May 2009

Charlotte Boymer - Former SailMaine Student Retuns To Instruct!

By Carol McCracken

She was sitting at one of the picnic tables teaching children how to tie nautical knots.  There was a strong southerly wind at her back making it almost impossible to keep her hair from blowing across her face.  “I love a big breeze,” said Charlotte Boymer, 19, grinning. Estimates were that the wind was blowing about 17 knots.  About a dozen small boats darted in and out of the white caps giving young sailors a taste of Maine sailing at its best.

The occasion was the SailMaine’s second annual Open House.  Those wishing to learn more about its upcoming summer camp program (June 22nd) or wishing to take a free sail just for the heck of it had their chance today.  And according to Jeff Cumings, director of the program, many more took advantage of the opportunity.  Figures were incomplete at the time of this writing, but clearly SailMaine saw a huge jump in those participating this year.  A concentrated effort to publicize the event by SailMaine may have contributed to its overwhelming success this year.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, a floater for the Open House, took snatches of time as she could to talk about her love of sailing.  Now 19, she learned to sail through the program at SailMaine itself.  She was in the SailMaine junior program for 3 years and went on the junior racing team at Portland Yacht Club.  Currently, she attends St. Mary’s College where she’s majoring in political science and public policy.  “I spend all my time at the library and the water,” she said laughing.  “I’m on the school’s offshore sailing team.  It’s vital to me to be on the water every day.  If I’m not, I just don’t feel like myself.”

Charlotte, who is an engaging young woman, plans to return to the area to continue her studies at law school when she graduates St. Mary’s College.  Someday, she’d like to work with non-profits in a legal capacity.  In the meantime, she’s living with her grandmother on the Eastern Promenade for the summer and working at SailMaine on the waterfront.  ”This is home base for me,” she said, looking around at the crowd at SailMaine.

Artist Laura Fuller At Her 129 Congress Street Fuller Glass Studio

By Carol McCracken

The public is invited to a Gratitude Party hosted by Laura Fuller & Friends who want to thank everyone in person for supporting their recent three-week journey to an orphanage near Harare, Zimbabwe.  The journey to deliver clothes and medicines to 95 babies and children who’ve been orphaned by parents with AIDS took place earlier this year.  The trip was possible because of the generiousity of friends and businesses in the Greater Portland area.  Laura & Freinds are excited about the opportunity to thank supporters personally for making it happen.

While others may dream of a trip to a more tourist-friendly location, this trip made it possible for Laura to live out a long-held dream – to give hope to these orpans and relieve some of their anxieties about the future – who through no fault of their own are victims  of a no-win situation.  Laura knows about that because her daughter, Delaney, died five years ago of a genetic enzyme deficieny.  Delaney’s longevity was far longer than doctors’ predicted.   She lived to be nine years old.  Laura relates.

The Gratitude Party this Friday, June 5th is part of the First Friday Art Walk in which Fuller Glass Studio always participates.  It runs from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.  Zeile August will provide music with her guitar and singing.  Copies of her new album will be available for purchase.  Refreshments will be served.

A fundraiser to directly benefit the Newstart Children’s Home in Africa will be held later this summer at a larger space than Laura’s Congress Street  Studio to accommodate all those who have expressed interest in supporting these orphans.  

Requoting Laura from a May 8th article MHN ran on her return on April 1st from overseas:  “No matter how bad your life is, there is always someone worse off than you.  I feel at peace with my life now.”
Please visit delaneysheart.org for more information.

By Carol McCracken

The ground fishermen testifying inside the Massachusetts Room were about as dismal as the inclement weather outside the Holiday Inn on Spring Street late yesterday afternoon.  A dozen or so fishermen offered their opinions to a panel of three from the New England Fishery Management Council who will make recommendations to the National Marine Fisheries Service on the Draft Amendment 16.

One of the most controversial provisions therein is the use of sectors.  A sector is a “group of fishermen who voluntarily enter into a binding agreement with each other and the government to limit their total catch to a fixed share of the total allowable catch for the fishery…Forming a sector allows fishermen to pool their resources and potentially increase revenues while fishing sustainably,” according to literature distributed.   Tom Nies, one of the Council members said:  “It should be noted that we are moving away from an output control system to a system that will rebuild ground fishing stocks.”  Sectors are an incredibly complicated system with layer upon layer of bureaucy utilizing expensive monitoring requirements which cost must be absorbed by the fishermen, fishng quotas based upon the history of catch of each of the fishermen in the sector, etc.  Troy Bichrest, a fisherman from Harpswell, did not estify publicy, but said this is “slow suffering.”

One unidentified fisherman said the Draft Amendment was so complicated that he did not want to testify and show his lack of knowledge of the subject.  He wondered why, with such  far reaching consequences, no hotline or web page had been established to answer questions from the public.  That’s the usual practice in such important matters, he said.

Jim Odlin, a ground fisherman who lives on Munjoy Hill also serves on the  Council.  “Our industry has been under turmoil for the past 20 years,  I don’t see that ending any time soon.”  Chris Odlin, from Scarborough, said:  “The sectors won’t work.  There are rules that don’t have to be there.  I see errors that I can’t do anything about.”  Sam Viola, now a former fisherman, said:  “I’m getting out of fishing because of …………like this.  Why would anyone want to get involved in this program? Does anyone care what we want?  Will anyone be left standing?” At the end of the short public hearing, the Odlin brothers agreed:  “It’s just a matter of pick your poison.  Will it be lethal injection or some other poison?”

Two more public comment session are planned on June 1st in New London, Connecticut and in S. Kingston, Rhode Island.  The final decision on Draft Amendment 16 of the Council will be made between June 23- 25 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland.

Draft Amendment 16 can be seen on the Council website at www.nefmc.org.  Paper copies are available on request by calling the Council office at 978/465-0492.

By Carol McCracken

Residents of Waterville Street on the Hill are angry that a developer is trying to get city approval to build a three unit condominium on an empty one-tenth of an acre lot for which he paid $300,000.  The matter goes to the Planning  Board for its recommendation on June 9th.

Although the three story building is within city height restrictions, because it is taller than buildings immediately around it, the new building stands to block out sunshine as well as a vista of the Portland Waterfront from some of its neighbors.  Over the weekend neighbors complained that the exterior looks like “corrugated metal” – a “penal institute” as one neighbor put it.  The neighbor said the proposed condominium doesn’t look anything like what’s around it.

Another neighbor, Mary Casale, who lives next door to the proposed condominium at 29 Waterville Street, wrote a letter to the members of the planning board and its chair, David Silk on May 18.  Ms. Casale, who is a life-long resident of the Hill, said that the developer, “Waterville Triad, LLC” does not have “clear title to all of the land it wishes to develop at 29 Waterville Street.” The letter continues:  “As you will see, the survey shows my walls on their property and this is specifically referenced in Notes 4 and 6…..Please note that the Recording Plat prepared for Waterville Triad, LLC…..conveniently does not show Notes 4 and 6.  I think of this as an attempt by Waterville Triad, LLC to avoid discussing with the Planning Board the fact that it does not own all the property it proposes to develop.”

Finally, Ms. Casale requests that the planning board deny the developers’ application based on this latest information.  However, the planning board has no authority over boundary issues such as this.

In a telephone conversation, this morning developer Peter Bass said he and Ms. Casale are currently undergoing negotiations to resolve the matter.   He said that unfortunately “Ms. Casale waited until the last minute to bring this issue up.”  Bass additionally said he hoped the matter would not be resolved in court.