Dear Editor:

As I look forward to my annual return to Boothbay Harbor in just a few weeks, I am thinking about what makes the harbor so special to me and why I keep coming back. I have been coming to the harbor since 1947 and remember it before motels and busloads of tourists, which I realize have helped the harbor prosper, but to me there are enough of those now. What draws me back every year is the salty fresh air, the ocean, the rugged coast, the independent hardworking fishermen and friendly people, the lupine and rosa rugosas, the many sea creatures and birds, the many beautiful quiet places to walk, the sunsets over the harbor, the stars, the harbor lights at night, the artists I paint with on Wednesdays. I love hearing the lobster boats going out in the early morning and seeing them return in the afternoon, and I always hope that they have had a good catch. I can’t imagine the harbor without them, and we need them!

In 2004, I bought a cabin in Sprucewold up the hill on the east side, so that when it’s not my turn to be in the family cottage on Squirrel Island, I can still be in the harbor. I chose the east side because it is quiet, yet so accessible to the bustling shops across the footbridge on the west side, and because of the working waterfront. I am most excited about the park and public dock space proposed by the Waterfront Preservation group. To have more open space, to preserve views hopefully not to be blocked by higher buildings, to allow more public access to the water and to help preserve the working waterfront would be tremendous benefits for everyone who lives and comes to the harbor. It is a wonderful idea for a wonderful place!

Suzanne Marinell

Penllyn, Pennsylvania