Halls Hill woman startled to win skiff in drawing

JONESPORT — Phyllis Merchant of the Halls Hill district of Addison was surprised when Rock Alley, chairman of the Jonesport-Beals Boat Race Committee, called her to announce that she was the winner of a new 11-foot Fiberglas skiff.

“I didn’t buy a ticket on the skiff, and I don’t know who put my name in the hat,” she said Tuesday.

Several of her children and other relatives denied placing her name in the drawing held during the awarding of trophies and more than $6,000 worth of prizes to participants in the annual boat races.

The skiff, valued at $600, was offered to raise funds for the committee. Materials used in constructing the skiff were donated by Wayne Beal of Jonesport. The skiff was built by Ernest Libby Jr. of Beals, and it was given a Fiberglas finish by Calvin Beal Jr. of Beals. The oars and oarlocks were donated by John Faulkingham of Beals.

Merchant said she hasn’t fully decided how she will use the skiff, but her husband, Allen, who is a lobster fisherman, is sure of one thing. “This skiff is not going to the shore,” he said.

She explained that the skiff was highly valued by her family, and shouldn’t be subjected to rough use and the chance that it might be lost or stolen.

“We have a small outboard motor and maybe I’ll have to learn how to drive it,” she said.