Portland Yacht Services hummed with quiet efficiency on a brisk April morning as the boating season began to unfurl along Portland, Maine’s waterfront. The boatyard on West Commercial Street moved with purpose rather than panic. I walked the full-service yard with owner Phineas “Phin” Sprague Jr. and his wife Joanna, noting a steady, organized rhythm to the work.
The yard stands out for the breadth of vessels it serves: high-performance freshwater bass boats, 90-foot fishing draggers, classic wooden cruisers, tugs, ferries, lobster boats and other commercial craft that operate in Portland Harbor, wooden schooners and a wide variety of fiberglass pleasure boats. That diversity is why the shipyard invested in a 300-ton Travelift to supplement its existing 150-ton lift, enabling service for much larger commercial and pleasure vessels.
Having toured many boatyards in spring, I found this one unusually calm. There was plenty of work taking place, but no shouting or chaos. Crews were focused, empowered and competent. As we walked and talked for more than two hours across the 16-plus-acre facility, it struck me how rarely Sprague’s phone rang. In most yards at this time of year the owner is constantly fielding calls. Here, staff made decisions and got on with the job.
“They don’t need me,” Sprague said. “That lets me look to the horizon instead of at my feet. We hire good people, give them the authority to make decisions, and then get out of their way. I’m not in the trenches anymore, but I have to give them the right tools and support to do the job.”
When Sprague, now 75, envisioned a larger repair yard on West Commercial Street, his goal was practical and community-minded. “The purpose of the boatyard is to be an asset to the harbor,” he said. That means serving everything from a newly imported pleasure craft to a beloved 40-year-old convertible boat. He also wanted a business that would continue to thrive long after he’s gone.
With a grey beard and an upright carriage, Sprague carries the authority of a seasoned mariner. He began sailing at a young age and even launched a four-year circumnavigation immediately after college aboard the 72-foot schooner Mariah. Educated with a science degree from Harvard and an MBA from Northeastern, he approaches the yard with a pragmatic, service-oriented mindset. “This is a service business,” he said. “People have to trust you, and trust comes from reputation.”
Sprague is proud that his company has never had to lay anyone off. “People want to work here,” he said. “We treat them well. It’s a family, and family comes first. I set the standard of behavior. If you can’t take care of each other, you can’t take care of your customers.”
The Right Partner
Joanna has been Sprague’s partner in life and business for decades. They met in 1973 while Mariah was in a Florida yard, and Joanna later joined the crew in Panama. The couple married aboard the schooner in Bali on Christmas Day, 1975. Joanna’s background—growing up around a family marina and working as a registered nurse—helped shape her practical contributions to the business. She oversees day-to-day shipyard operations and has played a leading role in running the Maine Boatbuilders Show.
Together they raised three children and are grandparents to six. “Joanna is mother to everybody,” Sprague said. “She’s always managed the office and ensured things worked. There were many times she walked the railroad tracks in tears over payroll, but she kept it going. It couldn’t have been done without her.”
Expansion
In the early 2000s the Spragues planned to expand by moving from their 10-acre site on Fore Street to a larger industrial parcel on the west waterfront, transforming a contaminated brownfield into a working shipyard. The process included remediation plans, permits and community outreach. A major setback came when the Maine Department of Transportation acquired 18 acres by eminent domain for a shipping company, delaying construction. The delay was painful, but the yard eventually opened and now enjoys solid relationships with neighbors.
Portland Yacht Services now serves roughly 12,000 customers and stores about 350 boats each winter. After starting with a hydraulic trailer and boat ramp, the yard added a 150-ton Travelift and later upgraded to a 300-ton unit in 2018. The larger hoist allows the yard to handle ferries, commercial fishing boats, fire and pilot boats and the biggest pleasure craft in the harbor. Space is at a premium, and Sprague says there’s room for one more large building on the property.
Rather than hire specialists for every task, Sprague often uses subcontractors for short-term needs to avoid overstaffing and potential layoffs. “The business is different now,” he said. “We’re growing fast and need to find efficiencies.”
Sprague credits his business education with helping him run the shipyard: knowing costs, estimating jobs accurately, maintaining certifications and training, and managing profitability. “An existing customer is proven cash flow,” he said. “If we take really good care of them, we’ll have them until they time out. Profitability determines the pace of growth.” On occasion the yard will part ways with a customer who doesn’t fit the system: “If we can’t make you happy, this isn’t the place for you.”
Mentors
Rowing crew at Harvard taught Sprague the value of pushing beyond limits and the strength of teamwork. Those lessons inform how he leads the business and supports sail training. He’s a founding president of SailMaine, a community small-boat sailing program, and supports the schooner Harvey Gamage, a 131-foot sail-training vessel that the yard maintains.
Sprague’s earliest memories of the sea go back to a 13-foot flat-bottom skiff from his family’s saltwater farm on Cape Elizabeth. He remembers being rescued more than once by local lobsterman Stan Doughty, who guided him back to shore with a mix of quiet authority and encouragement. Those early mentors left a lasting mark.
He learned to sail at Prouts Neck Yacht Club and taught himself many practical skills that later shaped his life. Geology studies in college helped him interpret charts during his circumnavigation and deepened his appreciation for coastal and seabed features. “It was an around-the-world geology field trip,” he said, reflecting on how those studies aided navigation in remote waters.
Schooner Man
While pursuing his MBA, Sprague began working on boats, eventually opening Portland Yacht Services with Joanna after operating from a potato barn and later a vacant building on Fore Street. He also launched the Maine Boatbuilders Show, a gathering that celebrated traditional craftsmanship and knowledgeable exhibitors—until the pandemic ended the event.
Sprague describes himself as a “heretic” who relishes going against the grain. He quotes George Bernard Shaw to explain his outlook: the unreasonable person who insists the world change is often the agent of progress. That mindset fits his passion for schooners—he owns four, including Lion’s Whelp, Tar Baby, Harvey Gamage and Westward. “I wanted a schooner since I was a kid,” he said. “They were the pickup trucks of their day—dependable, sea-kindly and well designed.”
Still, Sprague serves boats of all types. “Don’t look at a boat through your own eyes,” he advised. “A good boat does what you want it to do efficiently.” The yard’s summer schedule includes work on multihulls, modern plumb-bow speedsters, vintage cruisers, aluminum workboats, scallopers, ferries and family classics passed down through generations.
This summer Sprague plans to cruise the inland waterways off the Strait of Belle Isle aboard Lion’s Whelp, seeking the same hidden coves and friendly communities that fascinated him as a youngster. “The people there are wonderful,” he said. “It feels like everyone watches out for one another.” In many ways his life—anchored by family, mentorship and a commitment to craft—has come full circle.
This article was originally published in the August 2023 issue.