three generations of maine sailors tackle the eggemoggin reach regatta

Towards the end of my contract with the Boston Globe I had the opportunity to pitch a story that was dear to my heart. Every summer for as long as I can remember, I have attended the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta in down east Maine. It is a classic wooden boat event that my family friends have made a tradition in their family, and I've been lucky enough to join in. For the story I worked with my fellow intern Bethany Ao and we profiled a multi-generational family for whom the regatta is also a tradition. Bethany's lead is below, followed by a selection of my photographs.

"The fog hunkered down on the glassy, green water, obscuring the horizon. The damp morning breeze was sticky with salt. Clumps of slick yellow seaweed drifted by, headed for the rocky Maine shore.

Simon Morin, 18, perched at the bow of Sinbad, his family’s wooden sailboat, squinted through the haze looking out for other craft that might be in their path. Behind him, his aunt, grandmother, sister, and cousins organized tangles of line, trying to find a routine before the starting gun went off. Cousin Will Conover, 21, was at the stern, radio in hand, waiting for updates from race organizers who had called for a delay due to low visibility.

“Over there!” Simon shouted, spotting a faint outline of a mast. Another drifted into view. Simon’s aunt and Sinbad’s captain, Jen Conover, swung the boat around and headed for the others queueing for the launch of the 21st Eggemoggin Reach Regatta, technically a race but really more a gathering of devotees of a past era of sailing.



Text by Bethany Ao.