Mark Alan Lovewell
They came in out of the chill of a cool autumn night for the fellowship that can surround a hot meal. The Barnacle Club is the oldest running waterfront club on the Island, and its name always inspires interest. A barnacle by definition is a creature that doesn’t move a lot.
The club is made up of men who have a love for the sea and a gift for sharing their experiences on the water. Since the 1800s, the club has existed with two simple rules: no booze and no women.
They came for prizes and they came to support each other. The 65th annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby awards ceremony at Nectar’s on Sunday was a festival of storytelling, stories told by those who won and those who didn’t. And two anglers who were friends and relatives to many there walked away as the proudest owners, one of a truck, the other of a powerboat.
They need no introduction, certainly not on the Vineyard.
Nat Benjamin and Ross Gannon, the well-known Vineyard Haven boatbuilders and owners of Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway, were honored last night at The Grange Hall in West Tisbury with the prestigious Creative Living Award, the annual honorarium given in memory of the late Ruth Bogan to an Islander who exemplifies the Vineyard way of life.
More than 100 friends and family members attended, including a number of respected wooden boat captains.
Even before she stepped on the Vineyard as the new minister of the Unitarian-Universalist Society of Martha’s Vineyard, Rev. Jill Cowie believed a deep spiritual power lies within those who live in an island community.
“Islands? Because there are distinct boundaries, I think it helps people create identities that are deeper. It makes people feel special about themselves. I think it also brings a level of commitment to life,” she said.
“When you live in a suburb or in Boston, you can start to feel diluted.”
After days of bad weather, most of it wind, the fall derby busted open last weekend with great fishing from off Wasque to Devil’s Bridge in Aquinnah. This is the closing week of the 65th annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. With more than 2,700 fishermen registered in the contest, a lot of fishermen were out on the water to make up for lost time. The contest ends at 10 p.m. tomorrow night.
Columbus Day weekend was the last chance most anglers would have to devote high energy to the sport.
The harsh autumn weather has had a big impact on participants in the 65th annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, leading president Ed Jerome to cast a most tempting lure for fishermen in the final week of the contest. “All of the fish on the board are beatable,” he said.
Sandy E. Fisher’s 15.88-pound bluefish may be a hard fish to beat, but Michael A. Paone’s 37.6-pound striped bass could be moved down a prize.