Dr. Harvey Picker was a past owner of Wayfarer Marine as well as a great customer, I have worked closely with his former Captain- Earl Brown in making sure Mr. Picker’s fleet was well looked after. On a few occasions I have spent time on Mr. Picker's boats doing deliveries up and down the east coast. I remember the first time I had dinner with Mr. Picker- it was something I’ll never forget. He, Earl and I had dinner at Dimillo’s in Portland and after asking for a table far away from other guests we sat down to a dinner that really made me realize how special of a person Mr. Picker really was, I had always admired his accomplishments (Google Harvey Picker- you won’t be bored). The man was a true gentleman, a “man’s man.” He listened intently to every word I had to say, he was ever polite with everyone he came into contact with and was just very entertaining and witty. He made me feel like I was his honored guest at dinner, not just somebody who was helping him take his boat south. I am truly grateful for having spent the time I did with Mr. Picker, as are all of us who knew him. He was a good friend to all and especially to Wayfarer Marine.

 

The other person who I wanted to write about was Albert “Chief” Smith- a long time employee of Wayfarer Marine. Chief was employed here for over 20 years as our security guard. He was also chief of police for the town of Camden for many years. When I ran the dock here at Wayfarer I typically worked most nights until 8 and after Chief got done with his first security round he would always come by the Dock House. He would stand his watch- telling great stories of “how things used to be” and of course, he would offer to buy me dinner or a coffee as long as I was willing to go get it! I spent many evenings with Chief shooting the breeze and I can still hear him say as he often did “ya know Benjamin we’re pretty damn lucky to live here.”  When Wayfarer first bought the launch we currently use to ferry people back and forth from the moorings, a box was put out with suggestions as to what to name it- the decision was unanimous- “CHIEF.”  He was always very proud of it- and rightly so. Customers all over the world came to know Chief over his 20 years here and he was famous in his own right, always willing to give a helping hand and committed to keeping this place safe at night. We’ll miss Chief.  

 

-Ben