This Sunday, July 11, Stonington, Maine, will host the fifth race in Maine’s 2021 lobster boat racing season. Last year, the Stonington races were canceled because of the pandemic. But if this Sunday is anything like the 2019 races, expect at least 100 boats.
So far, 246 boats have raced at Boothbay, Rockland, Bass Harbor and Moosabec Reach, with a majority of those — 102 — at Moosabec Reach.
At Boothbay and Rockland, Blue Eyed Girl, a Morgan Bay 38 with a 900-hp Scania, was the dominant boat, winning the Boothbay’s Diesel Class K race 701 to 900 hp, 28 feet and over at 50.6 mph and the Fastest Working Lobster Boat Race at 51 mph.
At Rockland, Blue Eyed Girl won both those races, as well as the Diesel Free For All, but never had to get above 47.5 mph to be first across the line. Blue Eyed Girl did not go to either the Bass Harbor or Moosabec Reach races.
Reportedly, a news team from Spectrum News in New York City was at Boothbay to do a story on Heather Thompson and her Gold Digger, a Wayne Beal 36 with a 675-hp Scania. At Boothbay Gold Digger won the Diesel Class J race, 551 to 700 hp, 36 feet and over, at 39 mph. At Bass Harbor, Thompson took first place in Class J at 41 mph, and again at Moosabec Reach at 38 mph.
It will be interesting to see if Heather Thompson can keep up her winning ways at the remaining seven races.