Winter Harbor: Races, Crowd, Prizes and Festival

Uncle's UFO with 83-year-old Andy Gove at the helm about to pour it on and pass Size Matters and Little Girls at Winter Harbor. © Photo by Sam Murfitt

 

Chix Dig It about to overtake the lead at from Miss Mariah at Winter Harbor. © Photo by Sam Murfitt

 

Pretty Woman and Chris Hall’s Misty grabbing for first place ahead of Happy Hour at Pemaquid.© Photo by Sam Murfitt

 

Franks Gotwals’ new Seasong at Stonington. Gotwals built the wooden lobster boat with friend and builder Peter Buxton. © Photo by Sam Murfitt

 

Winter Harbor had another good turnout for their 49th annual lobster boat races as well as their lobster festival that followed on August 10th.

As is nearly traditional the harbor was socked in with thick fog until minutes before the scheduled start of the races when the fog lifted to a spectacular warm, sunny day. The full range of boats types and speeds were represented. A couple of small planes dropped in to buzz low over the race course, one of them doing a few stunt rolls on the way out. A few small speed-boats were skipping over the swells on the outskirts of the course between races.

The grandfather of Maine lobster boat racing, Andy Gove, powered up Uncle’s UFO and at 83 years of he age flew it to a win.

The race committee registered 89 boats. There was a bit of a breeze on and the swells made for a rough ride at times. In it’s first race Galen Alley’s Foolish Pleasure’s engine cut out about two thirds of the way down the course. A long few seconds later the engine was back up to speed.
But not before …..Alley’s Little Girls gained an edge that brought him over the finish line first.

The Winter Harbor Lobster Race Committee came up with some great prizes again this year donated by race sponsors. The biggest prize was a 2010 Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck. Another big prize was an R.E. Thomas Marine Hardware bronze combination inside stuffing box. Lobster traps, fishing gear and marine supply gift certificates from sponsors, engraved granite plaques and etched glass mugs went winners.

The road to the harbor was lined with the vendors, exhibitors, musicians, smells of food and sounds of music at the annual Lobster Festival.

And the Winner Is...

Standing before the 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 4 wheel drive pick-up that was the grand prize at the Winter Harbor Lobster Boat Races are (l to r) Chris Byers, Winter Harbor Race Committee Chairman; Fisherman Cameron Crawford of Lamoine, winner of the truck; Scott Parady, of Darling’s Auto Mall, one of the sponsors of the truck; Keith Young, Winter Harbor Race Committee. Provision of the truck prize was a joint venture with Darling’s Auto Mall in Ellsworth, Maine. Fishermen's Voice photo

Ron Thomas, left, Winter Harbor Lobster Boat Race Committee, handing the winner his prize at the races on August 10. The prize is a bronze SA-Self Aligning-ISB combination inside stuffing box made by  R. E. Thomas Marine Hardware in Hancock, Maine. Fishermen's Voice photo