Old Schooners in Mill Cove 1

Old Schooners in Mill Cove 1

Four-masted schooners EDNA M. MCKNIGHT on the left, ZEBEDEE E. CLIFF with masts, and MAUDE M. MOREY on the right lay abandoned and beyond repair on Mill Cove in Boothbay Harbor, Maine in 1941. The ZEBEDEE E. CLIFF and MAUDE M. MOREY would be towed later that year to be sunk in Portland Harbor as a barrier to enemy submarines. The COURTNEY C. HOUCK, second from left, was a five-masted schooner built in Bath in 1913. The EDNA M. MCKNIGHT was buillt in 1918 in Camden, the MAUDE M. MOREY was launched in 1917 from Bath.

When Photographer Eliot Elisofon was not traveling the world taking photos for LIFE Magazine, he came to Vinalhaven, Maine to rest and recoup. Eliot bought a farmhouse near Crockett Cove on Vinalhaven in 1941, built by Joel and Mary Jane Philbrook in 1843.
Daughter Elin writes, “My father always said his favorite place on earth was Vinalhaven and he meant it. Wherever he was, he was counting the days until he could return to the island. Here he would 'recharge his batteries' from grueling trips to Africa, Asia, the Pacific, or from battles with the publishers and editors he had to constantly prod into sharing his passion and understanding his vision. In Vinalhaven he could relax, soak up the beauty of the place, plant trees, flowers, and vegetables, paint in his studio, cook, and develop the lifelong friendships he treasured."
Elisofon, Elin. FEAST. (Vinalhaven, Maine: April, 1992)
These images are personal photographs taken by Eliot Elisofon on Vinalhaven and were not published during his lifetime.