the winter phenomenon known as sea smoke.
As letter carvers, the bulk of the work of the father-daughter team of Douglas M. Coffin Lettercutter is creating headstones—beautiful, hand-carved life markers with letters that flow into each other, creating words that call out to be read. They consider their work to be among the most caring of human endeavors.
When J/Boats’ Bob Johnstone set out to build a new powerboat for his wife, Mary, he turned to fellow sailors to make it a reality. The result was a fresh take on what makes a good powerboat: the MJM 34z, the first in a series of successful motoryachts for MJM Yachts.
Celeste Roberge, a Maine sculptor whose work can be found in major collections across the country, explores the world, looking for inspiration in the environment. When she finds it, there is no telling how it will eventually manifest itself in her art, which, while conceptual, also is tangible, engaging, and provocative. Art writer Carl Little takes a look at her work with seaweed.
By the late 1960s, gray seals in New England were confined to a handful of isolated colonies. Seeing one was rare, akin to spotting one of the other now-recovered species, such as bald eagles or osprey. Their rescue was the result of the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act, and today, Penobscot Bay’s Seal Island is home to one of the East Coast’s largest colonies.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was happiest on Campobello Island, which straddles the border between Maine and Canada. The 50th anniversary of Roosevelt-Campobello International Park, the centerpiece of which is the former first family’s 34-room, red-shingled summer “cottage,” was in 2014.
Whether they’re small, spare, and bare as a doghouse, or decorated with animal bones or lace curtains with ribbon ties, Maine ice shacks have a little something for everyone. Some people use them just for fishing; others use them as a winter clubhouse.
Jim Dugan is a photographer in Rockland who explores the Maine Coast while keeping abreast of the latest in digital technology. His “Maine Kaleidoscopes” series takes recognizable Maine scenes, then through computer “copy-and-paste” creates something new and exciting.
Who hasn’t dreamed about a car that can go in the water? A German company made amphibious cars in the 1960s and exported them to the United States. Some are still on the road today. Bob Stover of Belfast, Maine, has owned and restored three of these plucky hybrids, which are at home both on land and in the water.
Sally Smith’s family has owned and loved their Hinckley Sou’wester, <em>Priscilla</em>, for 42 years. Only recently did Smith learn about a “bump” in <em>Priscilla</em>’s past.
When all you want is to sail for the pure enjoyment of sunshine, wind, and waves, you don't need high performance. Contributing Editor Art Paine writes that some of the best boats for this are derivatives of Nathanael Herreshoff’s "Fish Class." Two new designs, which embellish upon the excellence of a Herreshoff Fish, are the Cape Cod Marlin Heritage 23 and Doug Hylan’s Selkie.
Novelist Alice Greenway sailed a leg in the first-ever Black Sea Tall Ships Regatta last spring. Along with Greenway, the crew of the 170-foot Kaliakra included twenty-five Bulgarian maritime high school students, two teachers, and a dozen seamen.
If you heat your house with wood or own a woodstove, winter is the perfect time to make sea salt. The process, explains Karen O. Zimmermann, is simple: collect salt water in buckets and boil it down in a large pan on the top of your woodstove.
Rob McCall, former pastor of the First Congregational Church of Blue Hill ruminates on the seasons, wildlife, and the nature of being in this regular column. This issue he contemplates the holidays, gratitude, the winter season, and the perils of a flat roof.
Contributing Editor Peter Bass checks in with news from along the coast, including updates on lobster, scallop, and clam landings; ferry service between Maine and Canada; and great Maine festivals to add to your summer calendar.
