Westport in Brief!
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Saturday,
September 04, 2010
Quick Article Index . . .
Local vineyard keeping an ‘eye’ out for Earl.
Westport farmers are starting early to prepare for Earl.
Blossoms
in motion at the Vineyard.
|
Local vineyard keeping an ‘eye’ out
for Earl. Tuesday, August
31, 2010 Photo/EverythingWestport.com
“It’s 1 vintage in 20 as far as we’re concerned,” says Rob Russell,
Westport Rivers’ vineyard manager. “The last time we had a chance to make Pinot
Noir as a red was 1991, and hurricane Bob took away that opportunity.” With hurricane Earl coming up the east coast, will the same misfortune
play out two decades later? “We need an early start and a hot summer in order to approach a red
wine year,” Russell said. “The 1991 season started early with the vines displaying bud break two
weeks before normal, just like this 2010 season. The 1991 season was hot and
dry; the same is true for this year.”
But late August 1991 also brought an unwelcome visitor - a hurricane
named Bob. And with Hurricane Earl churning a pathway towards the vineyard,
the Russell family wants to see the similarities between 1991 and 2010 end. Outside of the obvious physical damage done by a hurricane, there is a
more insidious destructive side unseen by the average connoisseur of the
grape. The sustained winds of any storm, not just a hurricane, can have an
adverse affect on the berries. But the winds of a high energy storm are far
stronger over a longer period of time. “Strange things happen to plants that are just trying to sustain
respiration,” Bill Russell, Westport Rivers’ winemaker said. “The wind has a desiccating (drying) affect
on the berries, and the developing sugar levels are thrown off; the berries
don’t ripen as fast.” Add that to the timing of these late summer storms when the grapes are
too soft and it’s just too early to pick them, you now have a recipe for a
red Pinot Noir disaster. “We’re updating ourselves on the track several times a day,” says Bill
Russell. "It’d be a shame to see the 2010 vintage become like 1991. The
wines from ’91 were fine but nowhere near what they could have been. I don’t
want to have a second could-have-been vintage. We waited 86 years for a Red
Sox World Series win; I do not want to wait 86 years for another chance at
growing Massachusetts' red Pinot Noir!” “It’s very rare and a very challenging thing to master and produce a
red Pinot Noir in this area,” Bill Russell said. “The conditions have to be
perfect. Our unpredictable New England weather presents all sorts of
impediments.” A recent visit
by Jonathan Ray of London’s Daily Telegraph shed light on Westport Rivers
Vineyard efforts:
Back in 1991, the fledgling vineyard had 5 acres of Pinot Noir. Today
they have 5 times that acreage. “We’re talking about 50 to 75 tons of fruit, that’s
over 1/3 of our entire crop,” says Rob Russell. “We’re a small family farm,
there’s more than a chance at red wine at risk to Earl.” Indeed, the Russell’s entire crop is at risk. Farming is never an easy
task. They have a right in being concerned.
Hopefully, Earl will cast its eye in a different direction, and spare
the local vineyard a possible second disappointment. “I’d like to buy both Bob and Earl a beer,” chuckled Bill Russell,
“just to keep them out of our back yard.” Westport farmers are starting early to prepare for Earl. EverythingWestport.com Thursday, September 02, 2010 Photos/EverythingWestport.com Westport farmers are starting early to prepare for Earl as the potentially dangerous hurricane heads
toward the east coast, and eventually New England.
Meanwhile Milky Way Farm is working day and night to get in 400+ acres
of corn two weeks early before damaging winds knock it down. “I don’t know if
we’ll make it,” one worker said. And Westport Rivers Vineyard is losing sleep over potentially losing a
“1 vintage in 20 that could produce a rare Massachusetts’ red Pinot Noir,”
said vintner Bill Russell. (Read article above.) Harbormaster Richie Earle warns of possible tidal surges and heavy
rain that could cause minor flooding and boater angst. “We’ll trailer out our boats, remove
all our records and computers, and lock down the Harbormaster’s shack if Earl
shifts to the west,” Earle said. “We’ll need to watch this storm. It’s still
too early to call.” Local crops come
in two weeks early. “We started picking Macs two weeks ago,” Smith said. “We knew this
hot, dry summer was heading into bad weather. Our apples are coming in two
weeks early. We’ve seen it before: The fruit ripening early - it was a great
season for the orchard and, bang, we get hit by hurricanes. But now we’re
picking other varieties three weeks in advance to avoid wind damage and
bruised fruit.” Smith’s corn will have to fend for itself as up to 10 pickers are
working overtime to get in the apple crop. But Milky Way Farm doesn’t have that luxury. “We have to get this
silage corn in before the wind and rain hits,” said one of the truck drivers
as he climbed back into this cab. “The new Claas Jaguar forage harvester is a
real workhorse, but we have only two days to bring in another 400 acres. We
may not make it. The Claas is a great harvester, but chopping blown over corn
stalks is very difficult.”
Left: Working overtime at Arruda’s Farm to beat Earl. Right:
The trucks line up on Drift Road to keep the harvest going. Not since 1991
has New England’s largest vineyard, located in Westport, MA, had a season
like this one.
With hurricane Earl coming up the east coast, will the same misfortune
play out two decades later? “There’s nothing we can do but wait and hope,”
Russell said. Horrid memories of Hurricane Bob still haunt many Westporters. Westport took a direct hit from Bob on Aug. 19, 1991, bringing lashings of
rain, 100 mph winds, power outages, flooding and damage to homes and streets,
and yes, crops. Click here to read about
hurricane Bob. North and South
Watuppa Ponds are better prepared to handle Earl says Fall River
Administrator of Utilities, Terry Sullivan.
Left: Terry Sullivan (orange
shirt) in the FEMA meeting last April. The low level is due to a dry summer, prompting some pond-side
residents to complain about poor recreational levels for boating and
swimming. The Fall River water department head said that in the worst case
scenario “we have enough storage capacity to deal with heavy rains. We’re in
the best position we could be in.” North Watuppa is plus four inches above full pond level. “That level
would have to rise 30 inches above full pond before flooding would occur in
the Adirondack Street area of Westport,” Sullivan said. Westport may experience severe water
runoff due to saturated ground, and that may result in some local area
flooding in the vicinity of roadside streams and brooks. But at worst it
would be temporary. The National Weather Service in Taunton has issued a flash flood
watch for southern Bristol County, including Westport, and warns drivers to
be “prepared for the possibility of significant road flooding,” and reminds
motorists to “not drive through flooded roadways.”
Earl shuts down town beaches. The Town of Westport will close the town beaches
(Cherry & Webb Beach and East Beach) today Thursday, September 2nd at
5 p.m. due to dangerous surf and rip currents. The Beaches will remain
closed through Saturday. Click here for Hurricane Preparedness Tips from MEMA. Westport makes preparations for possible hurricane. The kind of storm Hurricane Earl would be by the time
it made its way to New England was still a bit of a guess Wednesday morning, but
Town Administrator Michael Coughlin said the town was getting ready. One inch of rain would equate to two
inches of pond level, due to the dry ground,” Sullivan said. “The dry summer
has put us in a good position, unlike the previous March storms that dumped
more than 20 inches of rain in one month.” Harbor boaters taking a cautious approach. Westport Harbormaster Richie Earle
(no relation to hurricane Earl!) said it’s just too early to call the track
of the Northeast’s first major fall storm. “Hurricane Bob (1991) had a storm
surge of 4 feet,” said the Westport Point native and longtime Harbormaster.
“Our experience in that storm is helping us make better preparations for the
on-coming Earl.” “The state is taking down the barrier
strip guards on the Route 88 bridge, and they will open it with 24 hours
notice for vessels wanting to go up the East Branch for safer mooring and
anchorage” Earle said. “We have posted notices on the boat
ramps that the conditions at the Harbor mouth are dangerous, and the state
boat ramps (Westport Harbor and Gooseberry) and the landings on East Beach
are now closed as of Thursday. They are accepting only craft being pulled
from the water.” Scott Gifford of FL Tripp’s boatyard
said they are taking no more requests to pull boats out as they are booked
and have only one crane for vessel removal. “It’s not that boaters are
panicking and want their boats hauled out,” Gifford said. “Many are just
following their normal end-of-season procedures. But we are pulling out a few
sailboats; the owners wanted to get off their moorings.” Gifford added that very little damage
was sustained in the ’91 hurricane by boats in their slips, with most damage
came from loose objects flying through the air or water. “We have picked up
the yard and secured everything we could secure,” he said. “We are telling owners to double
their lines, increase chafe protection and remove all canvas and/or sails.” “We will be closing the boatyard when
Earl arrives,” he added. “We don’t want customers or employees hit by flying
objects. All dock water and power will be turned off. Fuel lines on the gas
dock will be shut off.” Open boats stored in the water and those with clogged scuppers can be
sunk by significant rainfall. The boat’s battery should be fully charged and
the bilge pump operational. Secure all loose items below decks.
09/02/2010 - The scene is peaceful
for now in Westport Harbor at the Route 88 bridge. But if hurricane Earl
tacks to the left it will turn into a beehive of activity as sail and power vessels
will head up the East Branch for safer mooring and anchorage. Bridge
operators require 24 hours notice to raise the bridge for tall ships’
passage. Guard rail posts have been removed to keep them out of harm’s way. Blossoms in motion at the Vineyard. EverythingWestport.com Saturday, August 4, 2010 Photos/EverythingWestport.com
Easterly, perhaps better known in
town for her work in administering the Westport Farmers’ Market for the first
two years, is spending more time these days going back to her roots. “The photos in this show are flowers
taken during 2009 and 2010. I was intrigued by the daily incremental changes
- the shapes and the sense of motion.” Easterly photographed all her
subjects in natural light, lending them a softness usually associated with a detailed
floral watercolor. All photographs are un-retouched (I don’t even own Photo
Shop!). Her composition is remarkable, and
she uses space and perspective to enhance her work. The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, New Mexico awarded Beth a
three month fellowship to develop her visual art work. Photography had been a
long time interest and the fellowship provided the perfect opportunity for
uninterrupted work. Ms. Easterly had a 30 year career as choreographer and this training
forms her photographs’ composition with a strong sense of flow or motion.
While in Washington, D.C. Beth developed an interest in dance on film. She
not only videotaped her own work but documented work of many others including
Meredith Monk and Simone Forti. Her thesis topic at George Washington
University developed a method to produce videotapes to teach dancers works from
choreographic repertory. Ms. Easterly has a MFA from George
Washington University, and was an artistic director of her own dance company,
a former faculty member of Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music, and
a former faculty member of Bristol Community College. Easterly is at the Westport Rivers
Vineyard Gallery through Monday, September 13th. Hours are Monday
through Saturday from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. For further information please call
Beth at (508) 636-4427.
Left: White Sail Right: Trumpet
Left: Winter White Right:
Fall Beach - - - - - End - - - - - © 2010 Community Events of Westport All rights reserved. EverythingWestport.com |
