Page 62 - Bill Forbrigger and Coastal Schooners

ISSUE : Issue 38

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1985/1/1

off her, he ran her bare-poled before the wind. Then when it jumped nor'west, he was up off of St. Paul's, and he ran her bare- poled the other way. So he was down off of Port-aux-Basques, Newfoundland, when it died out. He rode it out. There were an aw? ful lot of vessels lost--Lunenburgers, and American fishermen. Oh, an awful pile lost, an awful pile of schooners. (Where were you during the August Gale that sank your brother's schooner?) On the beach, up in the Lakes. Drug ashore. Wid? ow's Light. That's just below St. Peter's. Next to Cape George. We anchored pretty close that evening. We had the little an? chor out. We gave her all the chain on the little one. We had just given her the big anchor. We were about 15 fathom out. That's all we could give her. We were get? ting too close to the shore. So we were just going to put a tackle from the horse pipe back to the bit--that'd ease her, the way she was jumping. She was driving about, oh, just picking the water up in chunks. When she parted the big chain and turned to the wind for the beach. It was beached away up, oh, sea was hitting her. Her rud? der irons were out of water. She was out of water about 5 feet, I guess. And the tide was terrible low. If it had been as high when we went on as when we came off, we'd have gone in the pond, and we'd have had to dredge the pond, to get her out. But it was right down low. We just stayed there (on the beach) till the gale was o- ver, southeast. In the morning we only had one anchor. We thought we had no anchors by the way she went for the beach. So we had a big 6-inch cable aboard. Brand new. We put that a- shore to a big pine tree. The wind jumped down nor'west. No wind where we were. All trees. But we put the jibs on her and the foresail, and slewed her bow some. But she wouldn't come off. And the tide had raised away up--about 3 or 4 feet, I guess. Wind driving out into the nor'west. We got her off with the sails and the wind. Hoisted the jibs and the foresail and then threw her down on her side. That bow slewed a- round, and her stern still on. But then we put a piece of mainsail on her. Then she went afloat and hung by the big pine, big cable on it. So we just ran from one to the other and let the sails go right on deck, and she swung to the pine tree and we laid there all day. Till it died out that evening. (No damage, really.) Oh no, no, never hurt it. All sand. When the wind died out, we took two boats and we swept, and we hooked the fluke of our anchor. One boat (went) around the oth? er, then we hoisted our anchor, put a chain shackle in it, and we were all set. Lots of times you'd get a calm. You just stayed there, you never moved, till the wind struck again. It didn't happen too much around here. There was always a lit? tle breeze of wind closer to any of the shores. So just lay there. Lay down and read a storybook. Nothing to do. Sometimes a couple hours; sometimes all day. No wind at all. (Was it a holiday or was it work? Mr. Forbrigger chuckles.) No holidays on them. We had lots of rest, of course. Some? times we'd be in here in the Strait, going We Buy and We Sell and We're as Near as Your Telephone Sid s Used Furniture Phone 564-6123 436 Charlotte Street, Sydney DON'S FLOWERS p. 0. Box 179, Port Hawkesbury, N. S. BOE 2V0 Serving Port Hood, Judique, Inverness, and sur? rounding areas. Telephone 625-2215 or 625-2717. cRtiie coopeiSitoi& f' Insurance Services '' For All Your Personal Coverage, Call: 539-6315 (toll free) SYDNEY GLACE BAY 849-4547 NEW WATERFORD 862-3350 PORT HAWKESBURY 625-0640 NORTH SYDNEY 794-4788 MABOU 945-2514 LOUISDALE 345-2199 CHETICAMP 224-3204 QUALITY SOFT DRINKS SINCE 1905 AT THE PRICE THAT REFRESHES Pbp Factory iRorj McKinlay&SonsLtd.; A COMPREHENSIVE FARM PACKAGE IS AVAILABLE A COMPLETE LINE OF ' PARTY suppuEs 262 BROOKS IDE GLACE BAY THE HOME OF FINE SEAFOOD; we have a pickup booth at the SYDNEY AIRPORT. Call us. Coast To Cdast Air Shipping - Ask For Our Price Hist Phone: Plant (902) 849-5505, Night (902) 849-2705 Write: P. O. Box 160, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, B1A 5V2 Telex: 019-35241 CHARGEX - MASTER CHARGE - VISA MAYFLOWER MALL 539-5080 Operated by Manson Drugs Ltd. (62)

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