Bruce Eckman and yours truly are presently serving on the Martha’s Vineyard Community Services board of directors — the first from Aquinnah to serve since Rick Lee represented our community. And definitely the first time two Aquinnah members have served at the same time. You are cordially invited to a pre-Posssible Dreams Auction party on Wednesday, August 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Aquinnah town hall.

Atlantic bonito are here. After rumblings over the last two weeks, reports are coming in that the summer’s fastest swimmers have entered Island waters. We’ve heard that Atlantic bonito, which usually reside in warmer waters, have been taken at The Hooter, a buoy that marks Muskeget Channel.

Capt. Porky Francis of Edgartown said he also is hearing reports that bonito are being taken at Hedge Fence, a shoal that is off Oak Bluffs.

Ronan Murphy stood by the boathouse and posed the question: “Where do a bunch of college students from a small island west of Europe go for the summer?”

The answer — “An even smaller Island!”

The assembly of sailing instructors let out a chorus of booming laughs, a nearly constant sound track for the group, it seemed.

Please Adopt Us

The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard is featuring a special cat named Deacon. He is a beautiful loving ginger tiger cat who needs a home desperately.

Armed with cameras, plans and ideas, prospective contractors for a new U.S. Coast Guard boathouse in Menemsha toured the historic fishing village last week to visit the site of what will be, once built, the largest structure in the harbor.

The project went out to bid this spring. Four prequalified contractors responded to the Coast Guard’s request for proposals, and last Wednesday those contractors, along with nearly 20 of their subcontractors, walked the property in Menemsha with the agency’s design team.

The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard’s fourth annual fundraiser added more than $10,000 to shelter coffers on Sunday, with an additional $15,000 received from shelter supporters unable to attend the event.

The Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs welcomes Dr. Roberto S. Miranda from CongregaciónLeón deJudá in Boston, at 10 a.m. this Sunday, July 22.

Temperature: Precip.

Day Max. Min. Inches.

Fº Fº

July 13 83 64 .00

July 14 84 66 Trace

July 15 88 69 .00

July 16 88 71 .28

July 17 88 70 .00

July 18 91 73 Trace

July 19 91 69 .01

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 78º F.

A thin crescent moon will appear low in the southwestern sky tomorrow night. More Vineyarders will see the moon on Sunday night, when it is higher in the west.

Friday, July 13: Bright sunny. Hot. The brown grass on a lawn in downtown Oak Bluffs crunches underfoot. Surrounded by big and little boats, the ferry Island Queen arrives in the late afternoon and slips in and out of a bustling harbor, Sunset silhouettes masts, flag poles and the steeple atop the Tabernacle.