Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors

Paying a visit by boat to the scenic working harbor at Port Clyde just got a little easier, thanks to a collaboration between Colby College and Lyman-Morse. The midcoast Maine boat builder will relaunch a managed mooring field to service transient boats, and the company will also provide fuel, restrooms and showers, and WiFi ashore. According to a press release, mooring reservations—both short-term and seasonal—will be available through the Dockwa app and at dockwa.com.

Illustration by Ted Walsh Danny Dodge died recently. For those who did not know him, he was a lobsterman at Rockport Harbor, Maine; a quiet man with a gentle smile, who loved his dog, Boone. Danny got ill and he slipped away not soon after Thanksgiving. His boat, Ocean Lady, was still on the mooring in early December, while others were being pulled out with winter storms looming on the horizon. But the waterfront community took care of Ocean Lady in a most understated and elegant way.

Brooklin Boat Yard designer Will Sturdy created this rendering of the Muscongus Bay 18, incorporating ideas from owner Andy Payor and designer Mark Fitzgerald. Rendering courtesy Brooklin Boat Yard My favorite issue for exploring Off the Drawing Board topics has always been this one, with its freshwater focus. I love Maine’s ponds and lakes, and I harbor recurrent dreams of a lakeside home, or at least a proper camp.

Originally fitted with a mainsail and jib, a second balanced gunter rig was built by the Elk Spar and Boat Shop on Mount Desert Island  for this Paul Gartside-designed Skylark. The boat is frequently spotted out sailing on East Penobscot Bay.

July/August 2026 Bon Voyage, Bon Appétit! The Marex 440 Gourmet Cruiser makes a party out of a day on the water. Baking Up Sweet Careers At the Mid-Coast School of Technology in Rockland, students learn skills to roll in the dough Big Jim Promotes Sardineland in Searsport Iconic fisherman statue beckons visitors to the “Sardineland” exhibit in Searsport Five Faces of the Revolution Pictures from the past: Meet five Revolutionary War vets who lived long enough to have their photos taken.

With repairs underway, the Miss Nancy, a 1941 Lyman, begins to once again resemble the handsome runabout she once was (left). The (nearly) all new Miss Nancy was eventually launched in show condition. Photos courtesy Chris Cushman So long as it’s not snowing, late winter is a good time for road trips in these parts.

Vacationers headed to Maine or occasional skippers who want to rent a boat to get out on the water can take an online certification course developed by the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. The temporary certification has been endorsed by the Maine Division of Outdoor Recreation, and gives people a 14-day permit from the date of test completion, according to a BoatUS release.

Mildred Burrage worked as a medical artist at the U.S. Army's Halloran Hospital on Staten Island, New York, in 1944. Collections of Maine Historical Society, 53955 Mildred Giddings Burrage was one of Maine’s most creative 20th century artists, who, among many accomplishments, put her considerable talents to work on behalf of the United States’ ship-building efforts during World War II.

It took the campers about an hour to reach the rock landing at Little Birch Island. Photo courtesy Ted Stratigos This story begins well before I set off with my three friends from the boat launch at Castle Road in Forest City, Maine, for an overnight of roughing it on Spednic Lake’s Little Birch Island. It actually started with an old book I had been dipping into over the previous winter, reading and rereading passages that resonated.

On June 20, sailors from the far corners or this watery world can help celebrate the start of summer by raising a sail and, well, going sailing. Summer Sailstice was launched on San Francisco Bay just over a quarter century ago by John Arndt, publisher of the West Coast sailor’s bible Latitude 38—and a sailor who enjoys an occasional tack or two on Maine’s waters most summers as well. The idea was to get as many people as possible sailing on the weekend closest to the summer solstice.