Tag Archives: Lobster Boat Races
Steve Johnson’s Lynn Marie is Fastest Lobster Boat Afloat
Lucky Oppedisano pointed at a boat making its way to the starting line for the Gasoline Free-for-All race. The retired lobsterman identified the dark-colored boat as the type that can “roll through the water easily.” “I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win this race,” Oppedisano said. Sure enough, Steve Johnson’s Lynn Marie buzzed to a first-place finish in one of the final contests of the 32nd Harpswell Lobster Boat Races in Middle Bay. The July 28 event packed the waterfront at George J. Mitchell Field with spectators, continuing a local tradition. The Lynn Marie also took the crown as the Fastest Lobster Boat Afloat and Fastest Lobster Boat in Casco Bay, reaching a top speed of 57.7 miles per hour. Jeff Eaton’s La Bella Vita was another big winner, taking gold in the Diesel Free-for-All and the Diesel Class K race while finishing third in Fastest Lobster Boat Afloat. Photos, race results, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:55
Maine lobster boat races touch down in Bass Harbor on June 23
Get ready for the roar of high-powered diesel and high-octane gasoline engines as the annual Maine Lobster Boat Races kick off in Hancock County on June 23 in Bass Harbor. Racing begins this weekend in Boothbay Harbor on Saturday, June 15, and travels down the coast to Rockland on Sunday, June 16, before arriving in Bass Harbor the following weekend. The circuit lands in Moosabec Reach in Jonesport on June 29, Stonington on July 14, Friendship on July 21, Harpswell on July 28, Winter Harbor on Aug. 10, Bristol on Aug. 11 and wraps up in Portland on Aug. 18. Towns roll out the (lobster)-red carpet when the races come to town. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:33
Harpswell Lobster Boat Races will pay tribute to young lobsterman who died in crash
The 31st annual Harpswell Lobster Boat Races hold special meaning this year as residents honor Mason Warren, a local lobsterman who died in a car crash at age 21 last October, by featuring his buoy colors on apparel that will be sold for charity on July 30. “Mason was like any young fisherman. He played hard but worked harder,” said Mary Coombs, a race volunteer. Coombs said Warren was a devoted friend, brother, son and lobsterman who volunteered with his family at the races over the years. This year’s races are set against the backdrop of the ongoing search for another young lobsterman, Tylar Michaud, 18, of Steuben, has been missing at sea for seven days. >click to read< 09:06
Facing industry challenges, Harpswell Lobster Boat Races take center stage
Thousands gathered to unwind at the Harpswell Lobster Boat Races. “Today is a day for them to just kick back and relax,” said Mary Coombs, a committee member of the Harpswell Lobster Boat Races. Heats broken down by boat size, and cash prizes awaiting the winners. In 2020 the races were cancelled and last year weather dampened the festivities. “This year we moved it to Mitchell Field so we’ve got more space, more people can view it by land and there’s just more energy behind it,” said Coombs. Video, photos, >click to read< 10:14
Dozens of boats race through Casco Bay for annual Lobster Boat Races
Sunday was the final day of lobster boat races for the season. From Boothbay, to Portland fishermen traveled the coast to compete. Jon Johansen helps run the races. He says each boat pays $20 to compete which goes towards helping high school graduates attend college through the fishermen’s scholarship fund. “The party started on Friday and in certain places it hasn’t stopped yet,” >Video, photos, click to read< 10:03
Wild Wild West sets new record at Stonington lobster boat races
Lobstermen put away the traps and opened the throttles this weekend at the Stonington lobster boat races. About 75 boats participated in the races this year, with a strong local presence and a contingent for Vinalhaven and North Haven, said Jon Johansen, the president of the Maine Lobster Boat Racing Association. Cameron Crawford’s Wild Wild West, always a top contender at the races, clocked 61.6 mph, setting a new diesel record by about 1 mph, en route to first place in the diesel free for all, Johansen said. >click to read< 08:59
Video: Lobster Boat Races, Rockland style. Photos: 2021 Charles Begin Boothbay Harbor Lobster Boat Races
Videographer Terry Boivin was aboard a lobster boat owned by Willie Coombs, of Prospect Harbor, for the June 20 lobster boat races around Rockland Harbor. It’s a great ride along, and when Willie winds her up, and that turbo kicks in, you can feel the power! Thanks to Terry Boivin, and Willie Coombs for a great way to start today! >click to watch<
2021 Boothbay Harbor Lobster Boat Races – The 2021 Charles Begin Boothbay Harbor Lobster Boat Races were held Saturday, June 19 after skies cleared. Here, professional photographer Michael Leonard captures the action from West Boothbay Harbor. Race results will appear in a separate article. >click to view the photos< 08:01
2021 Boothbay Harbor Lobster Boat Races results >Click to read the results!<
Big turnout for Winter Harbor lobster boat races
Blessed by near perfect weather, 88 boats signed up to power up the course between the Schoodic Peninsula and Grindstone Neck in a slate of 29 races that saw some tight competition and a new diesel-powered lobster boat speed record — well, maybe — set. There were plenty of stars in this year’s event, but the “supernova” had to be Cameron Crawford’s 28-foot, 1,050-horsepower Wild Wild West. Winter Harbor always seems to bring out a good mix of boats familiar to racing fans and boats that are brand spanking new. >click to read< 08:58
Friendship lobster boat races refuse to let coronavirus pandemic ‘sink us’
With the theme and rallying cry of “COVID-19 Didn’t Sink Us,” 52 vessels registered, including a handful of newcomers, for 31 speedy water battles during the annual Friendship Lobster Boat Race on Sunday, July 19. While a handful of the state’s lobster boat races were not held this summer due to the pandemic, Rockland, and later Friendship, went off without a hitch. Rockland hosted its races in June and Friendship in July. Elizabeth-Ann Bartlett said for the Friendship event some trailered boats to the site and others anchored offshore. “But all came ready to race,” she said. >click to read< 14:48
A Little More Normal? Lobster boat races Sunday
According to the MaineLobster Boat Racing Association, the planned races in Boothbay Harbor, Stonington and Harpswell have been canceled or postponed. But races in Rockland on Saturday, Bass Harbor on Sunday and Moosabec Reach/Jonesport/Beals on July 4 are all set to go forward. >click to read< 11:16
55th Annual Winter Harbor Lobster Festival and Boat Races
A video of friendly happy people and fast boats! For 55 years, the Winter Harbor Community have come together to celebrate lobstermen! “It’s big you know it’s big for the lobster industry. It gets lobsters name out there it gets people buying lobster it gets people interested in lobster, it’s good for the state of Maine. The whole boat racing scene is good for the state of Maine,” said Kristin Porter from the Maine Lobsterman’s Association. >click to read<18:13
“55th annual Winter Harbor Lobster Festival” – Lobster boats will race at Winter Harbor
The 55th annual Winter Harbor Lobster Festival, Saturday,,, With two special twists, this year’s Winter Harbor Lobster Boat Races should attract a large and enthusiastic fleet. First, the post-race prize at this year’s drawing among competing racers is a spanking new 35-foot Mitchell Cove lobster boat hull. Second, but probably more of a draw, this year’s races will honor Keith Young, who was instrumental in organizing and running the Winter Harbor Lobster Boat Races for 40 years,,, >click to read< 11:58
Lobster Boat Races come to Rockland
Lobstermen in Rockland weren’t hauling any traps today, but that doesn’t mean their boats weren’t in action. Summer in Maine is actually multiple seasons rolled into one. The Rockland boat races happened to be on the fifth birthday of Owen Hotchkiss, so his dad Blake brought him down from Brewer, for a loud, Fathers Day/ Birthday afternoon. “A lot of noise, which is great though,” said Hotchkiss.” Love the engines, how fast they’re going. He really likes it too. You know, I grew up on the coast near Blue Hill, so we’ve been around boats all our life, so this is really important.” >click to read<19:08
Hundreds swarm Boothbay Harbor for Maine’s first lobster boat races of 2019
As Maine as lobster rolls, blueberries and Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy, the 2019 lobster boat racing season began Saturday in Boothbay Harbor. Under sunny skies and temperatures in the high 60s, sailboats, motor boats and even a sardine carrier tied up in the harbor by 10 a.m. to watch working and recreational lobster boats rev their engines and skim across the sea’s surface in a series of heats to prove whose engine was most powerful. >click to read<08:59
34th annual Boothbay Harbor Lobster Boat Races – Drag racing on the water, photo’s, >click to view!<08:12, 6/17
Moosabec Reach Lobster Boat Races are a speed extravaganza
Historically, the Moosabec Reach Lobster Boat Races have been held, in most years at least, on July 4, timed to coincide with Jonesport’s holiday festivities. Historically, two things were virtually assured: a great parade and dungeon-thick fog that delayed the start of the races — occasionally for days. Because the holiday falls on Wednesday this year, the races were shifted to Saturday, with astounding results. There was no fog on Moosabec Reach, and, according to Maine Lobster Boat Racing Association President Jon Johansen, 101 boats registered to compete, perhaps the biggest fleet in the history of the event, and the races actually started on time. >click to read<10:38
This competition might be the most Maine way to welcome in summer
If you are looking for something to race, few vehicles are less suited to the task than lobster boats. Squat, squarish, loaded with tons of equipment, lobster boats are essentially floating platforms, working craft from which lobster traps are hauled up or dropped off, often in lousy weather. Yet about 70 such boats are expected to race a mile course just outside Bass Harbor on Sunday as part of the 2018 Maine Lobster Boat Racing season. The races are free and open to the public, according to Wayne Rich, a lobsterman and organizer of the Bass Harbor Lobster Boat Race. >click to read<11:50
New Organizers Carry on Tradition of Bristol Lobster Boat Races
Lobster boats cranked into high gear in Pemaquid Harbor on Sunday, Aug. 13 for the 31st annual Merritt Brackett Lobster Boat Races – a competitive event that is “serious fun,” said co-founder Donald Drisko. New organizers Brent Fogg and Sheila McLain took the helm of the event in 2017, signing on more than 40 sponsors and raising $17,000-$18,000 for cash awards and other prizes, said Laurie Crane, who had coordinated the event for the past 15 years with Drisko. Months of preparation go into the event, which draws dozens of lobster boats into the harbor, Fogg and McLain said. Both said they were happy to take on the work to keep Bristol’s tradition of lobster boat racing alive. click here to read the story, and race results 11:18
Beverly fishermen throttle-up at annual Lobster Boat Races
If Mike Malewicki seemed like he was in a rush, there’s a good reason why. The skipper of the Janie M. defended his title as the fastest lobster boat captain in the area at the 22nd annual Beverly Lobster Boat Races, July 30, off Woodbury Point. For the second year in a row, the Janie M. stole the show. The Beverly-based boat took top honors winning two of the six races, completing a pair of the quarter-mile free-for-all runs with equal aplomb. “It was fun,” said Malewicki, moments before leaving to pick up some bait for his next haul. “It’s a tradition, that’s the reason we keep doing it. If nobody shows up they won’t have it, but hopefully next year there will be a few more boats.” Built in Essex, the Janie M. is a 37-year-old wooden vessel with a 300-horsepower John Deere engine, which gives it its added gusto. click here to see 15 photos and read the story 18:54
Lobster Boats Ready to Race in Beverly on Sunday
It’s that time of year, when local fishermen get all revved up to compete in Lobster Boat Races. The 23rd annual regatta, which will be held Sunday, July 30, at 2 p.m. off Woodbury Point, is always a festive affair, bringing out an impressive array of vessels both old and new. Skipper Mike Malewicki’s vessel, the Janie M., stole the show last year. The Beverly-based boat took top honors in four of six races, culminating with an exciting free-for- all finish down the quarter-mile course. In previous years, the race has drawn as many as a dozen boats. Last year’s event was a somewhat intimate affair by way of comparison with only four boats participating. But no matter the turnout, the dedicated group of fishermen still manages to put on a great show for the spectators that line Lynch Park. Photo’s, click here to read the story 11:24
Boothbay Harbor Lobster Boat Races draw 34 boats – Photo’s and Results!
On Saturday, June 17, in Boothbay Harbor, spectators on boats, wharves and docks, and a prime spot on the lawn in front of the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) on McKown Point, watched as some of the fastest lobster boats in Maine vied for first place in their respective categories. The event was the 32nd annual Lobster Boat Race, renamed the Charlie Begin Memorial Lobster Boat Race in 2006, in memory of the well-loved and respected Boothbay Harbor lobsterman. Thirty-four lobster boats entered the competition this year. Categories included gas classes based on length and cubic inches, diesel classes based on horsepower and length, a wooden boat race, gas and diesel free-for-alls, and a grand finale: the “Fastest Lobster Boat of the Day.” Results of the 29 races, supplied by race announcer and former organizer Clive Farrin, are as follows: click here for photo’s and race results 13:10
Lobstermen here are gearing up for the seventh annual Bass Harbor Lobster Boat Races, which are set for Sunday, June 25. click here to read the story
