I’ve now been aboard the Sunbeam for nearly eight months. I’ve met so many people in this job, and one of the most common questions I receive is: have you worked on the water before? I often wish I could answer yes and dive into conversation about an experience that so many coastal Mainers share. But in truth, the answer is a resounding no. I didn’t just work on the land—as a farmer for the better part of a decade, it feels more accurate to say that I worked in it. I tell them all that I was a terrestrial animal, that I’ve traded turf for surf. In many ways, working on the Sunbeam is entirely unlike anything I’ve done before. Instead of growing food, I am preparing it. The biggest occupational hazard is no longer throwing out my back or getting my hand crushed in a tractor implement, it’s eating too many cookies.  

But there are similarities with farming, too, though they are somewhat abstract. Both jobs root (or anchor, choose your metaphor) you deeply in a place, and reward close attention to it. When I worked on a farm in central Maine, my boss taught me to be attuned to changes in the landscape. When shadbush starts to bloom, the cabbage butterflies will be close behind, and it’s time to cover the brassicas. The fishermen I’ve met can talk about pieces of seafloor with as much familiarity as farmers can of their fields. When Mike and Storey decide, based on wind, tide, and swell, which route to take through the maze of small islands on our way to Isle au Haut, I can’t help but marvel at the depth of experience and knowledge that allows them to make what must be a complex assessment seem effortless.   

Another thing that farming and working on the water have in common is that they are easy to romanticize, but the reality is often far from glamorous. For all people who work in natural resource economies, and for us on the Sunbeam who work to support them and their communities, beauty coexists with drudgery, and the future looks uncertain, with many forces stacked in opposition. But I feel so lucky to have a job where I get to experience such beauty at all. It’s an honor to show up for the islands with fresh food and hot coffee as they navigate the challenges of the moment and chart their course for the future.

While for most of us, a trip to the doctor’s office might cause a slight inconvenience, for islanders a simple trip might become a multi-day affair. What might be a 30-minute wait for their appointment could turn into missing the next ferry and possibly the last trip of the day. Even a single appointment for a test includes a ferry or plane ride and advance planning. To help islanders both stay healthy and on island, Sunbeam Nurse Simone Babineaux has started offering preventative health screenings that include a point of care test called an A1C. 

These tests take about five minutes to complete. After getting the results, islanders can talk with Simone and she will help them understand the readings, give them educational handouts, and offer any consultation they might need. An island resident shared, “This test has taught me new things about my health and I appreciate the time and care that was taken to explain it to me.” Simone will also share the tests with the resident’s primary care doctors as well as any specialists, if they request that the results be shared.  Follow-up screenings may also be scheduled to measure progress.  

More than 30 people on islands have already started doing health screenings with Simone on a regular basis. She is also doing follow-ups with residents, through either phone calls, texts, or emails if people are looking for more support or resources. Simone is also there to “just listen” if islanders want to talk.  

Simone hopes to start cholesterol point of care testing in the near future, the third factor that helps identify cardiovascular risks.   

Learn more about the work the Mission is doing on the Sunbeam. 

What’s special to you about your island?   

There are many things special about Frenchboro, it is sort of a magical place. The people who make up the island are the foundation of making it a wonderful place to live. We have so many people from all walks of life who come together to keep our island moving forward. I love that we can live life at a slower pace. Sometimes I forget how lucky we are to be able to call it home. It is breathtaking looking out and seeing Acadia across the bay.  

What’s challenging? 

One thing that is really challenging is when you have events with family or friends off island. With such limited boat service, and always having to factor in the weather, on top of that, I also have two boys in the school so that limits traveling even further. There are so many events that we miss.Everything in your life must be planned, it can’t be spontaneous, which is hard for someone like me who grew up with a mom who loved to do spontaneous trips. I want to be able to give my kids all of life experiences and sometimes I feel like there are things they are missing out on.  

What do you like to do here? Work, play, or otherwise? 

I love all that Frenchboro has to offer. In the sense of what I like to do here, this is my everyday life, I enjoy doing everyday life here. I work the post office 3 days a week, so it is exciting getting to see the residents. I work in the town office as the office coordinator and excise tax collector, and I enjoy both of those positions. Something exceptional about Frenchboro is our hiking trails. We have stunning trails, with just the most bewitching views, again it is just a magical place.  

What do you wish for Frenchboro? 

My wish for Frenchboro is to see it continue to be a year-round island. There used to be hundreds of year-round island communities, now we’re down to just 15. I know that the island will have to change and adapt to keep surviving, but my hope is that we are able to do that. Frenchboro holds such a special place in my heart, I hope that one day my grandchildren will be able to see the island, and for kids to be able to tell stories from their childhood.    

Is it important for the Mission to visit your island? 

The Mission is so important to our island. The Mission not only brings out services that our island needs, but they are one of the heart veins to the island, that makes it just a little bit easier to be out in such an isolated location. The crew of the Sunbeam is beyond phenomenal. Life can throw so many curve balls at you, and in the extra layer of island living, having those members to be able to reach out to and ask for help is something we can never take for granted, something I will always be thankful for. Seeing that big boat come into the harbor always makes even the hardest day shine a little brighter.