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Harbormasters are the stewards of our harbors – the center of our coastal communities. They manage the overall ecosystem, including moorings and docks, harbor uses and harbor users, and interactions between local, state and federal government. Of all of our public stewards (police, EMT, fire etc.) these men and women receive the least recognition.

Harbormaster Appreciation Day* -- a day to honor our U.S. Harbormasters and the great work they do -- occurs annually on October 8th.

* National Harbormaster Appreciation Day is registered with the National Day Archive.

Fred Brisbois – Guilford, CT

I am a 25 year Army veteran helicopter pilot and retired from Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation after a 29 year career in aviation and system safety engineering. I was appointed as […]

Bridgeport, CT Harbormaster Boat. Submitted by R. Conrad.

Ryan Conrad – Bridgeport, CT

I started out as the Assistant Harbormaster in 2010 and was appointed Harbormaster in 2015. The city has 5 ports, 11 marinas and 150 municipal moorings. There are 3 ferries […]

Katie Traub – Wilmette, IL

I am the Harbor Master at the Wilmette Harbor Club located in the Chicago land area. I have been a dinghy driver for 10 years and I have been the […]

Share something about your harbormaster!

Share a Story, Photo, or Video of Your Harbormaster!

We want to hear from you. Let us know about your harbormaster — they deserve the recognition!

Thorne Bay Marina at Sunset. Submitted by J. Aaro

Jacob Aaro – Thorne Bay, AK

I just started as Harbormaster this year. I have 2 harbors to maintain with about 170 slips containing, commercial fish boats, pleasure boats, floatplanes and floathouses. Thorne Bay is extremely […]

Layla Jandt-Pedersen – Seldovia, AK

I am the Harbor Master in Seldovia Alaska located on the south side of Kachemak Bay I have been the Harbor Master here for 10 years now. See Weather Forecasts, Marine […]

Justine Seavey, Harbormaster Bass Harbor, ME

Justin Seavey – Bass Harbor, ME

I’ve been on the job here for over 4 years now. I enjoy working with all the fisherman, and meeting new people throughout the summer. I also enjoy helping out […]

Marina in River Dunes, NC

Scott Bearhope – River Dunes, NC

“You can rest assured your boat is in good hands at River Dunes. Marina is clean and maintained in pristine condition. Harbormaster Bearhope is attentive to details and responsive to […]

Rick Brass – Washington, NC

I’ve been a sailor since my Grandfather and I built my first boat 56 years ago. After a career in engineering and marketing, I retired early to go cruising. I […]

Thomas Ciarametaro – Gloucester, MA

I have been the Harbormaster for 3 years for the City of Gloucester. Before that, I was Active Duty USCG for 11 years and still continue to serve in the […]

Katherine Pickering, Harbormaster in Belfast, ME

Katherine Pickering – Belfast, ME

I’ve always felt fortunate to work on Belfast Harbor. I started in 1989 at a local boatyard before being appointed as Harbor Master for the City of Belfast in 1993 […]

Steve Melo - Harbormaster in Dartmouth, MA

Steve Melo – Padanaram, MA

I’ve served as the Padanaram / Dartmouth Harbormaster since 2004, and also as the Town’s Shellfish Officer since 2012. Prior to this calling, I was a seasonal Assistant Harbormaster for […]

Are You a Harbormaster?

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF

We want to know about you and your harbor! Let people know about what you do.

National Harbormaster Appreciation Day is brought to you annually by US Harbors.

2024 HARBORMASTER DAY SPONSORS

US Harbors is grateful to our Partner Sponsors for supporting this year's Harbormaster Appreciation Day activities. 

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