The Maine Coast Part V

We are still in the Mid-Coast Region of Maine, and the locals say that if you are looking for an authentic Maine experience, this is it. Our visit to the Mid-Coast Region has been a wet one, but that is the perfect excuse to visit Rockland's downtown art galleries. In our wanderings, we happened upon The Island Institute, a local non-profit agency. Their mission is to:

• support the islands' year-round communities;
• conserve Maine's island and marine biodiversity for future generations;
• develop model solutions that balance the needs of the coast's cultural and natural communities;
• provide opportunities for discussion over responsible use of finite resources, and provide information to assist competing interests in arriving at constructive solutions.

At one time, there were year-round residents on 300 islands along Maine's coast. Today, only 15 islands house year-round residents. The Island Institute works with island residents to develop sustainable year-round island communities.

We were intrigued by their Island Fellows Program, where individuals can live in the community and assist with schools, libraries, town offices, fish co-ops, and art programs. This might be a great opportunity for us after our return from the Peace Corps.

Rockland is home to more Windjammers than any other port in the United States. I've never heard of a Windjammer before - a canoe, kayak, pirogue, sailboat, motor boat, etc. - but not a Windjammer. I figured it was a really big ship with multiple masts and sails. Unfortunately, all the Windjammers were "Closed for the Season," and we didn't spot any. But we did see hundreds of fishing vessels!


Rockland is also known as The Lobster Capital of the World, and naturally hosts the Maine Lobster Festival every August. We've seen some wonderful photographs and read stories of the Crate Races from years past and thought we'd share in the excitement!

An article from the Maine Lobster Festival website:

An extremely popular and fun event, contestants from all over the world take a shot at navigating a string of 50 partially submerged lobster crates. The winner is the person who runs the most crates before falling into the chilly Atlantic ocean.

In recent years a young man from Austria won the race with over 2000 crates crossed before he fell into the cold waters of the harbor. The NEW all-time record, set in 2008 is 4,501 crates, run by Andrew Bachiochi, a 12-year-old participant from Stafford Springs, Conn. The previous record was held by a midcoast girl, Susan Lundquist, who managed 3,007! That record took 25 years to break!

The "Great International William Atwood Lobster Crate Race" is open to anyone brave enough to risk falling into the chilly ocean with thousands of people watching your every move! Sign up for the Crate Race occurs the day of the race, Sunday, August 2, 2009 at the Information Booth starting at 7:00 am. Be there early as the spots fill up quickly and space is limited!