N MAGAZINE August 2021

N S E L F - M A D E

M A N

ED HAJIM TIM MALLOY

B R E A K I N G T H E E P S T E I N S T O R Y

LEADING LADIES

O N N A N T U C K E T ' S W A T E R F R O N T

S T A T E

R E P R E S E N T A T I V E

DYLAN FERNANDES

CASEY NEISTAT W O R L D - R E N O W N E D

Y O U T U B E

AUGUST 2021

S T A R

THE ART OF LIVING

CLIFF | $16,950,000 7 Bedrooms, 6+ Bathrooms

CLIFF | $8,355,000 7 Bedrooms, 8+ Bathrooms

TOWN | $5,995,000 5 Bedrooms, 4.5 Bathrooms

TOWN | $3,800,000 5 Bedrooms, 5.5 Bathrooms

TOWN | $3,250,000 5 Bedrooms, 4.5 Bathrooms

SCONSET | $2,995,000 3 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bathrooms

EXCLUSIVELY SHOWCASED BY GARY WINN, BROKER gary@maurypeople.com 508.330.3069

MAURY PEOPLE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY | 37 MAIN STREET, NANTUCKET, MA 02554 | 508.228.1881 | MAURYPEOPLE.COM Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.

“With First Republic’s support, we can continue to thrive in uncertain times.”

THE URBAN GR APE

TJ Douglas, Co-Founder and CEO (left); Hadley Douglas, Co-Founder and CMO (right)

160 Federal Street, Boston (617) 478-5300 1 Post Office Square, Boston (617) 423-2888 772 Boylston Street, Boston (617) 859-8888 47 Brattle Street, Cambridge (617) 218-8488 284 Washington Street, Wellesley (781) 239-9881 (855) 886-4824 | firstrepublic.com | New York Stock Exchange symbol: FRC MEMBER FDIC AND EQUAL HOUSING LENDER

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T H E U LT I M AT E I TA L I A N YA C H T S Fast. Sleek. Stylish. Experience luxury on the water like never before.

Allied Marine is proud to be Ferretti Group’s exclusive dealer for the U.S., including the entire Northeast region, with two representatives on the island of Nantucket. As stewards of Italy’s centuries-old yachting tradition, the Ferretti Group is a world leader in the design and construction of luxury yachts, with a prestigious brand portfolio that includes Ferretti Yachts, Riva, Pershing, Itama, CRN, Custom Line, and Wally. Today, Ferretti Group operates six shipyards across Italy and continues to innovate, offering the most luxurious and technologically advanced motor yachts on the water.

The Pershing 8X will spend the summer moored in f ront of Cru Restaurant at the Nantucket Boat Basin and is available for private tours and sea trials.

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88’ FOLGORE Built on a reputation of unique savoir-faire, Riva’s winning beauty and style carry on today in the brilliant new Riva 88’ Folgore – heir to one of the brand’s most desirable yachts. It features an alluring design that blends the best of past and present. Discover novel design touches, advanced ergonomics and innovative materials that merge seamlessly with classic Riva touches, such as mahogany inlays and decorative steelwork.

FERRET TI YACHTS 1000 The chic new Ferretti Yachts 1000 is the first 100 percent wide-body vessel, featuring clean-cut forms that are crafted for comfort. The designers made “comfort” the yacht’s mantra, expanding the interior and exterior social spaces to create a home on the water. Majestic, versatile and suited to all markets, the Ferretti Yachts 1000 features a stunning blend of sharp lines, classic styling and sophisticated materials.

NAVETTA 30 Individually designed and built for highly demanding owners, Custom Line yachts are synonymous of excellence and timeless yachts with a special focus on the bespoke and tailormade interiors. An exquisite combination of cutting-edge technology, ingenious innovations and unmistakable design, every Custom Line creation is a unique work of art. The stylish Custom Line Navetta 30 is a symphony of graceful exterior lines, spacious interior and guest areas and innovative architectural solutions.

The highly customizable interior features a family-friendly layout at its core with large social areas integrated into five generous outside chill areas.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT AN ALLIED MARINE BROKER TODAY! PETER HOPWOOD | 216-272-0095

SCOTT WEILAND | 904-477-8600

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NA N T U C K E T, M A

1 5 N O R T H B E A C H S T R E E T, N A N T U C K E T C H E N E YC U STO M H O M E S . C O M 508-325-6983 F O L LOW U S @ C H E N E YC U STO M H O M E S

Custom crafted homes that celebrate Nantucket living.

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LIFE LOOKS DIFFERENT F RO M T H E T O P. See the views from The Quinn.

Now welcoming residents.

QUINNTESSENTIALLY DIFFERENT

PRICED FROM $800K | 617.861.6221 | THEQUINN.COM MODEL RESIDENCES NOW OPEN | SUMMER 2021 MOVE-IN Visit our sales gallery at 460 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA N - M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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C H R I S T I A N A NG L E R E A L E S TAT E

2 N. Breakers Row Unit S45, Palm Beach Rarely available 3BR/3.1BA Oceanfront Breakers Row condominium with poolside cabana. Beautiful corner unit features spacious and light filled great room with floor to ceiling windows. Multiple open balconies and a fantastic covered balcony with incredible sunrise, ocean, and pool views. Additional highlights include large owner’s suite, kitchen with butler’s pantry, and laundry room. Two North Breakers Row is a full service building with the amenities of the world-renowned Breakers Hotel.

Exclusive Offering - $14,850,000 C 561.629.3015 T 561.659.6551 E cjangle@anglerealestate.com

www.AngleRealEstate.com

179 Bradley Place, Palm Beach, Florida 33480 Though offerings are subject to verification, errors, omissions, prior sale, and withdrawal without notice.

8 information N M isAassumed G A ZtoI be Ncorrect, E All material herein is intended for informational purposes only and has been compiled from sources deemed reliable. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Greg Premru Photography

WO O D M E I S TE R .CO M • 8 0 0. 22 1 .0 075

ORDINARY IS THE

ENEMY.

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Unique

TRAVEL:

How to keep your experience and get WHITE GLOVE treatment a conversation with Darren Humphreys, Travel Sommelier

Why use a travel advisor rather than try to book myself online?

The better question is why wouldn’t you use a travel advisor? We have connections, access and unique knowledge in all of our destinations. We afford you VIP treatment and perks, as well as knowing details like which room is best situated to view the sunset, where to find the off-the-radar local eatery and how to avoid tourist pitfalls. We hold your hand and do the grunt work to create a seamless trip!

How has the pandemic affected your business?

The pandemic has highlighted the necessity of using a travel advisor. We are here to help navigate requirements, safety, changes, insurance and the like. We were on the road throughout the pandemic, experiencing travel around the world first-hand for our clients.

How do you know what clients want?

Quite simply, I was my client. Throughout our former careers in banking and law, my wife and I lived and traveled around the globe at the highest end. We are acutely aware of our clients’ tastes, expectations, and desire to have a unique and “ungoogleable” experience. We get it!

Let’s talk food & wine….

In 2021, Travel Sommelier was named to Travel & Leisure’s A List of top travel advisors, and specifically mentioned with regards to food and wine travel. We have “ins” around the globe at local restaurants, gardens, vineyards, wine cellars and other culinary experiences including those in my native home of South Africa.

Do you have set travel itineraries?

We do not - we take an inordinate amount of time to get to know each client, what makes them tick, and what group dynamics might be at play. We then custom design each itinerary to perfectly suit the client… and have fun in the process!

Darren is my go-to guy for all things travel, from inspiration to execution of the finest details. I 100% trust him to get it right at the highest end, whether planning a trip with my wife, extended family or friends.

He gets how I think and what my expectations are.”

-Russell MacDonnell, resident of Siasconset & Palm Beach

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HIGHLY PERSONALIZED EXCEPTIONAL

Travel

You have your doctor, your lawyer and your CPA…who is your personal travel advisor?

FA M I LY

|

H O N E YMOO N S

|

w w w. t r av e l s om mel ier. co m

S A FA R I |

|

G ROU P S

781. 934. 6752

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THE ART OF LIVING

DOWNTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT | $3,250,000

A fully-furnished charming antique located on an over-sized lot. Originally built in the 1800’s and recently renovated, the floor plan is perfect for multi-generational living. The property is a short distance to the center of town and offers five bedrooms, four and one half baths, featuring two master suites, a covered porch and deck overlooking the garden, patio and yard. Multiple off-street parking places and an outdoor shower. Listing agents: Kathy Gallaher | Gary Winn

SURFSIDE | $1,250,000

POCOMO LAND | $6,250,000

This charming two bedroom, two full bath home is located within a very short distance to Surfside beach, schools, shopping and the town of Nantucket. The open floor plan features a combined kitchen, dining and living room with a loft above the kitchen. The yard is beautifully landscaped and private. There is a 10’ by 12’ storage shed on the property.

A rare opportunity to own and build a beautiful home on one of the last remaining waterfront parcels available in Pocomo. This parcel is situated on one of the highest elevations in Pocomo and has commanding views in every direction. Savor the breathtaking sunsets over Coutue, starlit skies over Pocomo and the evening lights in the horizon over town. There is easy access to the tranquil harbor beach for boating, sailing and quiet walks.

KATHY GALLAHER, BROKER

kathy@maurypeople.com • 508-560-0078 MAURY PEOPLE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY l 37 MAIN STREET, NANTUCKET, MA 02554 l 508.228.1881 l MAURYPEOPLE.COM Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.

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2, 4 & 4.5 CATHCART ROAD

8 SACHEM ROAD • CLIFF

$14,995,000

$13,500,000

75 BAXTER RD • SCONSET

3 FINBACK LN. • MIACOMET

39 MEADOW VIEW DR. • SOUTH OF TOWN

$2,195,000

Call for Details

$3,295,000

2-6 HIGHLAND AVENUE • CLIFF

24 SANKATY ROAD • SCONSET

Call for Details

$3,895,000

LEE REAL ESTATE 1 4

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10 South Beach Street • Nantucket, MA 508-325-5800 • office@leerealestate.com • leerealestate.com

M A G A Z I N E

DESIGN | BUILD

Enhancing life through thoughtful design and quality construction.

www.shelter7.com

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PALM BEACH 2 3 7 A W O RT H AV E

NANTUCKET 47 MAIN STREET 508.325.5806 SEAMANSCHEPPS.COM

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NEW YORK

824 MADISON AVE (Sept)

design studio • 98 madaket road, nantucket • 508.825.5736 • www.ninliddledesign.com

design studio • 84 millbrook road, nantucket • 508.221.0781 • www.ninliddledesign.com N - M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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From Boston to Nantucket, let The Mazer Group guide you home.

The Mazer Group specializes in both the Nantucket and Greater Boston markets. Through a combination of innovative technology, cutting edge marketing strategies, and decades of real estate experience, our team provides clients near and far with a bespoke level of service. The Mazer Group brings an intimate knowledge of Nantucket and the Greater Boston area. When it comes to home buying, selling, or renting, our dedicated team is here to assist you in every step of your journey!

COMING SOON

THE MAZER GROUP A L L I S O N . M A Z E R @ C O M PA S S . C O M 61 7.9 0 5 .7 3 7 9

3 6 L I LY S T R E E T, N A N T U C K E T

O F F E R E D AT $ 5 , 7 7 5 , 0 0 0 • 4 B E D • 4 F U L L 1 H A L F B AT H • 3 , 0 0 0 S F

Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage.

C O M PA S S . C O M

Extraordinary new build in town overlooking Lily Pond conservation land! Developed by Blue Flag Construction with exterior architecture by Boticelli & Pohl. To view floorplans, scan the QR code on the left.

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Nothing Compares 256 Polpis Road is truly an exceptional offering. Properties of this caliber rarely become available on Nantucket Island. This beautiful compound, spread over six+ acres of pristine land, includes a sprawling circa 1920s 5 bedroom/4+ bathroom main house with spectacular water views from every room, a 2 bedroom guest cottage, a 3 car garage, a boat house and a 1 room cottage perched on the rim of Polpis Harbor, and two boat moorings.

A path meanders from the house to the harbor, where favorite Nantucket pastimes such as boating, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and scalloping can be enjoyed.

This is a rare opportunity to call a serene piece of Nantucket “home.” A legacy property to be enjoyed in all seasons, for many years to come.

Offered at $26,500,000

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Gary Winn Broker gary@maurypeople.com 508.330.3069

Lisa Winn Broker lisa@maurypeople.com 617.281.1500

37 Main Street, Nantucket MA 02554 maurypeople.com Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

Equal Housing Opportunity.

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A Salty Soul is a Nantucket-based, casual lifestyle brand for those who simply love the sea and are passionate about giving back. After having to take a break in 2020, we are so happy to share we are funding surf lessons through the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club in partnership with ACK Surf School again this summer! Shop our site or visit For Now or Milly & Grace on island.

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www.asaltysoul.com -

@asaltysoul

Celebrating 25 Years of building beautiful Nantucket homes.

crossripbu ilde rs.com NEW CONSTRUCTION

•

R E N O VAT I O N S

•

ADDITIONS

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CHIP WEBSTER

A R C H I T E C T U R E

CHIPWEBSTER.COM

508.228.3600

508.228.3600

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On The Market with Caulfield Properties Kevin Caulfield is the #1 Broker Associate at Compass Boston and the #4 Broker in Massachusetts by 2020 small team sales volume. Whether you’re searching or selling this summer, contact Caulfield Properties to get started.

KEVIN CAULFIELD C A U L F I E L D P R O P E R T I E S , C O M PA S S 617.501.3685 kc@compass.com

1 4 4 W C A N TO N ST R E E T

THE ARCHER RESIDENCES, UNIT 601

Downtown Boston • $6,499,000 • 3 BD • 4.5 BA

South End • $6,495,000 • 5 BD • 5F 2H BA

Beacon Hill • $5,350,000 • 2+ BD • 2.5 BA

2,773 SF • 2 Garage Parking

4,157 SF • 4 Parking

2,530 SF • 1 Garage Parking

THE ARCHER RESIDENCES, UNIT 202

9 4 5 - 9 4 7 E B R O A D WAY , U N I T 1 0

54 CLUBHOUSE DRIVE

Beacon Hill • $4,225,000 • 3+ BD • 3 BA

South Boston • $2,849,000 • 4 BD • 3F 2H BA

Hingham • $1,799,000 • 3 BD • 4.5 BA

2,484 SF • 1 Garage Parking

3,045 SF • 2 Garage Parking

3,694 SF • 2 Garage Parking

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T H E C A R N E G I E TOW E R

220 SUMMER STREET

South Boston • $1,150,000 • 2 BD • 2 BA

Portsmouth, RI • Prices start at $500,000

Hingham • Coming Soon • 4 BD • 5 BA

1,176 SF • 1 Garage Parking

2 - 4 BD Waterfront Condos

7,360+/- SF • New Construction

C O M PA S S . C O M

M I L L E N N I U M TOW E R , U N I T 5 3 03

Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage.

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Introducing

A new womenswear brand that celebrates life, travel, and brighter days ahead. Available in our Nantucket shop and online. ��

@cartolinanantucket

cartolinanantucket.com

Shop exclusively at

28CENTREPOINTE.COM � � @28CENTREPOINTE

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LET OUR TEAM HELP YOU FIND YOUR HAPPY PLACE! 34 Centre Street, Nantucket MA 02554 • 508.825.5741 • www.CentreStreetRealty.com N - M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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OCEANFRONT LIVING

W H I M S Y ~ A WAT E R F R O N T H O M E I N S C O N S E T | $8,495,000 This lovely home offers a rare opportunity on early Baxter Road. Relax to enjoy your sweeping views of the sea with 79 steps straight to the beach via private stairs. Covered porches and vignettes throughout the house allow for a seamless transition between the indoors and out. Both playful and quaint, this classic home has been lovingly maintained with a 4-bedroom and 3.5-bath main house, adjacent studio complete with a full bath and oversized garage. Gorgeous gardens, poignantly placed trees, and dual shelled entrances complete this beach oasis.

Exclusively Listed by

CHANDRA MILLER TOP PRODUCING BROKER, HIGHEST NUMBER OF TRANSACTIONS 2020

chandra@maurypeople.com C 508-360-7777 MAURY PEOPLE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

l 37 MAIN STREET, NANTUCKET, MA 02554 l 508.228.1881 l MAURYPEOPLE.COM

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.

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Will Myopia Affect your Children’s Future Eyesight?

Myopia, commonly referred to as “near-sightedness”, typically first occurs in school-age children and progresses until young adulthood. With increasing myopia, there are increased risks of more severe vision conditions later in life, including retinal detachment, glaucoma, and maculopathy.

Pediatric myopia has been increasing in prevalence and severity over the past few years. While we don't understand all the factors involved, we do know it is due in part to changes in lifestyle, with children spending less time outdoors and more time focusing on close objects such as digital devices.

Until now, eyeglasses and contact lenses have corrected the blurred vision caused by myopia but have not been able to slow progression. After more than seven years of research and clinical trials, the FDA has approved CooperVision's MiSight® 1 day Myopia Management contact lens. With this remarkable technology, we finally have a solution designed specifically to slow the progression of myopia in children as young as eight years old. The clinical data demonstrating its effectiveness is beyond incredible, with 59% less myopia progression!

We are excited to announce that we are now certified providers of CooperVision's Brilliant Futures Myopia Management Program, and look forward, with you and your children, to reduce pediatric myopia progression and its subsequent risks.

It's our vision for your sight.

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ACKEye.com

13 Old South Rd

(508) 228-0844

Exclusive Weston Listings

128 Rockport Road

27 Coburn Road

719 Wellelsey Street

4 BD | 1.39 AC

4 BD | 4.0 AC

4 BD | 0.94 AC

83 Newton Street

76 Westland Road

77 Kings Grant Road

4 BD | 5.08 AC

5 BD | 2.15 AC

5 BD | 1.43 AC

Chaplin Partners Your Weston Real Estate Experts Diana - 781.354.9010 Avery - 781.354.9020 chaplin@compass.com Chaplin Partners at Compass 450 Boston Post Road Weston, MA 02493 ChaplinPartners.com

Compass.com Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Numbers 01079009 and 01272467. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footage are approximate. If your property is currently listed for sale this is not a solicitation.

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A Real Home In The City Burroughs Wharf, TH103-104 | Boston, Waterfront

4.995M

5

BED

4.5

BATH

3,738

CARMELA LAURELLA President 617.797.2538 carmela.laurella@clproperties.com

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TRAVIS SACHS Executive Vice President 617.549.0020 travis.sachs@clproperties.com

BUY . SELL . DREAM .

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SQ FT

GARAGE PARKING

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TERRACES

AUDREYSTERK.COM AUDREYSTERK.COM

18 BROAD STREET, NANTUCKET ISLAND, MA 18 BROAD STREET, NANTUCKET ISLAND, MA

508-325-7050 N - M A G A Z I N E . C O M 508-325-7050

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CONTENTS /

AUGUST 2021

144 Going the Distance

44 CONTRIBUTORS Meet some of the talented writers and photographers who helped make this issue possible.

46 NUMBERS A numerical snapshot of Nantucket in the summer.

August 2021

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The Local Magazine Read Worldwide

S E L F - M A D E

48 NEAT STUFF Fine art photographer Lauren Marttila brings beauty to walls near and far.

50 N TOP TEN Where you need to be and what you need to see this month on Nantucket.

M A N

ED HAJIM TIM MALLOY

B R E A K I N G T H E E P S T E I N S T O R Y

LEADING LADIES

O N N A N T U C K E T ' S W A T E R F R O N T

S T A T E

R E P R E S E N T A T I V E

DYLAN FERNANDES

Nantucket Magazine

ore.

CASEY NEISTAT W O R L D - R E N O W N E D

Y O U T U B E

S T A R

AUGUST 2021

ON THE COVER YouTube star and new Nantucket homeowner Casey Neistat appears on the August cover (photo by Kit Noble).

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52 TRENDING The Nantucket Sound podcast breaks into August with a conversation with filmmaker Donick Cary.

54 NECESSITIES Cool items for the hot season.

56 NGREDIENTS Private chef Annie Hauser shares her recipe for gluten-free carrot cake.

58 KID’N AROUND The ultimate guide for keeping your kiddos entertained this month.

60 HEALTH N WELLNESS Brandon Jellison of Lavender Farm Wellness explains the benefits of bodywork.

62 NBUZZ All the top headlines courtesy of Nantucket Current.

64 NEED TO READ Tim Ehrenberg is back with his best book recs for August.

66 NOSH NEWS Pip & Anchor revolutionizes eating local on Nantucket.

152

BATHING SUIT: THE SKINNY DIP WHITE BELT AS NECKLACE: 120% LINO SUNGLASSES: ACK EYE

Talent Pool

NSPIRE

NVESTIGATE

70 LEADING LADIES Meet the women helming Nantucket’s waterfront.

88 REAL ESTATE GONE WILD Explaining the luxury real estate phenomenon.

76 SOAP SISTERS How two friends turned a childhood passion into a bubbling business.

96 TANKS FOR NOTHING After a decade of discussion, the gas silos downtown might finally be on the move.

82 GREEN ARTIST Digging into the creative genius of Pumpkin Pond Farm’s Marty McGowan.

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CONTENTS /

AUGUST 2021

NQUIRY 104 YOUTH VOTE A conversation with State Representative Dylan Fernandes.

128 ACTION HERO The world’s top YouTube star Casey Neistat rolls on to Nantucket.

112 SELF-MADE MAN How Ed Hajim overcame staggering odds to achieve the American Dream.

136 RISING FROM THE ASHES How Russell Ferguson and Melissa Pigue emerged from a devastating home explosion and fire.

120 BREAKING EPSTEIN The inside story of the reporter who helped uncover the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

144 GOING THE DISTANCE Ultra-endurance athlete Adam Nagler’s recordbreaking stand-up paddle attempt.

96 Tanks for Nothing

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2021 SpeciaL exhibition

D uty & Diligence: Station Life in the U.S. Life-Saving Service A Nantucket story of routine, readiness, and rescue.

NaNtucket Shipwreck & LifeSaviNg MuSeuM 158 Polpis Rd • 508-228-1885

www.eganmaritime.org

We will be open from Fri, May 28 – Mon, Oct 11, Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm.

Adults $10, Children $5, members free.

Immerse yourself in a re-creation of a Lifesaving Station’s environment at the turn of the 20th century.

The 2021 special exhibit highlights the drills and daily tasks performed by ordinary men who were called upon to undertake extraordinary acts of bravery, saving the lives of mariners in distress at sea.

You’ll find unique displays of rarely seen objects related to Surfmen’s daily lives.

Regular admission fees include Duty & Diligence and new outdoor activities created especially for this year’s exhibit.

Sponsored by Novation Media.

Open from Fri, May 28 – Mon, Oct 11, Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm. Adults $10, Children $5, members free.

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CONTENTS /

AUGUST 2021

NVOGUE

152 TALENT POOL Cool off with some pool fashion.

82

Green Artist Marty McGowan

NHA

166 FAIR PLAY Take a spin back in time to the island’s old carnivals.

NUPTIALS 182 Ashley and John tied the knot on Nantucket.

NOT SO FAST 186 A quick chat with Laura Brodigan.

128

Action Hero Casey Neistat

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Confidence is knowing your wealth is aligned with your values If you care about pursuing sustainable investing goals, experience the freedom of working with Fiduciary Trust International.

We help families with significant wealth manage their wealth— and the complexities that come with it—across generations.

Our values-based approach looks at environmental, social, and governance—or ESG—factors to help you not only screen out the negatives but capitalize on the opportunities.

We hope you enjoy some rest and relaxation this summer.

And when you’re ready to align your wealth with your values, please contact us. We’d welcome the opportunity to show you what that kind of confidence can feel like.

Scan to visit fiducarytrust.com/Nantucket or contact Anne Marie Towle, Regional Managing Director at (781) 274-9300.

fiduciarytrust.com

Fiduciary Trust Company International, headquartered in New York, (and subsidiaries doing business as Fiduciary Trust International) and FTCI (Cayman) Ltd. are part of the Franklin Templeton family of companies.

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N PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bruce A. Percelay

EDITOR Robert Cocuzzo

ART DIRECTOR Paulette Chevalier

MANAGING EDITOR Emme Duncan

CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHERS Kit Noble Brian Sager

DIGITAL DIRECTOR Leise Trueblood

SENIOR WRITER Jason Graziadei

CONTRIBUTORS Tim Ehrenberg Greta Feeney Deborah Halber Wendy Rouillard Sharon Lorenzo Jackson McManus Brinlea La Barge Kelsey Martirano Chris Sebastian

PHOTOGRAPHERS Katherine Goguen Naomi Hogarty

John’s Island

Welcome Home To Pure Florida Bliss.

Danielle Moir Henry Michaelis

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING & PARTNERSHIPS Emme Duncan

ADVERTISING SALES Fifi Greenberg

PUBLISHER N. LLC Nantucket Times 17 North Beach Street Nantucket, MA 02554 508-228-1515

©Copyright 2021 Nantucket Times. Nantucket Times (N Magazine) is published six times annually from April through December. Reproduction of any part of this publication is prohibited without written permission from the publisher. Editorial submissions may be sent to Editor, Nantucket Times, 17 North Beach Street, Nantucket, MA 02554.

We are not responsible for unsolicited editorial or graphic material. Office (508) 228-1515 or fax (508) 228-8012.

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Exclusively John’s Island

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P u b l i s h e r ’s L e t t e r

SUMMER S E N S AT I O N Fifteen years ago, if owner of Pumpkin Pond Farm, McGowan is as much an you were asked what a artist as a horticulturist. His clients’ gardens, both on “YouTuber” was, you Nantucket and beyond, become canvases that evolve beautimight have guessed fully over the course of the seasons. some kind of do-it This issue also features a compelling interview with yourself plumbing kit island summer resident Ed Hajim, who, after enduring one of found on a late-night the most heartbreaking childhoods one could imagine, rose to infomercial. Yet today become a naval officer, a successful CEO and a community leader. the online video sharHajim has chronicled his remarkable journey in a book titled ing platform YouTube On the Road Less Traveled, which is a must-read this summer.

BRUCE A. PERCELAY Publisher is part of our lexicon,

In another gripping interview, N Magazine sat down with as the virtual world has become our investigative reporter Tim Malloy, who helped break the story about daily reality. Even remote Nantucket, defamed financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. From which once seemed to have sidehis Palm Beach home, Malloy began tracking Epstein’s activities and stepped the influence of digital ultimately co-authored a book with James Patterson titled Filthy Rich, media, now relies heavily on the which exposed the criminality of Epstein and eventually became a hit multitude of news sources available Netflix miniseries. at our fingertips, rendering tradi In an inspiring story of resiliency, we profiled Russell Ferguson tional newspapers less relevant. and Melissa Pigue, two Nantucket residents whose lives were derailed

Our cover story on new Nanby a devastating home explosion last November. Suffering severe burns tucket homeowner Casey Neistat and emotional trauma, both Ferguson and Pigue have overcome long odds is a perfect example of the power to reclaim their lives on Nantucket. And in a survival story of a differand impact that one individual can ent kind, we tracked endurance athlete Adam Nagler as he attempted a have when boundless creativity record-breaking stand-up paddleboarding trek from Chesapeake Bay to meets digital technology. Neistat has Nantucket to raise money for Fairwinds Counseling Center. been a prolific producer of YouTube

Finally, we spoke with State Representative Dylan Fernandes, videos over the past fifteen years who represents the Cape and the Islands. At twenty-six years old, and has developed a following on Fernandes became one of the youngest state representatives in the his channel four times the daily country. Today, he has a bold vision for the future of Massachusetts and viewership of Good Morning America. stands as one of the rising stars in local politics.

Indeed, Neistat has more reach than

We hope you savor these long days of summer and enjoy the many large city newspapers and has magic of this wonderful island and the people it attracts. become a virtual rock star among Sincerely, the thirty-and-under crowd.

Similar creativity can also be seen on Nantucket with the work of renowned landscape architect and Bruce A. Percelay gardener Marty McGowan. The Publisher

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Contributors

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Deborah HALBER Deborah Halber grew up in New York City, moved to Boston to attend college and has been coming to Nantucket for more than thirty years.

She writes about science, technology, true crime and anything people are most passionate about, and her work has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Boston Magazine and numerous other publications.

Her nonfiction book, The Skeleton Crew: How Amateur Sleuths Are Solving America’s Coldest Cases, inspired the crime drama Ultraviolet, available on Netflix. In this issue of N Magazine, she spends time with a couple of bubbly entrepreneurs.

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Sharon LORENZO Sharon Lorenzo came to Nantucket in 1978 and has not missed a summer since. She teaches art law and cultural heritage policy at the University of Pennsylvania Law School with her degrees in both art history and law.

She and her husband Frank raised their four children on the island, with many summers of sailing and tennis.

Lorenzo has been on the water her whole life as both a racer and instructor in Long Island and Bermuda, and has been a member of the echo team in the International One Design fleet on Nantucket, which still sails the twelvemeter American Eagle for Nantucket Race Week. For this August issue, Lorenzo profiled four women helming Nantucket’s waterfront activities.

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Danielle MOIR Danielle Moir has been pursuing life’s extraordinary moments through a photographer’s lens since studying at the International Center for Photography.

She’s always on a quest to capture a candid moment, and her verité style lends itself to her passion for street photography and environmental portraiture.

Whether covering civil unrest or portraits of musicians, she strives to illustrate the emotion and the movement of the moment. Her images have appeared in The New York Times as well as countless national publications and she has received several industry awards for her street photography. She resides in and around New York City. Making her N Magazine debut, Moir photographed endurance athlete Adam Nagler prior to embarking on his ambitious paddle to Nantucket.

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NUMBERS NANTUCKET BY THE

22%

Increase in light pollution on Nantucket since 2002 according to the Nantucket Lights organization.

42

Portuguese men o’ war were counted between Miacomet and Madaket Beach on July 1st by Harbor Master Sheila Lucey.

17

Different countries are represented within Nantucket’s public schools.

$45,000 Rent paid by the town to the new owners of the Star of the Sea youth hostel in Surfside to house lifeguards this summer.

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2024 The year Elin Hilderbrand plans to retire from writing novels.

$7.9 Million Closing cost of the Brotherhood of Thieves property purchased earlier this summer by a group of investors led by summer resident Henry Helgeson.

32

Years Bob Bates served on the Nantucket Fire Department before retiring earlier this summer.

450

Miles Approximate distance Adam Nagler originally set out to cover in paddling to Nantucket.

92 Million Gallons of water were pumped by Wannacomet Water Company this June, up by 20 million gallons compared to the year prior.

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115

Steps to the top of the First Congregational Church Bell Tower, which offers tours weekly.

Vehicles were in the standby line last month, before the Steamship Authority shut it down.

$10.5 Million Projected cost for upgrades to Nantucket High School’s athletic fields and facilities.

+94% Nantucket residents had received the COVID-19 vaccine at press time.

SAL E S \ RENTA LS

SC ON SE T \ T OW N

E XC EP TI ONAL OCEA NFR ONT | $ 1 2 , 9 9 5 , 0 0 0 S out h Sh ore l i ving a t i t s be s t ! T hi s b e a u tif u lly c u s to m - d e ta ile d f iv e - b ed room b each h o u se f e at ure s th re e fi ni s he d fl o o rs o f c o m f o r ta b le lu x u r y w ith a d e s ig n f o c us i n ten t o n em b r aci n g t h e st un n i n g oc e a nfro nt s e t t i ng .

1 NORTH BEACH STREET

6 M AIN STREET

NANTUCKET, MA 02554

SIASCO NSET, M A 0 2 5 6 4

508.228.2266

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n eat stuff SPONSORED CONTENT

Shooting I

n the realm of fine art photography, there’s no shortage of talent on Nantucket. The Grey Lady lends herself to capturing breathtaking photos that keep our bevy of local shutterbugs snapping away. Yet in less

(Top left) design by Liz Norris; (bottom) Marttila's prints at Serena & Lily

STAR

FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER LAUREN MARTTILA BRINGS BEAUTY TO WALLS NEAR AND FAR than five years, Lauren Marttila has succeeded in carving out her own corner of the island’s photography landscape. With her stunning atmospheric images and savvy business sense, Marttila now has her Nantucket prints dotting homes and shops up and down the East Coast.

“I love working with interior designers and homeowners to bring the perfect piece into their homes,” Marttila says. “Finding the right piece for a client’s home or collaborating with their interior designer—that’s what I’m here for.”

Indeed, collaborations have been a key component to Marttila’s growing following. “The team at Milly & Grace has been with me from the very start,” she says. “They took a chance on me and have helped me grow and learn what customers want. I am forever grateful to them.”

After first launching her collection at Milly & Grace—which continues to carry her work— Marttila has forged partnerships with major home design companies like Anthropologie.

Most recently, she launched a collection exclusive to Serena & Lily, which displays her work in Westport, the Hamptons and Palm Beach. “The team at Serena & Lily is made up of superbly talented and artistic people, and it has been a dream come true to expand my collection with them,” she says. “Making these connections and friendships is ultimately what keeps me coming back to this.”

Of course, Marttila’s inspiration remains the island of Nantucket where she lives with her husband, Neil, who first encouraged her to pursue photography a decade ago. “Photography has been a creative outlet for me,” Marttila says. “In order to get ‘the perfect shot,’ I need to take a deep breath and relax.

I search for that moment of stillness in the center of all of the energy.” Her pieces emote the serenity and calm that she finds while immersed in Nantucket’s environment. Capturing those fleeting moments, Marttila is able to share the wonder of the island in ways that can transform a home.

Explore more of Lauren Marttila’s work at www.laurenmarttila.com or by scanning the Flowcode here.

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@ELEISHVANBREEMS N - M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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EVENTS

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PREVIEW PARTY AUGUST 5 @ 6 PM SHOW AUGUST 6 – 9

Nantucket Boys & Girls Club Whether you’re an antique collector or just looking for a vintage gem to complete a room at home, the Nantucket Antiques Show will not disappoint. For over thirty years, the show has brought together a carefully curated selection of dealers from across the United States and abroad to exhibit their one-of-a-kind pieces. Celebrate the show’s opening at the Preview Party, benefiting the NHA’s Nantucket

by Design festival. For more information, visit nantucketsummerantiquesshow.com.

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DREAMLAND STAGE COMPANY PRESENTS MOANA JR. THE NANTUCKET

SHOW We know everybody has a role on this Nantucket Boys and Girls Club, e at The61 Sparks Avenue, NantucketCompany’s island, and L theivDreamland Stage AUGUST 6 - AUGUST 9 role is to bring you a magical live perfor-

mance of Disney’s Moana Jr. Fair warning though, if you go with kids, there’s no telling how far they’ll go to see it again $5.00 OFF ANTIQUES COUNCIL and again.

(Parents who www.nantucketsummerantiquesshow.com watched the movie version countless times during quarantine, did you catch all the references?) For tickets and more information, visit dsc.nantucketdreamland.org/moana-jr/.

PREVIEW AUGUST 5,

We Thank Our Media Sponsors

An International Organization of Antiques Dealers

w w w. a n t i q u e s c o u n c i l . c o m

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DAWES CONCERTS

AUGUST 24 AND 25 — 10 PM

The Chicken Box

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AUGUST 12 In Person and Online

NBF PRESENTS COCKTAILS, CONVERSATION AND COUTURE WITH ELIN HILDERBRAND & JENNIFER WEINER

We want to let you in on a little secret: The theme for this year’s NPT Annual August AUGUST 19 — 4 – 7 PM Nantucket Hotel Fête is “Secret Lanes & Of all the events coming back this summer, this one Hidden Ponds,” and it’s is truly for the books. Preno mystery why it will be sented by the Nantucket one of the summer’s most Book Festival and hosted popular events. With the

by Boston television perEssential services virtual house tours along sonality Jennyfor Johnson, Lily Street and secluded this unique evening will thegroup Nantucket Community.

Gull Lane, small combine festive libations walking tours of the Lily AN OPEN DOOR SHELTERand incredible fashions Pond neighborhood and from local shops with the a question-and-answer COMMUNITY SERVICES signature fun of authors session with homeowners, Elin Hilderbrand and we bet all kinds of Nantucket treasures will Jennifer Weiner. And all HUMANE EDUCATION be revealed come August 12. For tickets proceeds benefit the Nantucket Book Foundation. and more information, visit www.

Cheers to that! For tickets and more information, visit nantucketpreservation.org/events/august-fete/. nantucketbookfestival.org.

We never turn away an animal in need

Pet food pantry, financial assistance, and counseling and support to keep island pets in their loving homes

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NISHA PLEIN AIR BOTANICAL WATERCOLOR & INK CLASS WITH MEREDITH HANSON AUGUST 13 @ 9 AM AND 12 PM

Private Residence Paint for the pups! And the cats, of course.

This August, Nantucket watercolor artist Meredith Hanson will be teaching two private instructional watercolor classes to benefit the Nantucket Island Safe Harbor for Animals. Only twelve spots are available for each class, so pencil this into your schedule soon.

For tickets and more information, visit nishanimals.org.

A LA VIEILLE RUSSIE J. AUSTIN, JEWELER DAVID BROOKER FINE ART JAMES BUTTERWORTH ANTIQUE AMERICAN WICKER CALLAGHANS OF SHREWSBURY RALPH M. CHAIT GALLERIES, INC. CHARLECOTE CONNECTICUT RIVER BOOKS WILLIAM COOK, D.M. DELAURENTIS FINE ANTIQUE PRINTS DINAN & CHIGHINE FINNEGAN GALLERY ROBERTO FREITAS AMERICAN ANTIQUES JEFFREY HENKEL LAO DESIGN, LTD. LAWRENCE JEFFREY GLEN LEROUX ANTIQUES LOTUS GALLERY PAUL MADDEN ANTIQUES THURSTON NICHOLS AMERICAN ANTIQUES PASCOE GALLERY LOANA MARINA PURRAZZO REHS GALLERIES, INC. REHS CONTEMPORARY GALLERIES G. SERGEANT ANTIQUES, L.L.C. SHAIA ORIENTAL RUGS OF WILLIAMSBURG S. J. SHRUBSOLE SILVER ART BY D & R L. PARKER STEPHENSON PHOTOGRAPHS EARLE D. VANDEKAR OF KNIGHTSBRIDGE, INC. B.VIZ DESIGN ROGER D. WINTER, LTD YEW TREE HOUSE ANTIQUES

ANTIQUES AUGUST 6 SUMMER – 8 Nantucket Dreamland

BENEFITING

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Educating our youth today to create a more compassionate world for animals tomorrow

NANTUCKET ANTIQUES SHOW

Hours: Friday and Saturday 10-6, Sunday 10-5, Monday 10-3

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NANTUCKET PRESERVATION TRUST’S ANNUAL AUGUST FÊTE

NANTUCKET BY DESIGN

AUGUST 5 – 7 In Person and Online

By design, the NHA’s premier summer fundraiser will have you feeling right at home throughout the three-day festival. Celebrating the island’s unique influence on American design with engaging keynote speakers, unique discussions, a celebrity panel and more, Nantucket by Design never fails to delight even the most discerning of decorators. This year, keynote speaker and interior design star Nate Berkus will wow attendees with his inside expertise of today’s design world. For tickets and more information, visit nha.org.

to attend in person or virtually this month

ADMISSION TO THE SHOW WITH THIS COUPON (Either Clipped or Scanned)

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TWN BENEFIT

AUGUST 15 Great Harbor Yacht Club

Disco darlings, get ready to hit the dance floor, because TWN’s 65th anniversary celebration is Studio 54-themed—Studio “65,” if you will. This fabulous fundraiser will feature fantastic performances, cocktails and, of course, plenty of dancing.

Sequins and ’70s outfits encouraged.

For tickets and more information, visit theatrenantucket.org.

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TIM RUSSERT SUMMER GROOVE AUGUST 21

Nantucket Boys & Girls Club and Various Locations The NBGC is back in the groove with the return of its uber-popular Tim Russert Summer Groove— now in its 20th year. The famous fundraiser for Nantucket kids has been reimagined for 2021 with a series of intimate gatherings at various locations on Nantucket, plus a Mini Groove at theJoin NBGC. Forvirtual tickets us for our event onand Julymore 31st information, visit nantucketboysandgirlsclub.org.

2020 Vision: Keep Our Shelter in Place A fun-filled hour of pets, entertainment, and heartfelt stories...all for the animals More information at www.nishanimals.org

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OPERA HOUSE CUP

AUGUST 22 Nantucket Harbor

Ahoy! It’s time to unfurl the sails and raise the main to set sail in the 49th Opera House Cup. A cherished tradition, the Opera House Cup was the first all-wooden, single-hulled classic boat regatta on the East Coast. Landlubbers will also enjoy watching the exciting race from the shores. To register and find more information, visit operahousecup.org.

Brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith and their merry band of music makers, collectively known as Dawes, are headed to the Box for the first time ever this August. They’re bringing their popular folk sound and hits like “Things Happen” and “When My Time Comes,” so these two performances will surely be sold out in no time. For tickets and more information, visit thechickenbox.com.

CUSTOM RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION and

Architect: Steven Harris Architects Photographer: © Scott Frances/OTTO

PROPERTY SERVICES

Boston | New York | Cape Cod N - M A G A Z I N E . C O M 5 1 seadar.com

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August’s episode of Nantucket Sound is truly mind-blowing N Magazine’s podcast Nantucket Sound kicks off the month of August with a conversation with writer, producer, comedian and filmmaker Donick Cary. After growing up on Nantucket, Cary charted an enormously successful career, first as the head writer on the Late Show with David Letterman, then as co-executive producer of The Simpsons and a TO SUBSCRIBE number of other hit shows, and AND LISTEN, SCAN HERE finally as the creator of an animated series picked up by Comedy Central.

More recently, Cary released a fascinating documentary on Netflix

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titled Have a Nice Trip, which explores the mindexpanding power, healing potential and sometimes terrifying effect of psychedelic drugs. In this episode of Nantucket Sound, host Robert Cocuzzo goes on a metaphorical trip with Cary, discussing the director’s early experimentations with psychedelics, his motivations for creating the film and what TO WATCH, the future of these compounds SCAN HERE have in treating a wide range of mental illnesses. Dial in the conversation at NantucketPodcast. com or by scanning the code at left.

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n ecessities

CLORINDA ANTINORI BECKETT SANDAL This comfortable, everyday sandal from island newbie Clorinda Antinori features supersoft leather or suede and a padded sole for a pillowy feel. What’s more, the low heel offers added comfort and won’t throw off your balance on those Nantucket cobblestones!

CLORINDA ANTINORI • @clorindaantinori • clorindaantinori.com

CURLEW ISLAND SHIRTS

COOL ITEMS F O R

T H E

H O T

S E A S O N

The champion of summer is the person who travels light. Thankfully, you’ll only need this shirt to look stylin’ from boat to beach to bar! Best worn barefoot.

Bonus: 10% of profits are donated to The Trustees for their protection and stewardship of Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge.

CURLEW @shopcurlew • shopcurlew.com

TRIDENT TABLE LAMP Let the endlessly versatile leather and brass Trident Table Lamp light your beach house!

Incorporating interactive design elements such as adjustable arms, this lamp by Avantgarden for Eleish Van Breems acts as practical lighting and fun sculpture for any room.

BLACK LABEL ZAAZEY EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL Looking for the perfect host or hostess gift this summer?

Look no further than the awardwinning, cold-pressed, handpicked artisanal extra-virgin olive oil from ZAAZEY, sure to be the perfect premium addition to any kitchen pantry.

ZAAZEY @shopzaazey • zaazey.com

KATHERINE JETTER ORIGAMI BANGLES These colorful, stacking bangles from Katherine Jetter’s new 2021 Origami collection, featuring specialty cut gemstones in baguette shapes surrounded by diamonds, stack perfectly with your other arm candy for a fun pop of color and self-expression!

THE VAULT • @thevaultnantucket • katherinejetter.com

BURLY SCOUT STAINLESS STEEL FIRE PIT

Featuring a unique, patent-pending two-piece design that is engineered to eliminate the headaches associated with conventional outdoor wood fires, the 17-inch SCOUT reduces smoke and is built to last for years.

Simple to start and effortlessly portable, this stainless steel fire pit is ready to travel from the backyard to the beach with ease!

TIDAL CREEKS SHIP STORE • @tidalcreeks • tidalcreeksshipstore.com

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ELEISH VAN BREEMS @eleishvanbreems evbantiques.com

24” DUAL ZONE 20-BOTTLE 70-CAN WINE AND BEVERAGE FRIDGE This handy beverage cooler has two cooling zones, so you can keep both wine and beer at the perfect temperature for serving. Easy-slide wine racks and the innovative SplitShelf™ configuration help maximize storage space so your well never runs dry while you’re entertaining!

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@newairusa • newair.com

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BEACHFRONT ELEGANCE Port Royal | 4540 Gordon Drive | $49,500,000 Naples | Florida

Situated on one of the most enviable beachfront locations in Naples, the breathtaking Gulf of Mexico can be seen in panoramic glory from this outstanding residence. Completed in 2014 to the owner’s exacting standards, the home was constructed by one of Naples’ preeminent builders and designed by one of the area’s top architects.

Port Royal Club membership eligibility.

Thomas L. Campbell 239.860.4923

Richard G. Prebish, II 239.357.6628

792 Broad Avenue South | Naples | FL 34102 | www.NaplesLuxuryHomes.com

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n gredients

Private chef Annie Hauser shares her recipe for “Free the Glutens Carrot Cake”

SWEET

SUMMER FREE THE GLUTENS CARROT CAKE CAKE • ½ cup virgin coconut oil, melted, plus more for pans • 3 cups almond flour, plus more for dusting pans • 1½ tsp. kosher salt • 1 tsp. baking powder • 1 tsp. ground cardamom • 1 tsp. ground nutmeg • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon • 1 tsp. ground ginger • ½ tsp. baking soda

• • • • • • • •

5 large eggs 1 cup coconut sugar 1 tsp. lemon zest 1 tsp. vanilla extract 10 oz. carrots, peeled, coarsely shredded, squeezed to expel excess water ¾ cup shredded unsweetened coconut 1 cup walnuts or pecans (or a mix!), finely chopped ½ cup golden raisins

DIRECTIONS •

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease two 8-inch parchment-lined round cake pans with oil, then dust with almond flour, tapping out excess.

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Whisk salt, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda and remaining 3 cups flour in a medium bowl.

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Using an electric mixer on mediumhigh speed, beat eggs and coconut sugar in a large bowl until more than tripled in volume—about 5-7 minutes.

(Beating the eggs thoroughly in this stage goes a long way toward creating a light crumb, which is critical in gluten-free baking.) Beat in vanilla.

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Toss carrots, coconut, walnuts/pecans, raisins, lemon zest and remaining ½ cup oil in another medium bowl.

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Reduce mixer speed to low.

Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with carrot mixture in 3 additions, to egg mixture, beating well after each addition.

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Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake cake until lightly browned across the top and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes.

Carefully run a knife around edges of pans to release cake, then invert onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.

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Using and electric mixer on mediumhigh speed, beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl, scraping down as needed, until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and add powdered sugar. Beat until combined. Add vanilla and increase speed to medium-high. Beat, scraping down occasionally, until light and airy, about 4 minutes. Chill 10 minutes if needed to stiffen slightly to a spreadable consistency

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Arrange one cake round domed side down on a large plate or platter. Cover top and sides with one-third of frosting. Top with remaining cake layer, domed side up. Coat top and sides with remaining frosting.

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Can be fun to decorate sides and top with toasted coconut if you have extra.

FREE FROM THE DAIRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING INGREDIENTS 8 oz. Kite Hill cream cheese • 5 Tbsp. butter or vegan alternative •

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract • 3 cups sifted powdered sugar

•

Formerly the private chef of tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams, Annie Hauser has served as a private chef on Nantucket for nearly a decade. To hire Annie for your next dinner or event, contact her at achauser83@gmail.com.

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natural h a b itat photo by Joseph Keller

K at h l e e n H ay D e s i g n s nantucket

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W R I T T E N

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W E N D Y

R O U I L L A R D

Kid' N AROUND THE NEW BARNABY’S TOY & ART SHACK Barnaby’s is excited to offer a downtown space just for kids. It offers more than forty-five daily classes, including Marimo Moss Aquascapes, Clay Art, Beading Bonanza and Painting Madness.

The doors are always open to drop-in and create works of art any time of day. Barnaby’s toys have been carefully selected to provide functionality, hands-on interactive play and entertainment. And don’t miss Barnaby’s Art Kits to Go. Visit the full calendar of programs at barnabysnantucket.com, call us at 508-680-1553 or email at barnabyack@gmail.com.

Be sure to follow @barnabystoyartshack.

LIVE THEATER AT DREAMLAND Live theater is back at the Nantucket Dreamland.

Moana Jr. opens August 6th, with six performances running through August 8th. Godspell, a co-production with Theatre Workshop of Nantucket, hits the stage August 12-14. Tickets for matinee and evening performances of both shows are on sale now. The final session of our popular Dreamland Kids and the Barnaby Bear Camps takes place August 2-6.

Limited space is available.

To register or for more information, please visit nantucketdreamland.org.

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ART CAMPS AT THE ARTISTS ASSOCIATION Summer art camps at the Artists Association of Nantucket are in full swing! The AAN offers a variety of mixed media classes this summer including clay sculpture, linoleum block printmaking and mural art. The art camps, located at 24 Amelia Drive, are open \for children ages 3-15. Each class is taught by a professional \artist and designed to build skills and confidence. To register \or to learn more, please visit nantucketarts.org.

PEACHTREE KIDS Peachtree Kids, located at 19 Main Street, has everything you need for back to school. The store carries timeless, classic clothing for everyday wear or special occasions for children ages 0-12. It’s also filled to the brim with lines such as Hatley, Joules Riley, Merrill, See Kai Run and more. Peachtree Kids is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

You can find them online at peachtreekidsnantucket.com or by calling 508-228-8555.

Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram @peachtreekidsnantucket.

HANDS-ON HISTORY AT THE WHALING MUSEUM Stop by the Whaling Museum and enjoy its historythemed crafts for ages 5-12 in the Discovery Room. Included with admission to the museum, these hands-on crafts are offered Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon through the month of August. Take-home kits are also available. For more information, please visit nha.org.

BOYS & GIRLS CLUB The Nantucket Boys & Girls Club has been promoting digital literacy all summer long with STEM programs like MyFuture, Kids Science Labs and Digital Photography Club. The Tim Russert Summer Groove, the Club’s largest fundraiser, will take place August 21st. During this event, the children will demonstrate what they have learned in the Digital Photography Club. Please support the Boys & Girls Club and the Summer Groove by visiting nantucketboysandgirlsclub.org.

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healthnwellness

Body Art

BRANDON JELLISON OF LAVENDER FARM WELLNESS EXPLAINS THE BENEFITS OF BODYWORK AND MASSAGE

INTERVIEW BY ROBERT COCUZZO

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LAVENDER FARM WELLNESS/HENRY MICHAELIS AND KATHERINE GOGUEN

How does massage and bodywork help relieve pain?

Massage therapy and specialized bodywork modalities help take the weight of the world off our shoulders to relieve physical and mental pain. Our body is designed to heal itself given the right conditions. Our body will continuously try to create movement patterns to compensate for the stressors in our lives, but all too frequently these patterns result in more pain.

How do you and your practitioners approach massage?

When people come in for massage therapy, we work with the body to support and relieve the pain and the patterns that cause the initial pain. This process of relieving pain patterns goes hand in hand with improving posture by releasing pressure on the joints and nerves, which then allows a full, healthy breath to resume naturally. The functional approach to improving posture and breathing creates the conditions that allow people to maintain peak performance and stay injury-free. With less pain and stress, you’ll naturally engage in a more positive way toward yourself and the people around you. The effects on someone’s moment-to-moment quality of life is nothing short of profound. We’re not just offering great massage therapy; we’re your allies in health.

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What unexpected benefits can bodywork provide one’s overall wellness?

Fact: Our sense of touch, like all of our senses, can only be experienced in the present moment—never the past or the future. During the course of a massage, our mindfulness is being strengthened because we are feeling our body, which continuously brings us back to the here and now. This experience directly strengthens our capacity for mindfulness by continuously pulling our attention back to the present moment and has a healing effect on our mind-body connection and overall wellness.

Can you give us a sense of the spectrum of massage and bodywork treatments available?

Our team excels at offering a variety of massage therapy services under the umbrella of customized massage such as Swedish, deep-tissue, pregnancy, sports techniques and neuromuscular techniques. Some of our team mem-

Beyond the physical relief, how does massage treat one’s mental health?

I call it the happy elevator theory on our personal energy. We have all had the experience of being in an elevator with someone who is very unhappy. After stepping out we notice that we picked up a bit of that person’s unhappy vibe.

The reverse is also true. If we are stuck in an elevator with someone who feels great, that feeling is also contagious and stays with us after we step off the elevator. Everything we do at Lavender Farm Wellness is to help people shake off their physical pain and stress so that their natural joyousness can shine. These joyous people then go into elevators, their family homes and workplaces and have a positive effect on the people around them. As the Buddha says, “The happiness of others is indeed your own happiness.”

Brandon Jellison

bers are also experts in specialized bodywork modalities that are beyond the scope of traditional massage such as reflexology, reiki energy healing, craniosacral therapy, Thai massage and Rolfing Structural Integration.

What other modalities does Lavender Farm Wellness specialize in?

One of our unique offerings is a movement discipline called Gyrotonic, which improves core strength, posture and breathing. It’s the most efficient form of self-care I’ve discovered in my twenty years in the wellness field.

We also offer private and semi-private yoga, pilates reformer lessons and meditation experiences with our instructor who has more than twenty years of experience.

Lavender Farm Wellness is a year-round wellness center that helps clients pursue health, wellness and healing through a coordinated team of experts that work collaboratively to improve clients’ strength, flexibility and stamina while also reducing pain and stress. The center’s flagship space at 6 W. Creek Road offers an integrated team approach to wellness with massage, bodywork, functional medicine, yoga, meditation, pilates, Gyrotonic and coaching. These services can then be customized into wellness plans and retreats. For more information, visit LavenderFarmWellness.com.

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TNP TURNS

Beginning on September 23rd, The Nantucket Project (TNP) will be celebrating ten years of “gathering, connection and conversation.”

“It’s definitely a great milestone for us,” said TNP co-founder Kate Brosnan, “and I have a deep sense of gratitude for everyone on island who has helped us make it to ten years.” Headlined by former First Lady Michelle Obama, this year’s TNP speaker lineup will also feature journalist Megyn Kelly, actress Ashley Judd and technologist Tristan Harris, the star of the provocative documentary, The Social Dilemma. The full lineup of speakers will be announced on Labor Day weekend.

TEN

THE GAZEBO GOES 25-PLUS

COAST GUARD

ESCORTING STEAMSHIP FERRIES

Coast Guard Station Brant Point has begun escorting Steamship Authority ferries as they arrive in Nantucket Harbor and boarding the vessels for security sweeps once they are docked. The relatively new escorts have become a regular part of Station Brant Point’s day-to-day operations, according to Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate Andrew Babione, and while they have come as a surprise to some island residents, the reaction has been generally positive, he said. “Search and rescue is our primary mission, but a very close second is homeland security, and that’s maintaining a secure presence on the maritime transportation system, which includes all the ferries in and out of Nantucket,” Babione said. “What people may be seeing is a change in posture, how we execute the mission.”

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The Gazebo, the popular open-air bar on Straight Wharf, announced in mid-July that patrons must be 25 or older to enter. The unusual move came in response to a surge in the amount of underage people trying to drink at the establishment, as well as an increase in new fake ID cards that can evade detection by scanners and are disrupting service as Gazebo staff attempt to determine whether they are legitimate or not. A large sign stating the new policy now adorns the entrance to the bar. “This is a tool I’m using to curb the very serious problem of underage drinking,” said Luke Tedeschi, owner and general manager of the Tavern and Gazebo.

“These folks can’t act properly and it makes the customers that can act properly uncomfortable. I don’t need to be Fort Lauderdale on Spring Break. That’s not the business I want to have. This is the most dramatic measure I’ve had to take. I’m not sorry or have any regrets.”

MASSIVE

EROSION GEOTUBE ORDERED REMOVED

The controversial geotube erosion control project at the ’Sconset bluff has been ordered to be removed after the Nantucket Conservation Commission dressed down the Siasconset Beach Preservation Fund (SBPF) in stunning fashion on June 30 for failing to comply with its permit for the pilot project. The 900-foot, sand-filled geotube has been installed at the bottom of the bluff on the east end of Nantucket for nearly eight years. The $10 million project is the SBPF’s most recent bid to protect the homes perched precariously along Baxter Road at the edge of the bluff from erosion. But on a 6-1 vote, the Conservation Commission determined that the SBPF had failed to comply with its permit for the project, specifically the requirement for a certain amount of sand that should have been dumped annually over the geotube to replenish the area, and that the erosion control installation must be removed. In an hour-long tongue-lashing during a virtual meeting held on Zoom, the members of the Conservation Commission vigorously criticized the SBPF’s failure to provide the amount of sand contributions specified in the permit, its responsiveness and willingness to act in good faith.

AFRICAN MEETING HOUSE

HATE CRIME CASE An island man has been named as one of two alleged perpetrators in the March 2018 hate crime against the African Meeting House in a civil lawsuit filed in Nantucket Superior Court by attorneys representing island residents James Barros and Rose Marie Samuels. The man has not been charged criminally in the case by the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, which is the lead law enforcement agency investigating the hate crime. Given the fact that this is a civil case with unnamed accusers and no one has been criminally charged, N Magazine is not naming the person accused of the hate crime at this time.

The explosive accusations in the new civil complaint include an allegation that island resident Jeffrey Sayle told the Nantucket Police Department the identity of the perpetrator all the way back on June 17, 2019, just two days before the case was turned over to the district attorney. Sayle was previously indicted by a grand jury and pleaded guilty in March to reporting a false crime in relation to the African Meeting House investigation. The amended complaint also claims Sayle was in possession of the spray paint can used by the perpetrator during the hate crime, and that it had subsequently been turned over to state police working with the district attorney’s office. If true, it would be the only known physical evidence from the crime obtained by investigators.

BROTHERHOOD

SOLD

The iconic Brotherhood of Thieves property at 23 Broad Street has been purchased by a group of investors led by island summer resident Henry Helgeson. The property closed on June 30 for $7.9 million. Helgeson assembled the group of investors who acquired the Brotherhood building, and it includes Cisco Brewers CEO Jay Harman. The plans for the property are still in flux, according to Helgeson, but the group intends to “preserve the space and history” of the longtime favorite restaurant and bar. “We’ll get it back in shape and make it part of town,” he said.

“This is a group of people who love the Brotherhood. Our concern was that it was going to turn into something else. It’s such an iconic property. When it came on the market, I said it was something we’ve got to figure out.” Helgeson founded the credit card processing company Merchant Warehouse, which became the payment tech and merchant services giant Cayan. He recently purchased the Polpis property known as Swain’s Neck. The Brotherhood building and restaurant had been owned by the Krause family since 1972. The family also owns the trademark for the famous Brotherhood logo, which is a nod to island abolitionists and their bid to integrate Nantucket schools in the 1840s. Harman’s involvement in the deal led to speculation in recent weeks that it was Cisco Brewers purchasing the Brotherhood. Although that is not the case, there have been discussions about the Cisco brand becoming part of the property, which includes the subterranean bar and restaurant long associated with the Brotherhood, an upstairs bar and dining area, as well as a patio bar and seating area.

The group intends to find a long-term tenant for the property and ensure that it has a bright future, but given the timing of the deal, it’s extremely unlikely that anything would come together in time to reopen the Brotherhood for the 2021 season.

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N Magazine’s resident bookworm Tim Ehrenberg gives his ultimate summer reading list

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IMAGINE IT! A HANDBOOK FOR A HAPPIER PLANET

BY LAURIE DAVID AND HEATHER REISMAN

P O R T R A I T

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S A G E R

Imagine a book that could guide you through living more sustainably. Imagine a book that is for everyone: the most socially conscious, the most ardent climate activist or someone like me, who is just curious to learn more. Co-authored

by Laurie David and Nantucket Book Festival supporter and CEO of Indigo Books Heather Reisman, Imagine It! provides a lot of interesting and important (sometimes shocking) facts and tips about the world today.

Most notably, the book asks us to start caring and living with our planet in mind.

SCAN HERE to connect with @TimTalksBooks

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SCAN HERE to purchase Tim's Need to Reads from Nantucket Book Partners

EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WILL SOMEDAY BE DEAD

BY EMILY AUSTIN Meet Gilda. Gilda cannot stop thinking about death. In fact, Gilda has a lot of anxiety about pretty much everything. It might sound like you won’t like Gilda, but I promise you will.

This novel is quirky and laugh-out-loud funny, and filled with tender observations about what it means to live life to the fullest. Gilda responds to a flyer for free therapy at a local Catholic church and hilarity ensues as she navigates love, family, religion, mental health and her obsession with death.

RAZORBLADE TEARS BY S.A. COSBY For those who like their beach reads with some grit, make sure to turn up the August heat with this razor-sharp thriller that cuts deep. In S.A. Cosby’s Razorblade Tears, two ex-con fathers—one black and one white—band together to avenge their sons’ deaths. This fast-paced suspense story offers much more than just your typical crime novel and asks and answers some deep questions about retribution, acceptance, family and redemption.

BEACH RIDES BY JOHN ANNETTI AND WHITNEY HUBBELL Cars have stories. I am sure all of us can think of a fond memory or two of the current wheels in our driveway. If you’ve spent time on Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard, chances are you’ve admired many old Jeeps, Defenders and FJs bumping down the beach.

But have you ever wondered about the story behind the car? John Annetti and Whitney Hubbell put you in the shotgun seat in Beach Rides—a unique photographic storytelling of twenty-one island cars and their owners. The iconic cars reveal intimate family memories and uncover long forgotten island history. It’s also just a gorgeous coffee table book and would make the perfect gift for year-round drivers or anyone along for the ride.

THE GREAT MISTAKE

BY JONATHAN LEE The great mistake here is that I knew nothing of this book’s subject, Andrew Haswell Green. Take a trip back to 1903 New York City and meet Green, a self-made man without whom there would be no Central Park, no Metropolitan Museum of Art and no New York Public Library. The grandfather of New York as we know it today, Green also had a secret that comes to light when he is shot in broad daylight at the age of eightythree. The Great Mistake has gorgeous, succinct sentences that make you stop and appreciate them.

GOLDEN GIRL AND THAT SUMMER These two books continue to fly off our shelves this summer. If you are in the mood for an August beach read, look no further than the new novels by Elin Hilderbrand and Jennifer Weiner, Golden Girl and That Summer. Join me August 19th from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Nantucket Hotel for “Cocktails, Conversation, and Couture” for a talk with the two New York Times bestselling authors. Hosted by NESN Dining Playbook’s Jenny Johnson, the event also features signature summer cocktails, a silent auction and a “Read the Runway” fashion show with looks from local boutiques. All proceeds will benefit the year-round work of the Nantucket Book Foundation and Nantucket Book Festival. Tickets are selling fast at nantucketbookfestival.org.

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n osh news

FRESH TAKE WRITTEN BY ROBERT COCUZZO PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE

Chris Sleeper and Chef Mayumi Hattori

Pip & Anchor revolutionizes eating local on Nantucket

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lthough the health benefits of eating a local, seasonal diet have been widely touted, the day-to-day difficulties of sourcing fresh meats, fish, produce and spices can be a lot to digest, especially on Nantucket. But now thanks to a new mid-island market, Pip & Anchor, connecting with some of the region’s local farmers and small-batch producers has never been easier. Located in the former space of Annye’s Whole Foods on Amelia Drive, Pip & Anchor is the brainchild of former Select Board member Rita Higgins, Chef Mayumi Hattori and veteran restaurant manager Chris Sleeper. Together, they’re executing a vision that is not only providing the island with more fresh foods, but also empowering farmers, artisans and other producers.

Last year, when Higgins began identifying the challenges local farmers and

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producers were facing in connecting with consumers, she launched an online market where folks on Nantucket could order foods and goods sourced within a hundred miles of the island. The concept took off. Now having joined forces with Hattori and Sleeper, Higgins has expanded the online marketplace concept into a brickand-mortar market that they describe as a “dynamic community food space.”

“Pip & Anchor will be a one-stop shop for your weekly groceries,” describes Higgins, “having the feel of a quaint New England general store with the beauty and ease of a farmers market.” While the team continues to build out their space on Amelia Drive, Pip & Anchor has become a portal for accessing fresh foods from near and far. “Our mission is to build a healthy community by reconnecting them to local food and goods,” says Higgins. “We are currently an online farmers market open on Mondays featuring local food and goods from small farms, makers, local bakeries and more.”

By logging on to Pip & Anchor’s virtual farmers market each Monday, consumers order items

that will be available for pickup that Friday. Local farms include Pumpkin Pond Farm, Washashore Farm, Moors End Farm, Harvest Garden, Cisco’s Secret Farm, Fog Town Farm and HortiCuts. “Just this week, we have twenty Nantucket producers and seventy local producers from within a hundred miles,” says Sleeper. “And we want to keep expanding that.”

In addition to serving as a full grocery store offering hyperlocal and seasonal foods, the Pip & Anchor space will eventually feature a dining area for casual lunches and weekly dinners helmed by Chef Hattori. “It’s farm-to-fork eating that you can have casually in our space, in the comfort of your own home and eventually in a more formal dining setting,” says Chef Hattori. “It’s food that gives you a connection to where and who it came from.” Formerly the executive chef at The Club Car, Hattori was a semifinalist last year in the world-renowned James Beard Awards. “We want to give people a sense of place that extends beyond clam chowder and lobster rolls,” Chef Hattori says of her menu.

“There’s so many wonderful things that are grown and made here by such a diverse group of people and we should celebrate that.”

But Pip & Anchor’s vision isn’t limited to connecting farmers and producers with consumers, or creating a true farm-to-fork dining experience; they also want to address the plight of food insecuRita Higgins rity on the island.

“Even in the best of times, many of our neighbors struggle to feed their families every night,” says Sleeper, pointing to a study that found that one in five children on Nantucket do not know where their next meal is coming from. “It is time to ensure that we can provide adequate food resources to our entire community, now and into the future. We want to do that by making local, quality food accessible to all.”

Partnering with the Health Imperatives nonprofit, Pip & Anchor curates boxes of fresh local foods for families in need. Customers can then pay these boxes forward through Pip & Anchor’s “Send It” program. “We are creating this space for all,” says Higgins. “A place that is meant to serve our whole community.”

Place your order at PipandAnchor.com or stop by their location on 14 Amelia Drive.

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Experience the Charm of Nantucket in Essex, CT After a two year comprehensive re-imagination, this antique home has been made new again. It is the signature property on Main Street and borders a private entry via Parker Lane. Winner of three architectural awards, this property has two dwellings. . . a Main house and a Carriage house. Every detail has been built to the highest standards.

With five marinas, three yacht clubs and easy access to Long Island Sound, Essex is truly a boater’s paradise. Dock your boat and walk to fabulous shopping and many outstanding restaurants. If you are a fisherman, the Connecticut River and the Sound are fertile waters for a variety of species including shad, striped bass, blue fish and black fish. The sound is perfect for sailing and for power boaters, it is an easy day trip to Long Island.

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Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

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Leading WRITTEN BY SHARON LORENZO PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN SAGER

Ladies

Meet the four women helming Nantucket’s waterfront

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istorically, women have served as the backbone of Nantucket. As the Nantucket Historical Association has highlighted in many exhibits over the years, so many women of prior centuries kept businesses and families alive while their husbands were off whaling in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. That independence, determination, competence and stability is now exemplified in four talented women running the island’s harbor and yachting operations. For the first time ever, the Nantucket Yacht Club and the Great Harbor Yacht Club are both helmed by women, with Lucinda Ballard and Cece Fowler serving as the current and incoming commodores of the Nantucket and Great Harbor yacht clubs, respectively. In many ways, Ballard and Fowler are following the course set by Nantucket Harbor Master Sheila Lucey and Nantucket Community Sailing director Diana Brown, both of whom have been working on the water for decades.

Nantucket Yacht Club commodore Lucinda Ballard grew up on-island during the summers with her six siblings from Maryland, where her family has its own sailing regatta each year. After college at the University of California, Berkeley where she studied to be a filmmaker and an actress, Ballard had a career in advertising at Ogilvy and Mather and in public relations, before chairing volunteer programs at the

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Lucinda Ballard and Cece Fowler

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Harbor Master Sheila Lucey

Metropolitan Museum of Art and the annual Winter Antiques Show in New York. Evolving from her many committee assignments at Nantucket Yacht Club to be its current commodore, Ballard is the third woman to assume this leadership role. With patience and grace, she manages a complex mix of responsibilities with her charm and wits about her at all times.

Meanwhile, Cece Fowler came to Nantucket as a houseguest but later had the good fortune of purchasing a home in ’Sconset with her husband, Mack. She grew up sailing in Newport Beach, California, and joined the University of Southern California sailing team as an undergraduate.

Once arriving on-island, she was invited for a day sail on an

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Alerion, one of which she eventually bought with two female sailing partners and raced for a number of seasons.

Founded in 2003, the Great Harbor Yacht Club has both a harbor and Nobadeer recreational property, which its members can enjoy. It has created a foundation as well to invest in clean water and healthy harbor initiatives in an effort to sustain Nantucket’s marine ecosystem. Fowler will be the club’s first female commodore, and her big smile and gracious ways will provide both guidance and leadership for the entire entity on both land and sea.

Sheila Lucey originally came to Nantucket with the U.S. Coast Guard where she served in numerous capacities

for twenty-four years. Trained in boat safety, search and rescue, maritime law enforcement and oil pollution responses, Lucey was the first woman in the U.S. Coast Guard certified to handle crafts in thirty-foot seas and fifty-knot winds for rescue operations. Following her service running the Brant Point station, she became assistant and then chief harbormaster in 2012 and today supervises the island’s nine beaches, fifty lifeguards, mooring and dock operations and 250 transient vessels. With her dog Chance and devoted island friends, Lucey followed her dreams to have a life on Nantucket.

Diana Brown, who studied physics and business before an extended career at IBM, came to her Nantucket responsibilities as director of Nantucket Community Sailing as an avid

summer guest who loved crewing on large boats. When the NCS job became available she jumped on board and in the intervening eighteen years has trained more than 21,000 children to sail while raising over $1 million dollars for sailing scholarships. Brown has supervised the building of housing for her eighteen summer employees and partnered with the town to create a maintenance facility for her diverse fleet of boats. She supervises both the Polpis Harbor and Jetties Beach operations for the summer months as well as the Nantucket Race Week and Opera House cup regattas.

Considering the tens of thousands of children Brown has introduced to the water over the years, one can only wonder what future leaders may emerge to take their own place on the waterfront like Brown, Lucey, Fowler and Ballard.

Diana Brown, director of Nantucket Community Sailing

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Soap Sisters WRITTEN BY DEBORAH HALBER PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN SAGER

How two friends turned a childhood passion into a bubbling business

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hantaw Bloise-Murphy and Bianca Brown are self-proclaimed “naturalista sistahs.” For the last three years, these Nantucket residents have been churning out a popular line of skin care products that regularly sell out at the Nantucket Farmers and Artisans Market. All handmade on the island, their Supple Sirens Bath & Body soaps come in such luscious scents as cucumber melon, citrus and agave, French vanilla, milk and honey, and candy apple. While their homegrown business is thriving on the island, Supple Sirens has all the ingredients for the booming all-natural skin care market.

As with many great startups, the idea for Supple Sirens began bubbling in a college dormroom. After becoming friends on Nantucket High School’s cheerleading squad, Bloise-Murphy and Brown roomed together at Bridgewater State University where they talked about starting a business. Nothing gelled until Bloise-Murphy’s senior year when she broke out in hives so severe that she couldn’t attend classes for four days.

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Brown and Bloise-Murphy suiting up to make their soap in the "Siren's Cove"

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nurse blamed a product she was using on her skin.

Suddenly the pair’s entrepreneurial yearnings had a focus: all-natural skin care that was good for your skin, unlike versions rife with allergens, preservatives and chemical emulsifiers.

“As I started looking into ingredients, I realized how harmful each one is,” Bloise-Murphy says. “Even when it says ‘organic’ and ‘all natural,’ it isn’t. It’s just something they put on the container.”

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“Being able to work with my best friend and doing what we enjoy—creating these new products—is just so exciting.”

— Shantaw Bloise-Murphy

Both women had been introduced to soap-making as children. Bloise-Murphy’s grandmother in Jamaica made body butter, soaps and salves with ingredients from the family garden. Brown’s first soap creation was a red-and-white-swirled glycerin bar she made with her older sister. However, their first iterations together three years ago weren’t exactly ready to go to market. They melted coconut butter in a double boiler in their kitchen, then stirred in straw-colored shea butter and let the mixture cool. The result made your skin so slick, Bloise-Murphy laughed, you’d slide off anything you touched.

Today, working in “The Siren’s Cove,” a den-workspace in Bloise-Murphy’s home off Bartlett Road, the pair have come a long way since their first botched attempt at body butter. Besides body butters that smooth and moisturize, their repertoire includes salves, soaps, tonics, serums, toners, bath soaks, shave butter and after shave, many infused with essential oils and locally sourced products, such as cucumbers grown in Bloise-Murphy’s garden and salts from Ambrosia Spice Shop, once on Centre Street and now online. Their turmeric and charcoal cleansing soap is a swirl of soothing gray and beige; the soy-wax candles glisten in white-washed wooden bowls and gilded oyster shells.

It always sounds like a party in the Siren’s Cove, Bloise-Murphy says. “Being able to work with my best friend and doing what we enjoy—creating these new products—is just so exciting,” she says. “And people are as excited about using it as we are making it.” Brown says, “You look at what you created and see how beautiful that is, all your hard work come to life.

And being able to share that with people at the farmers market is so

special. People are always coming up to us saying, ‘Oh, I just love you guys!’ Brown smiles. “It’s just humbling every time.”

With Bloise-Murphy serving as membership director for the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce, and Brown as the classifieds and circulation manager for The Inquirer and Mirror, Supple Sirens is still very much a side hustle for the ladies. They initially envisioned having a brick-and-mortar storefront. “We were going to be the next Lush,” says Brown, referring to the British cosmetics retailer with mall locations around the United States. Instead, the Supple Sirens duo has decided to keep their operation online and on-island where their passion is continually fueled by meeting the many people their products touch.

Yet with the magic of Nantucket, Supple Sirens Bath & Body might only need to touch the right person to make their homegrown business a household name.

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Creating Together

2020 brought us all back to the basics, back to what matters most and back home. Now, more than ever, our personal spaces have gotten much more, ya know, personal. We’re here to help you create the space you want to be in when the planes aren’t flying, the boats aren’t running and everything in between. Because, let’s be honest, Nantucket has always been a refuge in life’s storms. As we rebound as a country, we take nothing for granted. Now more than ever, you should enjoy your nantucket home, your personal port in the storm.

Let our family be a part of building your family’s dream home!

Welcome Home to Nantucket.

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WRITTEN BY GRETA FEENEY PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN SAGER

GREEN ARTIST Digging into the creative genius of Pumpkin Pond Farm’s Marty McGowan

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arty McGowan reminds us how essential true Nantucket characters are to the soul of the community. A self-described “spirit gardener” and master horticulturist turned shaman, storyteller and muse, McGowan harks back to the old days on Nantucket when the word “wart” referred to the often haphazard addition of an extra room onto an existing ’Sconset cottage. “I am responsible for adorning many, many warts with many, many roses,” McGowan says. “I am joyful for my life on Nantucket. I feel that I’ve been very lucky to serve the island.”

As the owner of Pumpkin Pond Farm, McGowan is well known for his enormous success as a landscape architect, master gardener and organic farmer. Considered by some to be a tough boss, he thinks of himself “more as a teacher.” But spend an afternoon with McGowan in his office on Somerset Road or his farm on Millbrook Road and you’ll find yourself in the presence of a true creative, an artist whose masterpieces are made not with paint and pallet, but with plow and petals.

“The gardener is also the outdoor maid,” McGowan says, sitting behind his desk.

“I am the person who mows your lawn, who keeps it clean, sweeps your sidewalk, brushes off your deck, tends to your flowers.”

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“I am joyful for my life on Nantucket. I feel that I’ve been very, very lucky to serve the island.”

— Marty McGowan

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An aesthetic gestalt, McGowan’s office is a takes a pumpkin four months to grow, whatever happens—bugs, direct reflection of the life and mind of its chief inwater, no water. Then there is Mexican feather grass—wild, free, habitant, a skillful scavenger of the very best of flea simple. Nothing fussy about it. Honest—here is a little bath stone markets from Paris to Istanbul. “One of my clients where you can rinse your feet off after you go to the beach. You told me that my office looks like a brothel,” he jokes, need that sort of vernacular to create a garden.” a good-natured grin spreading across his wind- and McGowan’s exquisite flower selection distinguishes sunburned face. Like Indiana Jones’ professorial his gardens around the island. He employs such rare breeds digs, every artifact in McGowan’s space tells a story, as the “Do Tell” peony, an extremely large Chinese peony and the spirit gardener is happy to indulge those who he gets from an exclusive breeder. “The peony is ‘the king’ are curious. This is the working laboratory of a true of the garden,” explains McGowan, indicating the spread of tastemaker—a space where old-world luxury collides with the working reality of Nantucket’s signature heritage landscape design firm.

The specs for Pumpkin Pond Farm, McGowan’s vision of sustainable agriculture on Nantucket, were inspired in part by the cubist “strata” of abstract artist Paul Klee’s famous 1929 painting Highways and Byways. He confesses that while designing and implementing the structural layout of Pumpkin Pond Farm, he “nearly drove the staff crazy” with his exacting specifications.

For McGowan, the creation of a garden for another person is the creation of happiness through the recognition and cultivation of spirit.

“What I try to do is discover what “What I try to do is discover your spirit is, interpret that and what your spirit is, interpret that and create a garden that is truly create a garden that is truly you.” you,” he explains. “The spirit is — Marty McGowan yours; mine is the interpretation of spirit.”

And how exactly is this done? “Here’s a scenario,” he says. “I go to a client’s house, and I talk to them about who they are. One—what is your favorite color?” Blue. “Blue—excellent. If I am building a blue garden for you, I would ask you, do you like to sing the blues? What is it about blue that you like? I ask a client to give me their colors. Some of them have them, some of them don’t.” McGowan points to a color palette on a client portfolio—a range of oranges, grays, taupes and “salty, French blues.” Beneath the color palette are the words “simple, honest, tough.” “These colors say, ‘I am a simple person. I don’t need a lot. I am honest. I respect honesty and I don’t lie. I am tough—I will fight for what I believe in.’ The oranges are the toughness. It

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an eight-to-nine-inch bloom with his massive, strong hands, which seem to be permanently etched with fine lines of dirt. “It’s a monster, and when it blooms, you stop your car. It’s very difficult to get. But in reality, this plant is nothing but a bunch of leaves.

It blooms like this for about three weeks out of an entire year, so when I buy my peonies, the quality of the

leaf is more important to me than the quality of the flower.”

McGowan describes the importance of timing, of “the curated transition” of a garden. When his clients come in June, for instance, their peonies are blooming. When they return in late July, they may find his particular favorite breed of salmon-colored poppies peeking up

through a sea of green peony leaves.

“I love poppies—but what I really love, why I really grow poppies, are for their seed pods. Some of them are humongous, and when they dry out, they leave a skeleton full of seeds. There is so much more to the seed pod than the flower. The flower comes and goes, but the seed pod is there for months.”

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McGowan in his eclectic office on Somerset Road

itself spotlessly. I can use the exact same plant collection year In this unexpected appreciation for the anafter year after year after year. It’s ‘the right collection’ for ti-bloom—the leaves left after the blossoming, the the spot. The plants are successful and happy there. I have no skeletal seed pod that remains after the colorful poppy interest in making my garden common.” flower wilts, McGowan finds his concept for the “spirit He takes an ultra-thin folding knife with a threegarden.” He interprets the spirit of various plants and inch blade out of his pocket and how that plant spirit compleunwraps a new book of impresments the spirit of the human “My garden is forever sionist garden paintings. He opens for whom he is designing and growing, changing and to the centerfold and points to a building the garden. “A spirit modifying itself...I have scene full of flowers by Gustav garden contains the spirit of no interest in making Klimt. “But I get paid for bloom. the place,” he says. “Plants my garden common.”

That Klimt—that’s about bloom. have spirit. You see the spirit, No matter how many dots or how and you conjure the spirit.

— Marty McGowan many blossoms or how many The spirit is also ephemeral. blooms are in that painting, it’s about the rhythm that your There are moments that create real emotional content in eye dances while you are looking into it. I could make the person.” you a garden that reminded you of the repeat in your life, McGowan considers his own garden an analogy of his psycho-spiritual development. “My spirit garden is an evolve- because when a great garden is made, many things are repeated. Things that are well-chosen, things that are right ment in education,” he says. “My garden is forever growing, for a spot—they are happy there.” changing and modifying itself. It can many times recreate

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REAL ESTATE

GONE WILD WRITTEN BY BRUCE A. PERCELAY

EXPLAINING THE LUXURY REAL ESTATE PHENOMENON

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y June of this year, Nantucket’s real estate market had already banked $880 million in sales and is now well on its way to matching—if not besting—last year’s record-breaking tally of $1.9 billion. As inventory has tightened, prices have soared. At press time, only four properties on the market were listed for under $1 million, and the median sale price had risen from $1.5 million in 2019 to $2.1 million this year. As dramatic as the market move might seem on Nantucket, other resort areas have experienced equal if not greater home value appreciation. From Aspen to the Hamptons, Jackson Hole to the other island across the way, home prices in luxury markets have exploded. The question is why would a pandemic, which would seemingly dampen economic activity in the United States, create such a contradictory impact on luxury housing?

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alm Beach epitomizes the explosion in prices in the luxury real estate market. According to Margit Brandt, a leading broker at Brown Harris Stevens Palm Beach, “The pace of the market has moved at its fastest rate in at least a decade. The number of sales has exploded 67 percent in the last year with the average price per single family home going from $8,785,000 in Q1 2020 to $12,857,000 in Q1 2021 on Palm Beach Island.” Brandt also indicated that the average price per square foot rose to the highest level ever recorded, with interior homes on Palm Beach Island fetching $2,000 to $3,000 per foot. Meanwhile, oceanfront residences are going for as high as $7,000 per foot.

To put it into perspective, Palm Beach—which has a population roughly a quarter of the size of Nantucket’s—saw a residential sale volume of $1.2 billion during the months

With a sale price of $110 million in 2019, La Follia (seen below) was the most expensive home ever sold in Palm Beach history. That record was shattered two years later in February 2021 when a property formerly owned by Donald Trump sold for $122.7 million.

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of January, February and March alone. Indeed, Palm Beach can make Nantucket’s market move almost look anemic. Few offerings demonstrate the hyperinflation of values in Palm Beach more strikingly than a property recently on the market

by Gary Pohrer of Douglas Elliman for $2 million. What’s the catch? It was $2 million a year to rent. “Just when you think this market cannot go any higher,” Pohrer said, “we keep seeing evidence that it has not reached its peak.”

The paradox of high-end economic growth during COVID-19 is explained by Harvard economist and summer resident, Greg Mankiw. “The biggest impact on the wealthy has been the large reduction in interest rates engineered by the Federal Reserve,” Mankiw explained. “A fall in interest rates raises the value of long-lived assets, like stock and real estate. However, it also means a lower rate of return on wealth going forward. So the

overall impact is not as big as it might first seem.”

As it relates to the luxury real estate boom, Mankiw again points to low interest rates as a major contributing factor, adding that “compared with the returns available on alternative investments like stocks and bonds, real estate looks attractive, which drives up prices.” If interest rates start to rise significantly over the next few years, Mankiw believes that the real estate market would soften. “That is very possible, especially if inflationary pressures prove persistent, though perhaps not the most likely outcome.”

Mankiw views the rise of the virtual workplace as a motivating factor for people buying vacation homes in places like Nantucket and turning them into full-time residences. “An interesting question is to what extent working from home will continue post-pandemic,” Mankiw said. “Some employers are

encouraging workers to come back to the office. Others are deciding that working from home can be efficient and that it means they need less office space, reducing costs. At this point, it is an open question which of these two groups of employers will be dominant going forward.”

On a more granular level, few have a better read on the Nantucket real estate market than the local agents who have been riding this rocket ship for a year and a half. “It’s my belief that the initial driver of this demand was primarily emotional—buyers who were considering purchasing on the island sped up their timeline in 2020 as Nantucket was considered a bit of a safe haven from the pandemic,” explained Jen Shalley Allen, one of the principal brokers of Fisher Real Estate. “This year, the emotional component remains, but there has also been substantial wealth generation for many

“The pace of the market has moved at its fastest rate in at least a decade. The number of sales has exploded 67 percent in the last year.”

— Margit Brandt, a leading broker at Brown Harris Stevens Palm Beach

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of the island’s visitors. Nantucket real estate typically tracks the stock market. Add to this the fact that buyers can access record-low mortgage rates and it’s truly a perfect storm for demand.”

Buyers are so hot for the Nantucket market that some are closing on homes without ever stepping inside.

“Over the past year, I’ve seen my partner Chris Bloom represent a buyer who purchased an oceanfront listing sight unseen,” said Holly Finigan, an agent at Centre Street Realty. “We’ve accepted offers on two listings from clients who saw the property over FaceTime.

What we’re seeing is that when buyers know what they want, they act fast to get what they want.”

This soaring demand, matched with dwindling supply, has resulted in dramatic acceleration of real estate prices. “In this market, people on the fence about selling decide to list their property at prices bordering on aspirational,” said Greg McKechnie, principal broker at Great Point Properties. “We recently listed a home that we had initially priced in April. In this market, we added an 11 percent premium on the April pricing. Within a week of listing, we received four offers, and the property is under agreement at 7 percent over asking.” While McKechnie said that there will inevitably be some “hiccup” to curtail this unprecedented rise of the market, he believes that while they might stall and have a slight pullback,

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prices will not return to their previous levels.

John Arena, a broker associate of William Raveis, indicated that the lack of inventory is even more extreme when looking at the plots of land available on the market. “From an average inventory of fifty to sixty parcels listed at any given time, we’re down to just under twenty,” he said. “And only one of those plots has been listed for under a million.” And that parcel, 6 Flint Road, is only for commercial use. According to Arena, the lack of inventory also extends to the rental market, which has seen a 20 percent decrease. Not surprisingly, the demand for rentals has skyrocketed by 40 percent.

The irony of the meteoric rise in luxury home prices is that it was a direct byproduct of government policy designed to help the lower end of the economic spectrum.

In an effort to help those hit hardest by the pandemic, the federal government, during both the Trump and Biden administrations, has kept interest rates historically low while stimulating the economy at unprecedented levels.

While stimulus checks and PPP loans have helped those in need, it has turbocharged many of the asset classes owned by America’s top 1 percent and has resulted in one of the most dramatic surges of value in housing prices in memory. For those who already own a home on Nantucket or other resort communities, these are the best of times. But for those trying to buy a home in Nantucket, that ship may have sailed.

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From Harbor to Home.

Guiding you home on Nantucket to Washington, DC and beyond.

Katrina Schymik Abjornson Vice President Realtor® Licensed in Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Massachusetts 202.441.3982 katrina@compass.com katrinahomes.com

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Katrina Homes of Compass Katrina Schymick Abjornson is a real estate broker affiliated with Compass, a licensed real estate broker and abides by equal housing opportunity laws.

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TANKS FOR NOTHING WRITTEN BY JASON GRAZIADEI

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE & BRIAN SAGER

After more than a decade of discussion, the fuel silos downtown might finally be on the move

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he massive fuel silos along Nantucket Harbor are mostly empty now, a throwback to an earlier era when the waterfront was industrial. They rise high above the surrounding buildings along Washington and Salem streets and loom over the downtown Stop & Shop supermarket.

The fuel tank farm, currently owned by Winthrop Nantucket Nominee Trust, has long been eyed as a key property in the potential redevelopment of what has become known as Harbor Place, the waterfront area that stretches from Straight Wharf to the town pier off Washington Street. For more than a decade, the town has worked to bring the disparate property owners together to pursue a unified vision for the waterfront, an effort that has produced more frustration than progress.

But lately there have been signs that the pieces may be moving, and an endgame is near.

The town is now exploring the possibility of acquiring the fuel tank farm property from Winthrop. The parcel is just one-third of an acre, consisting of the eleven aging fuel tanks previously operated by Harbor Fuel before it moved its operations out of town. The Select Board is now weighing the strategic value of controlling at least a piece of Harbor Place as its future comes into focus.

Select Board member Dawn Hill Holdgate, who was recently elected to her third term, called the area the “Gateway to Nantucket,” noting that the Hy-Line Cruises ferries have become the island’s primary mode of transportation on a year-round basis. The entire access to the area, including the parking lot between Straight Wharf and the Stop & Shop that is owned by New England Development, needs to be reworked, she said, adding, “You have a much better seat at the table when you become a property owner. If we let this opportunity pass and told people five years from now that we could have bought that property, people would come back at us and say, ‘Are you crazy?’ We would get run out of town. It’s one of the most key locations on the island for us to be involved in and reworking.”

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“If you look over our actions over the last thirty years, we’ve always been a good citizen and we continue to strive to be a good citizen. That’s not to say that we wouldn’t look to maximize profits, but we’ve always tried to do what’s best for the town.”

— Peter Braverman, Winthrop Nantucket Nominee Trust

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hose discussions between the town, Winthrop and perhaps other unknown parties have happened behind closed doors in executive session due to the sensitive nature of the topic.

The tank farm property is the last vestige of Winthrop’s once sprawling portfolio of downtown island real estate, which it acquired from the late Walter Beinecke’s Sherburne Associates in 1986.

In recent years, it has been selling its holdings, including the most recent sale in December 2020 of the downtown properties where Stop & Shop, The Haulover, Fresh and Hepburn are located to Steve Karp’s New England Development.

In May, Winthrop submitted an application to the Conservation Commission for approval to demolish eight of the eleven fuel tanks.

That project is expected to get underway in the fall. Winthrop trustee Peter Braverman would neither confirm nor deny any talks with the town about selling the tank farm property. In general, he said that Winthrop was willing to work with the town to dispose of the property in a way that would serve the best interests of the community.

“Winthrop has always been a good corporate citizen,” Braverman said. “If you look over our actions over the last thirty years, we’ve always been

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a good citizen and we continue to strive to be a good citizen. That’s not to say that we wouldn’t look to maximize profits, but we’ve always tried to do what’s best for the town.”

What’s an example of that? “You got the Stop & Shop,” Braverman said, referring to Winthrop granting a long-term lease to the grocery store giant following the drama in 2012 over a CVS pharmacy potentially moving into the old Grand Union location. “It wasn’t my first choice.”

For Nantucket Planning Director Andrew Vorce, the lack of progress over the past ten years has been frustrating, but he did acknowledge that

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TOWN 55 min bike ride 28 short blocks 7 options for bike rentals “If you all bus routes serviced

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min bus ride look over our32actions over the last thirty years, we’ve always been a good citizen and we continue to strive to be a good SURFSIDE citizen. That’s not to say that we 3 miles from town wouldn’t look to maximize 1 hour profits, walk but we’ve always tried to do 18 min bike ridewhat’s best for the town.”

11 min bus ride

— Peter Braverman, Winthrop Nantucket Nominee Trust

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hose discussions between the town, Winthrop and perhaps other unknown parties have happened behind closed doors in executive session due to the sensitive nature of the topic.

The tank farm property is the last vestige of Winthrop’s once sprawling portfolio of downtown island real estate, which it acquired from the late Walter Beinecke’s Sherburne Associates in 1986.

In recent years, it has been selling its holdings, including the most recent sale in December 2020 of the downtown properties where Stop & Shop, The Haulover, Fresh and Hepburn are located to Steve Karp’s New England Development.

In May, Winthrop submitted an application to the Conservation Commission for approval to demolish eight of the eleven fuel tanks.

That project is expected to get underway in the fall. Winthrop trustee Peter Braverman would neither confirm nor deny any talks with the town about selling the tank farm property. In general, he said that Winthrop was willing to work with the town to dispose of the property in a way that would serve the best interests of the community.

“Winthrop has always been a good corporate citizen,” Braverman said. “If you look over our actions over the last thirty years, we’ve always been

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via Polpis

a good citizen and we continue to strive to be a good citizen. That’s not to say that we wouldn’t look to maximize profits, but we’ve always tried to do what’s best for the town.”

What’s an example of that? “You got the Stop & Shop,” Braverman said, referring to Winthrop granting a long-term lease to the grocery store giant following the drama in 2012 over a CVS pharmacy potentially moving into the old Grand Union location. “It wasn’t my first choice.”

For Nantucket Planning Director Andrew Vorce, the lack of progress over the past ten years has been frustrating, but he did acknowledge that

Get your 7,000 steps in!

Walk from town to our beautiful beaches in under an hour.

“It took a long time for

Rent a bike and explore. the owners to come to the the recent moves improve the

In addition to the tank farm, the

table,10 period. at It ownis less than milesButtowe’re all ends oftownthe is alsoisland. eyeing the potential aclikelihood that the property the same place we left quisition of the Nantucket Regional ers can reach consensus on some Bicycle Shop Young’s Island Bike Company off over a decade ago...”

Transit Authority hub, sometimes type of redevelopment effort. “It

— Andrew Vorce, called the Greenhound Building, took a long time for the owners Nantucket’s planning director Cook’s Cycle Shop Sandy Pedalswhich BikeisShare* currently owned by Wendy to come to the table, period,” *electric assist bikes Easy Rider’s Bicycle Shop and Eric Schmidt’s ReMain Nantucket. Hill Holdgate said ReVorce said. “But we’re at the same place we left off over Main had essentially offered the property to the town to pura decade ago, which is to talk about the street network chase, and that it had always been part of the organization’s and the circulation. That’s really the outline of what the plan. ReMain purchased the property, which used to be the future there will be. This whole process from the very Island Spirits liquor store, in 2008 and subsequently leased it start was how do we bring the interests together and there the town forroutes $1 per year for use as the transit hub. But with has to be give and take here.

It’s not Museum: just a transactional - Whaling Jetties &toMadaket the redevelopment of Harbor Place now on the front burner, experience where someone wins and someone loses.”

- Greenhound Building: Surfside, Sconset, Miacomet, Mid Island routes having control of the property, even if it’s across the street from The town has floated various potential designs for nrta.transloc.com for real-time bus locations the primary parcels of Harbor Place, would be important, Hill the area, including a controversial parking garage conHoldgate said. cept, as well as mixed-use commercial buildings with “The land use policy for what that land should be is an open space along the water, and a transportation hub. extension of the downtown area,” Vorce said. “It helps that we One of the goals has been finding a way to reduce trafhave one less owner now, with Winthrop removing themselves fic congestion in the downtown area, a priority that has from the equation. Now it’s a little easier to deal more directly manifested in the creation of a valet parking program at ideas investments with NIR. The whole picture is becoming clearer and it’s imthe National Grid lot, even while the big picture redevelportant for us to continue to work with everyone on this.” opment remains half-baked.

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Christian Mack

Kenard Liburd

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— Brian Nolasco Ramirez

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“It took a long time for the owners to come to the table, period. But we’re at the same place we left off over a decade ago...”

In addition to the tank farm, the the recent moves improve the town is also eyeing the potential aclikelihood that the property ownquisition of the Nantucket Regional ers can reach consensus on some Transit Authority hub, sometimes type of redevelopment effort. “It — Andrew Vorce, called the Greenhound Building, took a long time for the owners Nantucket’s planning director which is currently owned by Wendy to come to the table, period,” and Eric Schmidt’s ReMain Nantucket. Hill Holdgate said ReVorce said. “But we’re at the same place we left off over Main had essentially offered the property to the town to pura decade ago, which is to talk about the street network chase, and that it had always been part of the organization’s and the circulation. That’s really the outline of what the plan. ReMain purchased the property, which used to be the future there will be. This whole process from the very Island Spirits liquor store, in 2008 and subsequently leased it start was how do we bring the interests together and there to the town for $1 per year for use as the transit hub. But with has to be give and take here. It’s not just a transactional the redevelopment of Harbor Place now on the front burner, experience where someone wins and someone loses.” having control of the property, even if it’s across the street from The town has floated various potential designs for the primary parcels of Harbor Place, would be important, Hill the area, including a controversial parking garage conHoldgate said. cept, as well as mixed-use commercial buildings with “The land use policy for what that land should be is an open space along the water, and a transportation hub. extension of the downtown area,” Vorce said. “It helps that we One of the goals has been finding a way to reduce trafhave one less owner now, with Winthrop removing themselves fic congestion in the downtown area, a priority that has from the equation. Now it’s a little easier to deal more directly manifested in the creation of a valet parking program at with NIR. The whole picture is becoming clearer and it’s imthe National Grid lot, even while the big picture redevelportant for us to continue to work with everyone on this.” opment remains half-baked.

Christian Mack

Kenard Liburd

X

Xxxxxxxxxxx

— Brian Nolasco Ramirez

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tnp10 september 23-26, nantucket, mass. nantucketproject.com/attend

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YOUTH

VOTE INTERVIEW BY BRUCE A PERCELAY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN SAGER

A conversation with Massachusetts State Representative Dylan Fernandes

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our years ago, at the age of twenty-six, Dylan Fernandes became one of the youngest candidates ever elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. A fourth-generation resident of Falmouth, Fernandes now represents his hometown as well as Martha’s Vineyard, Elizabeth Island and Nantucket. N Magazine met with Fernandes during a recent visit to the island to discuss his rise in politics, his vision for the future and the issues he believes are most pressing to Nantucket.

You’re one of the youngest state reps in the country. How early did you start thinking about running for office?

Starting when I was around eighteen, I got involved in politics through interning and then eventually working as entry-level staff on campaigns. My first paid job in politics was when I was twenty-one when I took a semester off college and worked for Elizabeth Warren in the South Coast. I later became Maura Healey’s political director on her campaign for attorney general, and then I was working in civil rights and consumer protection in the attorney general’s office.

I knew I wanted to work in government to help advance people’s lives, but I never plotted to run for this seat. When my predecessor Tim Madden announced that he was stepping down, I thought what better way to continue the work that I love doing and that I found meaningful and impactful than to do it for the communities where I grew up and love?

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What issues are most important to you and the people you serve?

As a millennial, there’s no greater issue that’s going to impact my generation, or my children’s generation, than that of climate change. More than any other place in the commonwealth, this is a district that is going to be really negatively impacted by climate change. The housing crisis is another huge issue. It is profoundly unaffordable everywhere in the commonwealth, but particularly in the Cape and Islands for a young person out of college to be able to afford a home and to live in the community that they grew up in and love. I also came up in the midst of the opioid epidemic and have seen how that has really impacted my friends through high school. I’ve lost people to it. That’s another issue that is particular to the Cape and Islands. We have some of the highest rates in the state of opioid overdose deaths. So those are the three issues that I feel really passionately about and that align with the needs and cares of the people I represent.

“As a millennial, there’s no greater issue that’s going to impact my generation, or my children’s generation, than that of climate change.”

— Rep. Dylan Fernandes

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Photo courtesy of Dylan Fernandes

You have a rare medical condition that has made you more sensitive to the health care issue. Do you want to expand on that?

I have an incredibly rare disease called fibro-adipose vascular anomaly. I basically had a foot-and-a-half-long tumor in my left thigh that was incredibly painful. I grew up being an athlete, playing four years of varsity sports, but as the tumor grew, I started having debilitating chronic pain. Doctors didn’t know what it was when I was growing up. I had actually been misdiagnosed twice and had procedures that did nothing. Then years later, I visited a doctor who was looking at this in a new light at Boston Children’s Hospital, and he made the discovery of a new disease and wrote a seminal paper and study on it. Treatment wasn’t an option because they had just discovered it. They later discovered that removing the tumor can be effective. I eventually got treatment and got it removed entirely and it just transformed my life. The experience made me realize how mentally and physically challenging it is for the millions of people living with chronic pain and how important it is to have really innovative health care in this state that helps us treat some of these very rare diseases.

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You’ve worked for Elizabeth Warren and for Maura Healey and have strong, progressive credentials.

The recent election in New York City of a pro law-andorder candidate has signaled to some people that certain progressive policies have gone too far and were responsible for New York’s decline. How can you be progressive and practical at the same time?

I can’t really speak to the New York race; I didn’t really follow it.

But I can speak to what practical progressivism looks like. It’s different at different levels. In a municipal government and in a state government, you have to have a balanced budget. You can’t deficit spend like the federal government. So that constraint is going to force you to have practical solutions. Massachusetts is an example where you can advance progressive policies and still have a balanced budget that is responsible. We’ve done that every year while advancing some of the most progressive policies in the nation. We passed the largest climate bill in Massachusetts’ history, in our nation. Just a few months ago, we passed the Rowe Act, which was a big piece of legislation around codifying and protecting women’s rights and access to abortion in the state. We’re doing this as we’re passing balanced budgets. This year we’re going to have a surplus.

So you can do both.

One of the reasons why Massachusetts is so effective at managing social issues is because we have a tremendous revenue stream. Our tax base, while smaller than many states in terms of people, is enormous because of the success of those people.

There are policies and proposals on the horizon that a lot of business people are very concerned about, one of which is the millionaires tax.

We’ve seen that similar tax policies in Connecticut that have gone after the high-end earners have been devastating to the state. Those same policies are responsible in part for the huge exodus out of New York City. What is your position on policies like a millionaires tax?

I’m very supportive of the millionaires tax and it’s widely supported in Massachusetts, according to the polling.

It’s highly likely that this will pass and become law in the state. Massachusetts has its income tax baked into its constitution, and that makes it highly inflexible and really challenging to change. Everyone in Massachusetts pays the same percentage tax—but that 5 percent that the teacher is paying into the tax system is way more meaningful to her than someone making a million, $2 million or however many millions a year. It’s a profoundly unfair system. It’s quite regressive that everyone, no matter what their income is—whether they’re a firefighter or an investment banker making a boatload of money—is paying the exact percentage rate. That’s bad policy. When we see the millionaires tax, which is a meager 4 percent increase off of that 5 percent just on money over the first

Fernandes with Phyllis & Jerry Rappaport

“It seems only fair that someone making multimillion dollars a year would pay a slightly higher percentage than someone making $40,000, $50,000, $60,000 a year.”

— Rep. Dylan Fernandes

Photo courtesy of Dylan Fernandes

million dollars earned, that doesn’t seem like a massive change to me. It seems only fair that someone making multimillion dollars a year would pay a slightly higher percentage than someone making $40,000, $50,000, $60,000 a year.

However, the law of unintended consequences sometimes can come into play. Thirty thousand high-earning individuals in New York City left to go to Florida because of the tax status, then New York’s tax revenues dropped precipitously. Massachusetts is a breeding ground for wildly successful entrepreneurs who have produced everything from the COVID vaccine to advanced computing systems and products. How do you position the state so that it has a fair tax code but doesn’t punish success?

I would disagree that a 4 percent increase on incomes over a million dollars is a punishment. Massachusetts is an ideal place to live in and raise your children in because of the investments that the state makes. We have the number one education system in the country because the state has made significant

investments in education. That makes us an ideal place to live and helps bolster our education economy, which is a huge attractor. But this stuff costs money. You’ve got to pay for it. Where is this money going to come from? It would be bad policy to ask poor middle-income people to pay more when they’re already struggling. It’s got to come from somewhere. I think it’s only equitable that it comes from the ultra, ultra wealthy.

It is hard to feel sympathy for the billionaire who pays nothing in income taxes, but even these people pay huge property taxes, payroll taxes, transactional taxes and are often very philanthropic.

What are your thoughts on this?

I don’t disparage wealthy people at all. I think they’re fantastic contributors to our society, our economy. I want people to be as wealthy as they can be. The last

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“The lack of affordability on Nantucket will erode the island at a far greater pace than the ocean ever will, if we can’t help people get the housing that they need. When I step on-island, that’s the issue I hear the most about.”

— Rep. Dylan Fernandes

Photo courtesy of Dylan Fernandes

thing we want to do is vilify anyone for the incredible success that they’ve had. I try to strike the balance here in saying that we are all part of the same small, tight-knit Massachusetts community that appreciates everyone, the wealthiest and the poorest. I think we should dispel the kind of punitive nature of the language around this debate.

I’m a first-generation college student in my family. I grew up understanding that it takes a lot to start your own business and work to see it grow and that success can’t be punished. It needs to be supported here in the state.

You were involved with the Rappaport Institute at the Kennedy School of Government. Tell us a little bit about that and how it may have shaped or helped you in your pursuit of public office.

I received the Rappaport scholarship last year, so it didn’t really shape pursuing office, but it’s just an honor to get the scholarship. Jerry and Phyllis Rappaport have set up this incredible fund that supports emerging leaders. The state government is one of the best run in the country because the Rappaport Institute has been incredibly generous

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in supporting young and emerging leaders getting into government in advancing their education at Harvard and elsewhere. It has really created the pipeline that is necessary for people to get into public service and stay in public service. For me, it’s been a fantastic experience, taking courses in digital government and decision science, which has really informed my approach to policy making. It has shaped some of the legislation that we filed this past session.

What problems do you think are the most pressing for the island and are foremost on your radar screen?

Probably more than any other place in the commonwealth, Nantucket is going to be deeply impacted by climate change and sea level rise. That’s not just losing part of the downtown and Brant Point, but it also has other impacts like increasing ocean acidification, which will deplete the shell- fishing industry.

The lack of affordability on Nantucket will erode the island at a far greater pace than the ocean ever will, if we can’t help people get the housing that they need.

When I step on-island, that’s the issue

I hear the most about. We’ve been really involved in the campaign around the housing bank for Nantucket and were involved in passing the short-term rental fee up here that will bring more money to the island.

At your age, with your attributes, you could have a long political runway. What are your ambitions beyond your current position? And do you see yourself in this business for a long time?

I got into this because I want to make a positive impact in people’s lives.

I look at government as the most effective way to do that. But there are so many other ways. The private sector, the public sector—you can change the world in those sectors as well. I know I want to continue to make an impact throughout my life. I don’t think government is the only place to do that. I don’t know how long I’ll be in government for. Both my parents are small business owners, so entrepreneurship has always been something that’s been on my mind as well. But I love the work that I’m doing for Nantucket and the Vineyard and the Cape. So at least for the next two or three years, I’m not going anywhere.

This interview has been edited and condensed due to space limitations.

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SELF-MADE

MAN INTERVIEW BY BRUCE A. PERCELAY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE

How Ed Hajim overcame staggering odds to achieve the American Dream

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f adversity builds character, then Ed Hajim has one made of granite. Abandoned by his mother at the age of three, kidnapped by his father who informed Ed that his mother had died, and thrown into the foster care system, Hajim experienced a childhood marked by unimaginable heartbreak. Miraculously, he endured through the turmoil and emerged as a highly successful businessman and community leader. Today, Hajim is a devoted husband and father who has given generously to the institutions that helped him along the way. The founder of the Nantucket Golf Club, Hajim and his wife of fifty-five years, Barbara, have been coming to Nantucket for decades. In his new autobiography On the Road Less Traveled—which he will be discussing at an event this August at the Nantucket Atheneum—Hajim details how he willed himself from being a vulnerable and frightened child to a highly successful man unto himself. The twists and turns of Hajim’s life chronicled in his book border on disbelief and give meaning to the term “self-made man.” N Magazine sat down with Ed Hajim to discuss his memoir and his remarkable lessons of resiliency.

Some people look back at their childhoods and think about the inevitable disappointments. They didn’t get the red bicycle they wanted or their family couldn’t afford the vacations that their friends went on. Yet, for you, disappointment in childhood had an entirely different meaning. What was childhood like for Ed Hajim?

When my parents got divorced, my mother basically took me back to her home in St. Louis, where she was not welcome. This was 1939. People were poor and they didn’t need another two more mouths to feed. Meanwhile my father couldn’t live without me. He got visiting rights on Sundays. When he came to St. Louis, he found me in what he thought was an unkempt environment. So instead of taking me to the playground, he got on Highway 66 and drove me back to Los Angeles. Basically, he kidnapped me. During the two-year period we were together, he was away about half the time as a merchant marine. He contacted a local Catholic welfare agency that found me a foster home. That ended up being the first of five foster homes I lived in over almost five years.

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When you entered the foster home system, you had to find something in yourself to maintain your sanity. Did you recognize some inner strength at that point or was it just survival on a day-to-day basis?

Complete survival. I was five when my dad left me. We had a very good relationship.

We were buddies for those two years. When he left me it was crushing. I actually got sick when he left me. He left me with people who really didn’t care. In those days, people were poor, and they took in someone like me just for the money. This particular first family was of that character. I could tell right away that it was cold and not feeling.

That was a big blow. I could still remember the moment my dad left.

The relationship with your father was, at a minimum, complex. How were you able to resolve being abandoned by not just one parent, but both? How does one process this?

Well, one doesn’t, really. As a child, you’re surviving. And children have enormous capability to do that. But my father loved me. He loved me more than anything else in the world. And that idea sustained me to some extent.

I always credit that as what got me through most of my years, regardless of abandonment, kidnapping and all that kind of stuff—there was unconditional love. His letters to me always said, “You’re the best.” And that’s one of the messages that I think people have to send to their children.

When you’re a parent, it is unconditional love, no matter what the person is. I have done that with my children, because some of my children weren’t so easy either.

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Your father informed you at an early age that your mother had died. Why do you suspect he did that?

He and my mother obviously did not get along. Although I am not sure why he did it, I suspect he never wanted me to know her. He was very angry that she left him.

As time went on, you began to develop a sense of self. Were your survival skills based on fear of failure or fear of rejection? Or was there an innate sense of optimism in you that was able to move yourself forward?

Both really. The disadvantages became advantages. Think of yourself arriving in four or five different school yards.

You had to figure out where you fit in, who’s going to beat you up or who you’re going to beat up. You learn adaptability pretty quickly. You learn a sense of how to get along. It was the same when I went to the orphanage; there were rites of passages there. But I also had a sense of optimism for whatever reason.

You were enrolled in parochial school and were almost confirmed as a Catholic. Later on as a teen, you discovered that you were Jewish. Can you explain what going through the parochial school system meant to you and a little bit about this experience?

I was about to be confirmed, but my father returned. I asked my father about my baptismal papers, but obviously there were none.

I remember my parochial school as excellent, but very strict with services twice a day. They drilled the basics into you and put the fear of God into you if you did anything wrong. In addition to using the ruler on your knuckles, it was a solid foundation for me.

“My father loved me...I always credit that as what got me through most of my years, regardless of abandonment, kidnapping and all that kind of stuff—there was unconditional love.”

— Ed Hajim

Hajim with his father

which I was sure I was going to get but I didn’t. Then I applied for the NROTC scholarship. They give out twelve hundred of them in the country.

I remember the letter said, “You’ve been rejected.” Typical government letter. Then there were three or four paragraphs describing what the scholarship was, and then the final paragraph said, “You’re an alternate, and your number is high enough that you will get the scholarship.” So how did I get out of it? That got me out of it. But that was really just the start.

When did your early business inclinations begin?

Hajim at his home on Nantucket

Explain the leap from high school to how you came to attend the University of Rochester. How did that happen?

My father completely disappeared. I ended up in this orphanage in Yonkers, which was four blocks from a really good high school, Roosevelt High School. About 80 percent of the kids there went to private colleges. I got this idea that a private college was my ticket out. I was going to do whatever I needed to do to get into a private college, even though I couldn’t afford it. I had to get a scholarship. In those days, there were very few scholarships. There was the New York State scholarship,

In my junior year, I created a humor magazine. I didn’t know it at the time, but I really found my passion, which was to put people together to solve a problem, create a program or a product. I really got a kick out of watching people and helping people do better than they thought they could. So I found my passion.

Explain how you went from the University of Rochester to the best business school on the planet.

I got accepted to Berkeley after I got out of the Navy. I decided I’d work my ass off to become a chemical engineer. I gave that a year [working

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Given the incredibly difficult circumstances of your childhood, were you able to look yourself in the mirror after being accepted to Harvard and say, “You know, I’m pretty good”?

No, not even today. No, when I went to Harvard I basically made the biggest bet in my life. I took out all the money I had in the world to pay the tuition. I could have flunked out. In those days, they’d give the impression they were going to flunk you out. If

Hajim with his wife Barbara

The extended Hajim family

The Hajim family on Nantucket

at a company called Hercules]. I was then going to Wharton at night and I had a friend from the Navy who was studying at Harvard. He said, “You got to come here.” I said, “I don’t have the grades or the money.” But he would not leave me alone about it, so I spent a couple days with him during Christmastime. Harvard looked really interesting. I applied to Harvard Business School and one of the Navy captains wrote me a letter that basically said I walked on water. Getting accepted to the West Point of Capitalism was the second ticket upward.

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I didn’t make it, what the hell would happen to me? Not even in the end of the second year, when I was looking for a job and there were people giving me offers, did I look back. Because as a child, to survive, you always looked ahead at what’s next. There’s no end zone. I try to get this across to young people in the book: Never be a victim; always look at what’s next. The energy you use in being a victim is destructive. You only have a certain amount of energy a day; why not use it to figure out how to get out of this problem?

Your business career is expansive and there’s a lot of nuance and a lot of detail, but what led you to the investment world?

The reason I changed from engineering to investing was pretty simple. First of all, when I was working at Hercules, I saw people lose their jobs after twenty years because their technology went out. I said, “Oof, that’s not good.” When I got to the business school, I fell in love with just running something. I went into the investment business because that was a chance for me to look at all kinds of companies. At Capital Research I became an investor and received a Ph.D. in investing. At Hutton, I learned all about the brokerage business. Then I went to Lehman and I learned about everything else, including what not to do. So I used all those capabilities, twenty years in the business, to become the CEO of a small investment bank and grew it for twenty years.

If you had been brought up with a conventional middle-class background and did not suffer and have the challenges that you had, do you think you would be as successful today?

I don’t know. It’s a real question. That’s why I recommend people have their children be uncomfortable. Send them to Outward Bound; send them to NOLS [National Outdoor Leadership School]. Get them a job washing dishes, working in a mental hospital. Get them to be alone. Because my greatest strength was that I was not afraid of being alone or failing.

You have built a family and created an enormous amount of stability. How did you go from that kind of upbringing to the life you’ve created?

Family was something I always took time out to do because I thought that was the legacy I really wanted more than anything else. My wife Barbara has done the job on the family side completely. You have to find someone like that. Find someone to love, someone you can support, someone who you can share your life with, someone who’s

willing to tell you that your shirt’s not tucked in. It’s very important. Marrying Barbara was my best decision by far.

When you were in your mid-fifties, you reunited with your mother. What did that experience teach you?

The first thing you get with reuniting with your mother is you get the other half of who you are. I arrived at her apartment in St. Louis and I rang her doorbell and said, “I’m your son, fifty-seven years late.” When I met her that day, there was no emotion, initially.

Three hours into it, we got pretty emotional. I spent twelve wonderful years with her. I found out the other half of me, and she gained a whole family, which made me feel good.

Ed Hajim will be discussing his memoir On the Road Less Traveled at the Nantucket Atheneum on Monday, August 2nd at 7 p.m.

“Never be a victim; always look at what’s next.

The energy you use in being a victim is destructive.

You only have a certain amount of energy a day; why not use it to figure out how to get out of this problem?”

— Ed Hajim The Hajim family at the Edmund A. Hajim School at the University of Rochester

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BREAKING

EPSTEIN INTERVIEW BY BRUCE A. PERCELAY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE

The inside story of the reporter who helped uncover the Jeffrey Epstein scandal

Investigative reporter Tim Malloy is used to risking his life for a story. After the September 11th attacks, Malloy embedded with American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan fourteen times, riding in Black Hawks and Humvees through hot zones. Prior to that, he’d reported from the rubble of the Oklahoma City and World Trade Center bombings. He was on the ground in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. And yet of all the dangers Malloy has encountered during his long and tenured career as a journalist, he was never more frightened than when he was investigating Jeffrey Epstein in Palm Beach.

Malloy is one of the journalists responsible for cracking open the lurid story of the defamed financier and convicted sex offender who committed suicide in a jail cell two years ago this August. His reporting became the backbone of the New York Times bestseller Filthy Rich, which he co-authored with James Patterson and John Connolly. During a recent trip to Nantucket, Malloy brought N Magazine behind the scenes of the sex scandal that shocked the world.

As an investigative journalist, you obviously have certain instincts.

What first made you suspicious about Jeffrey Epstein?

I was a reporter at the NBC affiliate and anchor in West Palm Beach. I used to see Epstein in 2004 and 2005. He’d be riding around near the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach with young girls on bicycles. Beautiful young girls, but fourteen, fifteen, sixteen years old. I then got a tip from a cop and that’s when I knew that there was something up with this guy. Eventually it turned into a big investigation, but it was really a lead from a friend and my observations as a guy who lived in Palm Beach.

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And how long did it take to get to the point where you said I’ve got to do a deep dive here?

There were two phases. In 2006, 2007 and 2008, they were investigating him and I covered it a lot locally as a reporter. Then he was given his very light sentence. He didn’t really go away. He stayed in his home with an ankle bracelet and the stockade. Then he served his time, his thirteen months, and disappeared. But I didn’t really kick in on it until 2015 or ’16. I met James Patterson and I said, “There’s a guy in your neighborhood.

You ought to look because...”

Journalist Tim Malloy helped break the Jeffrey Epstein case.

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“This was scarier than riding around in Black Hawks in Afghanistan for a specific reason: It was local...It was the only time I’ve ever really been scared of a story.

I had a certain level of dread, every day...”

— Tim Malloy

Did you find it curious that he got off so light?

Not curious. Astonished. Everybody was.

The Palm Beach Police Department did a hell of a job on this case. They really nailed them. They tracked them. They pulled toothbrushes. They had pictures of the girls. They were seeing the cars going in. They built a huge case and handed it to the state attorney, Barry Krischer, who didn’t act on it in much of a profound way. And then of course, Michael Reiter, the police chief, was astonished that nothing happened, so he took it to the Feds.

Then it went to U.S. Attorney [Alex] Acosta down in Miami. Not much happened there. So all in all, anybody who knew anything about the case and about Epstein, said, “What is going on here?”

At that point did you think he gamed the system?

Yes, but not only that. I worked with a very good investigative reporter named John Connolly, who wrote for Vanity Fair. He had really good sources indicating that Epstein was still doing this. He was an addict and had an industrial-scale child trafficking thing going. Partners, accomplices, and Ghislaine Maxwell, of course, was the madam, allegedly.

So you brought in John Connolly and world-famous author James Patterson. Did you bring them in because you needed more horsepower?

First, Connolly and I had talked before I’d ever talked to Patterson. I’ve known Patterson for about eight years now. It wasn’t until I teamed up with Connolly that I mentioned to Patterson, “I know you’re the world’s number one fiction writer. How about a nonfiction book?” And he was all-in immediately. He went forward, fearlessly, frankly. I was terrified the whole time, but he was into it.

Epstein enlisted a dream team of lawyers whose tactics seemed to include intimidation. Is that a fair assessment?

Malloy embedded in Afghanistan

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I don’t think I’m willing to say the lawyers did this, but there was intimidation of people. Even the police chief said that they were looking at his personal life. Private investigators who had been hired by the lawyers for the girls suddenly felt like they were being tracked and were checking underneath their cars for things. I’m not going to say I know who did it, but Epstein was dangerous. It wasn’t just lawsuits, which he threatened Patterson and me with once a week. There were other things possible.

I think everybody thought that.

There’s one story where you were in the Channel 5 studio, while the station’s helicopter was hovering over the airport to see if you could get footage of this elusive character who had just landed in his private plane. Can you explain the phone call you received?

I was anchoring the news, but I had my IFB, my earpiece, in, and I had gotten the tail number of the plane I knew was coming in. Nobody ever got pictures of this guy. So our helicopter pilot, who’s a woman, was above the tarmac when he taxied in, having landed from New York. We were waiting for him to come down. We have this long lens, waiting for him to come down and get a good look at him. So we’re hovering above it while I’m on a commercial break.

My producer says, “Jeffrey Epstein wants to talk to you.” I’m thinking, How could that be? I asked my producer, “What does he want?” And he said, “He wants you to get your f***ing helicopter away from this airplane.” He was that controlling and strange that he didn’t want his picture taken. He was probably watching a TV in his plane.

So the book Filthy Rich came out and the media coverage seemed oddly subdued. Why? We didn’t push it hard. We were very careful with it. There was a lot of stuff we had to take out of it because the lawyers wanted it out. We knew it was the first real book ever written about the guy. The Wall Street Journal did something on the book. I don’t know why The New York Times didn’t. It did make The New York Times bestseller list.

“This is the ultimate question of this story: Why the hell did this guy only go to jail for thirteen months?”

— Tim Malloy

Fearing for your safety, you sat down with a coworker at one point and said, “If anything happens to me, you have to keep pursuing this story.” Explain your state of mind.

Shannon Cake is a very good colleague of mine, with eighteen Emmys for investigative reports. She’s really the real-deal. I was at the point where we were getting threatened all the time.

Connolly had heard rumors that this guy really didn’t mess around. So I took Shannon and said, “We’re really on top of getting this guy, so if anything happens...” In retrospect, I wish I hadn’t said that.

You’ve embedded in multiple missions in Afghanistan and other hotspots. Which made you more scared?

This did. This was scarier than riding around in Black Hawks in Afghanistan for a specific reason: It was local. He lived two miles away. My wife was afraid our dogs would get poisoned.

He knew who we were now. When I hooked up with Patterson, you knew the book was going to happen and I was safe. But in another way, they knew exactly who I was and where I lived. It was the only time I’ve ever really been scared of a story. I had a certain level of dread, every day we did this story. I was also thinking about financial ruin. If you made a [factual] mistake, this guy was allegedly a billionaire and Alan Dershowitz was his lawyer. I just wanted to go back to Afghanistan to feel safe.

Malloy with his co-author James Patterson

Do you think that Epstein’s influence got to the publishers?

Our publisher was Little, Brown, and I didn’t have much interplay with them. So I don’t know. I know that Patterson—and I’m not just saying this because he’s my friend—was fearless. He said, “I’m not scared of Jeffrey Epstein.” So it didn’t get to him.

Let’s talk about Acosta, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. He ultimately becomes labor secretary in the Trump administration, which was an unusual appointment. Usually the labor secretary was a union leader and so forth. Trump had been seen and photographed with Epstein in Palm Beach before his presidency. A conspiracy theorist might suggest that his connection, his position, got Acosta to Washington, or maybe it had something to do with Epstein and the president.

Is that a far-flung thought or do you think there’s a possibility there’s a connection?

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And that leaves his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, as the only living person with this knowledge. Do you think it will ever see the light of day?

She’s still around so I’ve got to be careful when I say this. The people who went after her believe she knows everything, that she has lists of names, that there are tapes and there are men shaking in their boots all over the world. One thing we knew about Jeffrey was that his currency was girls. He was a braggadocio guy. He was giving money to Harvard. He was hanging around with Stephen Hawking. He was a kind of a star you-knowwhat-er. But if you assume that she did what she’s Court sketch from Epstein’s trial in 2019

This is such a great question, and I wish I had more for you on this. First of all, we never found any weird or bad connection between Trump and Epstein, other than they knew each other. Clinton as well. Nothing. Acosta said that he did everything he could with Epstein, having been handed the case from the state attorney, from Palm Beach County. The state attorney ended up jabbing a bit saying, “You guys didn’t follow through. At least I got him time in prison.” They basically just got him on a simple solicitation of prostitution of a minor. Why they didn’t push harder? I don’t know. This is the ultimate question of this story. Why the hell did this guy only go to jail for thirteen months? He got to go home to the house where the offenses took place for twelve hours a day? He slept in a stockade, in a private suite, had drivers, had the sheriff’s office taking him back and forth to his house. It was unbelievable, but I don’t have a good answer for this. It was very curious that this guy skated the way he did and then got to go back and do it again.

You, Patterson and Connolly were given credit by the New York prosecutors for having brought Epstein to justice. Had you not done what you did, do you think Epstein would still be at large?

Patterson and I are very careful about this. We wrote this book early. I think we lit the fuse and we got the attention of Epstein and his lawyers. But it wasn’t until the Miami Herald devoted a chunk of their investigative staff for a year or two that really delivered the body blow.

Epstein’s suicide was viewed almost universally as suspicious.

When you learned that he had committed suicide, what was the first thing that went through your mind?

I said, “This is impossible. Somebody killed him.” But then I found out that he spent the second to last day of his life with his brother Mark and a bunch of lawyers, signing everything over to Mark. Next day he’s dead. If you’re asking, “Do I think he committed suicide?” I do, but I think perhaps some people were allowed to look the other way or were encouraged to do so.

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“There’s never been anybody like Jeffrey Epstein. I don’t think there’s anybody that connected in history that could have gone this far and gotten away with this much.”

— Tim Malloy

accused of doing, she’s got all the cards. There are terrified people out there, names we’ve not heard yet—beyond Prince Andrew. The assumption is that she’s plea bargaining her way out of it.

They’ve got a lot of stuff on her, so I don’t think there’s going to be a get-out-of-jail-free card. She may be lessening time. She’s tougher than him.

She’s been in for almost a year. She hasn’t cracked.

He was weak. She’s not weak.

With all you witnessed, with the astounding lack of prosecution of him, the amount of time he was able to do this, did you have the feeling that he had the system completely wired from inside?

He knew powerful people. He had powerful lawyers. He had dirt on people. There’s never been anybody like this guy. There’s never been anybody this rich, this connected. He had two presidents as friends. Maybe more than two. There’s never been anybody like Jeffrey Epstein. I don’t think there’s anybody that connected in history that could have gone this far and gotten away with this much.

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EVERYTHING ELSE IS OLD NEWS

INTRODUCING THE ISLAND’S ULTIMATE E-NEWSLETTER

Nantucket deserves an unbiased, unfiltered and objective news source to keep you informed of all the ever-changing events on the island. From the team that brought you N Magazine, Nantucket Current delivers breaking news as well as in-depth reporting to your inbox four times a week. Written and edited by one of the island’s most respected journalists—Jason Graziadei— the Current will set a new standard for disseminating information on Nantucket. So don’t just get the news… stay Current.

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4 EASY STREET I 508.228.5073

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ACTION

HERO WRITTEN BY ROBERT COCUZZO

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE

YouTube sensation Casey Neistat rolls on to Nantucket

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et after set, Casey Neistat keeps paddling into the waves.

It’s 6 a.m. on Nobadeer Beach a day after tropical storm Elsa tore through Nantucket and the ocean is angry. With each crashing wave, Neistat gets pummeled back to shore, but he keeps paddling harder and harder until he finally gets through the breaker zone. Bobbing over the swells on his surfboard, encased in impenetrable fog and the din of the ocean, totally alone, this world-famous filmmaker finds reprieve.

At forty years old, Neistat has achieved spectacular success

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through the same mindset that got him through the waves: bold vision combined with fierce effort.

A tenth-grade dropout who once lived in a trailer park with his infant son and worked in the dish pits of a seafood restaurant, Neistat willed himself to becoming one of the most respected creators in the country.

Despite having no formal education in filmmaking and limited access to cameras and equipment, he forged his own genre of visual storytelling that’s helped democratize movie-making for an entire generation of creators.

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ow, as one of Nantucket’s newest homeowners, Neistat is taking stock of his life and career—and deciding which wave to catch next. “I’m not doing a tremendous amount of work out here and that was by design,” Neistat says.

“The intent here was to try and have a sense of togetherness with my wife and our two young kids that we find to be elusive in a big city.”

For a certain generation of readers, the name Casey Neistat might not ring any bells, but in the eyes of tens of millions of online viewers he’s more than an internet celebrity—he’s a cultural icon. Where cinema has Steven Spielberg, YouTube has

“There’s a thirty-mile moat around this piece of land that forces this sense of community. That was something that dawned on me very early and is an endless source of happiness, inspiration and sense of being for someone like me.”

— Casey Neistat

Casey Neistat. With 12.4 million subscribers and billions of views, Neistat’s boundlessly creative short films and vlogs (video blogs) have helped pioneer an entire industry online. Outside of his work on YouTube, he launched a technology company that was purchased by CNN, founded a collaborative workspace in New York City and directed primetime commercials for major brands.

When Nike hired him in 2012 to make a short film about its FuelBand fitness tracker, he took the

entire budget and spent it on traveling around the world for as long as the money would last. The resulting four-and-a-half-minute video titled “Make It Count” was viewed by more than 31 million people. He used a similar tactic when 20th Century Fox hired him to promote one of its feature films in 2013, spending the entire budget on helping people devastated by a typhoon in the Philippines. That video too reached millions of people. But this commercial work—which he does very selectively today—is just one satellite in an en-

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tire creative universe that Neistat has

with many summer residents like Tim

person Neistat is exactly as he comes

built over the last twenty years.

and Alicia Mullen and quickly fell for

across in his movies—warm, energetic,

While New York City served as

the island. “It was the warmest way

interested, thoughtful, unassuming and

his creative launchpad, Neistat’s first

you could come to know a place like

fun. He’s a forty-year-old kid, cruis-

real success is linked to Nantucket. In

Nantucket,” Neistat says. “There’s a

ing around on his skateboard, riding

the mid-2000s, he and his brother Van

thirty-mile moat around this piece of

a motorized fat-tire bike and chasing

were hired by Plum TV, the television

land that forces this sense of commu-

waves wherever they’re breaking. Af-

network launched by Nantucket Nec-

nity. That was something that dawned

ter befriending local surf stars Robbie

tars founder Tom Scott. “The Neistats

on me very early and is an endless

Goodwin and Ryan Huckabee, Neistat

were wildly talented and crazy hard-

source of happiness, inspiration and

now often finds himself squished un-

working,” recalls Scott, who is today

sense of being for someone like me.

the co-founder of The Nantucket Proj-

It was something I searched for, and

ect. “I knew right away that I wanted

I think Nantucket has that in droves.”

Neistat surfing at Nobadeer (photo by Henry Michaelis)

to work with them. I said, ‘How ’bout a movie?’ They said, ‘How ’bout at TV show?’ And we shook hands.”

As they were creating The Neistat Brothers television series, which ultimately aired on HBO, Casey and Van developed a twenty-minute episode that Scott thought could be shown

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as a short film. “The first time that anyone saw that—or any of the work that Van, Tom and I had done for the HBO series— was here on Nantucket as part of the Nantucket Film Festival,” Neistat

This past February, Neistat and

der stacks of surfboards in the back

says. “That was my very first time ever

his wife Candice purchased a home on

of Goodwin’s Honda CR-V as they

coming here.”

the island where they have been living

cruise from surf spot to surf spot in the

Since that debut, Neistat has

with their two young daughters since

search of the perfect wave.

returned to the island again and again

June. As many young people who

“I never surfed before, but

for The Nantucket Project and the

have bumped into him around town or

now I surf seven days a week,” Neistat

film festival. He became dear friends

sitting in the surf lineup can attest, in-

says. “The reason I think I have such

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enthusiasm for that sport is because I

popular. Every day, he shot, edited

very top of millions of YouTube

leave my cell phone in my car. I’m just

and released a ten-minute video

creators and earning him signifi-

out there in the middle of the water be-

capturing his comings and goings.

cant income in YouTube AdSense.

cause I enjoy it and not because there’s

“When I’m eighty years old and

Yet what began as an experiment

a great Instagram picture to be had or a

I look back at my life, I hope that

ultimately became an exhausting

great video to be made or a story to be

body of work will define what my

endeavor that started robbing him

told. I’m doing it just for me.”

career has been,” he says. “I can’t

of his sense of self. “I definitely got

This has been a relatively new

imagine creating something that is

lost in there, especially in the latter

development in Neistat’s life. For two

as impactful, as true an expression

half of that content when I knew

straight years beginning in 2015, Neis-

of creativity to me as that was.”

that the more interestingness that

tat broadcasted his life through a daily

The vlog supercharged

I could extract from my life, the

vlog on YouTube that became wildly

his following, catapulting him to the

more views I could get,” he explains. “It left me questioning so much about my existential existence that now I find myself letting the pendulum swing as far as I can in the other direction where I know I’m doing things just for myself.”

Along with the fame and fortune it generated, his vlog prompted introspective questions that Neistat grapples with today. “Fifteen years of being a filmmaker wasn’t just eclipsed by my YouTube career in a matter of months, it deleted everything I did prior,” he says. Since he uploaded his first vlog, no one asks him about his old HBO series, or the artwork he showed in galleries and museums for years, or the half dozen films he created for The New York Times. “I had ten people come up to me today while I was taking pictures of the waves

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Neistat with his two daughters and wife Candice at Cisco and say, ‘I love your videos.’ Not one of them mentioned any of the work I did prior to that.”

There’s also a high psychological toll paid for making a living in the YouTube space. “There’s a dopamine thing that happens when you’re a YouTuber; you share something and you immediately get praise,” says Neistat, explaining that this instant gratification also exists in social media.

“You need more praise, so you share more. And that cycle has no end.

That cycle does not stop until you stop sharing.” The more you share, the more of your personal life you give to the world. “You externalize every aspect of who you are so that you’re left in a position of not quite knowing who you actually are.”

Over the last two years, he has worked hard to extricate himself from the YouTube echo chamber that threatened to drown out the most important things in his life. He’s currently finishing a feature-length documentary that explores this phenomenon encountered by successful YouTubers and influencers by telling the story of another creator. Otherwise, the majority of his time and attention are now devoted to his wife and children.

“The real reason for leaving the city was because I wanted to focus on being a father, to focus on being a good husband—and to not just focus on work,” Neistat says. “When I think of looking ahead, I am hyper cognizant of that. I’m not really interested in taking the majority of the pie of my fungible attention and fungible energy in life away from my family and putting it on work. I’ve refocused my life on looking in, as opposed to trying to put so much out.”

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2020-2021

The Grant Program distributes funds to Island nonprofits that share in the Foundation’s mission to promote the positive development and enrichment of Nantucket’s children.

The following are the 78 organizations supported:

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A Safe Place Access Nantucket Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention, Inc Artists’ Association of Nantucket Autism Speaks Bulgarian Education Center Camp Richard Campers Association Children’s Montessori House of Nantucket Children’s Theatre of Nantucket Community Network for Children Fund Distinguished Young Women of Nantucket Dreamland Foundation Egan Maritime Foundation Fairwinds Faraway Stars First Congregational Church Friends of Nantucket Public Schools Grossman Scholarship Fund Habitat for Humanity Nantucket Harvey Foundation Health Imperatives Nantucket Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Lexi Fund Linda Loring Nature Foundation Maria Mitchell Association Masonic Angel Fund MSPCA/Angel-Nantucket Museum of Afro-American History MY Nantucket (Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nantucket) Nantucket Arts Council Nantucket Babe Ruth Baseball Nantucket Book Foundation Nantucket Booster Club Nantucket Boys and Girls Club Nantucket Comedy Festival Nantucket Community Sailing Nantucket Community Television Nantucket Conservation Foundation Nantucket Dolphin Swim Team Nantucket Emergency Food Pantry Nantucket Film Foundation

Nantucket Flying Association Nantucket Garden Club Nantucket Girl Scouts Nantucket High School Ice Hockey Club Nantucket High School MMSI Grant Nantucket Historical Association Nantucket Ice Nantucket Rental Assistance Program Nantucket Island Little League, Inc. Nantucket Island School of Design Nantucket Lighthouse School Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum Nantucket Music Center Nantucket New School Nantucket Police Association Nantucket Preservation Trust Nantucket S.T.A.R. Program Nantucket Safe Harbor for Animals Nantucket Skating Club Nantucket Student Lacrosse Nantucket Student Soccer Association Nantucket Youth Hockey New England Life Flight / Boston Med Flight NHS Culinary Arts Fund One Book One Island Palliative and Supportive Care of Nantucket Rising Tide Preschool Sconset Playground & Park Fund Sherburne Commons, Inc. Small Friends on Nantucket, Inc. Special Needs Advisory Council St. Paul’s Cooperative Nursery School Strong Wings Sustainable Nantucket Swim Across America The Nantucket Project White Heron Theatre Thank you for the opportunities and services you provide to children living on Nantucket.

Through the generous support of the members of Nantucket Golf Club, their guests and others, the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation has raised almost $32 million over the last 19 years for the benefit of Nantucket youth.

Thank you!

2021 Nantucket Scholars

Cameron Strojny Fairfield University Fairfield, CT Anah Booms Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA Tadhg Cawley Johnson & Wales University Providence, RI

JohnCarl McGrady Williams College Williamstown, MA

2021 Vocational Scholarship Recipients Isabella Cutone University of New Hampshire Durham, NH

Samuel Hofford Belmont University Nashville, TN

Nazair Thompson New York University New York, NY

Charles Hickman Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA

Matthew McFarlane Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA

Oscar Waldman Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA

Originating in 2006, the Nantucket Scholar Program provides full four-year scholarships for two Nantucket High School seniors each year.

In 2018, the NGCF expanded its support to Nantucket students by assisting those continuing their vocational studies beyond high school.

We are proud of our Scholars: 2020 Nantucket Scholars

2017 Nantucket Scholars

Brianna Leveille, University of California, Riverside Phaedra Plank, Wellesley College

Evan Borzilleri, University of California, Berkeley Sophie Kuhl, Brown University

2020 Vocational Scholarship Recipients

Prior Year Scholars

Jackson Milne, Wentworth Institute of Technology Camron Diadoti, New England Institute of Technology Charlie Clarke, Wentworth Institute of Technology Alexander Corkish, New England Institute of Technology

2019 Nantucket Scholars

Jennifer Lamb, Northeastern University Jenna Genthner, Bates College

2019 Vocational Scholarship Recipients

Micheal Bartley, Johnson & Wales University Malkia Blake, Culinary Institute of America Gideon Holdgate, Mass. College of Art and Design

2018 Nantucket Scholars

Carter Snell, University of Vermont Deana Weatherly, Wellesley College

2018 Vocational Scholarship Recipients

Brianna Falconer, Johnson & Wales University Blaise Flegg, Lincoln Technical Institute

Claire MacKay, Bates College Frances Steadman, Villanova University Lisa Genthner, Dartmouth College Mia Silverio, Georgetown University Isabella Day, Georgetown University James Roggeveen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Joseph Zieff, Middlebury College Wisima Nipatnantaporn, Emerson College Eve Manghis, Harvard University Codie Perry, Boston College Ashleigh Inglis, Harvard University Will Horyn, Villanova University Ashley Clinger, Sacred Heart University Caroline Stanton, Vassar College Samantha Reis, University of Richmond River Bennett, University of Virginia Anita Elahi Small, George Washington University Tomas Smaliorius, Bucknell University Anna Burnham, DePaul University Samantha Pillion, Wellesley College Kelsey Fredericks Perkins, Connecticut College Rachel Schneider Shepard, Sarah Lawrence College N - M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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RISING ASHES WRITTEN BY ROBERT COCUZZO PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT NOBLE & BRIAN SAGER

How Russell Ferguson and Melissa Pigue emerged from a devastating home explosion and fire

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I

n the early morning hours of November 4, 2020, Russell Ferguson was quietly packing the rest of his belongings to catch the 6:30 ferry off island.

The longtime chef de cuisine at the Nantucket Golf Club, Ferguson had grand plans for his offseason: restaurant hopping in Philadelphia, visiting family in Alabama and skiing in Jackson Hole. With his truck packed, Ferguson went to fetch his keys and glasses off the table to leave the island for the winter.

Meanwhile upstairs, Melissa Pigue was in a deep sleep. She owned this home on 39 Surfside Road where Ferguson had been staying for the last week or so. The two were friends, so when Ferguson’s seasonal rental was up at the end of October, Pigue opened up her home to help him bridge the time gap until his departure. The owner of Melissa David Salon, Pigue had worked incredibly hard to purchase this property on Nantucket two years earlier. At barely 5:30 in the morning, she slept soundly.

Downstairs, Ferguson padded across the living room, heading for the staircase to bid a final farewell to Pigue when he suddenly heard a strange whistling sound. Walking toward the home’s furnace, the high-pitched whine grew louder and louder until BOOM! The furnace exploded, throwing Ferguson against the wall. The room went up in flames instantly. Ferguson fled out the back door, but then reentered the house to try and rescue Pigue. By that time, the flames had engulfed everything and there was no way to reach her.

Upstairs, the blast had rocked Pigue’s bed and jolted her awake. Scorching pain gripped her arms and scalp. Her home was ablaze. She sprinted to the top of the stairs to discover that the roof had collapsed on top of them, trapping her on the second floor. She leaned over the banister to see an impenetrable wall of flames. Out of options, Pigue ran to the bathroom, then to her bedroom. The smoke was suffocating. She threw open her window for air. That’s when she realized her only way out of the house. Pigue pushed out the screen, crawled on to the roof and rolled off the side, tucking her knees to her chest hoping not to break her ankles when she landed on the deck below.

Miraculously, she didn’t break any bones—but her body was in excruciating pain.

First responders—firefighters, EMTs, police—rushed to the scene immediately and swarmed the victims. Ferguson was in critical condition. He had been standing four or five feet from the home’s furnace when it inexplicably exploded. The last thing he remembered was being loaded into the ambulance and having a necklace clipped off his neck. The first responders didn’t think he would survive. Neither did the doctors at Nantucket Cottage Hospital when they rushed him onto a Boston MedFlight. As the helicopter pounded over Nantucket Sound en route to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Russell Ferguson and Melissa Pigue began a long journey. Their lives as they knew them were no more.

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etting burned is unlike anything you’ve ever imagined,” says Ferguson, sitting in the dining room of the Nantucket Golf Club some seven months since the explosion.

Beneath his white chef coat, Ferguson’s arms are dressed in blue compression sleeves. His hands wear protective gloves, with only his finger tips revealing the extent of the damage hidden inside.

According to his doctors, nearly half of Ferguson’s body—between 45 and 48 percent—suffered third-degree burns in the accident. The most damage was done to his torso and arms, but his face, ears and feet were also badly burned. He’s undergone ten surgeries in the last seven months, with a half dozen more operations on his hands, eyes, mouth and throat scheduled for this fall. However, the one part of Ferguson that remains completely intact is his spirit.

“Right out of the gates, I wasn’t expected to live, much less get where I am seven months to the day of the accident,” he says. Indeed, Ferguson’s return is nothing short of a miracle. When he arrived at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, his burns were so severe that doctors put him in a medically induced coma because the pain would have been too excruciating for him to withstand. When he awoke from the coma forty days later, Ferguson was unable to walk, move his arms or feed himself. He would need to learn how to do everything all over again.

On December 18th, Ferguson was transferred to Spaulding Rehabilitation Clinic in Charlestown, Massachusetts, to begin long, intensive in-patient rehab work. For eight hours a day, five days a week, he underwent grueling physical, occupational, mental and speech therapy.

In the years before the accident, Ferguson lived a life people only dream about. Growing up on a working farm in Alabama, he learned to cook by holding on to his grandmother’s apron. He sharpened those homegrown skills at top kitchens across the country, from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, to

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the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans, to some of the top restaurants in Boston like The Federalist and Eastern Standard.

After a stint cooking for Nantucket Island Resorts, Ferguson started jumping onto super yachts as a private chef. The gig took him to the world’s most exotic places—Tahiti, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies, Honduras, Belize.

He ended up being anchored in the Caribbean for three years where he fell in love with scuba diving and became an instructor. Ferguson eventually found his way back to Nantucket where he landed a job he loved at Nantucket Golf Club. In the spring of 2017, Ferguson’s hometown paper wrote a splashy story on him titled “Living the Life.”

Lying in his hospital bed in the Spaulding Clinic less than a month after the accident, Ferguson couldn’t have been

himself. Along with a feeding tube in his stomach, Ferguson had to be spoon-fed by nurses. And then there was the pain— constant and unremitting—dulled only by heaping doses of pain drugs. It was all wearing on his psyche. Why did I live? he thought to himself. What am I going to do for work? Where am I going to live? What am I going to do? Alone in his room, Ferguson called his mother and then cried himself to sleep.

But the very next morning, he made a critical decision, one that would change the course of his recovery. “Alright, there’s no way around this,” he told himself. “The only way to get through this is straight ahead.” From that moment forward, Ferguson dedicated every bit of himself to his recovery. “Whatever the therapists wanted to try—casts, scar tissue massage, walking, exercises—I said yes.

“Every day is better. Every week is better.

Every sort of milestone and accomplishment that I get just gives me more energy to not stop...the fight and determination and the drive that I have in me is what’s kept me alive.”

— Russell Ferguson

further from that former life. He stared out the window as snow fell from the January sky and felt utterly defeated. He couldn’t walk, shower or do virtually anything for

Whatever they tell me to do, I’ll try. Because of that, I’ve been able to slowly heal and put my life back to what is normal.”

Today, Ferguson’s life isn’t fully back to

normal but it’s remarkably close. After months at Spaulding, he returned to Nantucket in April. Immediately after disembarking the ferry, he drove directly over to the scene of the explosion, the cause of which is still under investigation. Staring through his windshield at this scorched hole in the ground, Ferguson began the mental journey of reclaiming his life on Nantucket. The first major hurdle was being seen in public again. “A lot of people didn’t know what to expect, what I would look like, what I would be like, what I’d be able to do,” he says, “but I’m way ahead of everybody’s predictions.”

Ferguson reconnected with the first responders and expressed his deep gratitude for helping save his life. His recovery has been fueled by family, friends and the broader Nantucket community, which he says has treated him with the kind of love normally reserved for a family member. “The reason I’m alive is because of the energy they give me,” he says. One of the greatest forms of support has come from within the island’s culinary community.

Today, whenever Ferguson is enjoying a meal at one of the island’s restaurants, a chef inevitably emerges from the kitchen to wrap him up in a bear hug.

Returning to his own kitchen at the Nantucket Golf Club was the next major hurdle. “Even before the accident, I always felt a sense of community with the club and the members,” Ferguson says. “But at every step along the way since the accident, they said, ‘Come back when you can, however you can. You’re always welcome here.’ Tommy B., Cathy, all the managing team here just made me feel like everything was normal.” To the amazement of staff and members alike, Ferguson was back in the kitchen for opening day and hasn’t missed a shift since.

A commercial kitchen is perhaps one of the last places a severe burn victim might want to spend his time. Working twelve to sixteen hour days, Ferguson winces at the heat coming off boiling pots and scalding skillets. Whether he’s in the kitchen or not, his pain hovers constantly around a five, often more but rarely less. He’s still regaining his fine motor skills to make precise knife cuts when butchering meats or fileting fish. His strength is also half of what it used to be, and he often needs

Russell Ferguson outside the Nantucket Golf Clubhouse

help lifting heavy pots or opening stubborn jars. Still Ferguson’s drive remains undeterred.

“This is a common attribute to people who have almost lost their life,” he explains. “When you come back, you have a little bit of a chip on your shoulder. I wasn’t going to be satisfied with just being able to come and do anything partially. My goal was to get back to 100 percent of what I could do. Right now, I’m at probably 80 percent.” Sticking to the pledge he made all those months ago in that hospital bed, Ferguson is committed to a rigorous recovery regimen that combines physical therapy, yoga and regular visits to a chiropractor, therapist and a team of doctors in both Boston and Nantucket.

“I haven’t looked back,” he says. “Every day is better. Every week is better. Every sort of milestone and accomplishment that I get just gives me more energy to not stop. Some people say, ‘You need to rest.’ But the fight and determination and the drive that I have in me is what’s kept me alive.” Today that drive extends beyond himself. Ferguson hopes his story can help others persevere through insurmountable odds. He’s part of a support group called Burn Survivors of New England, where he connects with others who have been through similar unimaginable traumas. Armed with optimism, Ferguson proves that there is life after the fire. “I want to give people hope, to show them that they can get through this,” he says. “It’s not going to be easy. You’re going to need to fight every single day. But if you fight, you can do it.”

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Melissa Pigue outside her salon wearing a hat, which miraculously survived the fire

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back had already healed themselves. “I wish I could bottle your DNA,” the surgeon told her. “I’ve never seen anyone heal so fast.” Her body’s resiliency was bolstered by her mindset. “I didn’t want to admit that I was as hurt as I was because I had worked my butt off for my life on Nantucket—my home and my salon—and I didn’t want to watch it unravel,” Pigue says. “It helped that I’m a very stubborn person.”

Doctors had initially told Pigue that she needed to be in the hospital for two months, but she ended up leaving after just twenty-three days.

While her physical wounds healed, Pigue also attended to her emotional scars. She grappled with the psychological trauma of narrowly escaping with her life and watching all her worldly possessions—family photos, heirloom jewelry, a home she worked so hard to buy—be consumed by the fire. As someone who worked in the beauty industry, she had to come to terms with the burns now scattered across her body.

Then there were the endless questions of why this happened and what she was going to do with her life next. “I could definitely see how a burn victim could go down a very dark path without the support system I had,” she says. “I have the best family and friends in the world who kept me really positive.”

hile Ferguson fought for his life in those ear“Although I was very aware that the little ly days at Brigham and island we call home was full of amazing Women’s Hospital, Melissa Pigue behard-working people that were always willing gan her own long, painful road to reto help anyone in need, nothing prepared me covery. Her arms, especially her right arm, suffered the most severe burns, for how deep that sense of community went.” however her scalp, back, left side of — Melissa Pigue her chest and legs were also significantly impacted. The most concerning burns were to her right hand, which Jasmine Cocchiola was the first friend by Pigue relied on for her livelihood as a hairdresser. “After getting a skin Pigue’s bedside in Boston the day after the accigraft, when they removed the cast and the staples, I couldn’t move my dent. From that point forward, Jasmine and her hand,” Pigue recalls. “I thought my career was over.” husband Mark became so integral to her recovery But as time would tell, Pigue possessed an almost superhuman that Pigue started calling them “Maw” and “Paw.” ability to heal. Surgeons had originally planned to perform two sepaCocchiola launched a GoFundMe for Pigue and rate skin grafts, one on the front side of her body and one on the back, Ferguson, which was quickly shared throughout but by the time she was ready for the second surgery, the burns on her

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the island community and eventually generated nearly $170,000 for their recovery. After Pigue spent the winter recovering with her parents in Florida, Cocchiola traveled down to help her move back up to Nantucket. “Where am I going to live?” she lamented to Cocchiola as they packed, to which her friend responded, “Don’t worry, Paw is going to build you a better house.” In the meantime, Pigue would live with them.

Pigue’s return to Nantucket illustrated the island’s ability to rally around one of its own. Local business owners Beth English of Current Vintage and Julie Biondi of The Lovely organized a gift drive with other small business owners and put together a grand welcome-home basket. Lindsay Walsh of RJ Miller Salon organized a separate collection among all of Pigue’s hairdresser colleagues on the island. “I was so apprehensive to return to the island, but when I walked into that room with all those gifts, I just burst

into tears,” Pigue recalls. “I felt so happy and welcomed back.”

The generosity continued with the replacement of her home. With the encouragement of Mark Cocchiola and his company Tradewinds Custom Building, Pigue reached out to Kris Megna of Dreamline Modular Homes. Megna had heard about Pigue’s story and said he would move mountains to get her into a new home by the summer. “He’s a living saint,” Pigue says of Megna. “He fast-tracked the project, cut costs where he could. I feel like I’ll never be able to repay that kind of kindness. It’s uplifting to know that there are people out there willing to help someone just out of the kindness of their heart.” This kindness continued as throngs of local builders, architects, designers, town officials and volunteers converged on the home project, determined to see Pigue in the new house within a year of the explosion.

With her new home underway, Pigue threw herself back into work. As

she learned recovering with her family in Florida, cutting hair proved to be the perfect form of physical therapy for her burned hand. At first, she didn’t have the strength or mobility to hold a coffee mug or cut her own food. But after months of rigorous exercises, she began cutting her parents’ and siblings’ hair at home. By the time she returned to the island, Pigue was confident in her abilities. Thanks to her employee Lane Corbett, who ran the business singlehandedly while she was gone, Pigue was able to hit the ground running when she returned to her shop on Washington Street. In so many ways, Melissa David Salon represented Pigue’s stake in the ground here on Nantucket. After first discovering the island in 2010, Pigue cut hair seasonally here until she opened her salon with her brother in 2017. The very next year, she bought her home on the island and became a full-time resident.

Central to Pigue’s journey today is trying to fully convey her gratitude to everyone involved in her recovery.

From the first responder who comforted her in the ambulance, to the real estate agent friend who picked up her family in Boston and put them up in an Airbnb while she was in the hospital, to the five-year-old island resident who contributed $25 to her GoFundMe after seeing the aftermath of the fire, Pigue holds on to these stories as touchstones of strength and gratitude. “I just want the community to know how I sincerely appreciate everything everyone has done for me,” she says. “Although I was very aware that the little island we call home was full of amazing hardworking people that were always willing to help anyone in need, nothing prepared me for how deep that sense of community went.”

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G O I N G

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DISTANCE INTERVIEW BY ROBERT COCUZZO

PORTRAIT BY NAOMI HOGARTY

Ultra-endurance athlete Adam Nagler’s standup paddle from Virginia to Nantucket

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n January 15, 2014, Adam Nagler looked himself in the mirror and said, “I am going to die, if I keep this up.” He was forty-six years old, overweight and disgruntled from decades of working desk jobs. Five years earlier, Nagler underwent open heart surgery after a freak infection nearly destroyed two of his heart valves. Still sickly, Nagler believed that if he didn’t change his life, he would only have a couple years left. While most people might have just joined a gym or gone on vacation to quell their midlife crisis, Nagler went to truly extreme lengths to reroute his life.

Today, this fifty-four-year-old is an entirely different breed of human being, pushing himself through audacious feats of endurance so grueling that they border on madness. His most recent adventure—attempting to stand-up paddle more than 450 miles nonstop from Chesapeake Bay to Nantucket to raise money for Fairwinds–Nantucket’s Counseling Center—was by far his most daring. At press time, Nagler was more than two weeks into this wild adventure that left some wondering whether his effort to change his life might just cost him that life.

“My mission is to crush the younger versions of myself,” Nagler explained of the series of endurance expeditions he began seven years ago. “I want to leave it all on the field of middle age en route to becoming a worldclass fifty-plus-year-old ‘hard and fast’ ultra-endurance athlete.” In that pursuit, Nagler has pedaled more than three thousand miles on a mountain bike, logging enough vertical feet along the way to reach the summit of Everest more than twice. He has covered more than a thousand miles over a ten-day span, running, mountain biking, paddling and in-line skating—losing fourteen pounds and three toenails in the process. Six weeks after that effort, as part of what he called “The Strong Island Special,” Nagler stand-up paddled from the Brooklyn Bridge to Nantucket, some 246 miles in 151 hours. A day later, he got back on his board and paddled back to Quogue, New York—another 175 miles. Mind you, all this paddling came after he ran 127 miles and cycled a total of 391 miles.

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n these endurance expeditions, Nagler has no sponsors. He’s not competing against anyone. There are no camera crews or spectators watching. Instead, these extraordinary physical tests are part of a long-term personal campaign he has dubbed “This Is Fifty Suffer Fest Tour.” “It’s a multiyear series of solo, selfsupported, brutally hard, exceptional in their obscurity, cost-efficient, nonprofit fundraiser epics,” Nagler explained.

Benefiting organizations ranging from the National Outdoor Leadership School to Search and Rescue in Santa Barbara, California, where Nagler lives, each fundraising expedition follows a fifteen-point criteria that he drew up, detailing everything from the kind of gear he uses (only off-the-shelf factory equipment) to the safety measures he takes (“always have backups for your backups”).

Then there’s the training. Over the last seven years, Nagler has logged more than 55,000 miles of cycling, running, skating and paddling. He’s trained with ex-military brass and endured enough hours of suffering—more than 10,000—to achieve master status.

Titled “Deep Fog Direct,” Nagler’s paddle expedition from the Charles Lighthouse on the northern side of Chesapeake Bay to Nantucket’s Brant Point would call upon every shred of his training. Seeking to set the record for the longest distance paddled on a factory board, Nagler turned a fourteen-foot board that he bought second-hand for $900 into a life-support system where he planned to remain for the next two weeks or more. Equipped with a compass, elaborate storage compartments and a jerry-rigged steering system, the board would also tow a 225-pound water caddy, which was Nagler’s only source of sustenance. He wouldn’t pack a bite of food, but planned on surviving entirely on a nutrient-dense powder that he mixed with the water. “In my mind, I pretend that I’m having a great cup of coffee with bacon,” Nagler described before his departure, “but it’s not fun.”

Though based in Santa Barbara, Nagler has been connected to Nantucket since 1989 when he first came to the island to stay with his college friend John Arena. He’s returned most every summer since, maintaining friendships with year-round island residents. During the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, Nagler learned of the heavy mental health burdens plaguing many year-round Nantucketers. “That’s when I really dug into who was helping islanders during that most difficult time and discovered Fairwinds,” Nagler explained of the beneficiary of his paddle to Nantucket. “I hope to raise $35,000 for the organization.”

Unlike with other long-distance, open-ocean paddling attempts, Nagler’s makeshift board wasn’t equipped with any kind of sleeping quarters. Instead, when it came time to rest, he planned on donning a thick wet suit, wrapping himself up in a silver bivvy bag, setting out a sea anchor, and then strapping himself to the board for the night. His whole strategy was to paddle himself to such extreme exhaustion each day that by the time he lay down on the board, he’d

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Photos courtesy of Adam Nagler

have no other option but to just pass out. Of course, the idea of achieving any kind of meaningful rest while bobbing like a piece of jetsam in a rolling ocean in the middle of the night is almost impossible to fathom. Indeed, the many perils surrounding Nagler’s expedition were mindnumbing.

Planning to skirt just off the Gulf Stream in taking a direct route to Nantucket from Virginia, Nagler knew that he was incredibly vulnerable to fast-forming tropical storms. “They can blow up quickly,” he described before his departure. “They can go from a zero percent probability to being a tropical system six hours later.” Storms could bring lightening, perhaps the second gravest danger

to Nagler, who would represent the tallest object on the open ocean. Out of sight of land, he would need to pass through shipping lanes, which are especially treacherous when thick fog rolled in. Apart from a handheld radar that he could only use sparingly to conserve battery power, Nagler would rely on his ears to identify any freighters cruising at him through the mist. Finally, in what might be the most obvious threat in many people’s minds, Nagler would be crossing through waters known for great white sharks.

After having his departure delayed by weather, Nagler launched from Fishermans Inlet in Virginia on July 3rd.

He paddled thirty hours through the night, taking intermittent catnaps while sitting on his board. “I’d doze off and then jerk awake and keep paddling,” he said. “So I didn’t get a good night’s sleep, by any means, but I did get a bit of shut eye.”

Nagler’s original course was to paddle from Fishermans Inlet to Brant Point as the crow flies, a direct line northeast that

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would lead him way offshore.

Yet after the first day, Nagler realized that he needed to stay closer to shore. Because if a storm rose up, he wouldn’t be able to paddle to safety in time, given the fact that he was hauling 250 pounds of supplies.

By the second night, Nagler desperately needed sleep.

He paddled himself a quarter mile outside a series of shoals where waves were breaking and prepared to spend the night on his board. Working by headlamp, he set out a sea anchor, blew up his sleeping mat, slipped into his bivvy bag and lay down on the board to try to get some rest. It was shortlived. About forty-five minutes later, a rogue wave rolled through and crashed on top of him.

Nagler was thrown from his board, which was then pinned upside down by all the weight of his gear.

Swimming back to his board by headlamp, Nagler was eventually able to flip his board right side up, revealing a stew of lines, including the one still attached to the sea anchor. “Because the tide had gone out, the sets started coming in,” Nagler recalled. “I could hear them breaking to my left and to my right. I only had a couple of minutes before another wave was going to plow me.” Needing to get out of the breaker zone as quickly as possible, Nagler undid the sea anchor and let the ocean take it. He then paddled outside the breakers and reassessed the situation. “Here I am, it’s four- to six-foot seas, it’s pitch black, there’s no moon out there,” Nagler recalled. “I was too tired, the swells were everywhere, and I just said, ‘I need to live another day and in order to do that, I need to get to the beach.’”

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At 2 a.m., Nagler navigated through the breakers to reach a safe spit of sand, one of the Virginia Barrier Islands, which he believed was probably Hog Island. Leaning up his board in the sand to create a wind barrier, he slid into his emergency sleeping bag and finally fell asleep. The next morning, Nagler organized his gear, shook off the memories of the night before, and launched back into the Atlantic. “You have to compartmentalize those things,” he said.

“Like they say about quarterbacks: If you throw an interception, you have to forget it pretty quickly and go on to the next play.”

In the ensuing weeks, Nagler had to compartmentalize a lot. Two days after being capsized, tropical storm Elsa forced him back to shore where a friend of a friend was able to meet him at the Maryland border and give him a place to stay. The storm gave him a couple of days to lick his wounds and reassess his strategy. His feet were so badly damaged by cellulitis that he

needed to be pumped full of antibiotics. “The strategy of the water caddy and staying out at sea was precarious at best,” he said. “I just couldn’t move fast enough out of the way of trouble.”

Jettisoning the water caddy, Nagler relaunched after the storm passed and stayed closer to the shoreline, where he would spend nights sleeping on the beach and replenish his water and supplies.

At press time, Nagler had reached Spring Lake, New Jersey, and was preparing to make a forty-five-mile crossing to Fire Island, New York, on his way to Nantucket. He had lost fourteen pounds, had dozens of shark sightings and even been hauled out of the water for questioning by law enforcement officials in New Jersey. Renaming the expedition “Deep Fog ReDirect,” Nagler had to reimagine his strategy and his route as more obstacles were thrown in his way. “Each time you square away your gear, you repair anything that needs to be repaired, you heal your body where you can, and you go through why you made a mistake and how you could have prevented that situation,” he explained. “I then look at the terrain in front of me and try to apply the knowledge gained so the mistake doesn’t happen again. Something else will happen, but not that exact mistake.”

And then when in doubt, Adam Nagler repeated his mantra: Keep paddling.

Keep paddling. Just keep paddling.

Read the conclusion to Adam Nagler’s adventure by logging on to N-Magazine.com.

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nha

IMAGES COURTESY OF NHA ARCHIVES

Take a spin back in time to the island’s old carnivals

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Children in the "Tea Cup" ride at the carnival out to Tom Nevers Navy Base in 1998.

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(Top left) The Demolition Derby at Tom Nevers Field; (Top right) Demolition Derby crowd at the Miacomet race track

(Middle left) Poster advertising the Water Front Carnival to benefit the Nantucket Cottage Hospital; (middle right) Two women entering the Water Carnival on Commercial Wharf in the 1940s; (Bottom left) A crowd gathered at the Sconset Carnival of 1911.

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Scenes from the Sconset Carnival held in 1911.

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NANTUCKET LIKE YOU’VE NEVER HEARD IT BEFORE

Part of the magic of Nantucket has always been the fascinating people that this faraway island attracts.

From titans of industry to media moguls, A-list actors to local legends — there’s no shortage of folks whose life stories grip our imaginations.

Join N Magazine as we amplify some of our most riveting interviews in a podcast that will give new meaning to Nantucket Sound.

RATHER WATCH THAN LISTEN? SCAN HERE TO SUBSCIRBE AND LISTEN

Don’t miss our Nantucket Sound interview videos, where we’ll be letting you behind-the-scenes of the juiciest parts of the conversations!

SCAN HERE TO WATCH

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S HEET Nantucket Film Festival Photos by Bill Hoenk

OPHIRA EISENBERG, KELSEY GRAMMER, & RACHEL WINTER

JULIE BIONDI & BETH ENGLISH

LESLIE STAHL & CHRIS MATTHEWS

NICK BARNICLE & MAUREEN ORTH 1 7 4

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ALICIA CARNEY & JOSH GRAY

EDIE VAN BREEMS, KARI ERGMANN & RHONDA ELEISH

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JOSH GRAY & SAGE MORGAN

TIM EHRENBERG, GINNY GRENHAM, & ELIN HILDERBRAND

JOSH MOORE & ODINI GOGO

MICHAEL IAN BLACK, TERRY WINTERS, OPHIRA EISENBERG, BETHANY VAN DELFT

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S HEET

Photography by Zofia & Co.

Dreamland's DREAMBIG Event ALICIA GRAZIADEI & BRITTANY BURNHAM

ALICIA CARNEY & LULU POWERS

ALEX KOPKO & PAUL BERARD

CINDY & LEE MILAZZO

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DAVID GREGORY, MELANIE SABELHAUS & JOE HALE

ELIN HILDERBRAND

DOUG COTE

LUKE RUSSERT & MAUREEN ORTH

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S HEET SANKATY HEAD GOLF CLUB

HANNAH WALLACE TEEING OFF

CALLAHAN AND SARAH GREIG

HICKEY-O'GARA FAMILY MAX AND JACK EGAN

MAJOR SHELDON C. HAMBLIN

LINDA HOEY

RYAN COREY, GREG ST. PIERRE AND DREW WILLIAMS

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TOM PALMER STEVE QUAMME

PETER AND LINDA HOEY

BILL BRENEISER, LINDA & PETER HOEY WITH GRETCHEN & BART RILEY

N. O'GARA, B. DALE, A. MORALES, H. WALLACE, S. JUDI, M. WELCH, M. EGAN, L. CUNNINHAM, S. RIMLAND, B. MICHEL, S. GREIG & C. GREIG

ANNA MORALES

SUSAN RIMLAND

Reimagine a Maine tradition.

Discover a hotel that fully embraces the natural beauty of Camden—the town where “the mountains meet the sea.”

Get away to Whitehall for an artisanal, authentic Maine experience with a modern aesthetic. whitehallmaine.com · 207-236-3391 · 52 High Street, Camden, Maine · @whitehallmaine

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Discover the magic of The Nantucket Club.

In the heart of downtown

Memberships available for the summer, monthly, or weekly • Two seasonal outdoor heated

• Outdoor hot tub

• Locker rooms

• World class gym

• Saunas

• Supervised day and evening

• Fitness & yoga classes

• Award-winning personal trainers

• Kids’ Club

• Massage treatment rooms

pools (family/kiddie & adult lap)

To join, or for more information contact: Deb Ducas, Club Manager | clubmanager@thenantuckethotel.com | 508-901-1295 AT THE NANTUCKET HOTEL | 77 EASTON STREET, NANTUCKET | THENANTUCKETCLUB.COM N - M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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featured wedding

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Bride: Ashley Campbell Birnbaum • Groom: First Lieutenant John T. Birnbaum • Venue: First Congregational Church, The Wauwinet • Wedding Planner: Handy and Dallaire Events Photographer: Rebecca Love Photography • Videographer: Yellow Productions • Caterer and Cake: The Wauwinet • Florist: Winston Flowers Events • Bridal Hair and Makeup: Darya Salon and Spa • Bride’s Dress: Reem Acra • Bridal Boutique: Jessica Haley Bridal • Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo • Groom’s Tuxedo: Mark Pomerantz • Band: Protege, Wilson Stevens N - M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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We love scoops.

The Nantucket Current has become the fastest growing news source on the island with its latest scoops, unbiased content, four day a week frequency and edited by Nantucket’s top journalist Jason Graziadei.

The Current provides Nantucketers the ability to learn everything they need to know on the island with concise, relevant and timely information. To stay truly current on what is going on in and around Nantucket sign up for our free e-newsletter at www.nantucketcurrent.com The Nantucket Current, everything else is old news.

SCAN FLOWCODE TO SUBSCRIBE

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not so fast

Fashionably Late A quick chat with BROdenim founder Laura Brodigan What was the first thread of inspiration for your business?

I’ve always been enthralled with fashion and with empowering other females by encouraging them to be proud of their passions and story. I started making jackets for friends and local female entrepreneurs. The jackets were fun and fashionable, but they were also personal and expressed what the person stood for.

What better way to tell your story than to wear your story?

How did you get started?

I started BROdenim about five years ago out of my apartment in the North End. I would make custom jackets with custom patches for people that would portray their personal stories. I started getting involved in the sports world and made a lot of game-day fashion wear. My items have been worn at Super Bowls, World Series and Stanley Cup games. I grew the entire business via social media and by working with influencers and celebrities.

How did you get your business out of your apartment and end up on Nantucket?

After getting my jackets on people all over the country and getting press surrounding them, I started getting hired by

corporate companies to do on-site events where we would do on-site customization activations with patches that we would design. As this activity gained more traction, we decided to do pop-ups where we would come up with fun designs that reflected the area. I had my first pop-up last year on Centre Street on Nantucket.

This year we are on Easy Street.

What three words would you use to describe BROdenim?

Expressive, unique and fun.

How do you keep your creative juices flowing?

As a creative, it’s about finding inspiration in all facets of life. Whether it’s traveling, meeting new people or exploring new places, you observe and learn from experiences and incorporate them into your work.

A lot of BROdenim is inspired by the people whom I work with and the stories they share with me.

What’s an unforgiveable fashion faux pas on Nantucket?

Walking on the cobblestones with spiked heels. Other than that, anything goes on Nantucket.

What outfit would you pull together to create the perfect outfit for a night on the town here on the island?

A fun colorful sundress or a two-piece matching set paired with, of course, a denim jacket.

Based on style alone, during which other era do you wish you were born?

The sixties. It was rebellious, bold and youthful. It definitely left its mark on modern fashion.

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?

My background is actually in finance and I quit my job to fully pursue BROdenim and a career in fashion.

What’s one piece of advice that has served you well as a young entrepreneur?

Always be willing to listen and learn from others, but always have the courage to stay true to yourself.

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N Magazine 1/3.qxp_Layout 1 6/11/21 11:22 AM Page 1

N Magazine ADVERTISING DIRECTORY 21 Broad 184 76 Main 170 A Salty Soul 22 ACK Eye 30 ACKceptional Luxury Rentals 68, 102 Advisors Living 34 Allied Marine 4, 5 ApplyYou 68 Atlantic Landscaping 94 Audrey Sterk Design 35 BHHS Island Properties 151 BLADE 33 Cape Air 100 Carolyn Thayer Interiors 28 Centre Pointe x Cartolina Nantucket 26 Centre Street Realty 27 Cheney Custom Homes 6 Chip Webster Architecture 24 Christian Angle Real Estate 8 Compass - Caulfield Properties 25 Compass - Avery Chaplin 31 Compass - Katrina Schymik Abjornson 94 Compass - The Mazer Group 19 Cross Rip Builders 23 Current Vintage 126 Cynthia Hayes Design 42 Donna Elle 111 Douglas Elliman - Lydia Sussek 109 Egan Maritime 39 Eleish Van Breems 49 Fairwinds 188 Fiduciary Trust International 41 First Republic Bank 3 Fisher Real Estate 87 Great Point Properties 47 Heidi Weddendorf 102 Home Life 74 J. Pepper Frazier Co. 59, 173 John's Island Real Estate 42 Jordan Real Estate 45 Karen Ward 12 Kathleen Hay Designs 57 Kellyboat 93 Lavender Farm Wellness 74 Lee Real Estate 14 Maury People - Chandra Miller 29 Maury People - Craig Hawkins, Bernadette Meyer 189 Maury People - Gary Winn 2 Maury People - Gary Winn, Lisa Winn 20, 21 Maury People - Kathy Gallaher 13 Melissa David Salon 110 Milly & Grace 110 MBuilt 143 Mintz 126 Murray's Toggery Shop 143 Nantucket Conservation Foundation 126 Nantucket Cottage Hospital 164 Nantucket Current 126, 185 Nantucket Go Store It 127 Nantucket Golf Club 134, 135 Nantucket Historical Association 142 Nantucket Hotel 181 Nantucket Sound 172 Nina Liddle Design 17 Olson Twombly Interior Design 95 Peter Beaton 165 Peter England 74 Pure Insurance 75 REMY Creations 80 Robin Gannon Interiors 18 Samuel Owen Gallery 165 Sea-Dar Construction 51 Seaman Schepps 16 Selective Search 53 Sergio Roffo 188 Shelter 7 15 Skyline Flight 74 Sotheby's NYC 81 Stover & Sons 81 Susan Lee Gallery 80 Susan Lister Locke 100 Sushi Sean 11:11 119 TNP10 103 The Archer 118 The Dreamland 102, 150 The Quinn - Boston 7 The Skinny Dip 150 Tom Hanlon Landscaping 118 Topham Designs 149 Tradewind Aviation 171 Travel Sommelier 10, 11 Whitehall 180 William Pitt Sotheby's 69 William Raveis Nantucket 32, 101, 125 William Raveis Naples 55 Woodchuck Cider 187 Woodmeister 9 Vineyard Vines 190 1 8 8

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THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED

BLOOMING BIDS FOR

NANTUCKET’S KIDS ON JUNE 28, 2021

To those who visited us at Bartlett’s Farm, bid on auction items, made donations, and attended our remote event: we can’t say enough! Fairwinds depends on you.

A special thanks to the event’s incredible and generous underwriters who got our event off the ground with theircoastal generosity.

Nantucket landscape

SERGIO ROFFO

paintin exclusively at Quidley & Compan

Seed Funders: Sue Ellen & Mark Alderman, Atlantic East Nantucket Real Estate, Molly Cerne & Harrison Roach, Katherine & David Cheek, Caroline Ellis, Karen & Chris Gagnier, Lydia & Mark Kennelley, Maria & George Roach, Sourcebook Productions, Amanda Wright

Sponsors: Beverly & David Barlow, Coast to Coast Financial Planning, Sheila Daume, Jane & Charles Forman, Wendy J. Greenberg & Simon Mikhailovich, Hehir Group Custom Builders, Paul Keeshan, Michael Kellerman & Nick Ashburn, Susan & P. Jeffrey Lucier, Betsy & Joseph Wright And to our hardworking steering committee: Sue Ellen Alderman, Sheila Daume, Heidi Drew, Caroline Ellis, Holly Finigan, Karen Gagnier, Wendy Greenberg, Hafsa Lewis, Francisco Noya, Abby Perelman, Karen Rainwater, Maria Roach, Eileen Shields-West, Linda Strachan, Amanda Wright Presenting Sponsors:

Collaborating Sponsors:

Anonymous (3)

Magazine

Nantucket’s Counseling Center

Nantucket

f i l m f e s t i va l

Call us any time: 508.228.2689 . fairwindscenter.org

SERGIO ROFFO Nantucket coastal landscape paintings exclusively at Quidley & Company

Madaket Twilight 30 x 40 inches, oil on canvas Sergio Roffo is considered one of the finest coastal landscape artist today. Most of his compositions are inspired by his pleinair, (on location) paintings that Roffo has been doing for the past 30 years or more. Sergio’s works can be viewed at Quidley & Co. Gallery on Main Street. and on Mr. Roffo’s website. The recipient of many national awards and museum exhibitions. Roffo is highly collected and is a member of several prestigious organizations.

Elected member of the Guild of Boston Artists • Elected “Fellow” of The American Society of Marine Artists Elected Living Master by the Art Renewal Center • Elected member of the Salmagundi Club NYC

QUIDLEYANDCO.COM

&

Nantucket, MA • 26 Ma Naples, FL • 375 Broad A Madaket Twilight SERGIOROFFO.COM CT • 12 Wilt 30 x 40 inches, oil onWestport, canvas

Quidley Company

Fine Art

QuidleyAndCo.com SergioRoffo.com

NANTUCKET, MA • 26 MAIN STREET • 508.228.4300 NAPLES, FL • 375 BROAD AVE SOUTH • 239.261.4300 • WESTPORT, CT • 12 WILTON ROAD • 203.226.3304

&Company

Quidley

Fine Art

Nantucket, MA • 26 Main Street • 508.228.43 Naples, FL • 375 Broad Ave South • 239.261.43 Westport, CT • 12 Wilton Road • 203.226.33

THE ART OF LIVING

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4 Bedrooms | 2 Full Bathrooms, 1 Half Bathroom 1.5 Acres | In-ground Pool $3,495,000

Go to www.NantucketHomeSearcher.com and sign up to receive your exclusive

Nantucket Marketing Guide

CRAIG HAWKINS, BROKER

BERNADETTE MEYER, BROKER

craig@maurypeople.com

bernadette@maurypeople.com

508-228-1881, ext. 119

508-680-4748

MAURY PEOPLE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY | 37 MAIN STREET, NANTUCKET, MA 02554 | 508.228.1881 | MAURYPEOPLE.COM Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.

The Sankaty Performance Polo Available with custom embroidery exclusively at our Nantucket store.

VINEYARD VINES | 2 STRAIGHT WHARF | 508-325-9600

#EDSFTG