Rolling swells slid beneath the hull as Capt. Brandon Ballay eased the boat past the mouth of South Pass, one of the main outlets that funnel water from the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico. A third-generation guide, Ballay knows the Delta like the back of his hand. We began the morning fishing near … Read more

The moment I scrambled across the seaweed-covered rocks onto Eastern Egg Rock and spotted Theresa Rizza’s hat, I realized I was in for an ordeal. Rizza, a 28-year-old bird researcher from California and the seasonal supervisor on this seven-acre seabird sanctuary off the coast of Maine, wore a wide-brimmed hat completely plastered with bird droppings. … Read more

Lauren Tolla struggled to process what her senses were telling her — the sight, the smell, the feel. It was October 2021 when her husband, Tom, convinced her to go see a boat he’d found on Facebook Marketplace. They drove from their Guilford, Connecticut home up to New London, where rain from the previous day … Read more

David Szewczul, 29, is a principal specialist in engineering and finance at Pratt & Whitney in Connecticut, where he manages budgets and financial planning for a team of jet propulsion engineers in both commercial and military aviation. Meticulous and hands-on with numbers, he is also an avid fisherman with a deep passion for tuna fishing. … Read more

Why Lyman Boats Endure: A Legacy of Craftsmanship on Lake Erie Jude Guerra grew up with a Lyman in the family almost as soon as he could walk. His grandfather owned several wooden Lymans from the original Lyman Boat Works, passing them to Jude’s father, who passed the passion on to him. Over time the … Read more

To a newcomer, the moment steam from the wood-fired boiler reaches Dodo’s engine is an audiovisual marvel. As owner Paul Hylton methodically opens valves and pulls levers, the boiler room fills with creaks, moans and steady hisses while the US Navy Type K 1918 two-cylinder engine comes to life. The initial clatter quickly settles into … Read more

In recent decades, trawlers have surged in popularity as more boaters embrace a cruising lifestyle built around long-distance, leisurely travel. Many new trawler owners are converts from sailing; they sought similar cruising experiences but preferred the comfort and convenience of a powerboat. Marc Mittelman, a former sailor who bought a Nordhavn 43 five years ago, … Read more

Virginia Oliver, Maine’s Iconic Lobsterman, Dies at 105 Virginia Oliver, who became internationally known as Maine’s oldest lobster fisherman, passed away on January 21, 2026, in Rockland at the age of 105. A symbol of active aging and the resilience of Maine’s maritime communities, Oliver continued working the water until she was 102. Soundings interviewed … Read more

Tom and Carol Donlan discovered Spirit in 2005 after nearly three decades of shared time on the water. Spirit began life as a Ralph Stanley lobster-boat design, with a deck by Jarvis Newman of Southwest Harbor, Maine, and a pilothouse with a flybridge conceived by Lee S. Wilbur. Wilbur finished the vessel as a yacht … Read more

Lance Cunningham’s connection to boats began in childhood. Raised in Rumson, New Jersey, near the Navesink River, he remembers being dropped off at church for kindergarten and slipping away to the water instead. Those early days of skipping school to spend time on the river led naturally to summers working at the local boatyard—“Paul’s Boats”—where … Read more