Monday, July 28, 2008

Ship to Shore ...

Hello Everyone,

This morning, Lunenburg’s front harbour is like a pond of burnished silver, reflecting the colours of the sky, paused with an pregnant hush. Will it rain? Will it clear? We don’t know.

It is an easy thing to stand on land and look out to the ocean, wondering what the weather conditions might bring. It is an entirely different matter to be on the ocean, especially aboard a fishing vessel, and be at the mercy of the whims of nature.

Now-a-days, with computers and a multitude of ship-to-shore communications, sudden storms rarely arrive without some form of advance warning. Mariners no longer have to base their survival on the rhyming ditties of old, including:

Red sky in the morning,
Sailors take warning.
Red sky at night,
Sailor’s delight.


Sadly, the change in communication has taken place only within the span of a lifetime. The turning point for Nova Scotian schooners came with the August Gales of 1926 and 1927. Although the technology had been available before that date, fishing schooners were not equipped with receivers until after the horrific loss of life in the Gales.

Although the hurricanes hit along the shore and caused wide-spread destruction, the Lunenburg fleet was hit particularly hard. In those two years, 138 fishermen aboard six Lunenburg schooners were lost. One of the keenest felt aspects of the tragedy is that those on land knew of the approaching storms, based on weather reports. The men aboard the schooners had no such luxury and unwittingly faced a dark future.

After the 1927 Gale, the Province of Nova Scotia made arrangements to have weather signals sent via radio, from Cape Breton. The owners of the schooners were instructed to install radio receivers aboard their vessels. Those two simple acts, previously avoided because of the expense, undoubtedly saved countless lives.

Wishing you Smooth Sailing,
Heather

Monday, July 14, 2008

Set Sail for Lunenburg!

Hello Everyone,

One of the most wonderful aspects of a Museum is that it can be the focal point in the sharing of history between those who have roots in an area and those who visit. Although this sharing of history happens every day, special events make the exchange even more meaningful.

The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, is nearing its anniversary. Each year, on 23 July, we celebrate the history of the Atlantic fishery, especially as it pertains to the Canadian coast.

This year, on 23 July, we’re celebrating both the anniversary of the Museum and the 70th anniversary year of the schooner Theresa E. Connor. Theresa E. Connor is the flagship of the Museum and we are tremendously excited to be celebrating 70 years of her history!

Theresa E. Connor is the oldest saltbank schooner in Canada. In almost 30 years of fishing, the vessel never lost a crew member. During the course of her career, the vessel fished both fresh and salt fishing. This meant that sometimes the catch was preserved on ice (fresh) and sometimes it was preserved in salt (salt fishing).

If you’re planning to head our way on Wednesday 23 July, you’ll be highly entertained! Special events, musical entertainment and historical re-enactments are part of the celebrations. Theresa E. Connor will be open, free-of-charge to the public on that day! Retired fishermen and heritage interpreters will make the vessel come to life, with demonstrations and talks.

Wishing you Smooth Sailing,
Heather

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Memories - August Gales

Hello Everyone,

Every Nova Scotian coastal community owes some part of its history and prosperity to those who went fishing. Whether they worked from small inshore fishing boats or went to sea in schooners or trawlers, their life’s work meant prosperity for their villages and towns. The industry continues today and is just as important, although technology and the diminished fish stocks have changed the tenor of the activity.

Older fishermen often said, when pressed, that they did not like to talk to their families about the close calls that they had at sea. There was no point in worrying those at home and they were simply thankful to have survived.

Other stories became known, however, because of the extent of the tragedy that was involved. The fishermen did not live to come home; their loss made headlines, instead.

The August Gales that hit near Sable Island, in 1926 and 1927, took the lives of at least 138 Lunenburg-based fishermen. In total, six Lunenburg vessels were lost, with all hands. The tragedy did not confine itself to the Lunenburg area; devastation was felt all along the coastline.
In the August Gale of 1927, the last of the all-sail Gloucester schooners, Columbia, was lost at Sable Island. The crew of 22 were all from Nova Scotia, from the Queens County and Shelburne County areas.

One of the most poignant stories is that of Shelburne County crewman Allister Firth, who was just 17. He was lost with the rest of the crew, including his father, Arthur.

Young Allister did not want to go to sea that trip. He was a musician and wanted to play the violin. The family, however, was poor and the small wage that Allister could earn at sea was important. It became a source of great dispute between Allister and his father. On the day of sailing, the young lad hid in a closet in the home of a relative. His father found him, dragged him down the dock to the schooner, and threatened him that he had to go aboard Columbia and stay there. Arthur went and got their belongings and settled aboard the vessel.

Within weeks, the August Gale dealt crushing blows to the schooners caught in its grip. Columbia, with young Allister, was lost without a trace.

As a curious side-note, a few winters later, an American trawler was fishing in that area. It was night, but they were steaming along, when suddenly they caught hold of something heavy. The command was given to raise the trawl and, in the beam of light from the trawler, the crew was astounded to see the wreck of the schooner Columbia break the surface and pause for a few minutes. The lines then broke and the famous fishing and racing schooner dipped beneath the waves, for the last time.

The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, has a detailed exhibit about the August Gales of 1926 and 1927, with photographs of many of the men who were lost.

Wishing you Smooth Sailing,
Heather