Marblehead selectmen to learn future fate of Maddie’s Sail Loft

MARBLEHEAD – The next step in the 62-year history of Maddie’s Sail Loft, the State Street establishment once billed as one of the Top 10 sailing bars in the world by Sailing Magazine, will unfold Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m.Town Administrator Tony Sasso said Maddie’s owner John Tangusso, a Salem attorney, is scheduled to update the selectmen on his plans. Tangusso took the bar over about 18 months ago.Maddie’s closed at midnight Friday and is for sale. A notice posted near the door last week notified patrons that the bar would close that Friday.Sasso said he spoke with Tangusso by telephone Tuesday, four days after the closing, and received “official notification” that the bar was closed. As the licensing authority, selectmen are supposed to keep track of the liquor licenses they issue on an annual basis and the license-holder is required to keep the board informed of major changes in the business.Tangusso could not be reached for comment.Discussing the license Wednesday night, Selectmen Chairman Harry Christensen noted that the board has options, based on Tangusso’s report. The most severe would be to take the license back.The relationship between Maddie’s, the town and state officials was not smooth last year. Selectmen held hearings on three over-serving complaints, dismissing the first and suspending the license on the other two. The state Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission issued a third suspension after a hearing on another incident (serving an underage patron), but ultimately allowed Maddie’s to pay a fine and stay open.