Fog At The Waterfront

We are experiencing a typical spring on Nantucket. Foggy and rainy. It's going by fast! Almost Memorial Day. In any event, I went down to the waterfront early this morning to have a look around and grab a few shots.

The new Ropewalk Restaurant.




Visit my new blog!

CLICK HERE FOR MY NEW BLOG



CLICK HERE FOR MY NEW BLOG

Spring At The Waterfront

Spring has finally arrived at the waterfront after a long cold and windy spell. I went down early this morning to have a look around as I do every morning of the year. The Boat Basin is very quiet now. Only a few charter boats are in for the season. The old Rope Walk restaurant is being worked on and will change names for the summer. The next big event is the dreaded Figawi drunk fest on Memorial Day Weekend. I stay as far away from the waterfront and docks as I can that weekend. Every year during Figawi I go over to Tuckernuck and stay in a house over there while the Figawi drunks and the people they bring over here with them trash our waterfront and town. Here are a few scenes from this morning-

On a somber note, we lost a good man down at the waterfront recently. Kevin Madden passed over the bar this week. I knew Kevin a long time. He was a big man with a raspy voice. He crewed on Tommy Dunham's boat for many years. He always used to tell me how much he loved being out on the water every morning bay scalloping with the guys. I would always talk with Kevin whenever I saw him at the docks. He would talk about scalloping and the good old days with me. When he wasn't scalloping, you could find him driving his taxi. I will miss him.

BUCK OF THE WEEK:

This buck held onto his antlers for a long time. The bucks I have been documenting on all my trail cams around the island shed their antlers by March at the latest. Notice the abnormal right side with only the one point. Most likely he damaged that side during velvet causing the stunted growth.

Karsten's New Charter Boat

There's a new charter boat down at the waterfront. Karsten Reinemo recently took delivery of his new boat. She's a Williams Marine 36. She replaces Karsten's 34 Parker. I went down to the docks today to have a look at her and grabbed a few shots-

For those of you who have asked me, she has a 370 horsepower Cummings engine and cruises at 21 knots. She was built for the previous owner in 2002 and has very low hours. I spoke with Karsten today and he told me he plans on installing bow thrusters in her making it easier to back into a slip seeing as though she's only single screw.

BUCK OF THE WEEK:
Almost all of the bucks I've been tracking since last spring have shed their antlers. I ended up finding 14 antlers this year. Two matched sets out of the 14. I found 29 antlers last winter. 4 matched sets out of those 29. I did not find any at my antler trap. This little spike horn was a regular every night this winter at the trap-

My Tribute To Marina

We lost a great woman. Marina Finch passed over the bar last night. I knew Marina for a long time. She was the only woman scalloper in the fleet who ran her own boat. Marina used to crew on Neil Cocker's boat. Neil taught her a lot about scalloping and how to run a boat. She eventually left Neil's boat and bought Gibby Nickerson's little old Grady White. Gibby caught a lot of scallops in that boat, now it was Marina's turn. Marina jumped right in and started to learn how to catch scallops herself in her own boat. She was constantly getting good-natured ribbing from the guys down around the dock seeing she was the only woman in an all male oriented job. But she took all of it in stride and always with a smile on her face and a laugh. She wasn't a quitter. She did very well her first season alone in that little boat. She would always ask me about the wind and how hard it was going to blow and if she could go out scalloping if it was windy. I always told her not to miss any days due to wind. Especially in November. When she stayed tied to the dock because of wind, I would always needle her asking why she didn't go that day. She would always just laugh and smile. Marina fished a few years out of the little Grady White. Then Karsten Reinemo was selling his 23' Sea Ox. Marina couldn't pass it up and bought the boat. Her new Sea Ox was a huge step up from her little Grady. She was nervous. She kept asking me if she was going to be able to handle a big boat like the Sea Ox. I fish out of a 23' Sea Ox as well. I told Marina that it was completely different than her little old Grady. Wider, heavier and much more stable. I told her she could fish in any kind of wind with her new boat. That made her more nervous. I said she could not miss a day due to wind or weather with her Sea Ox. Anyway, I helped her rig the boat for scalloping as did other guys who knew her. We got her all set up so she could run the boat. At first she was scared running the boat and scalloping out of it. But eventually she learned and had a great first season scalloping. She didn't miss many days her first season with the Sea Ox. And of course if she did because she thought it was too windy, I would always pester her and ask her why she didn't go out scalloping now that she had a nice big heavy boat. She would always laugh and smile. Marina's favorite place to fish was Hussey Shoal. She learned every little spot on that shoal. One day this year she caught her limit of scallops on Hussey Shoal. I was fishing up harbor and when I came in, she was already at the dock unloading. That was the first time she beat me in. Of course I told her she couldn't ever beat me in!!! It wasn't right! She laughed and smiled. The waterfront will not be the same without Marina. We all will miss her. Here are a few pictures of Marina I have taken throughout the years-

Marina scalloping in her Grady White off First Bend, Coatue. Circa 2008.
Marina scalloping in her Grady White.
Marina opening her scallops at George Andrew's Shanty on Old North Wharf.
Her first year scalloping out of a 23' Sea Ox.
Her little Grady White.
Her Grady White boat.

Marina scalloping out of her Grady White off Moneymoy.
Where Marina kept her scallop boat on Straight Wharf. Empty now.

Flowers left for Marina where she used to keep her scallop boat on Straight Wharf.

Dragger & Sea Scalloper

Very windy on around the waterfront today. We have not seen any wind all winter. During my daily lurk of the waterfront today I spotted a dragger and a sea scalloper tied to the east face of Straight Wharf. I walked down and a had a look see. The sea scalloper was the Inspiration. She has been here before. The dragger was the Hera. I have never heard of her before or have seen her here before. Here are a few pictures of the old girls-




I thought nets were required to be covered with a tarp if the boat was not actively fishing?
BUCK OF THE WEEK:

I'm continuing to get a lot of deer on the 10 trail cams I have set up around the island. I have been using an antler trap for a couple of months. The bucks are showing up every night but they are not leaving any antlers at the trap. I'll keep trying. Here are videos of a big six point at the trap-

My Hungry Tag-Along

This late in the commercial bay scallop season, the seagulls are desperate and hungry. They will land on my boat and wait for me to hand them a free meal. And if you turn your back on them they will swoop down and steal a scallop right out of your wire basket on the culling board. The other morning while scalloping I had a hungry tag-along. He begged me for food. I hand fed him some scallops. A good way to pass the time during a long tow.



Click on the pictures below for videos-

BUCK OF THE WEEK:

I set up one of my white flash trail cameras in a thick cedar forest recently and got some interesting pictures including these of a buck and a cat. The cat won the standoff.