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

When two distinct features line up one behind the other as seen from your vessel, they form a line of position, commonly called a range line. Before GPS and other electronic fixes, mariners relied on ranges to keep centered in a channel and to know when to alter course. Even with modern electronics aboard, using … Read more

Peter Ralston has spent more than forty years photographing the coast of Maine. His introduction to the region came in 1978 when Betsy Wyeth, wife of the painter Andrew Wyeth, brought him north. While working on one of the Wyeth family’s islands in 1980, Ralston met Philip Conkling; together they founded The Island Institute to … Read more

Calvin Beal Jr. still remembers the incident clearly enough to understand why Osmond Beal was furious. It happened around 1980, by Calvin’s estimate—he’s 79 now and admits the memory is a little hazy—but the essential facts remain vivid. Colby Young and his twin brothers, Arvin and Arvid, began visiting the boatbuilders on Beals Island with … Read more

Is the Anchor Becoming Obsolete for Fishing? The short answer is: not entirely. As a general safety item, an anchor remains essential aboard any boat. But for anglers—especially those targeting bottom species like blackfish (tog)—new positioning technologies can reduce or even replace the need to deploy traditional anchors during fishing. Based on personal experience, these … Read more

Chesapeake Bay Buyboats: Working Boats Turned Treasures The Chesapeake Bay is renowned for its crabs, oysters, and the hardworking boats that have supported the region’s seafood industry for more than a century. Bugeyes, skipjacks, log canoes and deadrise workboats are all part of the Bay’s maritime heritage, and several key vessels are preserved and operated … Read more

Last fall, aboard their 1986 Grand Banks Snow Goose, Onne and Tenley van der Wal set out for Florida with a goal: explore quieter, lesser-traveled places. Below are the highlights of their favorite stops along the Intracoastal Waterway and nearby rivers, each offering distinct scenery, wildlife and local character. Tangier Island, VA Onne had long … Read more

On a cold November morning in Little Compton, Rhode Island, three fishermen sit in a field, patching the worn net of a large floating trap. The season for hauling has finished weeks earlier, and the months of mending and preparing nets are nearly done. This quiet end-of-season work is part of the long seasonal rhythm … Read more