Tales of the Sea

Many of you, I’m guessing, are familiar with the novel Treasure Island – the classic adventure of young Jim Hawkins who finds a map to a pirate’s buried treasure and embarks on a perilous voyage with a colorful crew including the infamous Long John Silver.You may also be familiar with another work, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – the story of a respected London doctor who discovers a powerful potion that enables him to separate his good and evil natures. Good ultimately triumphs over evil – but not without some dastardly doings along the way.Both of these classic works are by the same author, the Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer, Robert Louis Stevenson.An only child, Robert was burdened with a lifetime of chronic illness – primarily respiratory in nature – and only lived to experience his 44th birthday.He is also the author of one of my favorite Holiday Poems. It is titled, Christmas at Sea.The poem describes how a square-rigged sailing ship has become caught between two headlands. The ship unable to make her escape because of the winds, tide and current. You sailors out there will relate to this situation when forces of nature prevent a sailboat from making progress to her desired destination.Enjoy.

Today I want to take a look at those strange-looking, gelatinous, floating blobs in the sea that often look like deflated balloons with long strings attached. In fact, this summer, beachgoers along the coast of Maine where I live, have observed some of these creatures as large as five feet in diameter, trailing tentacles as long as 100 feet. These sea creatures are collectively known as JELLYFISH (which seems like a cute enough name) but those who are in-the-know AVOID them like the plague - because some varieties can use their tentacles to STING you with needle-sharp, mini-harpoons called nematocysts - capable of injecting a toxic venom – causing pain, often a lot of pain – that can affect your respiratory system which can be extremely dangerous – and in severe cases even cause paralysis and death in as little as 20 minutes.

After 30 years on board a wide range of ships, my guest today, Capt. Elliot Rappaport has shared his knowledge of the weather in a fascinating and engaging narrative published in 2023, it’s titled, Reading the Glass, a book that in my humble opinion (one shared by many reviewers as well) should be essential reading for every sailor – no matter their experience or background. Enjoy.

Today we’re going to be talking about an important Portland, Maine based organization that concentrates on the preservation and protection of the seas around us – The Friends of Casco Bay. As I look out from my studio at the beautiful waters of Casco Bay, I find myself thinking - this place is gorgeous, this bay is a playground for sailors, kayakers, fisherman and boaters. The islands are taken care of, there’s no floating debris… the waters look healthy. And I know that doesn’t come with a lot of hard work.

Today we're going to be talking about caviar, salted, processed fish eggs, or roe, the only kind that can truly be called caviar. Because it comes from various species of the anadromous fish, more commonly known as sturgeon. As early as the ninth century, the joys of eating caviar were on record over the centuries, this nutrient rich food was famously served by Russian czars, middle Eastern Shaws, and many other royalty, but also eaten by the common folk. That is until scarcity and price took it out of their reach. Joining me on this journey is George Faison, a market associate and caviar specialist at Brown Trading Company, the premier supplier of fine caviar and all things fish related to fine restaurants and home kitchens across the US Brown Trading Company is located right here in Portland, Maine. George has over 12 years of experience in aquaculture and has become an expert in sustainable seafood. Let's take a look at the source of these tasty fish eggs, how they're harvested, why they're so appreciated, and why they're real good stuff is so expensive. And why Caviar dream signify images of decadence and great luxury.