Maine’s 2025 lobster boat racing wraps up

What’s the excuse a lot of Maine lobstermen employ for getting together and having a good time? In one word, it’s racing.

Unfortunately for a lot of lobstermen, the 2025 racing season, with its 11 races, came to an end this past weekend when 47 boats closed out the season on Sunday at Portland and 60 the previous day at Long Island. Most of the Long Island racers went to Portland but there were fewer boats there because a cancer event was being held on nearby Cow Island and a number of fishermen attended the cancer event.

Comparing this year’s races to those in 2024, Jon Johansen, the races scorer, says, “Every race was better than a year ago, except a couple.” That would be Harpswell down by one boat and Winter Harbor way down by 73 boats. He feels the Winter Harbor downshift is because in 2024 the Winter Harbor even organizers gave away a new boat, this year they didn’t.

“But this year we made up 60-some boats in other races.” That helped bring the 2025 race total to 738 boats, versus last years’ 745 boats. “I think that’s real respectable,” noted Johansen. “Some lobster boat racers do every race,” he said, and that, “can be really hard,” when you are, say, leaving Winter Harbor after the races at 5 p.m. and you need to be at, Pemaquid the following day at 9 or 10 a.m. for those races.

At the Long Island class E race (336 to 435 hp, 24 to 33 feet), Audry May stays ahead of Guilty Pleasure to win at 40.1 mph. Jon Johansen photo.

Most lobster boat racers probably have locked away in the back of their mind a complete race-generated disaster scene. Fortunately, those happen very infrequently, but the Long Island races weren’t entirely disaster free.

“It hand-grenaded in the last race,” said Johansen. He was talking about Race 30 with Black Diamond (Holland 32, 672 Chevy) pitted against Lynn Marie (Sisu 26 632 Chevy) in Long Island’s Gasoline Free-For-All. The two boats have always been very competitive, as they were on Saturday.

Black Diamond was first across the line at 56.3 mph, but, just as it crossed the line “there was a big, big pop,” said Johansen. “It tore the motor apart. There were parts and pieces on the outside, which should have been on the inside.” Black Diamond was signed up to race at Portland the next day, but that wasn’t going to happen.

In a Portland diesel race combining several classes Relentless (right) crossed the line at 18 mph, while It Is What It Is hit 12 mph. Jon Johansen photo.

Another diesel race that shows the commitment of lobstermen not to miss a race through-out the racing season, matched up two long term rivels in Portland’s Race 23, Class N(A), 40 feet and over, 1,000-hp and over. That was Ryan Lemieux in Obsession (Young Brothers 40, 1,000-hp Cat) and Dana Beal in Natalie E (Libby 41, 1000-hp FPT). Natalie E won that one at 45.7 mph. “I believe for the year, they came out tied, both had five wins in Class N(A),” said Johansen.

Though a day earlier on Saturday, the outcome had been reversed: Ryan Lemieux’s Obsession beat the Natalie E at 43.5 mph. However, in doing so, Obsession created its own problem, blowing hydraulic hoses that had to be replaced Saturday night for Lemieux to make Sunday’s race.

The repair was made, and Obsession went on to Sunday’s race where it was beaten — but that’s lobster boat racing. It also typifies the intent focus of lobstermen bent on racing.