7 BEDROOMS | 6 FULL AND 3 HALF BATHS | $21,750,000
One of a limited number of Ocean Estates at Windsor, this property offers magnificent oceanfront living. A lushly landscaped front garden provides a gracious arrival experience and leads to a central entry hall and gallery. Dual curved staircases are designed to draw one upstairs to the oceanfront great room with voluminous ceilings, wide-open ocean vistas, and two fireplaces. The open-plan kitchen and family room open to two covered porches, one of which provides direct access to the pool terrace and dune crossover. The primary wing enjoys awe-inspiring panoramic ocean views from the bedroom with vaulted ceilings and has a private covered porch with direct access to the pool and beach. The five bedrooms in the main home all have direct access to the garden and poolside loggias.
PHOTO BY KEVIN STANTON
A race between a handful of old restored wooden sailboats and an event where the rescued hulls of old cars smash into each other. There was a time when the Opera House Cup and the demolition derby were the yin and yang of late August island life.
It was not the balance between the yacht club types and the gearheads that I think about, rather I miss the time when everything on this island was not so totally monetized as it is today.
Somebody who sailed in the first race once called the participants of that Opera House Cup “a rag-tag group of hippies and trust fund kids. The thing they had in common was they all loved their boats.”
In fact, spinnakers were originally outlawed because some of the boats were so fragile that nobody wanted the extra stress to damage a mast.
The demo derby was always a bunch of local guys doing what they loved: fixing up old cars to see if they could take a beating, then trying to find ways to hold them together in between heats. Those of us in the crowd, of course, thrilled at the collisions. But it always seemed there was another level of mechanics showing off their skills.
Someplace I have a snapshot of the late Jimmy Buffett and his island pals, drinking a few beers next to their demo derby car. He enjoyed the demo derby and was a sailor, owning one of Alfie Sanford’s beautiful Alerions that he named the Savannah Jane after his daughter.
I have lived on the edge of those days, old enough to know some of those people and hear their stories first-hand, but young enough not to have been part of it.
And then there is Howard Jelleme. After years of running a construction company he went on vacation to Italy and a few years later learned Italian, bought a vineyard and began making wine.
He was the example that proved F. Scott Fitzgerald wrong. There are second acts in American life.
Howard passed away just as we were putting this issue to bed. He is one more person whose death is a reminder that there was once a different island called Nantucket. The only thing we can do is raise a Bushmills to their memory, then get back to our own versions of everyday life.
In this magazine Anna Popnikolova introduces us to another man who changed his life by chasing his dream. Andre Marrero tried his hand at stage acting and was an executive chef before the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of baking sourdough bread, which for some reason became a thing to do in those days, he learned to make chocolate.
There are more pools than ever on this island today. Mary Bergman takes us back to a time when only big hotels had in-ground pools and how that changed.
I have always leaned toward cocktails in which both ingredients were in the name. Gin and tonic, for instance. Kevin Stanton offers up three delicious rum cocktails which will allow you to bring a small spark of sophistication to your summertime parties.
John Stanton Editor
CONTENTS: AUGUST 2024
FEATURES
12 HISTORY INSIDER: DEMO DERBY DAYS
Good old-fashioned fun. by John Stanton
18 BEST OF NANTUCKET
Every year readers of The Inquirer and Mirror vote on who is the best in multiple categories.
42 SWIMMING POOLS ON AN ISLAND?
The history and rise of pools on Nantucket. by Mary Bergman
50 TELLING A CHOCOLATE STORY
A former chef traces his family’s footsteps in chocolate. by Anna Popnikolova
58 DRINK: YO-HO-HO AND 3 RUM DRINKS
Fancy summertime rum cocktails. by Kevin Stanton
60 YOUR GUIDE TO DINING OUT
Check out these featured restaurants from the 2024 Nantucket Restaurant Guide
66 FISHING: EXOTIC FISH, FAR FROM HOME
Warm-water fish come to island waters. by Cam Gammill
72 BIRDS
OWLS: NATURE’S MOUSETRAPS
Rat poison and the future of owls. by Virginia Andrews
WHO’S WHO IN REAL ESTATE 92 THE QUESTIONS: ALFIE SANFORD
PHOTO BY TERRY POMMETT
Siren (NY20), American Eagle (US21), Gentian(NY18), Opera House Cup August 20, 2017
COVER PHOTO BY SEAN DAVIS
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Published by The Inquirer and Mirror Inc. 1 Old South Road Nantucket, MA 02554 508 228-0001 nantucketmag.com
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Contributing Writers & Photographers
Virginia Andrews Mary Bergman Sean Davis Cam Gammill Kevin Stanton Anna Popnikolova
Contact Us: Nantucket Today, P.O. Box 1198, Nantucket, MA 02554. Phone 508 228-0001. Fax 508 325-5089. Advertising and subscription rates online at www.nantucketmag.com
Kevin Stanton was born and raised on-island. He writes our Eat/Drink column, as well as profiles on everybody from a well-known fish cutter to a collector of Chinese art. He is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art.
These are just some of the people who bring their talents to the pages of this magazine, and allow Nantucket Today to reflect genuine island life.
Anna Popnikolova won the Nantucket Book Festival’s young writers award four years in a row. She is a first-generation American, of Bulgarian roots and heading to Harvard University in the fall.
Sean Davis was born and raised on-island. He is a professional still photographer and videographer. This is his first Nantucket Today assignment.
Our full set of digital products, including the island’s only news APP, our website,
Demo Derby Days
BY JOHN STANTON | PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE INQUIRER AND MIRROR
If you are looking for an event that recalls a time when islanders made their own fun, when the cost of admittance was not yet a barrier that kept ordinary folks from enjoying the day, look no further than the memory of the Nantucket Demolition Derby
Old junk cars, people who knew their way around a wrench, collisions and an endurance race to see which would be the last car running. It was the very definition of good, old-fashioned fun.
One writer called the demolition derby “a violent and glorious last hurrah for cars destined for the scrap heap.”
The island’s first demo derby took place in 1978, at the 11th annual Miacomet Fair.
“There were at least a thousand people lining the whiterailed fence, each one cheering for his or her favorite,” according to a story in The Inquirer and Mirror in the July, 22, 1978 issue.
“It was a true display of reckless driving as they rammed, smashed and dragged each other around the ring. After what seemed to be only a few seconds, the first few cars were out of commission. The moments passed, more
engines died until only two remained, banging each other’s sides and ends and trying to put the other out of action and claim victory.”
Victory was claimed by two drivers, Mark Williams and Ted Strojny, their cars locked together but still able to move in unison. The newspaper said it was the favorite event at the fair.
That September there was a second demo derby.
“Five hundred spectators, give or take a few, were treated to an afternoon of complete enjoyment as 29 cars of every shape, size and color, and their drivers set out to deliberately disable the competition,” according to the newspaper. “Tires spun, dirt flew, new dents appeared and metal crunched, as the cars wheeled back and forth into each other with the sole intent of putting the competition out of business.”
And so it went, summer and fall first, then just one race day in late August. Often, it was on the same day as the wooden sailboat race called the Opera House Cup. The two events sharing the same box on the calendar made for an interesting island metaphor.
It was very local. Beat-up old cars, crews of people with the skills to fix them up enough to make it to the starting line, the crashes, the noise.
There was just something about the demo derby that immediately drew crowds. You could drive out to Great Point and watch the boats gracefully race in the distance, or you could head out to Tom Nevers and get caught up in the surround-sound feeling that is a small demo derby.
It was very local. Beat-up old cars, crews of people with the skills to fix them up enough to make it to the starting line, the crashes, the noise. Everybody knew the drivers.
In the 2011 demo derby, one of those drivers everyone knew, 44-year-old Anthony “Tony” Correia, was driving a minivan when it burst into flames after a collision. He suffered severe burns and was flown to a Boston hospital.
All the cars in the competition that year were modified to incorporate smaller boat fuel tanks to reduce the risk of fire, deputy fire chief Ed Maxwell told The Inquirer and Mirror. When Correia’s minivan collided with another vehicle, the fuel pump dislodged from the tank
but continued pumping gas which ignited inside the car, he said.
Two years later cars had to meet new safety regulations. The crowds were bigger than ever that year, but organizers said it was getting more and more difficult to find young people with the skills needed to fix up the cars.
George Manchester told a reporter that year that it was the first time he could remember a lack of local mechanics among the younger generation. There was also a lack of local cars run down enough or abandoned that would make good demo derby cars.
The newspaper’s “Here and There” column mentioned that, “Gearheads who are essential to the demo derby are aging out and not being replaced by new young kids with an interest and experience in fixing up old cars.”
Organizers canceled the 2015 demo derby. It would have been the 37th year. It was the last remaining amateur demolition derby on the East Coast. Organizers told the newspaper they hoped it would return in 2016. It never did.
John Stanton is a writer, documentary filmmaker, associate editor of The Inquirer and Mirror and editor of Nantucket Today.
Whether relaxing at your country home or living life on New York City’s Park Avenue, Dujardin Design Associates creates your sanctuary, where sophisticated style blends seamlessly with eco-elegance.
Color and texture quietly marry the beauty of island light or subtly accentuate historic architecture. Family heirlooms and artwork from world travels are highlighted as one-of-a-kind treasures, revealing the essence of what you believe: there is an art to living well.
Every beautiful touch elevates your mood, your spirit, and your life.
Equally at home in St. Andrews, Scotland, New York City, or on Trudy Dujardin’s beloved Nantucket Island, her award-winning design firm’s exquisite attention to architectural details and custom-made furnishings create a place of serenity. Dujardin Design interiors showcase the unique personalities of the homeowners, a signature of Trudy’s style.
Trudy’s graceful approach to design reflects a deep respect for Historic Preservation, the surrounding landscape, and abundant comfort. Based on her belief that “a healthy home is the ultimate luxury,” she is a LEED Accredited Professional with a specialty in Interior Design and Construction, recognizing her thorough understanding of green building practices and principles. She has been named to the American Society of Interior Designers’ College of Fellows, the highest distinction a member can receive from ASID. She was named a Senior Fellow by the Design Futures Council and is the author of Comfort Zone: Creating the Eco-Elegant Interior.
The firm’s breathtaking work has appeared in the most prestigious industry publications.
From the traditional to the more contemporary, from casual beach houses to chic city apartments, the firm’s clean, refined aesthetic integrates the finest antique furniture, original art, and natural finishes with timeless style. Dujardin Design Associates, Inc. creates interiors for some of the world’s most discerning clientele from offices in Westport, Connecticut, and Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Every year readers of The Inquirer and Mirror vote on who is the best in multiple categories. Read on to see who this year’s winners are!
BEAUTY & HEALTH
Barber
RJ Miller Salon & Spa
Hair Salon
RJ Miller Salon & Spa
Health & Wellness
Fairwinds - Nantucket’s Behavioral
Health Center
Massage Lavender Farm Wellness
Nail Salon On-Glaze
Physical Therapist
Nantucket Cottage Hospital
Spa
Darya Salon & Spa
DINING & ENTERTAINMENT
Asian Dining
Bar Yoshi
Bread
Something Natural
Breakfast
Island Kitchen
Breakfast Sandwich
Island Kitchen
Brunch
Island Kitchen
Burger
Brotherhood of Thieves
Cake
Nantucket Bake Shop
Caterer
Island Kitchen
Chef, Fine Dining
The SeaGrille: Tucker Harvey
Chicken Wings
B-ACK Yard BBQ
Clam Chowder
The SeaGrille
Cup of Coffee
Handlebar Café
Doughnut
Downyflake
Family Dining Brotherhood of Thieves
Fast Food
Stubby’s
Fine Dining
Languedoc
Fish Market
Glidden’s Island Seafood
Food Truck
167 Raw
French Fries
Brotherhood of Thieves
Fried Clams
Sayle’s Seafood
Healthy Eating
Lemon Press
Ice Cream
The Juice Bar
Italian Restaurant
Fusaro’s
Latin Dining
Millie’s
Lobster Roll
167 Raw
Lunch
Something Natural
Outdoor Dining
Galley Beach
Pizza
Pi Pizzeria
Romantic Restaurant
Chanticleer
Sandwich
Something Natural
Seafood Restaurant
The SeaGrille
Smoothie
Lemon Press
Sushi
Bar Yoshi
Waterview Dining
Galley Beach
Home Services
Architect
Chip Webster
Attorney
Glidden & Brescher
Bank
Cape Cod Five
Builder
Cheney Custom Homes
Electrician
Nantucket Electrical Contractors
Interior Designer
Melanie Gowen
Landscaper
The Garden Group
Plumber
John Daly
Places & Activities
Beach
Cisco
Conservation Property
Great Point
Farm for Island Grown Produce
Bartlett’s Ocean View Farm
Fishing Charter
Just Do it Too
Fundraiser
Boston Pops, Nantucket Cottage Hospital
Kids Water Activities
Nantucket Community Sailing
Museum/Historic Site
Nantucket Whaling Museum
Theater
Dreamland, Nantucket’s Film & Cultural Center
Shopping
Antiques Store
Sylvia Antiques
Art Gallery
Artists Association of Nantucket
Bicycle Shop
Young’s Bicycle Shop
Boat Yard & Marine Supplies
Madaket Marine
Drugstore
Nantucket Pharmacy
Furniture
Nantucket Looms
Garden Center
Bartlett’s Ocean View Farm
Gift Shop
Four Winds Gift Shop
Jewelry
Jewel in the Sea
Kids’ Clothing
Pinwheels
Men’s Clothing
Murray’s Toggery Shop
Wine Store
Hatch’s Package Store
Women’s Clothing
Hepburn
Auto Rental
Affordable Rental of Nantucket
Travel
B & B’s / Inns
Union Street Inn
Luxury Hotel
The Wauwinet
Bartlett’s Farm Garden Center | voted best of 2024
Open daily 8am - 5pm providing annuals, perennials, edibles, cut flowers custom or pre-planted window boxes & planters tools, gloves, seeds, garden care, pest management & more
Joan and Jeff
Glidden’s Island Seafood @gliddensislandseafood
Each year Nantucket Community Sailing provides $150,000 in scholarships for free sailing and watersports to hundreds of children and adults in the Nantucket Community.
Year-round Island Youth • Children of all Abilities
People with Serious Illnesses • Senior Citizens NCS provides our community with the opportunity to experience the joy and empowerment of being on the water. THANK YOU to our Supporters. info@nantucketcommunitysailing.org • (508) 228-6600
Swimming Pools on an Island?
BY MARY BERGMAN
Mention of a private swimming pool first appears in the archives of The Inquirer and Mirror in December 1940, when James Coghill had an indoor swimming pool constructed at his estate in Quidnet.
“Coming at this time, when there is a scarcity of employment on the island,
the
action of Mr. Coghill will be appreciated by the community,” the newspaper said.
Not only was Coghill’s pool seen as a boost to Nantucket’s flagging wintertime economy, the Nantucket Fire Department thought it a public service to have a pool in such a remote area. Quidnet lacked a fire department, and the thinking was if ever there was a fire, water from Coghill’s pool could be used to fight it.
Ironically, James Coghill’s house burned down in 1948, the swimming pool having been drained for the season two days earlier.
To those who love the sea, Nantucket’s 80 miles of open coastline offer a variety of oceanic delights. Unlike the towns on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard, where access to beaches requires a resident sticker, an expensive day pass or a willingness to flout posted regulations and become a scofflaw of the surf, most of Nantucket’s pristine beaches are open to all.
In the mood for calm waters? Visit Jetties Beach, Madaket Harbor or Quaise. Looking for rolling waves? Go to Surfside, Cisco or Madaket.
The question is, with so many beaches – all free, all beautiful – to choose from, why is it that more and more Nantucket homeowners are building their own private swimming pools?
The evolution of island swimming pools ran hand in hand with a turn to Nantucket’s evolution as a resort and the island’s changing
relationship to the sea. It was originally the promise of healing properties found in salt water that returned prosperity to Nantucket after the long economic depression that followed the end of whaling.
In the 19th century, sea bathing was believed to be a curative. The increasing interest in the rejuvenating powers of salt water coincided with Nantucket’s nascent resort industry. Ocean swimming was the island’s major draw by the 1860s, but heavy woolen bathing costumes – and Victorian attitudes about modesty – necessitated changing facilities.
Charles E. Hayden opened Clean Shore Bathing Rooms near Cliffside, expanding the operation in 1876 to include warm saltwater baths. A 40-barrel tank was built to hold the water. Hayden opened another operation, Cliff Shore Bath Houses, in 1880.
Ten years later, the Cedar Beach House hotel on Coatue
added a 50-room bathhouse. Visitors were ferried over from Steamboat Wharf to Coatue on the Coskata
It is hard to envision when you look out across to the rugged, wind-scrubbed landscape of the barrier beach today, but Coatue was once home to “quite a large bathing establishment . . . with a toboggan slide, swings and other features.”
The Cedar Beach House was abandoned in the early years of the 1900s, and destroyed by a fire in 1908.
After the heyday of Nantucket’s large hotels and sea-bathing craze, swimming pools began to appear in Sconset. Albert G. Brock and Roland B. Hussey funded the construction of Nantucket’s first heated modern swimming pool, which was advertised as being suitable for “those learning to swim and those physically unfit for surf bathing.”
The Sconset Bathing Pavilion consisted of a series of bathhouses and an enclosed saltwater swimming pool built by
Nathaniel Lowell. The bathing pavilion opened in August 1906 with Everett “Doc” Clisby manning the operation.
In 1974, Clement Penrose, then an old man, recalled the early days of the bathing pavilion in Historic Nantucket: “I remember ‘Doc’ Clisby, he was, while strong as a bull in appearance somewhat on the terrifying side, a quiet, patient man, a good swimmer and undoubtedly well-fitted for the job.”
The Sconset Bathing Pavilion expanded in 1912, with Holmes & Pease contracted to build an addition that included a barber shop and lunch booth, doubling the capacity of the pavilion.
But the end of the railroad in 1918, and the introduction of cars to the island the same year, meant Sconset now had to compete with other areas of the island like Quidnet, Wauwinet and Madaket for visitors.
Interest in the swimming pool petered out, and in 1919 the empty pool became the foundation for Philip A. Williams’ house, called The Buoy. By the mid-1970s, The Buoy was going overboard, a victim of erosion along Nantucket’s easternmost shoreline.
The oldest pool on Nantucket still in existence is probably the Summer House Inn pool, on Ocean Avenue in Sconset. Then called the Moby Dick Pool and Beach Club, the pool opened in July 1961 and was blessed by the Reverend Hugh K. Wright. Rev. Wright dedicated the pool “to wholesome and healthy activities in the bonds of fellowship and good will.”
With its bright turquoise water, yellow umbrellas and deck boys dressed in matching striped jerseys and faded blue denim, the swimming pool brought a touch of sophistication to the formerly wild and windswept patch of beach.
The following year, the White Elephant announced plans to
An 1880s version of a swimming pool. A water slide on Coatue.
build a swimming pool downtown. It has since been demolished, giving way to a large lawn area overlooking Nantucket Harbor.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, a few larger lots in and around town began to sport swimming pools. When zoning laws were first introduced on the island, swimming pools were included in the ground cover ratio. Those wanting a swimming pool who were close to maxing out their ground cover had to apply to the zoning board for a variance.
In 1987, an amendment to the zoning code passed at Town Meeting, removing swimming pools from this ratio. This means that swimming pools do not count toward the total allowable ground cover of a given lot.
The Nantucket Land Council, under Linda Holland’s direction, fought to have pools included in ground cover once again in 2000. This measure was defeated, but many on island are still concerned with the environmental impact of swimming pools on Nantucket’s fragile ecosystem.
Private pools proliferated in the years that followed. Some islanders saw this as tangible proof of the island’s increasing excess.
In a 2005 article in The Boston Globe, the reporter interviewed Michael J. Kittredge, founder of Yankee Candle Company and former Nantucket summer homeowner. Kittredge had built an expansive estate at 72 Pocomo Road, replete with swimming pool with water view.
“The island, he said, is rapidly dividing into two types of people: The haves and the have-mores,” he is reported to have said in the story.
Kittredge died in 2019. His swimming pool, along with the rest of his estate, was demolished earlier this summer. A new mansion, guest house, garage, gym and pool will soon be constructed in their place.
Swimming pools and hot tubs have been a hot-button issue at recent Town Meetings. Pools were banned in the Old Historic District and Sconset Historic District in 2011 and a 2021 Annual Town Meeting vote further banned new pools on lots under 7,500 square feet in certain other zoning districts, and increased setbacks required for larger lots.
But a loophole permitting whirlpools, hot tubs and spas allowed for the construction of so-called “water features” or “plunge pools” in the Old Historic District and Sconset Historic District until they, too, were banned by just one vote during the 2022 Annual Town Meeting.
When asked if swimming pools – of all stripes – were increasing on the island, Nantucket assessor Rob Ranney confirms there has been a significant increase in pools over the last 10 years. According to data provided by the assessor’s office, in 2014 there were 395 Gunite pools on the tax rolls and 360 whirlpools or spas.
Gunite is a material used for in-ground pools. The assessor’s office tracks Gunite, vinyl and concrete pools. In fiscal year 2024, there were 1,228 Gunite pools and 901 whirlpools or spas. This does not include pools in the permitting or construction process that have yet to be included in a property’s assessment.
Proponents of pools cite concerns over dangerous rip currents, increased shark activity on nearby Cape Cod and
The pool at the former Moby-Dick, now the Summer House.
crowded beach parking lots as reasons why pools are necessary on an island surrounded by beautiful beaches.
Pools are popular gathering places for families, they say. Others say hot tubs and spas provide relaxation and therapy.
Pools and water features are undoubtedly adding value to rentals on Nantucket. Maury People-Sotheby’s International Realty’s website features 209 rental listings that include swimming pools, ranging from $7,000 to $47,500 per week.
Still, there are plenty who eschew swimming pools in favor of open water.
“There is no comparison for me between swimming in a man-made pool and Nantucket waters,” said Marsha Fader, who swims regularly along Nantucket’s north shore.
“Being in Nantucket water is exhilarating, from the sunlight reflecting colors to the feel of the fine sand and breeze. The fresh air and aroma of rosa rugosa with the expansive views are priceless. It’s a full sensory restful experience: no concrete, chlorine, no mechanical equipment.”
Come on in, the water’s fine.
Mary Bergman is executive director of the Nantucket Preservation Trust. She writes regularly for Nantucket Today.
14 LINCOLN CIRCLE, CLIFF 6 Bedrooms | 7 Full, 3 Half Bathrooms | $23,750,000 | Gary Winn, Broker
2 MARION AVENUE, CISCO 6 Bedrooms | 6 Full, 2 Half Bathrooms | $27,500,000 | Gary Winn, Broker & Bernadette Meyer, Broker 47 HULBERT AVENUE, BRANT POINT
Gary Winn, Broker
Gary
Gary
Telling a Chocolate Story
BY ANNA POPNIKOLOVA | PHOTOS BY SEAN DAVIS
Henry Oscar Wilbur’s chocolate company began selling its distinctive chocolate bites, called Wilbur Buds, in 1894. They were foil-wrapped, cone-shaped chocolate pieces, the bottom of each molded into a flower shape with the letters W-I-L-B-U-R.
Thirteen years later, Milton Hershey debuted his own version of the small chocolate bites, called Hershey’s Kisses. They came in the same shape as Wilbur Buds. The similarity caused Henry Wilbur to take Milton Hershey to court.
In the end it was not a legal ruling but the fact that Hershey’s Kisses were easier to manufacture, that gave them a place in the public’s chocolate imagination.
The story is part of Andre Marrero’s family history. A former theater actor turned chef who came to the island to be the executive chef at Great Harbor Yacht Club, he is now walking in Henry Oscar Wilbur’s footsteps, as the owner and operator of Faraway Chocolate.
When everyone else was making sourdough bread during the COVID-19 pandemic, Marrero
was spending his days learning how to make chocolate.
When her father decided to start his business from home, Chloe Marrero admits that she was a little confused. His new whim took up a fifth of their downstairs and swallowed up the family’s old TV room, turning it into what they began calling Chocolate World. Her house always smelled like chocolate.
“Everybody started making bread, started working with their hands, and doing all these things online. On a whim, I just started making chocolate at home. With a little grinder, some beans that . . . I don’t know where I got them. Maybe Amazon,” Marrero said.
“During COVID, what we were lacking was connection. So, we started making cookies and choco-
“Why chocolate as opposed to tacos or something? It’s fun. It makes people happy. The best thing is making people happy and exceeding their expectations with something that’s so familiar.”
late bars and leaving them at people’s doors. These little gifts were little ways of reconnecting.”
The pandemic devastated the restaurant industry, and Marrero wasn’t sure when or if he would be able to return to work.
“I was trying to read the tea leaves and figure out what would happen to the restaurant industry when COVID subsided and if COVID subsided,” he said.
Marrero played with a few different ideas for Nantucket businesses. He was scoping out the market to find gaps.
“He was always trying to look for something that’s going to do well here. Because you can’t open another taco place,” his daughter said.
“Why chocolate as opposed to tacos or something?” Marrero asked. “It’s fun. It makes people happy. The best thing is making people happy and exceeding their expectations with something that’s so familiar.”
After four years of working his business from home, the chocolate maker opened his first brick-and-mortar location, a 200-square-foot shop on Old South Wharf.
“I think that with the opening of the shop, he’s realized, ‘I did this. I started this.’ Seeing him be proud of himself has been really nice because we’ve all been proud of him for years. Since he started on his first order back in 2020, we’ve all believed in him,” Chloe said.
She and her mother Erica, work the shop on his days off, if Andre will allow it.
“I offer to cover for him and he (refuses). My mom will be scheduled to go in and he’ll be like, no, Erica, you wrap, you have things to do here . . . I’ll go downtown. It’s really sweet to see how much he loves it. He gets excited to go in every morning,” she said.
The shop is strongly air-conditioned, which Marrero jokes he should be charging visitors for, and Latin music plays softly over the speakers. The shelves are lined with chocolate wrapped in brown paper, with the current Faraway logo: a boat with a cacao-bean spinnaker.
A 50-kilogram canvas sack of cacao beans sits on the floor in the shop. It is, Marrero said, directly from Colombia, via
A 50-kilogram canvas sack of cacao beans sits on the floor in the shop. It is, Marrero said, directly from Colombia, via his distributor.
his distributor. He reaches into the sack, pulls out a handful of the cacao beans, holds them in one palm and cacao nibs in the other, demonstrating to a customer which parts of the bean are usable, and which are separated.
He will take the beans to his factory space and roast, crack, separate, grind, temper, pour and set the chocolate for his next batch of Colombian dark chocolate. As more customers come in, Marrero shows them around the different bars, origins and flavors that he sells.
“I love making that connection with people and seeing that element of excitement in their eyes when they feel like they’re in on something new,” he said. “It was one of those things that’s very familiar but yet very mysterious. It was something I would take for granted, as a consumer, who had it around all the time.”
Her father thriving in his business is a relief to his daughter. She said she worried that he wouldn’t find what he was looking for in chocolate that he had found in cooking.
“(What) he loved about cooking was being able to tell stories through the plates that he was serving people. I didn’t understand how he could get the same fulfillment from what, I thought, was just chocolate,” Chloe said.
“But his whole thing with his chocolate business now is telling the stories of the places that the chocolate is from through the individual bars,” she said. “Actually, the refinement down to the purest form is what he needed. When you refine (everything) down to a piece of chocolate, that’s the most valuable story he can tell.”
Marrero has spent his whole life searching for different ways to tell stories. His family moved to the United States from Venezuela when he was 7. He remembers growing up on chocolate in South America. His favorite was a sweet brought over by Italian immigrants called Nucita.
“It came in a little toothpaste-like tube and it was one of those magical moments that I remember as a little kid, barefoot, ridiculously blond, with chocolate all over my face,” he said.
Making chocolate has been a way for Marrero to return to his cultural roots, being so far from his home country, and his
family in Virginia. It is difficult to pick his favorite kind of Faraway Chocolate, but when asked, he barely even deliberates.
“My favorite baby? My favorite is Venezuela. I get excited to get those beans and make chocolate out of them. I’m sentimental. I miss Venezuela. I miss my dad. He always wanted to have a shop. My sisters were just here for graduation and they were talking about how much dad would have loved to see this and be a part of it,” he said.
After attending college in Richmond, Marrero pursued his earlier career in theater, where his passion for storytelling began. Chocolate doesn’t just bring him back to his Venezuelan roots, he said.
“At the end of the day, I’m back in my theater roots. Not necessarily to be a performer, because I was a pretty mediocre performer, if I’m going to be honest with you. But I loved the story. I loved the connection to the audience,” he said.
“I was doing that when I was making menus, too. I was telling a story about a location, a season, a farmer, I was telling those stories with the plates that we were putting together. I’m doing the same with chocolate. I’m a storyteller, but cacao is the medium now.”
“But I’m embarrassed to say it like that, because I’m
doing what everyone else does,” he said.
He recalled visiting a friend when he was looking for restaurant work, years ago. When he arrived at the house, he was met by the caretaker. The caretaker asked if he would like to see the work he did in the basement, while he waited for his friend.
“I’m like, OK, I guess. So, we go down to the basement and I see the way he’s laid out the wiring and the plumbing lines and the electrical and the cables for the television,” he said.
“It was the most beautiful behind-the-scenes. Nobody’s ever going to see it. But this guy was an artist in what he did. He didn’t have pictures of the inside of the walls. It doesn’t matter if nobody else is going to see it. You’re doing it for your own sense of accomplishment and commitment to the art.”
Marrero said this chocolate business is his commitment to the art. In applying himself to studying and experimenting with chocolate, in all the work that goes on in his workshop, behind-the-scenes, he is telling stories every day, and making people’s lives a little bit sweeter. ///
Anna Popnikolova is a 2024 graduate of Nantucket High School working her second summer at The Inquirer and Mirror. She will attend Harvard University in the fall.
IN-TOWN ESTATE ON AN ACRE OF LAND
Built during the heyday of Nantucket’s prosperous whaling era, this iconic home is situated on over an acre of land in the heart of Town. The three story brick home has remarkable historic features including a panoramic mural and hand painted French wallpaper, as well as the conveniences of a tastefully modernized kitchen and baths. An 1850 carriage house and stable and a 1921 home are also part of the property. The stunning heirloom rose garden and a brick wall surround it all to create a secret estate on Pleasant Street.
$28,000,000 | Linda Bellevue & Mary D. Malavase
HIDDEN GEM WITH VIEWS
Delight in spectacular sunsets, summer breezes and star filled night skies surrounded by 2.7 expansive acres. Spread out and relax in the multiple living areas, 5 bedrooms, and a 2+ bedroom cottage. Tuck your car & bikes away in the two-car garage. Only three miles to town, easy access to north & south shore beaches, bike path and acres of abutting Land Bank trails make this property enjoyable any time of year.
$4,395,000 | Heidi Drew
HISTORY IN THE HEART OF TOWN
Located in downtown Nantucket, this historic gem - circa 1812, features 10 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and three floors with over 4,500 sf with all the expected charm of yesteryear. Among the many original details are raised panel wainscotting, four panel doors with vintage hardware, wide pine and fir flooring, multiple fireplaces, raised panel interior window shutters and multiple cast iron claw foot bathtubs. HDC approved plans are in hand for a roof walk which would lend expansive views of Nantucket Harbor and the Sound. This treasure of a property welcomed many guests and visitors to the island as The Easton House Inn. 17 North Water Street offers an opportunity to enjoy living in the heart of Nantucket Town.
$4,850,000 | Penny Dey
SECLUDED SURFSIDE PARADISE
Step into your private, picturesque Surfside paradise. Thoughtfully designed by Nantucket architects Botticelli and Pohl. Custom-built to last by renowned Cheney Brothers Building, this home showcases exceptional attention to detail across its 3,749 square feet of living space. Located just a few hundred yards from the beaches of Surfside, this secluded haven offers both convenience and exclusivity. Inside, the home exudes warmth and character with wide oak floors, soaring ceilings, and spacious living areas flooded with natural light. Boasting 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, and a powder room, this meticulously maintained residence blends timeless architecture with contemporary comfort. 2 Nonantum Ave. is your unparalleled piece of paradise..
$7,200,000 | Angel C. Frazier
The bright and open five bedroom and five+ bathroom home sits on an oversized 1.2 acre lot. There is an attached two car garage and potential for expansion. The landscape features a swimming pool and spa, a gas fire pit, a spacious outdoor deck and screened in porch. Steps to the walking path to Surfside Beach, this property is nestled in the heart of Surfside and must see!
$7,695,000 | Meg Ruley
This simple beach house is located on over an acre of land just minutes to private stairs leading to Dionis Beach. Look out over the 300 acres of abutting conservation land to views of Long Pond and Nantucket Sound while you plan your Nantucket dream home. Listing agent is related to the seller.
$6,995,000 | Linda Bellevue IYKYK!
THE PINK
3 Clara Drive is nestled in the heart of the highly desirable area of Miacomet. It is central to Miacomet Golf Club, Ladies Beach, Cisco Brewery, Bartletts Farm, 167 Raw, 45 Surfside, bicycle paths, and a WAVE bus stop - IYKYK! The three bedroom two bathroom home sits on an 18,730sf oversized lot in CTEC zoning, use as is or explore expansion possibilities.
$2,495,000 | Meg Ruley
Spacious home with five bedrooms and three full baths located on a quiet cul de sac in the sought after Hussey Farms area between Town and Cisco. This corner lot offers plenty of expansion potential and the ability to connect to Town sewer. Attached oversized garage provides lots of storage.
$2,250,000 | Penny Dey
VACANT LAND
Newly created 10,000 plus square foot lot in a desirable location close to mid island shopping, Town and shuttle bus stop. Don’t miss the opportunity to create your year-round or summer vacation home.
$1,275,000 | Mary D. Malavase
5 ROSE BUD LANE
Centrally located, this Residential Commercial lot allows 50% ground coverage with town water and town sewer available. Great for a small business, shop, duplex or single family home.
$850,000 | Peter DuPont
Mary O’Donnell, Office Manager
Erikka Perkins, Rental Manager
Yesenia Valer, Office Assistant
Yo-Ho-Ho and 3 Rum Drinks Summertime rum cocktails
STORY AND PHOTO BY KEVIN STANTON
Don’t get me wrong, it is nice to sidle up to the bar and let the professional take the reins on a hot summer evening. But if you invest in a couple of simple ingredients, it is very attainable to make your own drinks at home. This August I have three very easy rum cocktails for you to try your hand at.
Rum can be a very polarizing spirit, one that I disliked for a majority of my 20s. I blame that on Captain Morgan mixed with orange juice in my college dorm. My disdain for the term mixologist is also well documented. The old joke is, “What is the difference between a bartender and a mixologist?” The answer, “An apron.”
Being a bartender is 90 percent people skills, 5 percent recipes and 5 percent time management. That isn’t an exact science, but you get what I mean.
A couple tools are needed. A mixing tin, Hawthorne strainer and a jigger are crucial. You can find recipes online, but they vary, and we all know you can’t trust everything you read on the Internet. If you enjoy having a home bar, the Death & Co. bar book is a great resource. Death & Co., for those unfamiliar, is a very well-known craft cocktail bar in New York City.
Spirit-wise, all you really need is a good white rum and a blackstrap rum like Goslings. I’m sure you might even have a dusty bottle from making a Dark and Stormy last summer. As for white rum I like to use Planteray 3-Star Rum. I found a liter bottle at Fresh downtown for just $30.
The first cocktail I am going to talk about is the easiest, most classic, and also the one I have found people screw up the most: the daiquiri.
This isn’t the frozen, strawberry-flavored cocktail you would find at a restaurant in the mall. This is a timeless drink that is refreshing and equally dangerous. It only consists of three ingredients: rum, lime juice and simple syrup. A good white rum is the backbone of this drink. Finding the balance between sugar and lime juice is the trick.
Too much of either and the cocktail becomes cloyingly sweet
Classic Daiquiri
2 ounces white rum
1 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
Add ingredients to a shaker, fill with ice, shake and tea strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
or too tart. Ernest Hemingway even had his own version where he swapped simple syrup for Maraschino liquor and added grapefruit juice.
The next cocktail is called The Jungle Bird, a drink created in the 1970s by bartender Jeffrey Ong while he was working at the Aviary Bar inside the Hilton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. This cocktail blends blackstrap rum, Campari, fresh pineapple juice, lime juice and demerara sugar syrup.
The bitterness of the Campari is balanced out by the punch of lime juice, the sweetness of pineapple and demerara syrup which ultimately mirrors the molasses flavor of the rum.
Last but not least, my favorite of the three, is The Company Buck, created at the previously mentioned Death & Co. by Phil Ward.
This drink is refreshing and has a zip from ginger syrup. It takes a little extra time in the kitchen because you have to make the syrup. If you don’t want to make your own, you can buy a premade ginger syrup online. But if you have access to a juicer this recipe is pretty quick and the end product is superb.
Take half a cup of fresh ginger juice. Mix it with one cup of sugar in a food processor and blend until dissolved. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can use this ginger syrup for mocktails as well. Ginger, lime juice and soda water makes for a pretty solid homemade soda.
The reason I like this cocktail is because it isn’t heavy. The flavors are baking spice, citrus and tropical fruit. The spice from the ginger complements the dark rum while the soda water brings a levity to the cocktail that would otherwise be too rich.
All three of these cocktails make for great summer libations.
So, this August, when you want to avoid the crowds in town, invite some friends over to your place and cosplay being a bartender. Just leave the apron in your closet. ///
The Company Buck
2 ounces Goslings rum
1 ounce pineapple juice
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce ginger syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters
Add ingredients to a shaker, fill with ice, shake and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with soda water and garnish with a lime wheel.
The Jungle Bird
1-1/2 ounces blackstrap rum (Goslings)
3/4 ounce Campari
1-1/2 ounces pineapple juice
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce demerara syrup
Add ingredients to a shaker, fill with ice, shake and strain into a double rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.
Kevin Stanton grew up on Nantucket and is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. He writes regularly for Nantucket Today.
Your Guide toDining Out
10 Mayhew Road | This gem of a home located in Tom Nevers East offers stunning ocean views from almost every room. Fronting on Wanoma Way, this beautifully maintained beach house has abundant light, cathedral ceilings, first story and second story primary suites, multiple living spaces and numerous decks for outdoor entertaining. Recent upgrades include a new cedar roof, new windows, and renovated baths with custom tile work. A short distance to the beach stairs at the end the of Wanoma Way makes this carefree seaside living at its best! | $3,695,000
17 Lauretta Lane | Savor Nantucket sunsets, fall asleep to the gently lapping tide, and awaken to the sound of shorebirds. Sitting directly on Nantucket Harbor with unobstructed panoramic views across the water to Coatue and Great Point, 15 Lauretta Lane delivers the luxury of a brand new, fully furnished, two-bedroom cottage in the most magical setting on the island. Architecturally unique, this contemporary circular cottage was completely reimagined by Jay Hanley and his team at Hanley Development in 2024. The soup to nuts renovation included the installation of new oak floors, kitchen cabinets, countertops, high end appliances, light fixtures, tile shower and floor, bath vanity, built-ins, and shiplap ceilings throughout, new windows and door, sidewall, and roof. If you’re seeking relaxation, the privacy and seclusion of this property provides everything you need to replenish and reinvigorate your soul. If it’s a lifestyle on the water you’re looking for, you can’t do better. Just wade out to your boat mooring, bring your scallop rakes and fishing rods, or just cruise around the harbor, allowing spectacular sunsets to serve as a backdrop for your cocktail hour. Your harbor-front retreat awaits. Please note that the bordering property at 7 Lauretta Lane is also available to buyers looking to create a complete waterfront compound. | $4,895,000
Exotic Fish in Local Waters
STORY AND PHOTOS BY CAM GAMMILL
It is always fun to see exotic fish show up around Nantucket. While we have gotten very used to bonito and false albacore in recent years, it is good to remember that these are definitely warm-water fish that have made a home around Nantucket for several months of the year.
The island has always been known for bluefish and bass, as well as groundfish, which include cod and fluke. While I’m sure we always had some level of exotic fish in and around the island, the excitement for them has certainly taken hold lately.
Think about how unique living on Nantucket is. We live on an island. We are 30 miles out to sea. We are placed way out in the ocean among one of the coolest and most diverse ecosystems on the East Coast.
When I take people fishing, they cannot believe that we have access to so much at our fingertips. We can fish the harbor, the flats, the north shore, the active edges, the deeper water or quickly run offshore (and that is just our boat fishing).
The further south we push, generally, the warmer the water will be. If you head to the canyons, which are as close as 70 miles away, you’ll find the Gulf Stream which has water with temperatures in the mid 70s.
This warmer water can start to heat up the entire ecosystem
We gunned the boat, which spooked the shark. I reached down and grabbed the turtle by the shell. He was our pet for all of 10 minutes while we drove him out of harm’s way.
south of Nantucket. You’ll get eddies of water that spin off and this water will move in and around the island. You can have water as cold as 58 degrees to the east of the island and as warm as 74 degrees to the south of the island. These variations lead to an incredibly diverse fishery.
We seem to be getting bonito earlier and earlier every year. These fish used to show up in mid-July and were here by Aug. 1 in earnest. We’d have a good push of fish for about a month before losing them with the crowds in August.
For the last five to six years, we have had fish caught in June, which has surprised us and this year it was as early as June 1. We caught a bonito before we caught a bluefish. The early bonitos are usually caught from the beach, as this is the warmest water.
This year the first bonito was caught in the harbor, which shocked everyone. We all thought this fish was lost and just searching for the warmest water. Then, there was a report two days later that another fish was caught, and then another. You get the point. We had over 20 reports of bonito in June alone. That is crazy and likely a sign of things to come.
False albacore is the other “small tuna” that has made our local waters its home. We used to get a few of these fast fish in September. Labor Day used to be the arrival date, well after our summer visitors had left and we’d get about a month of action on these speedsters.
They were spotty but fun. Similar to bonito, this fishery has come to life. Two years ago, I caught an albie Aug. 1. Last year was a bit later but still in the early part of August. These fish are here in big numbers and can be caught into November. It is truly remarkable how this fishery has evolved.
We’ve also had fun when the bluefin tuna push toward our inshore waters. This doesn’t happen every year, but it certainly happens more than we think. Last year we had about two weeks where we were catching bluefin just off Tuckernuck.
We were two miles or so off the beach catching 100-pound fish. It was so fun. While this is the first time that I remember that fishery being so consistent for a few weeks, it certainly wasn’t the only time I’ve caught bluefin just off the beach.
There are years when footballs (small bluefin tuna) push right onto the Bonito Bar or populate Old Man Rip on the east side of the island. There are years when a random fish is caught and then years when we actually go out and target these fish. That hasn’t happened in several years but, with our current water temperatures, maybe this will be the year.
One of my favorite memories was fishing off the south shore in September on a charter. The bluefishing was as good as it gets and the fish were huge. All of a sudden, it felt like the light switch turned off and for a few minutes, we didn’t see a fish.
I was surveying the water and about 30 feet in front of me, I saw two giant bluefin, over 300 pounds each, come full out of the water chasing bluefish. It was insane and I was only a half mile off the beach. Anything can happen, so you always need to be paying attention.
In another cool story, a similar tuna was spotted in the harbor off the town dock a few years ago. This was just a few days after a school of dolphin had been around the docks for several weeks.
FISH
The tuna put on a show and eventually a couple of guys went out in a skiff and hooked the fish. They were quickly cut off and the fish went about its day, but how cool is that?
Another favorite fishery of mine is the mahi-mahi. These fish generally live in the Gulf Stream and follow the warm currents north. They love being in and around structure and will come fairly consistently within 12 miles of Nantucket. In fact, I think the windmills will end up being a great habitat for these colorful fish.
In my mind, these fish have it all. They are spectacularly beautiful, they fight really well and are delicious to eat. They normally live in tropical waters, so to see their coloration in contrast to our muted-color fish is always mind-blowing.
Similar to tuna, though, there are years when these fish make it right up to the shore. There have been rare occasions when a mahi has been landed off the beach, but a few more frequent occasions when we see them at the Bonito Bar or under structure floating on the south shore.
More consistently over the last few years we have seen more pelagic species pushing inshore. It feels like hammerhead sharks are becoming much more common in and around Madaket where the bait source is plentiful. Makos are often seen jumping off the south shore and just a few years ago, we had big schools of yellowfin tuna inshore.
My favorite thing to do, when I’m on the water, is to simply observe. I love seeing the birds and the life that exists. It is as if they are there to tell us a secret.
Perhaps the most fun is when we see true tropical creatures inshore. Having sea turtles of all sizes is always a welcome surprise. Last year, I was with a few friends and saw a commotion and it turns out there was a shark trying to eat a sea turtle.
We gunned the boat, which spooked the shark. I reached down and grabbed the turtle by the shell. He was our pet for all of 10 minutes while we drove him out of harm’s way. Luckily, this was a turtle that I could pick up, but we also have 300-pound loggerheads in our fishery as well.
There is so much of the world that we think we know, but there is so much of this world that we will never really understand and this fascinates me. I don’t want to understand everything. I want to continue to learn and be amazed.
My brother tells a story of being in Hither Creek last summer and just sitting watching the water. In the last spot someone would expect it, a school of flying fish popped out of the water and put on a show.
Cam Gammill is co-owner of Bill Fisher Tackle and writes the weekly “Fish Finder” column for The Inquirer and Mirror.
This year the first bonito was caught in the harbor, which shocked everyone. We had over 20 reports of bonito in June alone. That is crazy and likely a sign of things to come.
SALES & RENTALS OFFICES IN SCONSET & TOWN
SCONSET · 17 BURNELL STREET · $5,950,000
Private setting with an expansive yard, pool, and one-car garage.
NAUSHOP · 3 GOLDFINCH DRIVE · $2,995,000
Four floors of finished living space on a large lot with beautiful gardens.
CISCO · 196 HUMMOCK POND ROAD · $10,500,000
Custom home on two pastoral acres in Cisco.
TOWN · 157 MAIN STREET · $3,495,000
Cheerful and bright four-bedroom home in a quiet location.
· 7 PLEASANT STREET · $14,490,000 Expansive property with a main house, guest house, garage, and spa.
SCONSET · 1 & 5 OCEAN AVENUE, 6 GRAND AVENUE · $29,500,000 Iconic Sconset estate steeped in history with four dwellings.
TOWN
SCONSET · 10 CENTER STREET · $1,795,000
TOWN · 3 & 3B WYERS WAY · $4,500,000
Two adjacent lots that comprise nearly half an acre of land in Town.
and
TOWN · 20 YORK STREET · $2,995,000
Charming five-bedroom home with beautiful outdoor space.
Antique gem in the heart of Sconset Village.
TOM NEVERS · 124 TOM NEVERS ROAD · $6,150,000
Oceanfront main house
guest cottage with a two-bay garage.
SCONSET · 23 MOREY LANE · $12,995,000 Turnkey turn-of-the-century home, part of the historic Actors Colony.
WEST OF TOWN · 5 MAXEY POND ROAD · $6,395,000 Expansive retreat with a two-car garage, pool, and cabana.
Nature’s Mousetrap… But For How Long?
STORY BY VIRGINIA ANDREWS | PHOTOS BY TOM GRISWOLD
Forty-six dead barn owls were brought to the Maria Mitchell Association between 2019 and early 2023. There is always some natural mortality in first-year birds. But the number of empty barn owl nest boxes in this year’s survey is concerning.
Owlbert required months of vitamin K treatment.
There are 103 nest boxes in the Maria Mitchell Association program, and only 15 contained living barn owls. Only eight of those sheltered eggs or young. More showed signs of winter occupation, in some instances heavy use, but no one was home. Why?
Rodenticides are high on the suspect list. We know that anticoagulant poisons are in use here. Most specimens were not necropsied, but six investigated showed signs of internal bleeding.
It used to be that the most common way rat poison killed was by causing internal bleeding. In fact, the anti-coagulant drug warfarin was once a main ingredient in rat poison and then was approved for use as a blood thinner for humans to prevent stroke.
Eventually, rodents developed a resistance to warfarin. Newer drugs are used now for both rodenticide and to help
humans avoid strokes.
In the winter of 2021, one live owl was positively confirmed suffering from rodenticide poisoning. It was caught just barely alive. It was rushed to the New England Center for Wildlife’s Cape Cod wildlife rehabilitation facility. They named it Owlbert and it took several blood transfusions – the donor was a great horned owl named Thor – to save his life.
Months of intensive treatment followed. In May, when he was finally able to fly and catch live prey again, Owlbert was returned home to Nantucket and released.
New, second-generation rodenticides are more lethal. Rodents are owls’ primary food. They consume shrews, mice, rats and voles. Most eat at least two mice per day, every day of the year. Rodenticides do not kill mice immediately. No homeowner wants to return to “that smell.” So
there must be time for the rodent to exit the dwelling. From an owl’s perspective, a sick mouse is the most easily-caught prey. To tiny owlets which eat the choice bits, cut up and prepared by mother owls, they may be even more dangerous.
Are rodenticides really “safe for wildlife” as some packages attest? Wild animals die where they are not often encountered. Domestic pets get more notice. But the difficulty of proving wildlife exposure leaves applicators a lot of wiggle room.
Newer, single-dose poisons kill with one day’s feeding, making them much more dangerous to secondary consumers. Two ingredients, difethialone and brodifacoum, have been shown to be particularly toxic to birds.
Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARS) are sickening and killing hundreds of owls and hawks across the state, according to the Massachusetts Audubon Society. A Tufts Wildlife Clinic study found that 100 percent of 43 red-tailed hawks tested had been exposed to anticoagulant rodenticides. In 2021 a bald eagle was killed in Massachusetts by a second-gen-
eration rodenticide.
Several SGARS were banned by the federal Environmental Protection Agency because they were proven unsafe to children and pets. Even skin contact or breathing dust was harmful. The EPA addressed this by requiring that they be deployed in closed containers, and forbidding sale for household use. But they are allowed for professional or agricultural use, thus rendering their ban practically meaningless.
On Nantucket, one owl nest box, which had been very successful for years, was empty after property owners switched to a second-generation rodenticide, which affects the owls’ kidneys. Homeowners thought it safe, and “only used it inside the house,” but mice likely exited before dying.
Chemicals in the bodies of dead rodents can be passed on again by scavengers, insects or drain into the soil. How fast the chemicals themselves decay, breaking down into what, varies. It depends on many factors: additives, formulas, temperature, moisture, sun exposure and soil type, to name a few. So again, contamination is conveniently easy to leave out of the equation.
Owlbert receives a blood transfusion at a Cape Cod wildlife rehabilitation center.
BIRDS
From a business perspective, it’s easy to understand the appeal of poison. With less work for the exterminator, it assures the customer that everything is being done to the utmost. Commercial applicators have used over half a million pounds of SGARS in Massachusetts.
But from a public health standpoint, a never-ending application of toxic substances in our back yards, gardens and perhaps even some farms, is concerning. Nantucketers, with our sandy, easily perked soil, may have reason to wonder what happens next to the toxic substances.
Poison is not the only tool in a pest manager’s toolbox. This spring the town of Lexington approved a resolution to prohibit SGARS on town property and change to integrated pest management. Blocking rodent access ways, trapping and removing or securing food sources are non-toxic, sustainable methods of dealing with rodent infestation.
On Nantucket we could do all that and more: we have barn owls. They are Mother Nature’s mouse traps. They can breed in their first year, have as many as nine young, and even have a second brood in the fall, as long as their food is safe, outside.
But change will have to come from us. Demand, practice and advocate for integrated pest management. Let’s protect our water, our homes and gardens, along with nature’s sleepless, nocturnal and most effective mousetraps, our barn owls. ///
Virginia “Ginger” Andrews writes the “Island Bird Sightings” column for The Inquirer and Mirror and is a frequent contributor to Nantucket Today.
Owlbert returned to Nantucket, getting a Fish and Wildlife numbered band.
CISCO BEACH RETREAT
5 DAVIS LANE, CISCO - 4 BR 3 BA 2 1/2 BATH - $6,495,000
This newly renovated four bedroom, three full bath, two half bath home complete with brand new Gunite pool surrounded by an expansive stone patio and beautiful bluestone walls. Located a few moments to the beach, bike path, and walking trails. First floor-Three bedrooms include one secondary suite and two additional guest bedrooms that share a hallway bath. Large family room with half bath flows seamlessly to the heated pool, bluestone pool, outdoor shower and grilling station. The second floor is a large open floor plan that includes the kitchen, living room and dining room with westerly facing deck. The Primary suite has a shower bath, separate office and private deck with stairs that lead to the outdoor shower and pool.
KATHY GALLAHER
Broker
Maury People Sotheby’s International Realty
37 Main Street, Nantucket, MA
508.560.0078
kathy@maurypeople.com
Welcome to your stunning waterfront retreat on the picturesque New England Island of Nantucket,
Welcome to your stunning waterfront retreat on the picturesque New England Island of Nantucket - 36 Easton Street. This exquisite single-family home features nine bedrooms and 9 1/2 bathrooms, newly renovated and expanded to offer incomparable luxury and comfort. Step inside the first floor and be captivated by the elegant beachy style, professionally decorated to create a serene and welcoming atmosphere. The first floor offers an open floor plan with a breathtaking panoramic water view. Enjoy the spacious layout with a large luxury fully equipped kitchen, complete with a generous walk-in pantry with an extra fridge, and freezer. All appliances are top-of-the-line, ensuring a seamless cooking experience. Walk out of the kitchen and enjoy your morning tea on the covered porch on rainy days or cozy up by the indoor fireplace on chilly evenings. The first floor is also home to one primary bedroom, media room and a second bedroom, while the second floor offers another primary bedroom with its own private outdoor shower and terrace, perfect for enjoying the unique harbor views and activities. Stay in the stunning bedroom next to the primary bedroom with its own spacious terrace and enjoy the tranquil views of the harbor waking up and evening cocktails as the sun sets over the water.
EXCLUSIVELY LISTED BY
Hedyeh Renstrup
+1( 203) 231 9134
hedyeh@maurypeople.com
Additionally, two more bedrooms on the second floor provide relaxing space for guests and family. Ascend to the private third floor, featuring a bedroom with gorgeous water views, also ideal for a home office or personal sanctuary. Outside, you’ll find another outdoor shower and an oversized 2-car garage with two spacious bedrooms above, one with water views and the other with views of the salt marsh. One of these bedrooms has been transformed into a beautiful fully equipped gym with a kitchenette, full bath, and an additional washer and dryer. Store your kayaks, paddle boards and bikes in the garage or underneath the house and launch straight from your own beach. Conveniently located moments from town, you’ll have easy access to several fun restaurants and shops. Enjoy morning activities at the nearby beaches, just minutes away. With eight parking spaces, including the garage, hosting gatherings and dinner parties is a breeze in the furnished backyard directly on the water. This turnkey property is being sold fully furnished, excluding the art, offering a seamless transition to your dream island lifestyle in Nantucket. Don’t miss this opportunity to own the one-of-a-kind beach house in one of New England’s most desirable destinations, Brant Point, Nantucket.
Discover Your Nantucket
5 0 W A U W I N E T R O A D | W A U W I N E T
3 B e d s , 3 . 5 B a t h s | I d y l l i c S e t t i n g , R d l i d E x c l u s i v e l y L i s t
5 7 S O M E R S E T R O A D | H U M M O C K P O N D
3 B e d s , 2 B a t h s | S u p e r b L o c a t i o n , P o t e n i a l A b o u n d s E x c l u s i v e l y L i s t e d b y R o b e r t S a r k i s i a n
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A Sailing Life
BY JOHN STANTON | PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALFRED SANFORD
He first saw her on a summer day in 1955. He was just a kid, no more than 10 or 11 years old, and she appeared almost out of the blue.
“I’m this brat on Hulbert Avenue and around Brant Point comes the Impala and she is brand spanking new,” Alfred “Alfie” Sanford remembered almost seven decades later. “She was built in ’54. She was a 1950s boat so every edge of her was trimmed in chrome plate.”
He would catch a glimpse of her every so often, while racing in the Edgartown Regatta on Martha’s Vineyard, or sailing in the around-the-island harbor race.
“She was the queen of Nantucket Sound,” he said of the 56-foot Sparkman and Stephens-built yawl.
He lost sight of her for over 20 years. Then one day they ran into each other again in California.
“I find her in California totally by accident. It took me completely by surprise. I fell in love with that boat when I was 11. Seeing it again was like seeing an old girlfriend,” he said.
“She was down on her luck and in weak hands. It took me years to talk both myself and the seller into coming to a deal.”
By then his path had led him to boat building, the opening of the Sanford Boat Company and the design and building of the small but much-loved Alerion fleet.
He had the Impala trucked across the country, from San Diego to Virginia, then sailed her back to Nantucket Sound. They arrived in Nantucket Harbor on a Sunday morning at the end of August, just in time for the 14th Opera House Cup race.
But it wasn’t days spent racing that make the 81-year-old Sanford smile when he talks about Impala. What has always interested him is what is called blue-water sailing. He was always less interested in winning sailboat races than in using a sailboat to see what was over the horizon.
He sat on the deck at the Anglers’ Club to talk with Nantucket Today about his life messing around in boats, building and sailing them, and the urge to sail toward that far horizon.
He had been sailing Impala the day we spoke. He said he is too old to sail over the horizon anymore, but, “for a couple of hours on a nice afternoon it is beautiful.”
THE QUESTIONS
Q: When did you first begin sailing?
A: “My father was a sailor. He was a summer person here. He took me sailing at 2 or 3 years old, so young I don’t remember. I’ve been doing it since the beginning.”
Sanford grew up in Knoxville, Tenn., and summered on Nantucket. His father had two things that became templates for the life Alfie would follow: a workshop and a library.
“My father had a workshop and liked to make things and liked to make boats. The first thing I remember building is a plywood pram. I was 5 or 6 years old. Just old enough to be in the way,” he said.
“But to listen to him talking – ‘Why don’t you use steel screws?’ or ‘here is how you mix the glue’ – was an education. Then the other thing he had was he was a reader and had a library. When I was 9 or 10, I started reading his sailboat books, about people who went traveling around the world on their boats. They became my heroes. By the time I am 10 or 11 I am totally hooked. I am pretty good at sailing and interested in how to build boats. And I had this lust in my head for getting in a boat and going somewhere. That’s the beginning.”
Q: What was the Nantucket of your youth like?
A: “In summertime my extended family from Tennessee lived on Hulbert Avenue. There was no traffic. We had bicycles. It was a child’s paradise. This was the early 1950s.
Then as we outgrew that I got involved at the yacht club and that’s all about racing. Starting with the Rainbows and then the Yankees, which are bigger boats, 30-foot keel boats. I was pretty good at it. Never a great race winner, not competitive enough, but I loved the sailing.”
Q: What is it that draws you to this kind of sailing, to what is called cruising rather than racing?
A: “There are two kinds of sailors. There are kids being trained to win the Olympics someday and then there are a very few old curmudgeons like myself who use boats to go somewhere.
There is something thrilling about leaving the fuel dock and 26 days later pulling up to the Queensway Quay Marina in Gibraltar. And you did that all by yourself. And you used 30 gallons of diesel fuel to go 3,200 miles. It’s a special environment. I call it the cathedral of the outdoors. It is a religious experience.”
Previous page Sanford on Impala, off Sporades, Greece. This page: An Alerion under sail.
Q: You wrote the book about Nantucket sailing. What makes the waters around this island a good place to sail? (He has actually written two books: “Wooden Boats for Blue Water Sailors” and “Sailing Around Nantucket: A Guide to Cruising the Island”).
A: “You go back to Melville who wrote, ‘Get out your map and look at Nantucket. It is right on the corner of the world.’
Nantucket is stuck way out in the middle of the ocean and is in a pork-chop shape. So, the back side is open ocean. You go to Cisco and you’re looking at waves that can start in Trinidad.
On the other side it’s a concaved shape. You’re in a protected sound. Inside Coatue you’re in this estuary with all these lagoons and ponds. You have all this variety. It has every kind of sailing. There is plenty of wind. And it is all right here.”
Q: Was it your father who gave you the love of wooden boats?
A: “This goes back to building a pram in my father’s workshop. He was born in 1917 and knew wooden boats because that’s what they had. Fiberglass came in and that was a new magical thing. The next boat we built together was a fiberglass boat about the size of a sailfish. That was the early days of fiberglass.”
When he was a student at Harvard, Sanford had a classmate whose father was an America’s Cup organizer. He gave them the use, for one summer, of Ted Hood’s very first Robin. Hood, who went on to found Hood Sails and win an America’s Cup in a boat called Courageous, had designed and built a series of wooden racing yachts under the name Robin in the late 1950s.
“It was a wooden boat Hood built in his back yard when he was 25 years old. I fell in love with wooden boats,” Sanford said.
He studied mathematics at Harvard and then architecture at M.I.T. Along the way he built a few small wooden boats. A few years later he was working as an architect in Cambridge when his brother Edward bought a boat that drew him back to the island.
“One day my brother Edward buys himself an old rotten John Alden ketch. It was an absolute beauty. But if you pulled on one of the deck cleats it might come off in your hand,” he said. “It was one of the first Opera House Cup boats.”
In those days boat owners often raced in the Opera House Cup and then wanted to sail their boats to places like the West Indies or Jamaica. Navigational systems like GPS hadn’t yet been invented, so someone like Sanford who was skilled at celestial navigation was in demand. It pulled him back into the boat world.
The legendary American sailboat designer Nathanael Herreshoff was 64 years old when he decided to design a boat just for himself, just for the fun of building it and sailing it in the waters of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay.
The result was a 26-foot shoal draft sloop he called Alerion. It was 1912. Herreshoff sailed that boat the rest of his life.
Fast forward to 1977. Sanford is now making boats on Nantucket, under the name Sanford Boat Company. The boat shop was opened to build a modern version of the Herreshoff classic, this time using a process called cold molding.
Q: How did you come across the idea to make a boat based on Herreshoff’s design?
A: “I was involved in building pocket cruisers. They are not really cruising boats, more like camping boats, 25 feet. I am down in Mystic Seaport looking for a better hull. And I see the Alerion at Mystic. And I said that’s the right hull. Beautiful lines and very shoal draft, which allows you to go places.
The idea had been to build classic wooden versions of the Alerion, with some design changes. Meanwhile, Sanford has read about a process called cold molding in Wooden Boat Magazine.
Cold molding is a process of building a boat using a laminated series of wood planks.
“I’m a good engineer. I love sailing. Boat structure is in my head. Herreshoff’s design is near perfect. It is a beautiful boat,” he said.
Sanford Boat Company became one of the pioneers of cold-molded boat construction.
Q: What happened to the Sanford Boat Company?
A: “Basically, we were losing money on every one and we couldn’t make it up in volume. If there was a weakness to the company, it was that we didn’t have a salesman or a marketing department.
I will say that boat is brilliantly engineered and produced. By the end, we were building them in a third of the time in man-hours that
it would take somebody to build a custom wooden boat.
We got really good at it, but we couldn’t sell them. I couldn’t sell them. The basic problem was I was tongue-tied and was having so much fun doing the engineering that I didn’t see what was needed.
Selling is people skills and I was afraid of people. You can’t have a successful business without a sales department. If it weren’t for that, we might still be in business.
And then I could have paid guys more to build boats than they could get shingling houses.”
Q: What is it that still intrigues you about sailboats?
A: “You talk about building a sailboat and you get into every technology in the world. It is chemistry, physics, structures, aerodynamics, all these things come into it. The most exotic engineering problem in the world is a sailboat. It is low energy. You’ve got to take this breeze blowing across your sail and actually use it to push something that weighs 20 tons.”
Q: Is there an emotional side to sailing?
A: “I don’t know why, but definitely it is emotional and in some way spiritually deep. Our world knows less about spiritual stuff than we’ve known in thousands of years. We are at a nadir, and I don’t claim to be any different. But it can be deep.”
Sanford sailing his tech dinghy in Nantucket Harbor in 1962, age 20.
THE QUESTIONS
Q: Do you think the thirst for exploring from the deck of a sailboat still motivates people?
A: “For me to take the Impala to the West Indies for the winter is just too much. I’ve got the time, but don’t have the stamina.
Also, you no longer have the support system. If something is broken on the Impala, I can’t just take it over to a boat yard and say fix this. Most of them just don’t do it anymore.
It is getting thin, the idea of going over the horizon just to see what is there.
I remember the first time I sailed into the islands east of the Bahamas. I came to a deserted tropical island about the size of Nantucket and thought, this is just how Captain Cook must have felt. I don’t know why, but people don’t seem to do that anymore.” ///
John Stanton is a writer, documentary filmmaker, associate editor of The Inquirer and Mirror and editor of Nantucket Today.
Below: Sanford at the helm of Impala, off Brittany, France. Right: Aboard Impala in Bergen, Norway.
LAST LOOK
It began with an argument in a restaurant bar over who had the best sailboat. The trophy was a champagne bucket. Today the Opera House Cup is only one race in a week of sailing. Proceeds benefit Nantucket Community Sailing, where the next generation of sailors is born.
