Maine islands are very special but challenging places to live year-round. In the last 100 years weve gone from 300 to just 15 year-round island communities.

So were especially fortunate to have the Island Institute, which focuses much of its attention on island issues and challenges. I love the institutes regular Working Waterfront newspaper, which I receive online, and I learned a lot from their interesting stories in the new edition of their magazine, Island Journal.

In the new edition, I particularly enjoyed Howie Montenkos astonishing photos, using a technique known as light painting. He assembles a crew of islanders at dusk to shine handheld flashlights that paint the scene with light while Monteko creates a long-exposure photo. They are absolutely stunning.

The list of island challenges is lengthy, from no broadband and extremely high energy costs to rising tides and warming oceans to maintaining schools and year-round jobs. Thankfully, the Island Institute is working on all of these challenges.

Ive been intrigued by some of their initiatives to bring efficient energy to the islands. Their Energy Planning for Island Communities Initiative is providing technical resources and tools to communities to help achieve their clean energy goals.

In July of last year experts from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory met with energy leaders and community members on Isle au Haut and Monhegan islands to learn about their priorities and identify cost-effective ways for those islands to transition to clean energy systems. Island Institute also crated the Spark! Fund, a competitive grant program providing awards of up to $2,000 for island and coastal energy projects.

The institutes Aquaculture Business Development Program is helping aspiring seaweed and shellfish farmers get started. Nine new businesses were launched in the first year of this program. In the next five years they expect this project to have an $8.3 million impact on Maines economy.

And I have a friend working in Frenchboro on Long Island as an Island Fellow. The institute has many fellows working on our islands in a variety of jobs and projects, including schools, energy efficiency, town management, fire and safety, elder care, and more.

Their educational programs are very important, including Outer Islands Teaching and Learning Collaborative, scholarships and Island Scholars Network, and Distance Learning Technology. In the latter program, they partnered with tech company EPlus in 2009 and again in 2014 to secure significant USDA-Rural Development grant funds to install cutting-edge teleconferencing and video recording equipment at 24 sites, including Maines island and remote coastal schools and other rural coastal community schools in Alaska and St. John, Virgin Islands. The equipment allows for highly interactive networking among students and connects them to resources at universities and other educational organizations. Wonderful!

Maines islands are life-changing places for many. If you read the Travelin Maine(rs) columns that Linda and I write, you know we love Monhegan island. In the new edition of the Island Journal, theres a great interview with Mott Feibusch, a young man who first visited Monhegan in the summer of 1990 and moved there to live year-round in 2015. When asked if he had a favorite story or memory of Maine, this is what Mott said.

I visited Monhegan for the first time in winter about 10 years ago. I made frames and painted with the artist Ted Tihansky for a couple of weeks. During that time, there was a blizzard on the island, and we ate fresh shrimp from a five-gallon bucket. We also had a Valentines dinner for 12 people, hiked out to Burnt Head and painted the moon rising on found pieces of tile, made bracelets of discarded copper pipe, and torched sculptures and frames chasing an aesthetic unique to Ted. It was a great introduction to the community I had known from only one perspective. Without that experience, I wouldnt be the person I am today.

Today, Mott is the islands third assessor and assistant fire chief. He works for the power company, pours beer at the islands wonderful brewery, and owns a woodworking business. With his partner, Carley Mayhew, Monhegans postmaster, Mott is now roasting coffee, hoping to turn that into a year-round business. Yup, year-round residency on our islands requires lots of jobs.

You can learn more about the Island Institute at http://www.islandinstitute.org. Prepare to be inspired.

George Smith is a writer and TV talk show host. He can be reached at 34 Blake Hill Road, Mount Vernon 04352, or [emailprotected] Read more of Smiths writings at http://www.georgesmithmaine.com.

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George Smith: Life on Maine islands is inspiring - Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel

BBC News

Trust's solution to Orkney islands abandoned houses BBC News The housing charity Shelter Scotland says Orkney has one of the highest proportions of empty homes in Scotland, taking population into account. Orkney Islands Council has just become the first Scots island authority to appoint an Empty Homes Officer. and more »

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Trust's solution to Orkney islands abandoned houses - BBC News

Last updated22:30, August 16 2017

Sunday Star-Times

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of the death of a New Zealander in the Cook Islands.

A much loved Waikato wife and mother has died in the Cook Islands.

Michelle Robertson, aged 37, died while in Rarotonga on Saturday, August 5.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of the death of a New Zealander in the Cook Islands.

"The Ministry is unable to provide information about the matter due to privacy considerations," a MFAT spokesperson said.

READ MORE:Auckland woman dies after horse-riding accident while on honeymoon in Vanuatu

"Goodbyes hurt the most, when the story was not finished," a funeral notice printed in the Waikato Times said.

Robertson was farewelled in a funeral service held at St Peter's Catholic Church in Cambridge on Wednesday, August 16, followed by a private cremation.

-Stuff

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Loved wife and mother dies in Cook Islands - Stuff.co.nz

Yellow brick roads, arched entranceways and parking garages were among the ideas that members of the public suggested during an open forum for the Water Street Enhancement Project, which is to be built next year.

Dozens of people showed up at the Aug. 10 forum, hosted by the City of Port Townsend, during which members of the public wrote their ideas for the project on Post-it notes and then stuck the notes on a 30-foot-long map. The forum took place at the Cotton Building.

Paul Schutt was one of those who attended. He attached a few Post-it notes himself.

I live right on Water Street where the projects going to be, he said as he pointed to the location of his home on the map.

Its going to be a good thing. Its an extension of what we did at the other end of the street, he said.

Schutt said he liked what he called the pocket park at the beach end of Tyler Street. The plans right now call for removable bollards to be installed there to block vehicles and make the area more pedestrian-friendly.

Schutt suggested that a water fountain also be built in the pocket park.

Lack of parking is a perpetual complaint, and Schutt suggested that one or two multistory parking garages could be built one of them in the lot behind The Rose Theatre.

The posted comments are to be typed into a spreadsheet and discussed by city personnel, said city engineer Laura Parsons, who was at the event to answer questions. If the person who made the suggestion also left contact information, the city is to contact that person with a response.

The $2.65 million project spans from Taylor Street to the ferry terminal. It is to feature improved sidewalks that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, remove an old buried concrete road, replace an old water main and add a new asphalt street, among other actions. Construction is planned to begin January 2018 and be completed by June 2018.

Earlier plans for the Water Street project included a island of trees to be installed in the center of Water Street near the ferry turnoff road, but updated plans shown Aug. 10 do not include that island.

Parsons said eliminating the island from the design would make it easier for vehicles to make turns.

The street is to be designed with 12-foot-wide sidewalks on each side of it. There are to be two 7-foot-wide areas of the street for parallel parking, and two 17-foot-wide traffic lanes are to be located in the center of the street.

The existing center turn lane is to be removed so that the wider traffic lanes can provide more shared use space for bicyclists and cars.

Im a big biker myself. Its totally on my radar screen, Parsons said of bicyclists concerns.

The design also includes an approximately 4-foot-wide dooring zone so that bicyclists dont have to worry as much about having the door of a parked car fly open in front of them.

Parsons said angled parking had been considered, but the idea was rejected in favor of parallel parking.

Lighting at intersections would be provided by two kitty-corner lamps. There is also to be additional lights placed at the midpoint of each block.

This stage of the design is what is called the 30 percent design stage pretty basic, Parsons said. But the 60-90 percent design stage is to include street striping, signage and elevation information, she said.

Were doing some finer tuning at this point, Parsons said.

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Tree 'islands' nixed in latest Water Street plan - Port Townsend Leader

If you find yourself in downtown Berlin, New Hampshire, take a glance at the Androscoggin River. There, in the middle of the water, youll notice a long, straight line of small rocky islands poking through the surface.

Its almost like the Androscoggin, which was the backbone of the citys once-massive paper industry, has its own literal spine.

In this installment of NHPRsseries Surrounded: Stories from New Hampshires Islands, we dig into what these man-made structures were used for.

Listen to the broadcast version of this story.

(Editors note: We recommend listening to this story)

Barry Kelly is driving around a field of waist-high grass in Berlin, like hes a safari guide stalking a rhino.

We can go through this field, and there is a spot down there where we should be able to see some piers.

Hes hunting just east of the Androscoggin River, on the property of his family business, White Mountain Lumber Company. (Were in a red pickup truck; its vanity plate reads LOG.)

Thats one right there covered with trees. And there is another one, he says, pulling up to a clearing on the riverbank.

Kelly is pointing to one of 90 or so small rocky outposts that run up the center of the Androscoggin River: the Boom Piers.

How these islands came to be requires some explanation.

The way to get their product here was to put the wood in the water and float it down, explains Paul Poof Tardiff, a historian and columnist for the Berlin Daily Sun.

To set the scene, Tardiff says picture the banks of the Androscoggin lined with mills. Wood harvested north of Berlin would be dumped into the river, and then, during the annual spring river drive, sent down the waterway.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of cords were shipped this way.

As a matter of fact, there were so many logs in the river, you couldnt throw a line in to fish, says Tardiff.

All that wood, however, had different owners. Big players like the Brown Company and International Paper needed to access what was theirs. So they came up with a plan.

They had to divide the river cause they both had the right to use it, says Kelly. So they built these islands of rock out of hemlock framing, and divided the river.

In the 1890s, these companies started building piers: rectangles of different sizes, but generally around 10 feet wide, made of hemlock timber. They were then filled in with rocks.

It took years to complete, but when finished, these piers stood like a row of traffic cones, spaced a few hundred feet apart, depending on the depth of the river, stretching north for eight miles, where the wood was sorted in Milan.

And when they were built, they had chains hooked to big long logs from one pier to another, and those logs were called booms, explains Tardiff. So thats where we get the name Boom Piers.

Once the Boom Piers were in place, one company could now send its wood down the left lane, the other down the right lane. Other mills, like Barry Kellys own family sawmill, could also use these lanes. It was an organized highway.

But by the early 1960s, the economics of sending wood down the water shifted. Bigger trucks and better roads made autotransport more economical.

According to Poof Tardiff, the last still-floating log was pulled from the Androscoggin in November of 1964. The Boom Piers, since then, have been left to the elements--most of the hemlock surrounding them has disappeared. But the rocky centers still poke up through the water.

We got one up here that has as a nice American flag on it, makes it look good, says Tardiff.

Like vertebrae on the river, the Boom Piers still help give this city its shape.

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The Boom Piers: How Berlin, NH's Islands in the Stream Came To Be - New Hampshire Public Radio

E.U. Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos talks with migrants during his visit to the Moria migrant camp on March 16, 2017 on the island of Lesbos, almost a year after an EU-Turkey deal. STRINGERAFP/Getty Images

Thousands of asylum-seekers in Greece's Aegean islands are stranded in appalling circumstances, according to a new report by Refugees International.

Since a 2016 deal between the E.U. and Turkey, which aims to discourage migrants from crossing the sea to Greece, Turkey has agreed to take back migrants who arrived to Greek islands from its territory. But in reality very few have so far been relocated, according to Refugees International just 1,210 as of June 13.

The result, says a new report entitled Like a Prison: Asylum Seekers Confined to the Greek Islands , is thousands of asylum-seekers trapped in overcrowded and unsafe accommodation on the Greek islands. This "containment" has taken a psychological toll, says the advocacy group, based in Washington, D.C. The report describes how some migrants on the islands of Chios, Lesvos and Samos feel trapped and anxious about the lack of available services. " Greeces policy of containing people on its Aegean islands is having devastating effects on peoples physical and mental health," said Izza Leghtas, senior advocate for Europe at Refugees International, said in a statement.

More than 12,000 migrants have crossed from Turkey to Greece this year, according to the IOM, a considerable drop in numbers compared to some 161,000 arrivals during the same period a year before. " Because far fewer people are arriving along this route than in 2015, the EU and Greece are presenting the EU-Turkey agreement as a success"Leghtas said. "The reality is that thousands of people, many of them traumatized from war or persecution, are trapped and unable to get the help they need."

TIME has written about the mental strains placed on migrants languishing in Greece in "Finding Home," a multimedia project which has been following three Syrian refugees since Sept. 2016 as they prepared to give birth and raise a child in foreign countries. Read more here .

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Report: Migrants Trapped in Bad Conditions on Greek Islands | Time ... - TIME

BBC News

Falling tree kills 13 on Portuguese island of Madeira BBC News A falling tree has killed at least 13 people and injured 49 at a religious ceremony on the Portuguese island of Madeira. A video shows the tree crashing down on a crowded square in a suburb of the main town, Funchal, spreading panic among people ...

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Falling tree kills 13 on Portuguese island of Madeira - BBC News

Refugees International Field Report

By Izza Leghtas

SUMMARY

This report examines aspects of an agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Government of Turkey, laid out in an EU-Turkey statement of March 18, 2016, that was designed to reduce the number of asylum-seekers and migrants arriving in Europe by sea. In 2015, that number had reached more than one million people, of whom 80 percent travelled by sea from Turkey to Greeces Aegean islands. Under the arrangement, Turkey agreed to accept the return from Greece of migrants and asylum-seekers who arrived on the Greek islands from Turkey after March 2016. In general, the substantive claims to asylum by asylum-seekers who fall under this procedure are not to be examined by Greek authorities; rather the asylum-seekers go through an admissibility procedure that assesses whether Turkey can be considered a safe country to which they can be returned. This raises at least two concerns. First, Turkey maintains a geographic restriction to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, documents that provide critical protections for asylum-seekers, and is only prepared to recognize as refugees people fleeing persecution in Europe. Second, Turkey is already overwhelmed by over three million refugees, many of whom already face significant obstacles in accessing employment, housing, and education.

Though the EU-Turkey statement does not explicitly require it, Greece has put in place a containment policy on its Aegean islands. As a general matter, asylum-seekers and migrants arriving on these islands are not allowed to leave for the Greek mainland, and thousands of people are thus confined on these small islands. In July 2017, Refugees International witnessed appalling living conditions for many asylum-seekers in overcrowded and unsafe accommodations, and many are deprived of care and support that is only available on the mainland. And though EU leaders claim their goal is to break the business model of smugglers, the containment policy is actually pushing some people to travel off the islands by paying smugglers.

The containment policy has had some exemptions, including asylum-seekers with certain vulnerabilities (such as pregnant women or people with disabilities). Those individuals have been allowed to leave the islands for the mainland and have their asylum claims considered in substance. Exemptions from the containment policy have also been granted to those who might be eligible for unification with family members who are seeking or have been granted asylum in another EU country where the asylum claims of all family members would be processed. But the EU and Greek authorities have agreed on a joint action plan, issued in December 2016, that envisions limiting those exemptions. If this occurs, it will result in a worsening of the situation on the islands and will put more people at risk of being returned to Turkey.

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Like a prison Asylum-seekers confined to the Greek Islands - ReliefWeb

Barron's

Fitch Lowers US Virgin Islands All the Way to Triple-C Barron's Seeing few options for improvment to the territory's finances, Fitch Ratings took its credit rating on the U.S. Virgin Islands down all the way to triple-C from B. That's a steep three-notch downgrade, bringing it to a level that indicates significant ...

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Fitch Lowers US Virgin Islands All the Way to Triple-C - Barron's

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Vanderbilt Basketball Aug 15, 2017 Share

Vanderbilt falls in back and forth contest against Canadian national championship team

authors David Boclair

Vanderbilts mens basketball team lost for the second time in as many days on its tour of the Virgin Islands when it fell 61-56 to Carleton University of Canada on Monday.

The Commodores managed just five assists on 16 field goals and shot 28.1 percent from the floor and 15 percent on 3-pointers. A turnover in the closing seconds cost the Commodores an opportunity to tie.

Matthew Fisher-Davis (pictured) finished with 17 points and was Vanderbilts leading scorer for the second straight game. Larry Austin Jr. scored 14 for the second time in as many contests. All 12 players on the trip saw action.

The contest, played at University of the Virgin Islands, included eight ties and 12 lead changes. The Commodores led by four early in the fourth quarter. They fell behind when they surrendered an 8-0 run and couldnt recover.

Carleton, located in Ottawa, Ontario, has won 13 of the last 15 Canadian Collegiate National Championships.

The teams will meet again Thursday in the last of Vanderbilts four games on the trip. The tour began with an 81-78 loss to the U.S. Virgin Islands National Team on Sunday.

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Another loss on Virgin Islands exhibition tour - Nashville Post (subscription) (blog)

In 2014, as Argentina plunged into economic chaos, Federico Cassino's life's work crumbled. Regular customers at his minuscule restaurant where the now-32-year-old chef would prepare a different five-course meal every night, could no longer afford to dine out.

"What we paid for gas went from 50 pesos to 1,000 pesos a month," Cassino says. "We had to raise prices while our customers had less money to spend. It was like to be a business owner, you also had to be an economist."

So after years of visiting Miami, Cassino and his wife Sofia decided to move north to start over. The result is their new restaurant, Paon Eatery, which opened in late May on the otherwise sleepy Kane Concourse in Bay Harbor Islands.

The narrow, quaint 40-seater is bordered on one side by a concrete wall decorated with pencil drawings of moose and Argentine landscapes. On the opposite side, a wall-size mirror is obscured by a tall gray leather banquette. Leafy vines, along with amorphous, overturned baskets that double as light fixtures, drop from the ceiling.

The menu offers Mediterranean and Latin American plates pared down to their simplest form and split into sections such as salads, sandwiches (during lunch), entres, and a dozen-and-a-half tapas.

Here, on the oblong islands where people rarely glance left and right as they make their way to or from the beach, Cassino has assembled a menu of hearty bistro fare offered at far more reasonable prices than what can be found at the nearby Bal Harbour Shops.

Cassino was born in Buenos Aires and studied marketing, taking on a professional career while nurturing a lifelong enthusiasm for cooking that began with his Italian grandmother, a pasta whiz, and his mother, who cooked more refined French and Spanish cuisine for the family.

In 2008, he decided he'd had enough of corporate life and enrolled in cooking classes in Buenos Aires. Two years later, he landed a gig at Barcelona's Hisop, a Michelin-starred seafood restaurant situated just off the city's Avinguda Diagonal. He quickly moved from menial tasks like cutting vegetables to manning the restaurant's grill and roasting Mediterranean squid, sardines, and the langoustine-like cephalopods called bogovantes.

After six months, he returned to Buenos Aires, and two years later he and Sofia launched their place, which they called Moment, in a nearly century-old house. Soon, though, the economy began tanking, so they left. They chose Bay Harbor Islands because the short strip of road sees a reasonable amount of foot traffic.

The bulk of Paon's menu is tapas, most of which cost less than $10. Many suffice as entres. The short rib ($15) is far and away the best bet. Cassino vacuum-packs the hulk of bone-in meat with olive oil and thyme, then simmers it for 18 hours. That's just long enough to turn fat-laced beef tender, but not so long that it makes the meat disintegrate after a slight touch. Just before it's served, it's crisped and given some sheen with a salty, sour soy glaze, then plated with a cold salad of hard-boiled eggs, crunchy romaine hearts, and green onion. The salad lightens each hefty bite of rib meat, making it easy to polish off.

Shrimp with the starchy, crisp, supple Swiss potato pancake called rsti ($9) is another steal. Six of the pink crustaceans boast an impressive crust with just a dash of char, while their interiors remain sweet and creamy. The rsti is like the love child of hash browns and potato pancakes. The outside is roasted to a crisp golden crust dusted with salt, and just underneath waits a creamy layer of softened potato slivers glossed with quality olive oil.

Potatoes appear to be one of Cassino's strong suits. His "triple cooked potato fries" ($5) seem to be neither potato nor fry but instead are ethereal nuggets of starchy goodness encased in a crackly, greaseless shell. He accomplishes this feat by first chopping the potatoes into bite-size cubes and giving them a long soak in ice water to leech out the starch. Next, they're boiled, chilled, blanched in hot oil, and chilled again before a final fry turns them into ruffled auburn cubes. Order them naked or crowned with a runny poached egg and squiggles of a garlicky aioli and a smoky harissa tomato sauce.

The grilled octopus ($17) presents a tentacle in peak form, tender inside and aggressively crusted outside, perched atop smashed and roasted fingerling potatoes with skins roasted into crisp shells. A few splotches of a velvety eggplant pure ($6) add an herbaceous richness. A similarly clever touch is deployed in a silky, sweet summer corn soup ($7) gussied up with a few dots of sesame oil. The nutty oil is like a catalyst for the corn's sweetness, intensifying it while also adding layers of complexity.

The eggplant pure acts like a dressing, coating and seasoning each bite of crisp green beans, cilantro, green onion, and peppery arugula.

The crispy skin red snapper ($19) is a standout on the shortlist of entres thanks to the grilled hearts of romaine on which it perches. The usually watery, tasteless green takes on a new life after being charred on the grill. Its woody flavor mingles seamlessly with the juicy fish.

A simple plate of pappardelle ($17) fails to meet the rest of the menu's standards. Though Cassino uses a nice, eggy dried pasta and cooks it well, the cream sauce in which it sits is thin, bland, and lukewarm. Porcini and shiitake mushrooms help a bit, but without a thicker, better-seasoned sauce, the dish fails to reach its potential.

Those mushrooms get a second chance packed into the steamed, Chinese-style clamshell buns ($10) Cassino makes. Though these buns have become ubiquitous on menus in recent years, few cooks undertake the laborious process of making them from scratch. The results, however, aren't stiff, dense buns that harden as they cool. They have the fluffiness and stretchability of the interior of a fresh croissant and only get better once filled with meaty, umami-rich slivers of mushrooms.

Despite Cassino's time in an ambitious, Michelin-starred restaurant, his latest place proves that food need not be overly fussy to be enjoyable. Such was his mission when he made the more than 4,400-mile schlep from Buenos Aires to Miami.

"We're casual in our approach, but that doesn't mean the food has to suffer," he says.

Paon is a happy respite from the carelessness of the food that can be found just south in Miami Beach. All you have to do is stroll down the road.

Paon Eatery. 1076 Kane Concourse, Bay Harbor Islands; 786-348-0672; paoneatery.com. Monday through Saturday noon to 4 p.m. and 6 to 10 p.m.

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Paon Eatery in Bay Harbor Islands Is Simply Great - Miami New Times

Manasseh Sogavare, prime minister of the Solomon Islands, inspects a guard of honour during a ceremonial welcome at Parliament House in Canberra. He and Malcolm Turnbull signed a security deal. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Australia and the Solomon Islands have signed a new security treaty one the Solomons prime minister hopes will collect dust and never be used.

In Australia for a week-long visit, the Solomon Islands prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, said the bilateral security agreement he signed on Monday with the Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, would provide for the rapid deployment of Australian security forces in the case of civil and ethnic unrest of the kind witnessed in the Solomons in the early 2000s.

The security treaty is just in case, Sogavare said Monday, if the Solomon Islands goes back to what it was in the 2000s.

But were determined to ensure that the treaty will collect dust. We will not allow the country to go down that way. The treaty is about if we fall back into a situation where we were in the 2000s, Australia would come back and assist us.

Turnbull told parliament the treaty will enable defence, civilian and civilian personnel to deploy operationally in emergency situations to provide security or humanitarian assistance at the Solomon Islands governments request.

Sogavare said he was in Australia to thank the country for its unswerving support over 14 years of Ramsi, the $3bn Regional Assistance Mission in the Solomon Islands, which pulled the country back from the brink of civil war from 2003.

The Tensions, as they are known in the Solomons, saw increasing ethnic violence between 1998 and 2003, in which militants from Guadalcanal island and nearby Malaita fought over land, jobs and economic development. Two hundred people were killed, hundreds more were beaten and tortured, sexual violence was widespread and several thousand people were displaced from their homes.

In 2003, with the Solomons on the verge of collapse, the government formally requested assistance from its regional neighbours.

Over 14 years until June this year, when Ramsi formally concluded, more than 7,200 Australian soldiers and 1,700 police served in the Solomons. Two Australians died and more than 30 police were injured during election protests in 2006.

Forty-four unarmed Australian federal police remain stationed in the country.

Turnbull said Ramsi had been a success. In 2017 we see a very different Solomon Islands, he said. It enjoys what is by global standards a very low crime rate, it has a high-quality police force, Solomon Islands markets are bustling, children are back at school, medicines are available.

Sogavare agreed Ramsi had restored law and order to the Solomons but said the underlying issues faced by the archipelago nation in particular ethnic tensions and the Honiara-centric development of the country remained.

Ramsi came to the country with specific mandate and has accomplished what it came to do. Law and order was restored, he said. The responsibility now lies with the government and the people of the Solomon Islands to take it from there. The environment is there for the Solomon Islands government and private sector to take the country forward.

Sogavares relationship with Australia has not always been so cordial. He was a staunch critic of Ramsi initially, arguing it undermined Solomons sovereignty. In 2006, during his second term as prime minister, Sogavare expelled Australias high commissioner and defended his attorney general, Julian Moti, whom Australia wanted to extradite on child sex charges.

Sogavare threatened to expel Australian peacekeepers from Ramsi and, a week later, Ramsi peacekeepers raided his office, kicking in a door and seizing a fax machine, in a search for evidence on Moti.

In a speech at the Lowy Institute on Monday evening, Sogavare said his governments primary challenge was simply to hold the country together while it pursues constitutional change to create a decentralised, federalist system of government that has widespread support across the archipelago.

Its only when we go out to play soccer outside that we see ourselves as Solomon Islanders thats a very big challenge for us. If youre not united, addressing development will be very challenging.

He said the Solomons Islands was very worried about a proposed independence referendum in the neighbouring Papua New Guinean province of Bougainville, because the result would likely not be respected by the Port Moresby government, and it could spark reanimated unrest and violence in the province, spilling over into the Solomons.

Read more here:

Solomon Islands signs security deal with Australia to protect against unrest - The Guardian

Britains referendum on EU membership in the summer of 2016 was a landmark voteand the "Leave" result was largely unexpected . But should it have startled observers (and, indeed, many Brits themselves) so much? A year later, while much around Brexit remains muddled, many reasons behind the outcome are becoming clearand beyond politics or economics, one clear driver could be psychology.

Consider how Britons have long distanced themselves from the landmass across the channel, othering it as "the Continent" with ambiguous affection. The much-repeated mantra of the victorious Brexiteers, was "Vote Leave, Take Back Control"; right-wing Brexit champion Nigel Farage declared that Britain could claim its own Independence Day and even half-jokingly suggested that June 23 become a national holiday, like July 4.

Put simply, ask an island nation if it prefers to stand apart, to reaffirm its island mentality, and it will likely seize the chance with gusto. Of course, Britain isnt the only country with borders defined by nature rather than nurture (or at least political deal-making). Theyre scattered across the world, from Malta to Madagascar , Japan to Australia . The Caribbean is home to a cluster of island countries, whether large like Cuba and Jamaica, or smaller standalones including Saba and Dominica; over the course of centuries, the region's islands have fought for independence from forced European oversight (the most recent, St Kitts & Nevis, broke away just over 30 years ago). But what characteristics, if any, define an island nations mentality? What traits might water-limited countries share?

Madeleine Bunting is a British writer who specializes in islands, and her most recent book , Love of Country: A Hebridean Journey , was published in 2016. Islands produce very powerful, contradictory emotional responsesyou can fall in love passionately with them and then be desperate to get away from them, Bunting explains to Cond Nast Traveler . Take Australia, immigrations Shangri-La, where the population has ballooned to 24 million in the last year, largely thanks to an uptick in incomers; yet it also hemorrhages citizensthe diaspora sits at around one million , or about 5 percent of those who hold Australian passports. Bunting believes that the true island mentality is a paradox, comprised of such contradictory impulses. Naturally isolationist and happiest when standing apart, islands are still forced to be outward looking for their very survival, sustenance, and supplies, relying on trade by sea. Self-sufficiency is an alluring, but almost impossible, illusion.

Ambition is another core component of island mentality, at least according to Lucille Turner. The Anglo-French writer explored this idea in its historical context in the wake of the Brexit vote, notably highlighting the fierce opposition the Romans encountered when first trying to steamroller into the British Isles from mainland Europe. Islands are usually relatively small, and it makes you want to punch above your weight, she suggests. Historically, at least, easy access to oceans only facilitated that instinct. If you want to impose yourself on the wider world in some way or other, the sea is a good vehicle for that, Turner continues. Japan and Britain both had quite strong navies. Look, too, how commonplace castles with moats were in both nations past. Holing up there with a moat of water is not too dissimilar from holing up in your country, with the sea around you.

Writer Louisa Leontiades has experienced that assertiveness first hand, hopscotching between different islands throughout her lifethe tiny Swedish isle of Brnn that she now calls home, and Cyprus in the Mediterranean, where she lived in the 1990s with her Greek-American father. She believes that such instincts manifest as much in the everyday as the imperial past. Greek Cypriots, for example, would fiercely declare loyalty to Athens when challenged by Turkish rivals; at all other times, though, their island identity came first. Instead of Turkish delight or Greek coffee, they had Cypriot delight and Cypriot coffee, Leontiades tells Traveler . Theyre first Cypriot, then Greeknever the other way round.

Look more closely, though, and the question of an island mentality becomes more complex. Many such nations are themselves comprised of other islands: Malta plus Gozo , for instance, or Australia, which has more than 8,000 islands within its maritime borders. Indonesia is a country made up of so many islands, its government can't even settle on a number. As for Great Britain, beyond the two major landmasses that comprise the British Isles (and are home to Eire, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England) it oversees almost 200 standalone, inhabited islands. What is the island mentality within the island mentality? Do islands within an island react against those impulses or embrace them with extra fervor? Even waterways arent essential to creating this mindsetjust look at Switzerland, the landlocked, steadfastly neutral nation that forms the hub of continental Europes spoke of countries. It has proudly stood apart for centuries, its Alpine peaks as effective a boundary as any ocean.

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How Island Nations Are Bound Together by More Than Water - Cond Nast Traveler

Japan and Russia are exploring the idea of conducting cruises around the Moscow-held, Tokyo-claimed islands off Hokkaido as part of envisioned joint economic activities, a diplomatic source said Monday.

The two countries will hold a vice foreign ministerial meeting Thursday in Moscow to discuss joint activities before their leaders meet in Vladivostok in early September.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in December 2016 to start joint economic activities on the islands. Japan hopes the activities pave the way for settling the decades-old territorial dispute, while Russia hopes to attract Japanese investments.

However, as the two sides remain far apart in their stances on sovereignty over the islands, they would need to work out ways to conduct joint activities in a way that does not raise judicial problems.

A group of Japanese government officials and experts from the public and private sectors visited the islands in late June to study possibilities for joint activities, including tourism.

I saw its potential as a tourism resource, Eiichi Hasegawa, a special adviser to Abe, told reporters at the time.

The disputed islands have an ecosystem similar to the neighboring Shiretoko Peninsula of Hokkaido, a scenic UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.

The islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group were seized by the Soviet Union after Japan surrendered in August 1945, ending World War II.

The territorial dispute has prevented the two countries from ever signing a postwar peace treaty.

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Japan, Russia mull cruises around disputed islands as part of joint economic activities - The Japan Times

Many live in Southern California for years and even a lifetime without knowing that America's very own version of the Galpagos Islands exists approximately 25 miles from shore. It may not be Darwin's oceanic playground exactly, but it is a remarkable evolutionary tale all the same. Its isolated location from the mainland has enabled the evolution of endemic species of plants, animals, birds, and marine life to thrive and reproduce without incident. It is Earth as it should be a parallel universe running aside the bustling southern California collaborative that exists on the mainland.

There are eight islands that make up the Channel Islands and five that make up the national park: Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara islands. Each has its own unique contribution to the marine and terrestrial ecosystem. On the sea floor surrounding the islands, mounts, basins, escarpments and submarine canyons enable a rich bionetwork to rise to the surface in the national park. There are enormous populations of bird species living on land and offshore and large forests of sea kelp that grow in the aquatic perimeter. Sea caves battered by trade winds and oceanic waves form cavernous passageways within the island chain. There are enormous seal and sea lion populations across the islands as well as unique species of land mammals; and countless other phenomenal examples of a world where the footprint of humanity has barely adulterated its original makeup. Once you set foot on the islands, unique finds are everywhere undiscovered artifacts from ancient times, remnants of the 19th century ranching era, dramatic panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, and vibrant sunsets and sunrise skies that are part of nearly every day in the Channel Islands.

In this article, we outline each of the five islands that make up Channel Islands National Park; an provide recommendations of four awesome adventures to seek out while visiting there. Off we go!

Jonathan Irish

Jonathan Irish

Anacapa is the closest island to the mainland positioned 12 miles offshore and is best known for having the largest breeding colony of California brown pelicans in the world. It is home to the Anacapa Island Light Station which was the last permanent lighthouse built on the western coast of the United States. This island is teeming with birdlife, dramatic cliffs, and easy walking paths around the island.

Santa Barbara is one of the least visited of the Channel Islands due to a limited passage schedule, and with no services or development on the island, it's a great place to experience a Channel Islands backcountry wilderness adventure. There are beaten trails that weave through interesting vegetation while offering dramatic coastal views in every direction. Wildflowers burst with color during winter and early spring, and there are plenty of wildlife viewing opportunities to experience year round.

Jonathan Irish

Santa Cruz Island is Californias largest island and is also the most visited of any of the islands in the national park. It is home to one of the largest known sea caves in the world called the "Painted Cave" and also to the highest peak on the Channel Islands: Diablo Peak which rises to 2,450-feet. Because of its large size, there is a wider breadth of landscape to explore on Santa Cruz. There are deep valleys, canyons, streams, springs, long stretches of beach, tide pools, terrific hikes and view points,and a wealth of wildlife peeking around every corner. For paddlers, the coastal perimeter tees up world class kayaking opportunities. The eastern end of Santa Cruz is managed by the National Park Service; the western end is owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy.

On the westernmost island of the chain is a 27-mile coastline where more than 30,000 seal and sea lions (of at least five different species) bask on the beaches at Point Bennett. Together, they make up one of the largest concentrations of wildlife in the world. The best way to get up close to the colony is to hike a 16-mile round-trip route on a ranger-led hike across the island. Along the way you will have an opportunity to see a number of archeological sites that tell a small part of the story of the Chumash Indians whose ancestors lived on San Miguel almost continuously for nearly 12,000 years.

Santa Rosa is known for its diverse endemic plant and animal species, including a subspecies of one of the rarest pine species in the world, the Torrey pine a remnant of the once widespread Pleistocene forest. With more than 100 species of birds, this island is a birder's paradise! And for those keen on wildlife sightings, there are plenty of opportunities to commingle with land-based species while hiking the island. Off the coast lives extensive forests of sea-kelp and other marine wildlife in the cold Pacific waters. This is also a prime spot for backcountry camping. There are no public phones, accommodations, services, or any other signs of man, really, offering visitors a chance to completely untether from the outside world.

Jonathan Irish

Jonathan Irish

Concessionaire Boat Ride to Anacapa Island

Anacapa Island is the second most visited island of the five that make up the national park and is the easiest to get to from the mainland.During the one-hour voyage (each way), travelers experience marine wildlife sightings while learning about the national park from knowledgeable Island Packers guides the entire way. Most head to Anacapa for a day trip to explore island trails, watch bird activity, and to see the west coasts oldest operating lighthouse. The Anacapa Island Light Station is perhaps the most well-known landmark on the island and in the national park. It was turned on in 1932 and the bell still chimes loudly 24 hours per day. After landing on shore and climbing the steel-rung ladder to the dock on the east side of the island, most visitors head to the light head first before making way to the opposite side where views of the Channel Islands sprawl into the ocean from Inspiration Point. For those looking to dig into this island a little deeper, they can stay behind after the day-boat leaves to camp overnight (advanced reservations are required.)

Jonathan Irish

Hiking on Santa Cruz (guided/self-guided)

Santa Cruz Island is the the most visited of the five islands in the national park, has the best weather, and has the most frequent ferry schedule coming in from the mainland. The top recreational activity on Santa Cruz is hiking. Hitting the trails in the Scorpion Valley allows for relatively easy outings on maintained trails; while the trails in the mountainous Montaon area are much more rugged.Along the 4.5-mile Scorpion Canyon Loop trail in the Scorpion Valley network, trekkers have the unique opportunity to see the island scrub-jay, a species of bird that can only be seen on Santa Cruz Island. We recommend hiking clockwise from the trailhead near the boat dock at Smugglers Cove to avoid a brutally steep climb that begins at the Scorpion Ranch Campground. Along the hike you will see endemic Santa Cruz Island foxes, beautiful flora, and incredible views of the California coastline.

Stefanie Payne

Camping on Santa Cruz Island

The Scorpion Ranch Campground near Smugglers Cove is one of the best developed camp grounds in the park system. Obviously, it is not RV equipped as there are no vehicle passenger ferries nor is there road-equipped infrastructure on the islands. You must carry in all of your gear on your back and rangers will meet you at the boat dock to assign you your spot (advanced reservations are required.) Scented items including food will be kept in food storage lockers to prevent scavenging birds, mice, and Santa Cruz Island foxes from making a meal out of your reserves. Starting from the multi-tiered camping area there are several excellent hiking trails that suit a variety of ability levels. At Scorpion Beach nearby, you can comb for shells and historical artifacts, watch for island foxes, and launch a sea-based adventure into the coastal marine sanctuary that skirts the island.

One place not to miss on Santa Cruz if you are camping there is the Cavern Point overlook on the high point of the island, where for us the sky opened up and blessed us with one of the most glorious sunsets of the year (and maybe our lives.) It just continued to explode with color with every passing second (see featured photo.) It takes about one hour to walk there from the campground, allowing you to get back just as night falls.

Jonathan Irish

Jonathan Irish

Kayaking through Caves on Santa Cruz Island

Some of the best aquatic wildlife and bird-viewing opportunities on the western coast of North America can be found while kayaking the rocky shorelines of Channel Islands National Park; it is also a prime spot to kayak through sea-based cave systems!Our guide for the day, Laird, from the Santa Barbara AdventureCompany was exceptional and weve been with plenty of guides in our traveling lifetime. What made him so great was his keen attention to detail and his knowledge and insistence upon safety. We never felt as though we were missing something really cool, even when we couldnt enter certain areas due to rough conditions. For the better part of a day, we paddled through kelp forest habitats,navigated countless sea caves and rock formations, came face-to-face with seals and sea lions, and glided across dynamic waters beneath seabirds that soared with wild abandon. This adventure was one of our favorite of the year and is a must if you love sea kayaking.

Jonathan Irish

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4 Outdoor Adventures in California's Channel Islands National Park - HuffPost

Ten miles from the shores of Attawapiskat are the Twin Islands. All offshore land on the James Bay and Hudson Bay used to be part of the NWT, but are now part of Nunavut. This includes the Twin Islands, even though they are situated closer to Ontario than anywhere else.

The Twin Islands are traditional territory of the Attawapiskat Cree, and so is the largest island in the James Bay (Akimiski Island). For as long as I can remember, Attawapiskat people have been going to the islands. I go about three times each year, and the last trip I took was last month, when I went there with my family for tea and lunch. There's comfort in being there, miles from any other people. It's a peaceful place.

The kids loved every minute of it, combing the beach for mysterious rocks and treasures. My son Jr. asked me, "Why are all the rocks so round and smooth here?" I tell him it's the sea that makes them that way. Conversations and places like this remind me that the world holds many mysteries and lessons to be learned.

One of my most vivid memories of Twin Islands was a hunting trip I took with several other young lads in the fall months. My brother and I were travelling in a 16-foot boat with a six-horsepower outboard, and the others were in a larger canoe. I was 16 years old, and it was our first big trip without grownups. We were a little nervous being on our own, but groomed well enough to handle a trip as such.

We ended up in a creek system near Twin Islands. The hunting was good, but then "Old Man North Wind" decided to crash the fun, and brought bad company with him, too. You see, there are no trees along the coast, just brush, bog, mud flats and grass. So our tents kept blowing over because we were in the open. And then the horizontal rain hit! We got soaked, and it was a miserable time.

The wind and rain would not let up for days, so we decided to cross over to Twin Islands once high tide came. The logic behind this decision was that we would take shelter in the trees, find dry wood to make a fire and wait out the bad weather.

We set a course due west and headed out. Boy, it was a rough ride over! The other boat took in lots of water, and was having engine problems, too. We had to rush to aid them for fear their boat might sink, and towed them to safety. I remember thinking that trying to make this crossing was a real dumb move on our part, but we lacked experience and better judgement.

At long last we were out of the wind and rain, and quickly rounded up wood for a fire. Most of the wood was very wet, and no matter what we did, we couldn't get the fire going. We even starting burning small bills as a desperate measure. Eventually we decided to swallow our pride and used gasoline to get the fire going. It didn't take long for that fire to burn hot, and we all curled up as close as we could, grateful for the warmth, safety and solid ground.

As the tide was heading out, three of us suddenly decided to try for home. I can't recall exactly why, but off we went. It took a few tumultuous hours, and by the time we arrived home, we were hypothermic trying to hide it as we walked up the bank. We must have look like zombies, slowly dragging our lifeless limbs every inch of the way home. We learned some very valuable lessons that trip. We also got an earful from our parents.

Today, most people visit the Twin Islands for family gatherings, spring hunting, weekend camping, berry picking, medicine picking and even just to walk the beautiful shoreline. Historically, villagers used to collect seagull eggs there, hence the Cree meaning "Minawanan" (collecting eggs). It's also a place where the southern tide meets the northern tide, and quite often hunters travelling north or south will stop for a brief layover while waiting for tides to sync up.

Being close to the sea, it calms your soul and eases your mind. In ancient times, the old people could call on the sea ("Weeneebaygo") for help. She's a powerful spirit that could ward off evil and sickness. When she is ill, we must acknowledge her power and be grateful for terra firma. When she is calm, you can feel her kindness.

Twin Islands is a special place for many, and I'm always glad when I get to spend quality time there with my family.

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Why I'll Keep Returning To My People's Haven, The Twin Islands - Huffington Post Canada

When former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg first announced plans for the wheel in 2013, it was scheduled to be completed by late 2015. The contract between the developers and the original builders, a group known as Mammoet-Starneth, stated a completion date of May of this year.

The wheel, known in the tourism industry as an observation wheel, would dwarf all others, including the London Eye, and would hold as many as 1,440 passengers at a time. A taller wheel is under construction in Dubai and that project has moved along more swiftly.

New York City tourism officials had been telling travel promoters around the world that the wheel was on course to open by late 2018 or early 2019. But completion of the wheel may be father out.

Cristyne Nicholas, a spokeswoman for New York Wheel, said in a statement that the developers expected to announce a new completion date soon. Ms. Nicholas said that the developers were in advanced negotiations with American Bridge Company to take over and complete the wheel. She said that the transition would involve removing cranes from the site and replacing them with other equipment.

So far, only the foundation of the wheel and a terminal building have been installed on the waterfront site, which sits west of the Staten Island Ferry terminal, the future home of an outlet shopping mall and the stadium where a New York Yankees farm team plays.

The massive legs that would brace the wheel have been sitting in a warehouse on the Brooklyn waterfront for months, awaiting inspection. Eventually, they would be carried by a barge to Staten Island and secured to the foundation. The wheel would then be assembled piece by piece, starting with the arcs of its rim and then to the attachment of the large pods that customers would ride in.

Fred Dixon, the chief executive of the citys tourism promotion agency, NYC & Company, mentioned the wheel during a presentation Monday about the new New York in So Paulo, Brazil. He said he had heard about the switch of construction teams on the project but would continue promoting the wheel as a future attraction until he had reason to doubt that it would be completed.

We havent changed our tack at all, Mr. Dixon said. Were fully expecting it to open.

But he added that he considered the wheel less critical than the outlet mall in bringing more tourists to Staten Island. As long as the outlets open next year, that effort should pay off, Mr. Dixon said. Thats the thing that the international market is most interested in because shopping is the No. 1 activity of visitors to New York City.

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Completion Date of Staten Island's Giant Wheel Still Up in the Air - New York Times

Though there are very few inhabitants on Gola Island in Co Donegal the welcome at the pier is nonetheless encouraging, writes Dan MacCarthy

Magheragallan Lough, Gola Island, Co Donegal. Pictures: Dan MacCarthy

Filte go Gabhla is the declaration painted on a bright noticeboard along with a ketch cruising on an aquamarine sea.

The pretty scene is accompanied by a Discover Ireland walking sign which details a lovely walk of a couple of hours duration.

The waymarked trail Sl Ghabhla (Gola Way) meanders across the island taking in an old green road, past the stunningly beautiful Magheragallan Lough and looping around through acres of heather and back through a group of houses to the pier.

In summer, bog cotton floats on the air, and Mount Errigal with its white quartzite slopes provides a magnificent backdrop. This part of Donegals coast, the Rosses, is comprised of granite, but not any old granite, pink granite. Its hue brightens a dark day and provides a striking contrast with the sea.

Gabhla forked island once had population of 168 as recorded in 1926. It gradually dwindled until the last person left in the 1960s. However, Gola is unusual in that the population has recovered with an estimated 15 people now living there permanently.

Most historic houses and public buildings the world over are built from indigenous rock sandstone and limestone in the southwest of Ireland for instance - and Gola is no different.

The Gabhla longhouse is recognised as the islands vernacular cottage architecture.

The old houses are built from the surrounding granite, hugh blocks forming a formidable barrier to the unworldly storms that blew in from time to time. Nearly all are deserted now, but the islands population swells in the summer when holiday homes are occupied mainly by descendants of former islanders.

However, it is climbers for whom the island provides an irresistible magnet and it pulls them in from all over the country and beyond. Tormullane and Rinatoke on the west of the island are two popular climbs, but it is Torglass Island (a sea stack effectively) with its manmade climbers cairn as if to say I was here, which bespeaks a superb climbing ability.

The attraction of the granite is that it affords a superb grip plus it has many vertical splits for footing. Mountaineering Ireland describes Gola Island as one of the magic meccas of Irish climbing, with stunning sea cliffs, and inland crags on the island, which has to be one of the most tranquil places to spend a weekend climbing.

In addition to the pink graite and sea stacks, the island has a couple of fine beaches and sea arches visible if you sign up for a tour around the island.

The main crossing to Gola is from Maghergallon Pier which lies 1km away.

Gola and nearby Owey Island as well as a few smaller ones, are dwarfed by one of the largest islands in the country, Arranmore which lies a few kilometres to the south.

On the eastern side of the island, facing the mainland, lie the ruins of the old schoolhouse. Semi-intact in places with half a roof, it is not hard to imagine children of bygone generations sitting at their desks listening attentively to the master.

Around one bend in the road the visitor is surprised to find a sad reminder of our past Reilig na bPist. The childrens graveyard was for unbaptised children mainly but also interred there were suicides and shipwrecked sailors.

Golas claim to fame is as the source for the lively childrens song Bidn Fheidhlimidh which generations of schoolchildren learned by heart and which has been performed at many a seisn over the years. It was from this island that the poor eponymous Feidhlim set sail only to later drown at the nearby Tory Island and thus establish himself in the traditional canon.

Bidn Fheidhlimidh dimigh go Gabhla, - Feidhlims little boat took off for Gabhla Bidn Fheidhlimidh s Feidhlimidh ann - Feidhlims little boat and Feidhlim in it Bidn Fheidhlimidh briseadh i dToraigh , - Feidhlims little boat was crushed against Toraigh Bidn Fheidhlimidh s Feidhlimidh ann Feidhlims little boat and Feidhlim in it.

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The Islands of Ireland: When you come to a Fork in the sea - Irish Examiner

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The English dialect Brits won't understand BBC News It was approaching midday and beads of sweat formed on my back as I followed the road along the east coast of Tanna, one of the 83 islands that makes up the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. Every so often the roadside foliage thinned enough to reveal a ...

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The English dialect Brits won't understand - BBC News

A two-man team won the long course Sunday in the Casco Bay Islands SwimRun.

The team, Local 207, with members Matthew Hurley and John Stevens, finished the nearly 5-mile swim and 14-mile run between Cliff, Sand, Chebeague, Little Chebeague, Cushing, House and Peaks islands in 4 hours, 18 minutes and 8 seconds.

Stevens, who grew up on Little Diamond Island, and Hurley, who grew up in Belfast, were the defending mens division champions.

The top female team, Valkyrie, with members Erin Hunter and Emily Finanger, crossed the finish line in 4 hours, 45 minutes and 6 seconds.

The top coed team, the Hydromaniac Hawsers Bs, with Christopher Borgatti and Lauretta Bailin, finished in 4 hours, 54 minutes and 16 seconds.

Winners of the short course a 2.3-mile swim and 6.7-mile run were the coed team DeHart with Pieter and Jenny DeHart, who finished in 1 hour, 54 minutes and 16 seconds.

The top male team on the short course was Gone Fishi with Richard Saunders and Nate Stevens, who finished in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 51 seconds.

The top female team on the short course was In it to Twin It, with Grace and Anna Senko, who finished in 2 hours, 14 minutes and 47 seconds.

A total of 360 people members of 90 teams on each of the two courses participated in the competition.

Information about the athletes hometowns was not available from the organizers, Millennium Running.

Complete results are available online.

Staff Writer Beth Quimby

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Defending men's long-course champions win Casco Bay Islands SwimRun - Press Herald