And some other town news
JUL 23, 2024
SOUTHWEST HARBOR—A giant sailboat hasn’t been turning heads in Southwest Harbor this week—not exactly. It’s more like it’s raising those heads and chins and gazes as people look to the skies to locate the top of the largest single-masted sailing yacht in the world.
The M5 has been docked in Southwest Harbor since last week.
One Southwest Harbor resident said that the 89-meter-mast can be seen over the trees at the town’s Causeway Club. That mast length is roughly the size of a football field. The boat itself is 78 meters long.
According to SuperYachtFan, “The superyacht is the brainchild of Irish-based, New Zealand-born yacht designer, Ron Holland, a respected name in the industry. The intricate composite construction of the hull and rig was closely monitored and supervised by High Modulus Europe Ltd, a renowned Hamble-based firm.”
Yachtsinternational.com says that M5’s giant mast holds a 36,000-square-foot sail.
According to MarineTraffic, she had last been in Providence, Rhode Island. She arrived in Southwest Harbor, July 16.
It’s currently owned by Rodney Ray Lewis who founded Lewis Energy Group, which is based in Texas. Lewis is a renowned pilot. He was a gauger in the late 1970s, purchased an oil well in 1982 for $13,000, and founded the company, which has operations in Texas, Mexico, and Colombia. He purchased his first plane a year before the well—a hand cranked Aeronca Chief. He’s also known as having what Forbes calls “one of the top vintage warbird collections in the country.”
There is often a plane resting on the back of the yacht. This is also the case in Southwest Harbor. Lewis’ father was a pilot in the Air Force.
OTHER BUSINESS IN SOUTHWEST HARBOR
PLANNING BOARD
In a quick meeting, the Southwest Harbor Planning Board reappointed its current officers for the upcoming year.
The board is made up of Eric Davis, chair (2028), Ken Salvatore (2028), Lee Worcester (2026), John Williams (2026), Priscilla Ksionzyk (2029), Michael S. Levesque (2029), Joel Wolak (2028). The members have five-year terms and are appointed by the Select Board
The board approved the request of Zachary Firestein of 16 Seawall Road. Firestein is raising the second floor by five feet and transferring a small piece of the structure to another part of the building. His request was unanimously approved.
TOWN MANAGER SEARCH
A new candidate to replace Town Manager Marilyn Lowell was discussed at the Southwest Harbor Select Board’s emergency meeting last Wednesday and is on the agenda for an executive session this week as well. Lowell has said she intends to retire later this year.
POLICE AND DISPATCHER WAGES
Police contracts were also discussed in executive session. Select Board Chair Carolyn Ball said that the board approved a $4.00 increase for police officers and a $2.00 increase for dispatchers (per hour) starting this week for additional responsibilities for policing Tremont.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
Boat International story about the M5
TONIGHT’S AGENDA
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