Stonington Races

Stonington races July 7, 2019. One of a few with a party on a boat vs. a party boat. Plenty of ballast, with a fast ride none the less. Fishernen’s Voice photo.

A big crowd of spectators and race participants showed up for the annual lobster boat races in Maine’s biggest lobster landings port July 7th. The race from Ellsworth down the peninsula and over the bridge to Deer Isle, then island hopping down to the end of Route 15 in Stonington was somewhat tempered by the occasional semi demonstrating greater experience with the hills and winding country road. Those semi’s, Sunday or not, would likely soon be making a somewhat more restrained return trip under the burden of thousands of pounds of lobster.

The streets of Stonington were thick O’ tourists by 9 am. Less so out on the town wharf where the business of the day was being done by the Stonington lobster fishing boat racing committee. That part of the business, setting up tables and signing up racers, begins before 8 am and is aimed at a 10 am dropping of the flag for the first race.

Wild Wild West won Fastest Boat Afloat at 59.3 MPH. Tom Clemmons’ Motivation later won Fastest Working Lobster Boat at Stonington. Fishermen’s Voice photo.

The start of the first race, as is nearly expected, practically tradition and almost universal coastwide for lobster boat races was delayed, this time moved to 11 am. The races began shortly after 11, with few noticing the wait in what was one of the best weather days of the summer to date. July 7th was just 4 days shy of being 4 months since boats were coming into Northeast Harbor caked in ice after hauling off Mount Desert Rock.

There were at least as many spectator boats rafted up as last year and 103 boats registered to race.