The Martha’s Vineyard Commission last week opened hearings on two applications to subdivide family-owned properties into multiple lots, but declined to take action on a third.

A convivial crowd filled the Black Dog Tavern Wednesday night for the first in this season’s Sail Martha’s Vineyard dinner lectures. Capt. Bob Douglas was the man at the microphone.

The Tisbury board of selectmen will meet with producers and staff for the ABC reality show The Vineyard at their next meeting on May 7. At Tuesday’s meeting, town administrator Jay Grande said he and a group including selectman Jeffrey Kristal and the town’s harbor master, police chief, department of public works chief and Steamship Authority representative spoke with producer David Broome via conference call about general plans for proposed filming.

World speed sailing record holder Rob Douglas, who last year broke the 50 mph barrier, will speak and show slides on the history of speed under sail on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. at the Black Dog Tavern. His will be the first of this year’s Black Dog Winter Supper Lecture Series, organized and hosted by Sail Martha’s Vineyard.

A thoroughly refurbished schooner Shenandoah was relaunched Saturday morning at Boothbay Harbor in Maine.

The Shenandoah, one of the Black Dog tall ships that sail from Vineyard Haven harbor, had undergone about six months of extensive rebuilding at the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard.

“We essentially did what is referred to as retopping — a rebuilding of the vessel from the waterline up,” said Bob Foster, a spokesman for the shipyard.

Capping off a year of intense expansion and its first foray into the
mainland marketplace, the Black Dog Tavern, Inc. is now trimming back
one of its three Island food outlets - shutting down the cafe on
State road in Vineyard Haven for the off-season.