Virginia ” Ginny” Oliver has hauled her last lobster pot. Widely known as Maine’s “Lobster Lady,” she died quietly at age 105. Oliver began lobstering at age 8 alongside her father and older brother and spent over a century hauling … Continue reading
On Monday, October 9, 2023, the schooner Grace Bailey was returning to Rockland, ME, from a four-day Fall Foliage cruise, when an upper section of the main mast broke and fell to the deck, killing one passenger and injuring five … Continue reading
The schooner Bowdoin, built for Arctic exploration in 1921, is headed for the Arctic for the first time since 2008, more than 100 years since her first such expedition. The schooner, owned by Maine Maritime Academy (MMA), is sailed by a … Continue reading
On April Fool’s Day, a repost about not an April Fool’s Day prank but a hoax and a swindle. In October of 1897, at the height of the Alaskan Gold Rush, two men, Prescott Ford Jernegan, a Baptist minister, and … Continue reading
The schooner Grace Bailey, built in 1882, was returning from a four-day Fall Foliage cruise on Monday morning, when an upper section of the main mast broke and fell to the deck, killing one passenger and injuring three others. Thirty-three … Continue reading
On April Fool’s Day, a repost about not an April Fool’s Day prank but a hoax and a swindle. In October of 1897, at the height of the Alaskan Gold Rush, two men, Prescott Ford Jernegan, a Baptist minister, and … Continue reading
After seven years of reconstruction and restoration in Boothbay Harbor, ME, the historic schooner Ernestina-Morrissey returned to her home port in New Bedford, MA earlier this week. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the Ernestina-Morrissey sailing into New … Continue reading
Good news. The Bangor Daily News is reporting that the restoration of the ex-presidential yacht Sequoia will begin soon in Belfast, Maine. We first posted about the saga of the ex-presidential yacht in 2016 when Delaware judge Sam Glasscock describes … Continue reading
In 2018, we posted “Mutant Green Crabs Invading Maine.” At the time we noted that it sounded like a low-budget horror/sci-fi flick, but that, sadly, an aggressive breed of green crab has indeed invaded Maine’s and neighboring states’ waters. Now, … Continue reading
Eleven schooners, many National Historic Landmarks, ranging in size from 57 to 135 feet, raced in the Maine Windjammer Association‘s 2022 Great Schooner Race in Penobscot Bay last week. As reported by the Courier-Gazette: The vessels sailed past the Rockland … Continue reading
Twenty-seven years ago, a plan was conceived to reconstruct Maine’s first ship, Virginia, built by in 1607 by settlers of the Popham Colony at the mouth of the Kennebec River. The original 51′ pinnace was the first English ocean-going ship … Continue reading
A reconstruction of the pinnace Virginia is nearing completion after being under construction for over a decade in Bath, Maine. The original 51-foot pinnace, built in 1607 by the Popham Colony at its settlement at the mouth of the Kennebec … Continue reading
Congratulations to Captain Becky Wright and Nathan Sigouin who have taken over the helm and the stewardship of the historic Maine schooner Lewis R. French. Launched in April 1871, the French is a National Historic Landmark and the oldest commercial sailing vessel … Continue reading
The schooner Bowdoin turned 100 years old this year. She was designed by William H. Hand, Jr., and built in East Boothbay, Maine, at the Hodgdon Brothers Shipyard. The only American schooner built specifically for Arctic exploration, she was designed … Continue reading
Since at least 2007, a variety of large inflatable rubber ducks have been showing up in harbors around the world. Most recently, a 25-foot high inflatable rubber duck appeared mysteriously in Belfast harbor in Maine. The word “JOY” was emblazoned … Continue reading