Tales of the Sea

The other morning on my walk down Commercial Street here in Portland, I was watching the lobster boats unload at the wharf. Diesels were rumbling and seagulls circling, hoping for a morning snack. A busy working harbor before much of the city is awake. A school bus rolled past me with kids’ faces pressed to the windows. A few of them looked out at the fishing boats like it was a totally new sight...

Today I want to talk about a discovery humans have taken for granted for thousands of years — something woven into every great voyage in history. Every age of discovery, every battle at sea, every whaling hunt, every shipwreck — held together, quite literally, by miles and miles of it. And yet, almost no one ever thinks about it. My guest today however does. Tim Queeney is the author of Rope: How...

Today we’re going to be talking about what I consider to be one of the most mysterious and fascinating subjects when it comes to the sea. Shipwrecks. What is it about a shipwreck that gets into our blood? Is it the mystery? The tragedy? The loss of life and the grief of those who lost loved ones. Or is it the feeling that somewhere beneath those waves, history is still waiting to be discovered? My...

Many of you, I’m guessing, are familiar with the novel Treasure Island – the classic adventure of young Jim Hawkins who finds a map to a pirate’s buried treasure and embarks on a perilous voyage with a colorful crew including the infamous Long John Silver. You may also be familiar with another work, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – the story of a respected London doctor who discovers...

Today I want to take a look at those strange-looking, gelatinous, floating blobs in the sea that often look like deflated balloons with long strings attached. In fact, this summer, beachgoers along the coast of Maine where I live, have observed some of these creatures as large as five feet in diameter, trailing tentacles as long as 100 feet. These sea creatures are collectively known as JELLYFISH...

After 30 years on board a wide range of ships, my guest today, Capt. Elliot Rappaport has shared his knowledge of the weather in a fascinating and engaging narrative published in 2023, it’s titled, Reading the Glass, a book that in my humble opinion (one shared by many reviewers as well) should be essential reading for every sailor – no matter their experience or background. Enjoy.

Today we’re going to be talking about an important Portland, Maine based organization that concentrates on the preservation and protection of the seas around us – The Friends of Casco Bay. As I look out from my studio at the beautiful waters of Casco Bay, I find myself thinking - this place is gorgeous, this bay is a playground for sailors, kayakers, fisherman and boaters. The islands are taken ca...

Today we're going to be talking about caviar, salted, processed fish eggs, or roe, the only kind that can truly be called caviar. Because it comes from various species of the anadromous fish, more commonly known as sturgeon. As early as the ninth century, the joys of eating caviar were on record over the centuries, this nutrient rich food was famously served by Russian czars, middle Eastern Shaws,...

Today we're going to be talking about kelp. Yep, seaweed. Alright. Kelp is not synonymous with seaweed, but they are related, and those in the know tend to use the terms interchangeably. The question we'll examine is this; is kelp one of the resources that will help sustain our planet and its ever-growing population in the future. My guest today is Liz McDonald. Liz is responsible for farming part...

I'm pleased to welcome as my guest today a multidisciplined and passionate advocate for the Sea, Alexandra Doudera. What Alexandra has accomplished in a very short period is quite extraordinary. As a young girl growing up in Camden, Maine, she formed a deep and lasting connection with the ocean. I'll use her own words here. “I felt called to it. It was an almost unavoidable consequence of spending...

Today’s topic is an aquatic creature that has been on the planet since the Cretaceous Period – that’s about 145 million years ago. Indigenous tribes in the state of Maine were catching and consuming this tasty fin fish in the local rivers and streams for thousands of years – using handmade traps that pre-date the pyramids at Giza. Yup, we’re talking about the creature commonly known as the Eel. An...

A short time ago one of my sisters was looking through a box of correspondence – letters from my father to his sister in the days following World War II. That’s a lifetime ago – 83 years – the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor having pulled America into the war. John Winkworth, my father, had enlisted in the Navy and reported for training in the winter of 1943. My dad was 24 when he enlisted – and h...

The winter of 2023-24 saw a series of fierce storms that reshaped the main landscape. The storms battered landmarks and waterfront communities. Most of us hunkered inside, did not venture out to face the storms fury and impact. Unprecedented rains flooded Western and central Maine with sustained winds of 35 to 40 miles per hour gusting well beyond that, bringing additional damage to the state. My...

My guest today is an ocean policy specialist. He didn’t start there… after college Michael Conathan worked as a journalist, a children’s book editor, and a Hollywood Screenwriter. But the ocean has always had a hold on him and now he’s got over15 years of experience working on making things happen on international, federal, and regional marine initiatives. Lately he has been focused on growing the...

It might have been predicted that my guest today would become enchanted with the sea. As a young boy, while spending summers on an island off the idyllic coast of Maine, Trevor Corson, was surrounded by beautiful clean, cold waters – the perfect habitat for oysters, shrimp, mussels, scallops, fish and of course the famous Maine lobsters. Today he is the author of two highly acclaimed books – inclu...

My guest today is Andrew McCracken, a current PhD student at the University of Vermont. Andrew is on a quest along with his fellow marine biologists to discover possible answers to a pending crisis for these fragile creatures known as starfish - or more accurately, sea stars. I wanted to begin by hearing his thoughts on why this ancient creature has held such fascination for people all over the wo...

My guest today took a highly unusual path to the sea. Anna Conathan is a standup comedienne, actor, television comedy writer, life-coach, and most recently a working stern man on a commercial lobster boat. She’s also a mom – so it’s clear that Anna is a multi-talented, multi-faceted woman whose love of fishing – and the sea - has captured her imagination.

Today, I want to talk about some unfinished business. In an earlier episode titled, “Men, Fish and Moby Dick” I got to spend time exploring Herman Melville’s impetus to write his great novel about Captain Ahab and his battle with the massive whale, Moby Dick. There’s another famous fish in literature that has always fascinated me – one created by Ernest Hemingway. In “ The Old Man and the Sea ” pu...

Happy Holidays! This piece was written by Jule Selbo and performed by Mark Winkworth. With music composed by Jim McNeely. May your days be filled with light. Enjoy!

Although we might consider the topic of today’s Tales of the Sea discussion somewhat “sea-adjacent” the health of the lands that directly interact with any body of water – be it ocean or river or lake - is critical to our environment. It might be a watershed, or a wetland or a tidal marsh or estuary or bog – these “sea-adjacent” areas are important. And that’s why I was anxious to have Curtis Bohl...

Should Mother Nature find herself in need of a top-notch lawyer to defend her precious waters she would do well to call Bill Taylor. Bill has over 40 years of experience in water law and has been a faithful and passionate steward to the seas along the Eastern Shore.

Today we talk about WHY men fish, why we are so impressed with BIG fish – and finally, what inspired Herman Melville to write about the biggest whale ever seen. Many have suggested there’s something primal in the act of fishing. Man versus Nature and all that. There’s a well-known quote from the 31st president of the United States, Herbert Hoover, an avid fisherman, he said: “All men are equal bef...

When it comes to the question of how we will feed a world population – estimated to be 8.5 billion people by the year 2030 - attention has recently turned to the sea – and sustainable aquaculture. My guest today is Jeff Auger. Jeff is the director of Business Growth and Acquisitions for Atlantic Aqua Farms – one of North Americas largest growers, processor and distributor of high-quality shellfish...

My guest is Zeke Holland is a lifelong sailor and the author of A Satisfying Sail Around the World. One reviewer, “ The book captures the joys and challenges of world cruising, and brings an eventful circumnavigation to a well-deserved and happy ending.”

In this episode we’re going to talk about Ghost Ships. That’s right – the spooky stuff of legend – and mystery.. Maritime history and literature are filled with tales of ghost ships – some vanish into thin air, some are mysterious vessels found sailing the oceans with no one aboard and some are stories of the curses that often-sent ships to a terrible, deadly – or undeadly - fate.