Sailmaker

The Sailmaker was the only business still open on its wharf; around it, shuttered windows and padlocked doors secured premises that had nothing inside left to steal.

The Whisperers John Connolly 2010

The Sailmaker was the only business still open on its wharf; around it, shuttered windows and padlocked doors secured premises that had nothing inside left to steal.

The Whisperers John Connolly 2010

"Sailmaker" (the only name he was called by on the ship) made a grandiose speech to the Captain.

Tramping on Life An Autobiographical Narrative Harry Kemp 1921

They were lobstermen in name only, for those who ended up in the Sailmaker had resigned themselves to the fact that their days of being contributory members of society, of working hard for an honest wage, were long behind them.

The Whisperers John Connolly 2010

Every coastal town used to have a bar like the Sailmaker; in a way, the lost were more likely to be remembered in such places than they were among the remnants of their own family.

The Whisperers John Connolly 2010

The wharf on which the Sailmaker sat was one of a number tipped to become part of the new Maine State Pier redevelopment, a $160 million effort to revitalize the commercial waterfront, involving a new hotel, soaring offices, and a cruise ship terminal that had since been dropped and now looked to be an increasingly distant prospect.

The Whisperers John Connolly 2010

You could still order a Miller High Life at the Sailmaker, and PBR was drunk without a shot of irony on the side.

The Whisperers John Connolly 2010

For the most part, even the lobstermen no longer frequented the Sailmaker, and the ones who did were less interested in fishing than in drinking steadily until fluid came out of their ears.

The Whisperers John Connolly 2010

So it was that drinking in the Sailmaker brought with it a sense of danger on a great many levels, the prospect of drowning in the bay due to stepping through a busted board being a relatively minor concern when compared with the more immediate threat of physical violence, serious or minor, from one or more of its customers.

The Whisperers John Connolly 2010

The Sailmaker was owned by a man named Jimmy Jewel, although I had never heard him called anything other than “Mr. Jewel” to his face.

The Whisperers John Connolly 2010