CASTINE — The 21st annual Downeast Fleet Racing Invitational Regatta, sponsored by George Stevens Academy, gets underway this weekend with a forecast of morning showers and brisk winds on Saturday, clouds on Sunday and mild weather throughout. Maine Maritime Academy hosts the event, furnishes the 420 dinghies used for racing and provides staffing and auxiliary …
CASTINE — Commencement ceremonies are always a big deal, but Maine Maritime Academy’s 76th annual commencement last Saturday featured an all-star cast. About 193 students marched at commencement, held in MMA’s Alexander Field House, including candidates for Associate of Science, Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees. As usual, proud parents, grandparents, spouses and …
ELLSWORTH — Two conservation organizations have opened another front in their relicensing battle with the owners of the Ellsworth hydropower dam. At issue is how to protect the Union River ecosystem. Late last month, the Downeast Salmon Federation and the Conservation Law Foundation filed a joint request with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for …
BROOKLIN — Throughout the classic sailboat world, especially in New England, the first Saturday in August is synonymous with the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta. Founders Steve White and his Brooklin Boatyard partner Frank Hunt saw the race, first sailed in 1985 with a fleet of just 13 boats, as a chance for wooden boat owners to …
AUGUSTA — Inshore lobstermen will get a break when the federal government adopts new whale protection rules, but it remains to be seen for how long. On Thursday, May 2, Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher announced on the DMR website that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will delay imposing any whale protection …
AUGUSTA — There are few things more confusing than Maine’s legislative process, but the questions of who controls Maine’s tidal flats, and who should, are near the top of the list. Last week, two bills dealing with who owns the area between the high and low tide marks, and what kinds of activities should be …
ELLSWORTH — Maine lobstermen were expecting that bad news would come out of last week’s meeting of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team (TRT) and their expectations were met. At the end of a four-day meeting in Providence, R.I., on Friday, the TRT reached a “consensus” recommendation to NOAA Fisheries that the number of …
PORTLAND — The Maine Maritime Academy commencement scheduled for Saturday morning puts an end to the spring college regatta season, but high school sailing is boiling at full speed. Last weekend, the Mount Desert Island High School sailing team traveled to Portland Saturday morning for the Portland High School team race regatta at SailMaine near …
LAMOINE — Troy Dow, who has served as a Marine Patrol sergeant in Downeast Maine for nine years, has been promoted to lieutenant of Division II, which covers the area between Stockton Springs and the Canadian border. Lt. Dow takes over for Jay Carroll, who was recently promoted to colonel and head of the Marine …
BROOKLIN — Summer may seem a long ways off with brisk winds at the beginning of May making temperatures in the 40s feel even colder than they are, but summer really is just around the corner, even if the street seems long. Last week, the organizers of the annual Small Reach Regatta announced that registration …
SOUTHWEST HARBOR — It’s been a busy spring for the Maine Marine Patrol. Last month, Col. Jay Carroll replaced Col Jon Cornish, who retired after 34 years in the service, as chief of the Marine Patrol. At the end of this week, the patrol’s second in command, Maj. Rene Cloutier, will retire. His replacement has …
TRENTON — The Maine Lobster Union, Lobster 207, has fired longtime lobster dealer Warren Pettegrow as chief executive officer of its wholesale lobster co-op. The firing was announced in an April 13 letter from the union’s executive board addressed to union members. The board also called a May 5 membership meeting at the Elks Lodge …
