Mark Alan Lovewell
By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL
The commercial striped bass season began this week with a whimper. The fishermen are out hunting for this highly prized fish, but their landings are off.
Striped bass are local and one of the few species that are plentiful and available at fish markets and restaurants to sell. Bluefish comes a close second as a local fish and are landed daily.
A group of spirited Oak Bluffs retired firefighters, friends of firefighters and firefighters are trying to bring Engine No. 2 home.
The old 1929 Mack fire truck has wandered New England roads for years, staying in different communities. Wherever it has gone, the little truck has earned favor, appearing in plenty of Fourth of July parades. Compared to the big pumpers that roll to fires these days, this one is small.
Scientists and naturalists working on and near the Vineyard worry that recent reported sightings of great white sharks near the Island will feed fears that get ahead of the facts.
Naturalist Gus Ben David, shark expert Greg Skomal and oceanographer Anthony Wood downplayed the threat to humans from sharks.
A Vineyard sailor in one of the smallest boats was among the winners of Saturday’s ’Round the Island Race.
Roger Becker, in a bright red 24-foot sailboat called Gloria, was one of four first-place winners. The race was part of this past weekend’s 85th annual Edgartown Yacht Club Regatta.
Thirty-seven sailboats participated in this year’s ’Round the Island contest. It truly was challenging because of the lack of enough wind.
The three-day 85th annual Edgartown Yacht Club regatta got off to a sailor’s start yesterday with a fresh breeze. Under clear blue skies and perfect sailing conditions, more than 150 sailboats competed for prizes in the Edgartown outer harbor.
Today and tomorrow is a continuation of the one-design sailing off the Edgartown lighthouse with boats from as small as the Optimist, an 8-foot sailing dinghy, to as large as the 30-foot Shields sailboat.
By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL
Black sea bass is one of the Vineyard’s best-kept secrets when it comes to good eating. The fish can’t be bought in the store, but if you know a sport boat fisherman, there is a chance you can get it if you politely ask.
Black sea bass are swimming around the Vineyard in fair abundance.
This weekend, the Oak Bluffs Veterans of Foreign War Post 9261 is hosting its ninth annual fluke tournament. The post is adding a small form of recognition to the black sea bass and to the anglers who catch big ones.