Barbara Dyer: Summertime in Camden Harbor
Beautiful inner Camden Harbor has all types of boats that fill it from the west side to the east side. It is a harbor with much history in boatbuilding and commercial operations.
Boat building actually began on Bay View Street in the late 1700s.
Camden Shipbuilding, Co., Inc., began building pleasure boats from 1945 to 1963, and in the 1960s, Camden saw more pleasure boats than ever arriving to the town’s harbor. When Camden Shipbuilding went into bankruptcy from building yachts, the Watson brothers bought it. They each had six boats and six kids.
The large sailing yachts were coming in the 1970s from Antigua and being worked on at Wayfarer Marine.
The windjammers became more numerous and then the day trippers grew in popularity. There are still fishing boats and the floats are full with tenders, and there is always a waiting list to get a mooring in both the inner harbor and outer harbor.
Several years ago, the Camden-Rockport Historical Society had a "coffee and chat.” Willard moderated and approximately 20 people who were “related” to the harbor spoke about their subject. Willard had a video made of it, and it is the best history of Camden Harbor that will ever be.
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