Concord woman takes on Cuttyhunk Island shellfish business.
By Jon Bishop – Correspondent – The Concord Bridge
Charmaine Gahan said the first time she captained a boat and crossed Buzzards Bay herself, she had a sense of trepidation. But she got to where she needed to be.
“I knew I had to follow my compass,” she said.
That wasn’t the only time Gahan, 45, listened to her inner compass. On Oct. 1, she became owner of Cuttyhunk Shellfish Farm, a staple business on Cuttyhunk Island, part of the tiny town of Gosnold. She acquired it from Seth Garfield, who founded the business in 1981 and is something of a legend on Cuttyhunk, a place with a population of five to 10 in the wintertime and where people take on multiple roles to keep the community going. In addition to running the farm, Garfield was a teacher, EMT, and the community fire chief, along with holding many other roles.