Paul Stephen Bryant, 80

Newcastle, Maine

Paul Stephen Bryant passed away on the evening of April 7 at Cove’s Edge in Damariscotta, Maine. Born on August 12, 1943 to Creston and Kathlyn (Higgins) Bryant, Paul grew up in Newcastle. He built a house next door, where he raised his family and worked “down the hill” at Riverside Boat Company, a family business started by his father in 1946.

A lucky man, Paul was able to live his dream. At age five, his father gave him his first sailing dinghy. From there, Paul’s passion for the boatyard and sailing only grew. Of the many boats Paul built, five were for personal use (all named Hoot Mon), and in three of them Paul won numerous sailing races in Christmas Cove, Friendship, and Monhegan.

Paul poured his heart and soul into every aspect of the boatyard: building a number of boats designed by his father and himself; repairing and maintaining hundreds of others – mostly wooden classics; sawing wood off his woodlot on his own sawmill; and forever coaxing his workhorse ’34 truck into another year of moving boats. An endlessly clever man, Paul could figure out how to fix or move almost anything with just a wedge, blocking, and several pieces of line. Many flocked to his boatyard for advice, a choice piece of wood, a look at how life used to be, or just to share a good boat story.

Outside of the boatyard, Paul filled his life by serving his community and country by giving six years to the Coast Guard Reserves, 20 years to the Newcastle Fire Company with 15 years as chief, and 50 years spent as harbormaster. He was a lifelong member of the 2nd Congregational Church. Despite the long days of hard work, Paul had a quick and broad smile for everyone. He loved his life in Newcastle, and it showed.