The Edgartown select board interviewed three finalists for the harbor master position this week.
On Wednesday, the board interviewed Michael Gately, an Islander who has worked for a global marine infrastructure company, Tisbury harbor master Gary Kovack, and charter boat captain Kurt Peterson.
The board is expected to make a decision on the position on Monday. The new harbor master will replace Charlie Blair, who is retiring for medical reasons. His last day will be March 27, the anniversary of his first day on the job 30 years ago.
The harbor master is tasked with overseeing the town’s waters and managing mooring reservations, which provides hundreds of thousands in revenue for the town each year.
Each candidate highlighted previous work in Edgartown, though they all had varying levels of maritime experience.
Though Mr. Kovack did not grow-up on the Island, he worked as an officer for the Edgartown police department for seven years before working for Tisbury last year.
“The people that I met in the stores… and the restaurants is a great community to want to come back and be a part of,” Mr. Kovack said.
He served in the Coast Guard for 16 years, 10 years active and six years in reserve duty. He’s also the chief for the reserves station in Woods Hole.
During his interview, Mr. Kovack said he felt he got a lot of experience while working for Tisbury the past nine months. He added that he didn’t have much crossover with the outgoing administration and felt he brought good leadership.
Michael Gately talks about his experience across the globe.
— Ray Ewing
Mr. Gately was also a finalist for the Tisbury harbor master position last year. He is currently working as a master with Hoegh LNG – a global company that helps developers with marine infrastructure projects. He grew-up on the Island and worked under the direction of Mr. Blair for two summers.
“Apart from the day-to-day operations is really just getting to know people, building those relationships, whether it be with our locals, our business owners [or] our day trippers,” Mr. Gately said.
Mr. Gately has been a sailing captain for the past five years and told the board he’s ventured all around the world. He has been a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy strategic sealift for the past 13 years, where he’s recently been teaching officer development courses to junior officers.
Mr. Peterson is a licensed captain who has been operating Catboat Charters out of the Edgartown harbor for over a decade. He runs about 300 charters each year, and his boat’s star-spangled banner sail is a familiar sight to Vineyarders.
“I haven’t had one incident or injury, and I don’t think there’s been a complaint about me,” Mr. Peterson said.
Kurt Peterson’s Tigress is a familiar sight on the harbor.
— Ray Ewing
He graduated from the Northeast Maritime Institute in Fairhaven and got his maritime masters license in 2015. Having had extensive experience taking tourists on the water, Mr. Peterson emphasized that he would lead with kindness and eagerly welcome the visiting boats and yachts.
Both Mr. Peterson and Mr. Gately said they could start as soon as the town needed them. However, Mr. Kovack said he’d have to have conversations with Tisbury before committing to a date.
At the interviews, Mr. Blair said the new harbor master will face challenges, including flooding from sea level rise.
“It’s going to be just a huge problem here, because we’re only two feet above sea level…” Mr. Blair warned. “There’s not going to be enough money. We know that, because every single community is going to need it.”
Town administrator James Hagerty said there were 18 initial applicants that were reviewed by an initial screening committee. Committee members included Mr. Blair, Oak Bluffs harbor master Emily deBettencourt, Steve Ewing, Chris Scott, Ed Handy and Mr. Hagerty.
