Nicholas (Nikk) Edward Salata passed away peacefully at his home in North Berwick, Maine on Aug. 6, 2025, with his family by his side. He was 79 years old. Born July 8, 1946, at Saint Andrew’s Hospital in Boothbay Harbor to Nickolas Salata of Hamtramck, MI and Gwendolyn Brackett of Boothbay Harbor.

Nikk’s early childhood was spent at his grandmother Ruby Brackett’s home at 68 Atlantic Ave. on the east side of Boothbay Harbor. He often would recall the smell of the fresh doughnuts she made for him to deliver to the boatyard workers. He'd linger at the boatyard after delivering the doughnuts, fascinated by boats and the craft of ship building. These early memories would later inspire him to pursue a career at sea.

In 1955, the musical “Carousel” was filmed in Boothbay Harbor. Young Nikk was captivated by the magic of movie-making happening right in his hometown. One day, against Grammy Ruby’s orders, he sneaked down to the movie set, and to his delight, the director, Henry King, let him sit in the director’s chair during filming. That moment sparked an early appreciation for films and music, and a lifelong love of the stories and emotions they carry.

In 1956, his family moved to New Canaan, CT where his parents would own and operate The Pines restaurant. His dad cooked in the kitchen, and his mom waited tables. He’d often recall mixing himself thick chocolate frappes after tending the ice house as his parents ran the busy restaurant. That same year, at the age of 10, Nikk started working at the Canaan Country Club as a greenskeeper, mowing the fairways, and playing a few holes of golf once his work was done. He held that job until he graduated from high school in 1964.

Nikk was a bright student and his father knew he’d benefit from a quality education. He enrolled him as a day student at Cornwall Academy in Great Barrington, MA in 1961. Nikk thrived during his years at Cornwall, known for his intellect, sharp wit, and blue MG convertible full of gorgeous girls. His “Little Black Book” earned him the nickname “The Bookie.” He participated in track, soccer, golf, public affairs club, science club, camera club, and the school newspaper. He graduated with distinction in 1964, named “the greatest day student of them all” by his classmates.

In the fall of 1964, he returned to Maine to begin his merchant marine officer training at Maine Maritime Academy (MMA). There he sailed aboard the TS State of Maine to ports of call all across the western hemisphere. He was a top player on the golf team, editor of the school newspaper, bearer of the Stars and Stripes in color guard (an honor of which he was very proud) and received his stars for making the superintendents list all four years. His yearbook entry reads “Nikk is the type of guy you can depend on to get a job done and done well.” He graduated in 1968 with a Bachelor’s of Science in the Nautical Sciences, getting the nickname “Nikki the Navigator.”

With his training at MMA, Nikk joined the US Naval Reserves Officer program in 1967 as lieutenant, junior grade. He completed the Naval Reserve Officer Advanced Education Program with a certificate in Maritime Management. He served in the US Naval Reserves for 20 years.

During his time at MMA, summers were spent practicing seamanship as captain of the Little Linekin day excursion boat with his friend and MMA classmate, Terry Lewis. In the summer of 1966, Nikk met Charlotte C. Mellen of Worcester, MA, a Framingham State College student working as a waitress at the Spruce Point Inn. One afternoon, she hopped aboard the Little Linekin to cross the harbor to do a bag of laundry. By the time her laundry was done, the boat had stopped running for the day, so Nikk offered to drive her back to Spruce Point in his car. That kind gesture from Nikk sparked a romance that would last nearly 60 years.

On Aug. 6, 1966, Charlotte had to leave Maine for the season. They vowed then to meet again in 10 years, but fate intervened sooner. That October, Charlotte received a surprise invitation in the mail from Nikk asking her to be his date to the Maine Maritime Academy homecoming celebration. She gladly accepted, and so began their long-distance courtship between Castine, ME and Framingham, MA.

After Nikk’s graduation from MMA in June of 1968, Nikk and Charlotte were married at the Woolwich–Wiscasset Baptist Church on Sept. 7. His mate Terry Lewis was his best man. The reception was held at Brown Brother’s Wharf in Boothbay Harbor. “It was a real nice clambake. Hearts were warm, bellies were full.” The newlyweds then departed for their honeymoon to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, destinations they would return to many times over the years.

In Nikk’s first year at sea, Charlotte lived with his parents at their saltwater farm in Wiscasset. There she awaited his return from voyages and looked forward to spending time with him aboard their 26’ Sport Fisherman, the Sea Flea that Nikk bought from his brother-in-law "Pat” Elderkin in 1967. They’d fish and island hop in the waters off Boothbay Harbor, going ashore on various islands to explore and have a picnic. These were the idyllic moments that anchored him and fed a lifelong love of being at sea at the helm of his own vessel riding free and easy with First Mate Charlotte by his side.

His years at sea were challenging but rewarding. By 1969, he rose to the rank of second mate aboard the SS Gulf Supreme, a 29,000-ton tanker owned and operated by the Gulf Oil Corporation. As second mate, he was responsible for keeping the ships logs, planning navigation, and maintaining the ships navigational equipment and charts. Second Mate stands the 12 a.m. - 4 a.m. night watch, responsible for the safe operation of the vessel through the night. After those long night watches, he’d stay focused by building models of square-rigged sailing ships in his quarters.

By the end of 1971, life at sea had run its course for Nikk, and he sought a new career that would allow him to spend more time home with his wife at their waterfront cottage in West Southport where the Sea Flea was docked.

In the fall of 1971, he began a 30-year career with the Saybolt Corporation as a petroleum cargo inspector. He was responsible for verifying the quantity and quality of petroleum products aboard tankers and onshore terminals. It was a rigorous job, climbing oil tanks, being on call, hauling samples, but it suited his talents for meticulous record keeping and computing.

By 1974, Nikk and Charlotte moved to South Berwick, ME to be near the ports of Portland, ME and Portsmouth, NH to which Nikk was often called. Settling into a more routine life ashore meant Nikk had time to devote to his other passions: gardening, photography, singing and playing his 12-string guitar at church, sound engineering, radio broadcasting, early satellite television, and of course, model ship building. He hosted gospel radio programs, one called Sunshine Saturdays and another called The Night Herald, an overnight program broadcast from WDCS in Portland.

On Aug. 27 of 1981, Nikk and Charlotte were brought a baby girl, Kristin May, born Aug. 25, 198,  as their adopted daughter “Little Peach.” Kristin’s mother, Wendy Bedell of Saco, was a student training at the Berklee School of Music in Boston and wished her little girl to have a stable life she felt she was unable to provide by herself. Nikk and Charlotte honored Wendy’s wishes and adored Little Peach. She became the prized subject of his 35mm Nikon film camera, a passion that would inspire Kris to become a model and photographer in her adult life.

Nikk’s family grew on March 22, 1983 when Charlotte gave birth to their son Nicholas Andrew. It was a dark and stormy night, but Nikk navigated Charlotte safely to Maine Medical Center in Portland to ensure she received the best care possible. Their friend, nurse Judy Andrews, was there to assist with the delivery. And for the loving care she provided, Nikk gave his son the middle name "Andrew."

In 1984, to accommodate their growing family, Nikk and Charlotte purchased a larger house in North Berwick, ME near Riverside Farm on the banks of the Great Works river. The farm was owned and operated by the Tuttle family. Dave Tuttle graciously granted Nikk permission to cultivate a strip of land adjacent to his new home. This act of kindness let Nikk fully develop and express his skill as a gardener and greenskeeper.

Through the 1980s and 90s, Nick transformed his land into a beautiful estate with manicured lawns, sprawling flowerbeds, and the tidiest vegetable gardens anyone had ever seen. He grew everything from seed, selecting only the best varieties from the seed catalogs every spring. He had a pond dug for irrigation that allowed him to keep the lawns green, the flowers bright, and the vegetables sweet and juicy. He was most known for his raspberries which he would bring down to sell at the Riverside Farm stand in the basket of his vintage Schwinn Cycletruck.

Each July, he’d take a break from work and gardening to celebrate his birthday. He’d pack up the Chevy Blazer and the boat and take his family downeast to vacation on Great Wass Island off the coast of Jonesport, Maine. In a little shingle cottage on Black Duck Cove, rented from Elmer and Marion Beal, he would revive his love of the ocean and the special family traditions it held. Island hopping, fishing, clamming, lobster feeds, sunset photos were the hallmarks and rewards of a life of hard work at sea, habits instilled by his grandmother Ruby Brackett and his mother Gwen’s years growing up on Monhegan Island. He carried on this tradition for nearly 50 years until the end of his life. His final birthday was celebrated in Jonesport July 8, 2025 with boiled lobsters and blueberry pie.

As he aged, Nikk became more active in the church. He became an elder and was ordained as a chaplain in 2005. He took deep interest in studying the Bible and was influenced greatly by the work of Pastor Bruce Brown of the Bible Speaks, Bob Cull, and John Courson of Calvary Chapel. He modeled his messages after them, staying rooted in the holy scriptures, and steering clear of the fraught political currents of orthodox religion.

The passing of his mother Gwen on Sept. 7, 2011 had a profound spiritual impact on him. She was the north star of his life from which he could always take a true bearing. With her gone, he seemed less able to weather the storms and doldrums of life, drifting a bit off course, but trying his best to keep pushing ahead.

During the COVID pandemic, Nikk chose to stay close to home and step back from many of his usual activities, including church. While these quiet years brought fewer social interactions, they also offered more time for reflection. He came to rely deeply on Charlotte’s care and companionship, and this period, though challenging, strengthened their bond in lasting ways. True to his resilient nature, Nikk met those years with quiet endurance, finding comfort in the familiar rhythms of home and the steadfast presence of his wife.

By the end of his life in 2025, Nikk had an honorable record of service at sea and ashore, created a modest, bucolic estate for his family to enjoy, passed on the traditions of the sea, and his passions for music, photography, and film to his children. No one really knows what disease took his life. He wouldn’t speak about it. But Nikk was ready to pass on and did so on his own terms: no hospitals, no treatments, no machines, little mention of pain, with his body clean and empty, his heart full, and his soul well.

He was predeceased by his parents, Nickolas and Gwen, his half-sister June Elderkin of Southport, and his niece Laurel Elderkin-Graham of Maryland.

He is survived by his wife, First Mate Charlotte C. Salata; daughter Kris Mae Weiss of Lancaster, PA, her husband George Weiss and their two children Charlotte and George; his son Nicholas Andrew Salata of Farmington, ME and his wife Dr. Libby Abbas, and their dog Nellie.

The Salata family would like to thank the Tuttle family for their gracious, timely assistance and comfort during Nikk’s last weeks. They would also like to thank Hospice of Southern Maine for the excellent service they provided.

A private graveside service will be held on Aug. 20, 2025 at 11 a.m. at Oak Lawn Cemetery on Ocean Point Road in Boothbay where Nikk will be laid to rest next to his mom, Gwen.

Arrangements are entrusted to Hall Funeral Home.