Weve had problems ever since.. It never gets old. For a couple of years some of my cousins, siblings and I had been going out to Monhegan Island for one or two nights each summer. But lately, since that July morning two years ago, when Vance Bunker shot Chris Young-and the islands clan-based, sometimes brutish culture was suddenly the stuff of cable-TV newsthe islanders devotion, while no less total, has stiffened and turned fearful. It used to be you fished here, you lived here, Clayton Philbrook says. We all of us out here would.. Their cottage was slowly deteriorating; eventually it will collapse into the island and disappear if not bought, restored and maintained. I had two 10-year-olds this year already laying traps. Thats just how it works.. Bunker repelled Young with a can of pepper spray. I unfortunately did not get down to the harbor then for a picture of their ship. Matinicus is not a forest preserve, its an island where people work and live. Of course rubber boots, work gloves, oilskins, hoodie sweatshirts, Stabilicers, and Smartwools are always in style as are hand-knit socks, ridiculous multi-colored reading glasses, and flannel anything. She was a Ripley, she had a store here once, she was married to an Ames. It goes on and on: this person, that house, this husband, that wife. For most of the morning, hed been working on the engine, but the rain was a torrent now, so we were waiting it out in the truck. The island is now part of the U.S. (He was no angel, remembers Suzanne Rankin, who walked the western shore herself. Since there are no stores, except for a "bakery" which operates out of a residential kitchen in the summer, many islanders have their own gardens. Cottage Connection of Maine Vacation Rentals Since 1993. Producer/Host: Crash Barry This week on Tough Island, Maine, a tragedy strikes the sheep living on Wheaton Island and an island wedding where Captain Edwin and Crash show up wearing the same outfit. It was somewhere along this cycle that the first real damage was done. Vance Bunker turned 70 this year, a large, grizzled man with broad shoulders, ham-size hands, and a weathered face. Islanders have also reduced their electricity and heating use though community-wide initiatives for weatherization and lighting upgrades. There was nothing legally binding in anything they decided; a licensed lobsterman, as far as the law is concerned, can set his traps anywhere he chooses. The protagonist, Gil Hodges, has gone to the Island . Matinicus has a one-room island On Matinicus Island, until that July morning two years ago, it was still that time. At some point Janan Miller yelled Hey! and pointed the shotgun at the stepbrothers. This is Aunt Belles house, [someone will say]. The runway is usable year round, and permission is needed to land. And these did not prevent really restful nights. See Up the coast without a car for details. The inn doesnt have a sea view but I think the ocean couldnt have been more than 20 or so yards away from the trees that lined the property. It was a walk along and then at the end of the Main Street, where the school, church, parsonage/post office and cemetery are. There was a time, Philbrook says, when he had thoughts of leaving the island: He went to college, took courses in aerospace engineering (I thought maybe I wanted to go into space), switched to biology, then to photographybut nothing clicked. If you cant do that, or you wont, then theres no place for you. I cant make out their engines, but I feel certain they were smaller, tooand slower, built for a lazier, more generous time. But from what we witnessed, islanders work and live there in those ways that they wish. Thats the way were built here. See Up the coast without a car for details. It was good enough to have our gear get a ride from the first truck that went by. (Also off the coast of Maine, but somewhat closer to the mainland.) Rockland, ME 04841, SITE DESIGNED & DEVELOPED BY NORTHEAST MEDIA COLLECTIVE. ), Out on the water, Nat said, Youre close to your work, youre wet, its noisy, its real, sort of like farming must have been at one time. Lisa, for her part, talked about the silenceYou listen carefully, you hear individual things: the wind, the bell buoys, the generator at nightand the spareness of day-to-day life: That whole Walmart mentality, theres none of that out here. You walk. The man was a lobsterman but not terribly successful it seems. I am sure that demons need to be wrestled to the ground there as with everywhere else. Thanks to our readers and especially our supporters who help to keep PenBayPilot.com an open and accessible community hub. Theres a war going on in coastal Maine, where renegade crustacean gangs are forcing people to grope for their guns, was how one national magazine painted the scene, ludicrously, late last year. With everything else about 2020, it aint the weather. Matinicus Island can be reached by sea or air. As the ferry cautiously made its way into the picturesque Matinicus Harbor, there was simple beauty all around. The pair find inspiration amid . He wasnt talking about the lawsuit. Out past Isle au Haut, past Monhegan, past Metinic, approximately 22 miles out in the middle of the Gulf of Maine, sits Matinicus Island, a 750-acre granite tooth covered with black spruce. Still, after years of islanders begging, Doc, really---cant I just describe it to you over the telephone? because a trip to the mainland physicians office would run over $500 in transportation, hotel, and lost worknot including the doctors billfinally the doc is in agreement that yeah, that probably would be a good idea. If you had something heavy to pick up and transfer, then just wait for high tide. Not all are grouped together; a cluster of Condons might be resting in a corner among Youngs. The community has been exploring alternatives, including solar and battery storage. Join for as little as $2.99 per month and support local journalism on a community hub that serves everyone. It is also, by an accident of topographyits distance from the mainland, which makes for less freshwater runoff, plus the mix of shoals and deepwater channels that surround itthe site of the richest lobster grounds on earth. 2023 Island Institute. For example, the rest of the country is realizing that siblings learning side-by-side is just not that weird. [Vance Bunkers wife, Sari] dont see that, I dont think. Island Living and Accommodations: During the field season, 4-6 people live and work on the island. Its needed, no one else is doing it and it works. When outside we could hear some nearby cows, but neither that sound nor their atmosphere made it into our bedroom windows. Walking the length of the islandtwo miles, an easy hours walkthe main thing you feel is the stillness. The first of these was on a Tuesday and the next that following Thursday, which would permit a two day stay on the island. Upon returning to the school, we found a surprise left at the door by the brothers' uncle, who just happens to be a lobsterman -- imagine that. Then it didnt matter if it was your worst enemy; you were there for thembecause you knew youd need the same if it was you. We didnt do very much. info@islandinstitute.org, 386 Main St. And with the new hydraulic trap haulers, all you had to do was twist a handle and up they came. There was plenty of money, a close family, a lifetime of friendships, a job you were good at, the respect of almost everyone you knew. If you are not a supporter, please consider becoming one today. A gentle, funny giant He drove a boat like it was an extension of his body Kind and generous, tough and strong ). She told me about a social-studies exhibit the islanders had planned: Captains of Matinicus, put together by the captains of the islands lobster boats. But there was no time for a fire in the old stone hearth. Pools of water formed among the rocks by the receding tide, leaving behind small crabs and other marine life to be discovered by curious students. We are grateful to those who already participate. On my last day on the island, I went to see her there and bought a small, dreamy photo, taken years ago, of a rainbow over Matinicus Harbor. Together we drove up Maines coastal highway, Route 1, initially encountering the morning shift heading to the Bath Iron Works, but little in the way of summer crowds since this was still before Memorial Day. It had all changed so fast. But the couples primary home was on the mainland; some said their island house wasnt even winterized. Physicians are also being forced to adjust to a reality where not every hangnail must be seen in the office. Their current ship, at 75 feet and drawing 7 feet, is the Sunbeam V (there have been four other Sunbeams since 1912), and she had arrived in the harbor that day. Harold had bested me in bringing less, simply a large beach towel draped over his shoulders (Douglas Adams would be pleased) and some peanut butter crackers. The little photo I bought that day, of the rainbow over the harbor, hangs now over my desk at home. All this Philbrook explained to me one rainy spring morning, as we sat together in the cab of his pickup, parked that day at the Matinicus dock, the site of the shooting in July 2009. Twelve or 13 of them, I guess, came in and told stories, showed photos, shared their memories, she said. Maybe we go for a walk alone, or out to cut firewood, or we hang clothes on the line. One couple, in addition to having an amazing vegetable garden, has the only cows on the island (4), as well as chickens, ducks, and turkeys. A bright sun peaked over an island across the sound and it promised to be a clear day, one where the blue in the sky will be surpassed only by the deeper blue reflecting from the water. He was full of great stories and had a way about him that reminds one of a kindler, gentler Burgess Meredith in the Rocky movies. In the meantime a nice lady came by and threw our bags into the back of her truck to deposit them for us at the runways edge. The name Matinicus means "far-out island" in Abenaki, and Penobscot People used the island while fishing and sealing. Matinicus Island, the largest land mass in the archipelago, spans approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) in length and 1-mile (1.6 km) in width for an area of about 720 acres (290 ha). Its become a cherished tradition. His boat, the Samantha J., was tied up alongside. Overall, our two days out on Matinicus made for a very special visit and I especially am glad we saw it before the summer season really began. Seurasaari. Here you do it yourself, or you get a neighbor to help you. It works. Im forever getting helped, by this person or that. Being the school teacher in this very tightly knit island community apparently has its benefits! Danger and illness aside, one might argue that wintertime island life is something like 2020 with a scenic view. We should have taken heed of the number of lawn chairs out for rest in the gardens. A fragile, prized way of life, unchanged for generations, has never seemed more in peril. . Our May window was timed on Tuesday to arrive one hour before highest tide and on Thursday one hour after highest tide. But we were a bit unsure and as yet too shy to just knock on a random house door. Those still left, their lobstering grounds now within range of any mainlander with a diesel engine, began drawing the lines tighter around the islandprotecting your bottom, it was called. In many of the rest, scores of green or yellow lobster traps are stacked head-high, sometimes alongside the scraped-clean hulk of an old boat or dory. That's the island way! We stayed at what was once an inn, but now the innkeeper has retired. Another reason there are so few ferry runs is that they can only land (and depart) at Matinicus at high tide. No cars, few people, great hikes (most of the island is a forest preserve) wonderful sunrises and sunsets and the quiet that only comes from being miles out to sea. Refreshments can found at a coffee shop and seafood is available at an outdoors beach shack and even in a very fine restaurant. Not really needing to take anyone else at the moment the pilot told us to climb in. Hes the last guy on the island I would have expected this from. She then chased us down, which at our rate of walking was not hard, to tell us she was wrong, its actually one left and then one right. Matinicus is on the flyway for a number of migratory birds. In fact, less than 100 people live there year-round on this island that covers an area of less than 10 square miles. After living through 2020, everybody grasps how whether we can more or less stay on the rails may have something to do with whether we have a hobby (other than rum, I mean). It was the communitys heart; it had begun as a chandlery a hundred years before, and later was a general store. Open to all, supported by readers. Shes a little like a rainbow herself: stout and graying but full of wonderful old stories that paint pictures and cast spells. CW: domestic violence, death of animals About the host: Writer Crash Barry lives near a cannabis grove in the foothills of western Maine. The rest of the world is learning, as we have always understood, that holidays are adjustable, celebrations flexible, no exceptions. You can call our office at (207) 594-9209. You learn how little you need. It seems almost of a different world. school that is overseen by a part-time superintendent and a three-person school board. Today he makes his living on the island, doing carpentry jobs and occasional legal work, collecting taxes, helping out at the schoolhouse, and hauling lobsters from a motorless, oak-and-cedar peapod-style rowboat he calls the Sweet Pea. Grants and Scholarships Portal Apply Here, Download Matinicus Community Profile (PDF), Steamboat Wharf, a publicly accessible ferry landing, Power station generating electricity for the island. There was some shouting. Not even one. Nowadays you can even text in a photo of that hangnail. However it happened, traps were cut, tempers flared, violence was threatened. By the early 1990s, at least a few were getting rich. Be sure to check the most recent online schedule. She has skillfully woven the plot into the background of living on a small island off the coast of Maine, supported mainly by the lobster industry. Five years ago, a member of the Ames clan, whod left Matinicus years before but never stopped lobstering its waters, began hiring someone else to work his traps. Mostly, he talked about the business of lobstering: how the cost of bait and fuel had gone through the roof, while the price being paid for a pound of lobster was making it hard to get by. We were nestled in a small clearing with fresh breezes blowing through the house. People do more than one thing.) In the end, though, it is the islands willfulness, more than anything elsemore even than its isolationthat sets this place apart. A ferry could come out on Friday still, but by Saturday that window may be closed for another couple of weeks. He had built for them a small bridge over a creek to cut their well trips down by around 50 feet, but they didnt use it. We made it back eventually. Many of the apples are quite sour, but there are also good ones, and the locals know where they are! He didnt. Thats how things are when you have to fight to survive. It's also not the lawless, wild pioneer village some have made it out to be. And I needed the break, having been traveling for almost a month at this point. More time passed; the economy soured. Spend your days strolling the island and collecting seashells on quiet beaches, and your evenings relaxing in a comfortable living room with a flatscreen TV. The only opportunity for food, other than what we brought with us, was to buy hard-as-rock hard shell lobsters from the fishermen at the dock and steam them ourselves in the inns kitchen. As the natives are fond of saying: You live here because you love it, or you dont live here at all. The mail will be late. They had since been taken to the mainland due to health issues and probably have passed away now. What a glorious natural classroom! The next day, a day you couldnt have seen coming, you back the wrong horse, play chicken with a couple of kids who arent 16 anymore, then pull a trigger in anger or fear. Then she stopped. As of fall 2020, the school has no enrolled students but stands ready to hire a teacher and welcome children as needed. Back last spring everybody in America was waiting for butter and flour and toilet paper. Finishing off over 3 lbs of lobster each is serious business, requiring a relentless commitment with no distractions tolerated. Designer handbags are not useful, and neither are sport jackets, ties, panty hose, or any of that complicated architectural underwear they try to sell women to make us look other than how nature intends. When Lisa finally didshed been talking about neighborliness and the response to the post-office fireit was so unexpected, and came in such a half-whispered seethe, it felt almost like an eruption: Its such a fragile system we have here. Its hard times for everyone, he said. I once headed out to Matinicus in a 22-foot sailboat with old canvas and a sputtering Evinrude. Or even just get a cup of coffee and some conversation. The sand was dark and very fine. We weaved through hundreds of colorful lobster pot buoys; the captain skillfully avoiding them remarkably. They invited us over on Sunday to watch the Patriots game, using an old-time antenna to receive the signal. The ship lurched upwards as the dump truck with its heavy load drove off the ferry, onto the ramp. You have to shovel the snow, sit on the school board, go to meetings, do the workyou have to share the load. While youre at it you can also paint the dogs nails. There is a library of books in his study, enough for a lifetime of reading, which I expect they had provided. Itll take five minutes. There [on the mainland], when you want your car fixed, you go to the garage. They warned him, then cut his traps. Just about any Matinicus story you read (and there have been dozens, especially since the shooting) is going to have you believe that its either a rogue outpost of inbred, gun-happy cowboysPirate Island is a common referenceor a quaint little throwback to some simpler time. There have been so many changes to school. Islesboro, and our destination, Matinicus Island. I rang the state ferry in Rockland and indeed it was already canceled. Matinicus Island, 22 miles out to sea from Rockland, is Maine's most remote offshore community. It's only a 15-minute flight so we never got very high, resulting in amazing views. Its unique culture has been little understood by the outside world. There is a year round population of maybe around 40,making a living lobstering mostly. If one were to follow the South by Southeast heading to Matinicus harbor, steering from Owls Head Light outside of the Rockland Harbor breakwater, and should one manage to miss the landing at Matinicus, the next landfall on that heading would be along South Americas northern coast.
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