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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.
Beth Bellis – Annapolis, MD
I have been the Harbormaster in the City of Annapolis for three years. Prior to this, I spent 20 years working as a Natural Resources Police Officer for Maryland. I […]
Don Procko – Mystic, CT
I retired after 35 years as a public school “shop”teacher, a job I loved. After serving on the Harbor Management Commission, I became Harbor Master of Mystic (Stonington and Groton) […]
Kristin Forster – Port Austin, MI
I have worked as the Harbormaster at Port Austin State harbor since June 2020. Before taking over as harbor master I worked as a summer worker at local state park. […]
Jeffrey Cleary – Waterford, NY
I manage the Port of Waterford, New York for the Town of Waterford, New York. We are located 42-47′-14″ N/ 73-40′-45″ W. We stand in front of Lock E2, the […]
Steve Hope – New Harbor, ME
“Steve Hope has been serving our community for years, and I personally think his experience and knowledge of the area and being on the water, combined with the history and […]
John Brosnihan – Kittery & Kittery Point, ME
I’ve been Harbormaster in Kittery since June 2018. Prior to that I was a police officer with the Kittery Police Department for 18 years. I retired as a Patrol Sergeant. […]
Tom Bell – Darien, CT
I am the volunteer Harbormaster for the 7 harbors in our town. I’ve been the Harbormaster for 9 years. One of the best parts of my job is helping people […]
Ross Hatfield – Housatonic River Stratford, CT
I have been Harbormaster since 2004 before that Deputy since 1999. Our Deputy is Tom Fahy we patrol 10 miles of the River which runs 150 miles from its source […]
Charlie Helms – Crescent City, CA
I’ve been the Harbor Master here in Crescent City for the past six and a half years. I started my maritime career as a deckhand on towboats on the Mississippi […]
David Crocker – Waterford, CT
David Crocker is the Harbormaster for Waterford, CT. He is also Vice President of Crocker’s Marina and Boat Yard, the largest boat yard in the Thames River. Dave’s responsibilities include […]
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 […]
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 […]
INTERVIEWS WITH HARBORMASTERS
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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