Maine Lobster Boat Racing season’s home stretch
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The weekend of August 17 and 18 was the last complete weekend for Maine’s 2024 lobster boat racing season with races held at Long Island on Saturday. Then the boats ran about 6 miles to the West for Sunday’s races in Portland.
Forty-eight boats raced at Long Island, which was 7 more than last year. Normally this past weekend would have closed down Maine’s lobster boat racing season, but because the Winter Harbor races, which were scheduled for Saturday Aug. 10, were cancelled due to inclement weather, and rescheduled for Sunday Aug. 25, there is thus another race to go.
At Long Island 48 boats raced, which was 7 more than last year. Fortunately, it was decent weather, as opposed to 2023 when some boats encountered 10- to 12-foot seas when making the run to Long Island.
“This year’s “was real easy, no heavy wind or anything,” said Jon Johansen, president of Maine Lobster Boat Racing, who made the trip in his own boat from Searsport.
Most of the boats racing over the weekend hailed from nearby Casco Bay, but at least three came some 130 miles from the Moosabec Reach area of Jonesport and Beals Island. That would be Faith Melle, Natalie E and My Turn. Coming from the other direction was Ed Torosian’s MS. Rose from Hampton, New Hampshire.
As usual, Randy Durkee’s Black Diamond (Holland 32, 672 Chevy) and Steve Johnson’s Lynn Marie (Sisu 26, 632 Chevy) put on a show for the spectators. Actually, the show starts as soon as the two boats fire up their engines. These are high-powered gasoline engines and “they are loud,” says Johansen. “They spark a lot of interest because they make so much noise. You can hear them all over the bay.”
