Dave Getchell -- Really gets it!

It's not easy catching up with Dave Getchell -- to find a time when he's not manning exhibit booths at trade shows, installing docks in Rockland Harbor, or singing with dogs. These don't seem like the normal range of duties for someone with the very important duties of an Associate Publisher. But Dave's not an ordinary associate publisher. He works for Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors magazine, headquartered in Rockland -- not an ordinary magazine.

Dave's exuberance might explain why Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors is so popular. Some say that it's what Downeast magazine used to be -- full of detailed information, and quirky, intelligent stories, always reflecting the fascinating, and hard working people, and the beautiful areas of Maine.

As with many from Maine, the more he went away, the more he didn't. And now he makes a living out of where he loves to live.

Maine and publishing are in his blood. Most likely helped along by his early childhood inoculations by the black flies.

Why do you live in Maine?
The more I've traveled over the years (a lot, especially when I was doing TV production and traveling 150 days annually), the more I appreciate what's right here.

Are you from Maine?
Yes, and, well, no. My dad is from Bangor but thanks to the US Army, I was born out of state. Moved back at age 2. If that doesn't make me 'from here' I guess I'm guilty of being from New Jersey.

Where do you live?
A little 1920s bungalow on the Megunticook River, downtown Camden. I like to say I have "in-town waterfront" property. I have an ocean view, too--If I stand on the very peak of my barn roof, that is.

How did you find it?
Originally rented the house, and liked the place so much we bought it in early 90s. Every so often I get the itch to try another location, do a bit of house shopping, and then am cured of this silly idea for several more years.

What's the best, and worst, part about living here?
Best--the change of seasons, one of the things that progress hasn't managed to screw up yet. Worst--the change of seasons, especially the advent of mud season. Perversely, one of my favorite seasons is when the black flies come out...they're what keeps the coast of Maine from ending up like southern Connecticut. My dad calls 'em the 'guardians of the forest."

What are you giving up?
Nothing, at least that I can see.

What are you getting?
Everything that makes Maine into Maine--lakes, mountains, rivers, the amazing coast, the fact you don't have to lock the car every time you walk more than 5 feet away from it.

What is your favorite -- boating destination?
A tiny island in Penobscot Bay that stands out for its Caribbean-like white shell beaches. It's not named on the charts; I call the island Petit Phoque (baby seal) because one time I fell asleep on the sand there, only to wake as a baby seal hauled out a few feet away. i think it was disappointed I wasn't it's momma, because it bleated a few times, I said, "quit yer whining, go out there and catch some mackerel" so he swam away.

Food?
Foraged steamer clams and mussels on an island, cooked over a driftwood fire. A close second is lobster served no further than a few feet from high tide line, cooked over that driftwood fire and then served up on a driftwood plank. In either case, you toss the leftover shells below tide line, a feast for the crabs and seagulls who come later.

Colors?
That particular "red sky at night" sunset, which means we probably won't need the rainfly on the tent that night.

What kind of boat do you have?
A Lund Alaskan, a 20-foot open skiff; it's small enough to launch/land with just one person, yet seaworthy enough so I've taken it to Maine's farthest offshore islands. It's built out of aluminum, the only material tough enough to withstand regular landings on Maine's rocky islands. I've had the boat 11 years now, and expect to have it many many more.

It thrives an a steady diet of island-hopping, beach BBQs, striper fishing, handlining for cod, towing my screeching nieces around on a tube on Megunticook Lake, big-water adventures on Moosehead, fall sea-duck-hunting, exploring coastal rivers (often finding new uncharted rocks along the way) and spending the winters on its trailer in a snowbank.

Best compliments on the Lund have come from lobstermen, usually from their boat to mine while we're bobbing in a big surge off an island someplace; their usual reaction is, "Nice boat!"

Is there a boat that you're dreaming of owning? Sailing? Building?
Working up to a sailboat, 28-32 feet--small enough to be handled easily by 2, large enough to cruise the Maine coast for 3-days to a week at a time without having to pitch a tent ashore.

How did the magazine get started?
John Hanson started Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors on a shoestring back in 1987. The first decade was a struggle, and the second decade has been a struggle but at least the business part of the struggle has gotten much better. We have a great crew at MBH&H, and have fun with what we do--at least most of the time!

What does an Associate Publisher do?
A bit of everything except write stories and/or vacuum the floors. Ad sales, circulation, helping to organize our annual Boats and Homes Show and fill it with great exhibitors, managing seasonal dockage in Rockland Harbor, repairing/painting/launching/landing 400 feet of 11,000-pound floats, schlepping staffer's boats hither and yon, you know the usual stuff. I have a big old Ford pickup and for some reason our group's heavy hauling jobs tend to come my way.

Is publishing / boating in your blood?
Yes, both. Growing up, the worst punishment was to have my boat privileges revoked. My first boat was an 18-foot wood/canvas square-stern canoe at my grandmother's summer camp in the western Maine lakes. It had an electric motor and was known as the "No-Speed Boat." Then there were the Sunfish sailboats we learned how to sail and tip over many many times usually on purpose but not always. Then small motorboats, but almost never bigger than 25 feet or so.

My dad was editor of the commercial fishing paper National Fisherman and started a pioneering boat mag called Small Boat Journal, so no question the publishing part is in the blood as well.

What's the best part of your job?
Working with the ever-inventive and resourceful small businesses who build, repair, maintain and run boats on the Maine coast. Helping them get the word about who they are and what they do, and connecting them to an audience keenly interested in boats and the Maine coast...and actually getting paid for it??!! How could a job be better?

How has technology helped / hindered / changed the magazine?
Our website maineboats.com is saving our bacon these days. The magazine and our annual boat show are doing fine despite the nightly news gloom-n-doomers, but the added energy, outreach and income from a lively successful website is making a huge difference for our little company.

Or you?
Technology is changing how boaters, even in small boats, are relating to what's happening on shore. We're working on an application for iPhones and Blackberries so that you can get instant access to Maine coast tide info, weather forcasts, and shoreside resources, from any boat anywhere along the coast. soon we'll never have to wonder, "Hmmm, where we should go ashore for dinner in town tonight?" Or "where to get that bent propeller fixed?" or "how soon is that nasty cold front going to drive us back to the harbor?"

Or the building of boats?
Our boat show's motto is "Tradition Shapes Innovation" and by this we mean the traditional Maine boatbuilders' virtues of practicality, seaworthiness and surprising style are being adopted and adapted to cutting edge technologies so that you end up with high-tech Maine built boats that are beautiful and actually useful! The same goes for Mainers building homes, crafting furniture and making fantastic art.

How difficult / easy is it to be in business so far from the centers of publishing?
Well, I'd argue that being far from the publishing world is exactly the thing that makes MBH&H what it is...forget Madison Avenue, give me Penobscot Bay any day.

Who is your hero?
The Contacts List in my computer is full of them. One particular hero is a lobsterman named Buzzy, who towed me back to Criehaven when my motor quit out off Matinicus Rock. If it wasn't for Buzzy, my next stop might have been Portugal.

Is the very handsome Cap'n Henri your dog?
Yes, Henri is indeed my faithful canine. He's an English Springer Spaniel known around the boat as Cap'n, though his real name is Henri le Deuxieme -- Henri the Second -- named in honor of Peter O'Toole's character in the classic movie "Lion in Winter." He also answers to numerous and constantly changing aliases -- Hennie, Bungee, Fuzzball, Stinkdog, Cuckoo, and his all-time favorite, Gumby. Amazingly for a water dog with huge webbed feet, he does NOT like to swim, he's been taught since puppy days to stay IN the boat.

Do you like lobster?
Meh, it's OK in restaurants. It's far superior on beaches when I've cooked em myself, or fresh off the sea bottom from guys like Buzzy.

Any good 'Maine' stories?
Got 54 years worth of them so far, and don't intend to quit collecting more any time soon. This is supposed to be an interview, not a book!

OK, ok. Got the drift. And thanks!