Choose Granite Countertops Near Me Hull, MA for Elegance and Durability

March 4, 2026Updated March 5, 2026, 11:24 a.m. ET

(This story has been updated to add new informatin.)

Photographer and storyteller Joe Berkeley, who has highlighted the accomplishments of hundreds of Hull residents for over 10 years on his Facebook page, has reached a new level of recognition.

In April, a film his company made about Hull tugboat captain Mike McDevitt will premiere at the New Bedford Film Festival.

McDevitt is well-known in Hull, where he once owned the property where Jo's Nautical Bar is located. He sold part of the property but has continued to run the bar and a marine towing company called Acushnet Marine. He was raised on Peddocks Island, which is part of the town of Hull. His parents moved to the island in 1961. His father was a caretaker there and he, his brother and two sisters all went to the mainland by boat every day to attend the public schools.

McDevitt named his tugboat after his late mother, Judy A. McDevitt, who became the first licensed female tugboat captain and captained large tugs across the Northeast for many years.

The trailer for the film on Vimeo shows both aerial and ground scenes from the island, a life of bare necessity, and a narrator's voice:

"No running water. No electricity. No internet. No problem.

"Meet Mike McDevitt. He's the last fulltime resident of Peddocks Island.

"Discover his world and his mission to save his sister's house from the wrecking ball.

"The Last Islander. Coming soon to a screen near you.

"Except on Peddocks Island, because there are no screens."

How to see film about Hull tugboat captain Mike McDevitt, 'The Last Islander'

The independent film festival will run April 9-12, showcasing 90 films from around the world and is expected to draw 500-600 people.

The film will have its festival debut on Saturday, April 11, at 1 p.m. at Gallery X in New Bedford. The festival has a number of viewing sites around downtown.

There will also be a viewing of "The Last Islander" at the Hull Lifesaving Museum's newly renovated boathouse at Pemberton on May 30, according to Berkeley.

Tickets are sold out, but Berkeley is working on creating another viewing.

All proceeds will go to the Hull Lifesaving Museum and their mission.

What is 'The Humans of Nantasket Beach' project?

On Berkeley's Facebook page, "The Humans of Nantasket Beach," he recently announced, "I'm pleased to report that The Last Islander was selected for the New Bedford Film Festival."

Berkeley explained that his Facebook Group project "has been going for more than ten years now. In celebration of that milestone, I wanted to do something special. The Last Islander is a documentary I made starring Mike McDevitt, the tug Acushnet and Peddocks Island."

The crew included drone cinematographer Richard Green, and key grip Ted Richardson. Berkeley worked as "researcher, director, cinematographer, the guy who made lunch for the crew, and editor."

Berkeley, a former Boston advertising and marketing specialist, started his Facebook group in 2016, two years after he launched his own business.

He has called his "Humans of Nantasket Beach" social media venture "a passion project" where he can show some of the "amazing residents" of the seaside community and share their skills and contributions with others.

In a brief phone conversation, Berkeley said one of the biggest rewards of portraying Hull people positively has been seeing the effects of the recognition they have received − townspeople have become closer, communicate more effectively and understand one another better.

Where is Peddocks Island?

Peddocks Island, one of the largest harbor islands at 184 acres, is part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area and is managed by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.

It is located just a few hundred yards off the tip of the Hull peninsula near Windmill Point.

One of the largest Boston Harbor islands, Peddocks Island once was home to Native Americans, militiamen, prisoners of war and farmers. Historic structures – such as Fort Andrews, built at the start of the 1900’s – along with the restored World War II-era chapel, reside at this location.

There are no cars on the island that varies between 288 acres at high tide and 184 acres at low tide.

Peddocks is one of four islands within Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area that is serviced by the Boston Harbor Cruises ferry. The operating season runs mid-June through Labor Day Weekend.

WGBH News visited the island in 2019, where Liz Neisloss interviewed Mike McDevitt as "the last year-round, lifelong resident" and McDevitt explained how he cherished the island for its quiet and tranquility.

Another movie was filmed on Peddocks Island

Parts of the movie "Shutter Island" were filmed on Peddocks Island in 2008. Other Massachusetts locations were also used.

The movie’s star-studded cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley and Michelle Williams.

"While 'Shutter Island' and the hospital depicted in the film are both fictitious, they are based in some truth," according to BostonHarborIslands.org. "Islands throughout the Boston Harbor have been home to many social welfare institutions over the years. These include quarantine stations, prisons, almshouses and hospitals. Long Island Hospital was established in the harbor in 1893 and was operational until the mid-1900s. Over the course of its existence, this institution served as an almshouse, hospital, home for unwed mothers, homeless shelter, and treatment center for people suffering from alcohol addiction. This is the hospital that inspired Shutter Island."

'The Humans of Nantasket Beach' brings recognition to many hard workers in Hull

In October 2025, The Patriot Ledger ran a story about one of Berkeley's recent subjects, Randy Gould. Gould, a retired volunteer and Hull native, spends most of his days looking for ways to clean up and improve the town and the Pemberton neighborhood in particular.

In the story, Gould was described as "the ultimate volunteer." His projects have included clearing overgrown areas, repairing tattered American flags and removing graffiti.

Living on Allerton Hill facing Boston Light

Berkeley lives with his wife and dog in the Allerton Hill neighborhood of Hull, with views of Boston Light and the ocean.

In past interviews, he has said he began coming to Hull to visit his parents and took up sailing at Hull Yacht Club as a youth. He moved to Hull in 1997, after working in New York City. In 2014, he started his own company, Joe Berkeley LLC, leaving his job with the former Boston advertising and marketing agency Hill Holliday.

His clients have included Tom Brady and 'Roger That!"

Berkeley LLC has done work for Quincy-based Arbella Insurance Group, including a 2023 TV ad, featuring longtime Hull lobsterman Capt. Chad Mahoney and his son James, his assistant. The ad was filmed in the waters off Hull against the backdrop of Boston Light.

His list of clients includes former New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, former presidents Clinton and Obama and former Patriots GOAT Tom Brady on his famous post-Super Bowl “Roger That” commercial.

Clarification: After publication of this story, the Times was contacted by Residences at the Aquarium co-owner Jonathan Leavitt, who said that the building now will be marketed as individual condominium units.

Original headline: Aquarium condominium complex to be sold; new owner plans to rent out all 21 units

By Carol Britton Meyer

The owners of The Residences at the Aquarium condominium complex at the base of Atlantic Hill will sell all 21 units to an unnamed buyer at the beginning of February. The new owner plans to operate the building as a rental property, according to one of the current owners.

The 21 units were offered as a package to potential buyers by the Marcus & Millichap investment firm: www.marcusmillichap.com/properties/189236/residences-at-the-aquarium.

Enrique Darer, who co-owns the four-story property with Jonathan Leavitt, identified the buyer as a “big real estate owner who wants to purchase the whole building and rent it out as residential units,” but declined to provide the person’s name. He said they were approached last summer while the building was still being developed.

A certificate of occupancy is expected to be issued shortly, Darer told The Hull Times this week. Leavitt and Darer paid $1.45 million for the then two-story concrete block building at 120 Nantasket Avenue, which formerly housed the Atlantic Aquarium, in August 2022.

Their plan was to sell the units as condominiums. Prices ranged from $699,000 for a second-floor unit to $2.45 million for one of the penthouse residences.

“We had already sold three of the units to friends, who are agreeable to the [upcoming] sale,” Darer said.

After the offer was made on the property – which Darer did not disclose but said was a “good price” – it was taken off the market.

“We were hoping to close at the end of the year, but that didn’t happen, so it will be next month,” Darer said.

He and Leavitt were amenable to the sale “because if you sell [the entire building] to one buyer, only one sale is involved rather than our initial plan to sell 21 units with separate closings,” he said.

When asked if there were other reasons for the planned sale, Darer said there were not. “There is nothing mysterious about it,” he said.

The development is a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. The largest units are penthouses.

“They all have beautiful views facing the bay,” Darer said. Amenities include parking, a covered pool, and a gym. “It’s a fantastic building.”

These are among 4,000 residential units Darer said he has developed in Massachusetts, Vermont, Georgia, Florida, and New Hampshire throughout his career.

“This is my first project in Hull,” he said. “I fell in love with the location and the town, but if an opportunity comes around, I’m always game to do it!”