Home to sea birds, seals, a lighthouse, two Canadian lighthouse keepers, a couple of out buildings and a collection of summer researchers with a particular interest in puffins, Machias Seal Island is, on most days, a tranquil spot.
But every July 4th, Barna Norton, a crusty old sea captain out of Jonesport, Me., used to crank up his vessel, The Chief, and chug towards the island, a 20-acre lump of rock where the Bay of Fundy meets the Gulf of Maine.
