January 19, 2017 Meeting of West Bay Rotary
Dan Bookham spoke about his travel to Iceland which is part of the work he does at Allen Insurance & Financial. He explained that puffins are on the menu and in the grocery stores, but he did not try one. He explained the history of Eimskip, the Icelandic shipping company with which he has built professional and personal relationships. Shipping from Portland has doubled in recent years, with expansion of the container facility at the former ferry terminal on the Fore River in Portland Harbor, and they are building capacity for cold storage there in the future. He explained how Maine fits into the import and export landscape for the Atlantic Island, Scandinavia and northern Europe.
The winter weather on the south coast where 2/3 of the Icelandic population lives is more temperate than Camden’s. Iceland is famous for their hotdogs, and aquavit, although beer was illegal until 1986. Greenland Shark was a staple in early Iceland, an ammonia infused fish, that initially made people sick and then was cured to diffuse the ammonia, and Dan believes that the Black Death brand of aquavit can mask the flavor if you are unfortunate to eat it.
He took his family to Iceland in April 2016, including a trip to the Blue Lagoon. He returned with a delegation from Maine in October exploring fisheries issues to bring back to Maine. Rekjavik is the main city and about the size of Portland. Iceland has many waterfalls, some several times larger than Niagra. Iceland is home to the oldest parliamentary democracy in the world and it’s geothermal and seismic activity is owed to it’s location on the plate edge across from the North American plate. The country is very proud of their Viking heritage. They guard their fishing industry, which justifies their not being a member of the European Union. They farm Arctic Char, similar to salmon. They export dried fish heads to Nigeria, which is an example of their shrewd resourcefulness. They have a cluster house to develop entrepreneurial businesses within their fishing industries. They were able to attend a soccer match against Turkey, and travel into the mountains.
Buckets on the table are for the Shields Mission Project
Mik Mikkelsen as chair of the WBRCF announced the semi-annual recipients of West Bay Charitable Funds.
$2,000 to the American Legion, accepted by 4 members who attended the meeting. 4 years ago they suffered a pipe freeze that flooded the basement of their Pearl Street facility. They also developed a leak in the roof. The funds will go a long way toward repairing and reburbishing their space.
$1,500 for New Hope for Women, accepted by Christine Kelly, to support their general operations, helping victims to leave abusive situations, pay for lodging, diapers, food, changing locks, phones or cameras to ensure the safety of the people they serve.
$1,500 for the Knox County Recovery Coalition, accepted by Ira Mandel, to address the opioid epidemic, to help train recovery coaches.
$543.41 to the Camden Area Christian Food Pantry, accepted by Leeman Scott. The volunteer-run organizations depends on the donation of food and funds to operate and provide food to families in need across Knox county. The funds will help to comply with storage requirements for shelving.
Leeman explained that the chili challenge sign up is going around for volunteers in the afternoon and evening to set up, serve and break down at the Sea Dog Saturday, the weekend of Toboggan Nationals. Sponsors are still also needed. A form has been sent to members through an email from Sandy. Checks should be payable to West Bay Rotary.
Deb Hitchings received a letter from Patricia, a student the club has been sponsoring, at Quoloquay Mtn. Connection, thanking the club for its support during her schooling there.
Steve Dailey reminded the club that volunteers can also sign up for helping with the parking .