Terence Kenney

 This week, I interviewed Terence Kenney. Terence has lived his life in Harpswell, Maine, and is the third of what I hope will be regular interviewees from my home state. This is the first segment talking with someone who works on the water. Terence recounts a rough scalloping trip to Gouldsboro, up the coast from Harpswell by about 150 miles if you're driving. It's theoretically less if you're traveling by boat, but remember, there are 4,600 islands off the coast of Maine. If you're captaining a 40-foot boat, in a big storm, in the dark, that number can be pretty daunting. Matinicus Island, so you know, is about 22 miles offshore. Terence also mentions Southwest Harbor, or 'sowwest' harbor, as he says. That's on Mt. Desert Island. Mt. Desert is home to Acadia National Park and the tourist haven, Bar Harbor. Also, the scallop drag Terence was using weighs about 1,000 pounds. When you fill it with rocks and run it through the bow cleat, as he describes, it can serve as an anchor since it's so heavy. Steaming is when you're going to your fishing grounds but not fishing. It's like the commute.  I feel like weather can be a lot more daunting when you're outside, and even more so on the water. The storm that Terence recalled happened several years after the No Name Storm of 1991, also a Halloween event. That storm, which came to be known as the Perfect Storm and was written about and made into a Hollywood movie, claimed 13 lives, including six on the Andrea Gail, a fishing vessel lost off the coast of Nova Scotia. Most of the time, Terence told me, scalloping is peaceful. Well offshore, you can go all day without seeing another boat, he said.  Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us at awenice.com. Our music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a link to his music and a donate button on our about page.  Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.