News and Events for Nantucket Island
The islands of Nantucket and Lahaina have been intertwined since the early 1800s, when Nantucket whalemen first sailed to what would become a bustling port. In 1824, 100 whaleships visited the islands: by 1846, 736 stopped there, most of them from Nantucket or New Bedford.
We humans tend to be territorial. People hang out in areas that they like, staying in their comfort zones. Also, we generally stick to routines and, thus, can be fairly predictable. For example, my wife and I have our favorite spot where we sit for church every Sunday. We would be all out of sorts if we had to move to a different location. Doesn’t make a lot of sense, does it? No, but that’s how humans are. And all of these strange traits are directly applicable to us fishing folks, to be sure.
Living on the island year-round, we have to mix up our walking and hiking trails. I have two dogs that need exercise (and love water). I can easily get in a rut and rotate through the same three or four trails every week. Over the past years, I have made an effort to try new trails (or trails that are new to me) or to return to areas I thought I knew but haven’t visited in a while. With more than 9,000 acres under protection as open space, we are lucky to have so many trails on Nantucket to choose from!
When you step through the door at 50 Main Street, you step into a combination of past and present.
An impressive array of rare and vintage timepieces dominates the front of The Trinity Collection. These exquisite, sophisticated watches were curated by owner E. Townsend Wright III, who delights in helping his patrons find the perfect timepiece to match their personality and their style. Many of his clients know him from visiting his shop in Palm Beach during the winter and are delighted to find him on Nantucket’s Main Street from June through September.
Native Shoes is an innovative and unique approach to footwear, and lucky for us the only one in the US is right here on Nantucket. Beth Thomas, the island store’s retail manager, says Native’s motto is “Live lightly: everything we do here is to create a comfortable versatile lightweight shoe that is better for the planet.” This is true in every aspect of the company the shoes are a lightweight material, and have a light environmental impact, and the sunny disposition of the workers at the Nantucket store is sure to lighten your day.
If you’ve ever seen the 1993 movie Tombstone, you’ve heard the iconic line, “I’m your huckleberry” that Doc Holiday says to Wyatt Earp. It’s a way of saying that he’s just the right person for the job. So, when it comes to eating wild huckleberries? Well, “I’m your…” you get the idea.
This summer Egan Maritime Institute is offering free daily family programs at the Shipwreck and Lifesaving Museum Monday through Friday outside on the Museum’s grounds from 10 am to 3 pm. In addition to tried-and-true favorites, like rope making and knot tying, they have added new and updated activities for different ages and learning styles. These activities include a focus on art and design, as well as opportunities to learn about traditional boat building.
It was looking very much like one of those days. Three plus hours into our beach charter excursion and nary a hookup. Each of us had at least one fish blow up on our respective fishing lures, but somehow all of the attacking fish had dodged our hooks. The only thing biting were the mosquitoes and green head flies. Alas, our time was up and it looked like we had to take the long ride back from Great Point with a skunk tagging along. That is not my favorite thing, let me tell ya…
When you live on the island for a while, whether year-round or summer, you have your favorite haunts. You only need to look at the line at the Juice Bar or see the full parking lot at Sanford Farm. Sure, those places are great, but there are other ice cream spots and other trails to explore. As a dog-owner, I take my girls, Tiller and Mako, for walks every day. I have my favorite regular spots: some are close to home for easy, quicker walks and some trails are further afield for a weekend or when there’s more time.
