Ep. 29: Kate McConville- Crabs, Clams, Sharks and Boats

This week's episode courtesy of:

Fort Island Kayaks - Dish Off The Block - Seapod - The Traveling Seamstress

Kate McConville came to Block Island and was hired by Joan Abrams as the "bread girl" at the Manisees Restaurant. After a few days of serving dinner rolls to the hoity-toity's Kate was informed that she simply wasn't, "Manisees Material" and was sent to work at the Oar instead.
 
This ended up suiting Kate just fine. She found a home at the Oar and her time there was wonderful. Little did she know that years later she would be in charge of the body of water she spent so much time gazing at when not serving fried clam strips and chowder.

Nowadays Kate serves as Block Island's harbormaster. She's the first female to ever hold the position on Block Island (and possibly the entire State of Rhode Island). And it's not a small job. Kate is responsible for keeping the pond operating smoothly and safely which can be tough when thousands of boats enter the pond every season. 

Kate's love of the ocean goes way back. It's evident that her breadth of knowledge when it comes to all things aquatic is vast. She's a shark enthusiast and has even hopped into a shark cage to get up close and personal with these amazing underwater creatures.

She knows about other things too, namely crabs and clams. She can tell you where and how to obtain a clamming license but don't ask her to tell you where the "secret spots" are. Because she ain't talking!