Though I have been to Cape Porpoise many a morning, coffee cup in hand, to watch the lobster boats come in and to read the paper, I have never seen the Harbormaster on site. Yesterday I was in luck and went down to introduce myself. His name is Frank Orr, and he kindly agreed to spend a few moments with me, to tell me about his work.
What are your primary responsibilities?
There are a lot of things to do, but my main responsibilities are the safety of boaters, and the safety of the waterways, as well as enforcing the boating regulations and laws, like mooring permits.
What qualifies you to do this kind of work?
I have been on the water my whole life and got training through the Coast Guard. I was working on a crew up in Portland, just boat towing and assisting people in distress– things like that. One day the boss came down to the wharf and asked around if anyone was looking for work with a Harbormaster. I said I’ll do it, and he said if I want to know what it’s like go talk to this guy in Freeport, he’s looking for an assistant. That was 17 years ago. I’ve been doing it ever since.
Are there many recreational boaters here?
We see some of the property owners and summer people, but the commercial guys still have priority.
Are there any ferries that go out to the small Cape Porpoise Harbor Islands?
A couple of fellas here have charter fishing boats but no ferries or recreational tour boats of that kind.
Harbormaster must be a tough job in the winter.
Oh yeah, it’s icy, icy. A lotta snow removal.
How do the lobstermen and other boaters navigate out there in bad weather?
Most use GPS, and the buoys can be picked up on radar from a distance. They have reflectors and even though it’s a little thing the size of a trashcan, it looks much bigger on radar.
Do you worry about these guys when they go out?
Yeah, I do. Even on a clear day there can be a problem, but we also get a lot of fog. I was here one morning at 8:00 a.m. The fog was so dense and I’m wondering how these fellas found their way back. I looked at the weather map, it said seven miles visibility here in Cape Porpoise. I said to myself I can’t see seven miles. But they had enough to get back.
What time do they get their start in the morning?
Daybreak usually. The parking lot is restricted to commercial fishermen starting at 4:00 a.m. and they’re usually they’re back in by 8:00 a.m. If it’s early in the season a lot of these guys have 8-900 traps. They’ll go out and set a bunch then the next day they’ll sit. The next they set more and the day after they’ll sit, then after that they start hauling in the first set and cycle through pulling in a different set until they have pulled in all their gear.
What are the economies of the lobster business these days?
Tough business. The young guys are concerned with the new federal laws limiting their operation. The laws keep getting tighter and tighter and there’s no extra money. The price for the lobsters is inconsistent. The fuel is always expensive, so it bait. A lot of these guys just barely pay their bills.
Is it like a fraternity of lobsterman, are they a close group?
Yeah, they look out for each other, right? It’s kind of a unique harbor, primarily dedicated to commercial fishing. They are like a fraternity. There is a Maine Lobsterman’s Association that supports the lobstermen and the state’s lobstering heritage.
