by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

For decades David Cale has made his living on and under the water as a clammer, fisherman, and commercial diver. Now, beginning next month, he’ll take on a new role as the harbor master of Bucks Harbor, responsible for enforcing the rules of the waterways, and not only inside the harbor.

“It’s also managing 85 miles of shoreline,” says Cale.

The public is invited to Cale’s swearing-in ceremony at noon on Monday, July 3, at the town Pier on Pettegrow Point. There, Cale will be sworn in by town clerk Marcia Hayward in a brief ceremony also to be attended by representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, partly as a nod to Cale’s family history on the water and with the Coast Guard.

Cale said he thought the role of harbor master would be interesting for several years and threw his hat in the ring after Wade Day retired. Day held the position for 16 years.

“The selectmen told me that sometimes we get some pretty weird calls. I said, ‘That’s okay,  I don’t mind weird,’” Cale laughs. 

Cale was born in Roque Bluffs and raised in Machias, spending a lot of time in the Kennebec River with his grandfather, Richard Armstrong. 

“His lobster license was 3A, and the A is from Armstrong,” Cale recalls. “I have a clam roller signed by him and his father.”

His paternal grandfather, Robert Cale, served in the U.S. Coast Guard.

Cale received his dive certification in 1996 and, since that time, has worked handling everything from boat repairs to search and recovery to depths of 100 feet, sometimes freeing vessels that have become entangled.

Working underwater, he’s become familiar with the local fish life and says he doesn’t see sharks but has seen lobsters swimming three to four feet off the bottom. 

“They whiz by,” Cale laughs. “There is also a lot of lumpfish. They have a suction cup on their belly to attach to rocks so they can feed while the tide’s running. I tried petting one, though, and he wasn’t having it.”

Machiasport Selectman Brian Smith, who retires from the position this week, said the board selected Cale for the position because of his strong work ethic and knowledge of the harbor.

“He’s a hard worker and a good member of the [Machiasport] Clam Committee,” said Smith. “When Wade [Day] encountered certain issues, because a harbor master is on 24-hour call, he’d call David to come to help him. So he’s quite familiar with a lot of the work.”

Cale’s role will be formalized by three days of harbor master training next March, to be held in Castine.

“I think people consider [harbor masters] to be like your local coast guard for quick emergencies, things like someone’s boat is sinking, or someone’s boat is on fire, or a big storm is coming, and they need to pull the ramp to the pier up,” said Smith. “He’s going to have to be familiar with all the laws pertaining to moorings and things like that.”

This week, the Machiasport town pier is closed due to electrical box damage sustained when a boat backed into the pier. Organizing maintenance and repair of the pier will be Cale’s duty going forward. He says he’s looking forward to adding this new role to his routine.

“It’s still hard to believe I’ve been working on the water for three decades now,” Cale laughs. “Pretty soon, I’m going to be old man Cale.”

Sometimes working as a commercial diver means mundane assistance to boat owners, and other times, harrowing assistance to boat owners, like when Cale untangled a Bucks Harbor fishing vessel during an icy winter gale. On July 3, Cale will be sworn in as the next harbor master for Machiasport, which includes responsibility for 85 miles of coastline. Photo courtesy David Cale

Taking the helm at a young age, David Cale is seen on his grandfather’s boat, Cockeye'd Rooster. Photo courtesy David Cale

The U.S. Coast Guard will be represented at David Cale’s July 3 swearing-in ceremony to be held at the Bucks Harbor town pier. Cale’s grandfather Robert Cale, seen here holding daughter Sharon Cale, served in the U.S. Coast Guard. Photo courtesy David Cale