Cape Breton's Magazine

pened about a mile or two ahead of him, and we finally got him out into an open lead, and got him going. He's still around the Gulf here, now, that fellow. All be? cause: very little power, poor communica? tions, and poorly ballasted. (And you don't really have a say in the quality of a vessel that's coming here, do you?) No, we have no say whatsoever. There's many vessels that come into the Gulf that are not suited for ice. They're not strengthened. They don't have the pow? er. They're not properly ballasted. In oth? er words, they're too high out of the wa? ter, and you'll see them when half their propellers are out of the water. That means they've got no thrust in the water. to go through. And they can hit ice and get their propellers damaged, get their rudders damaged. If they're not ice- strengthened, they can get hull damage-- their plates damaged. And you get some ships--when the captain is not familiar with ice, he's not going to push his ship hard because he's afraid of the damage. And our ships have got to give everything they've got, they've got to go full power, full ahead, to break the ice. If I can't go and make a certain a- mount of speed in the ice, I can't break it. And the ship behind me, he's afraid he can't follow, so he falls back. So by the time I've broken through, he says, "I'm be? set. I'm stuck." So then you've got to go back through again and try to cut him out. And he still won't put any pres? sure on, won't push his ship--he's a- a fraid. So he goes at slow speed or half speed. And even the slush that we break off and that goes be? hind the vessel--he can't steam through that. youVe got to nelpme.'' "Sandy, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" "No, Dad, I'm fine." "Where are you?" "At Pat's. We all came over here to celebrate after the game." "It's almost 12:30. Isn't it time you called it a night?" "That's just it. Remember you always told me if I was out never to drive with anyone who's had too much to drink? And not to be afraid to call you if I had no other way of getting home? Well, tonight I'm taking you at your word." "Stay right there .I'm coming to pick you up." "Thanks, Dad. Oh, and something else." "Shoot." "Are you angry with me?" "Angry? No, Sandy. Not on your life." Seogram ILhr'r .y-i y For a free chart on responsible drinlcing limits, write to us. P.O. Box 847, Station H, Montreal, Quebec. H3G 2M8 We wish there were rules and regula? tions saying that a vessel must be prop? erly ballasted, suit? ably powered, ice- strengthened- -all these things. (But that would probably put an end to some of them using our waters.) That's right, it wolld. It would reduce the a- mount of shipping that we get here. And of course the more ships you get, the more exports go? ing out. Imports com? ing in, exports go? ing out. So, it's business, it's money. (And you serve it, knowing that a lot of the problems are built in.) That's right, exactly. And you have to do every? thing you can to get that vessel to her destination. Every? thing you can do. And you know, when you look at some of those vessels, you know you're going to have a heck of a time to get it mov? ing. And even while you're working with that ship that should not be there, there's other ships