Page 36 - Icebreakers around Cape Breton

ISSUE : Issue 45

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1987/6/1

ships • oh lord, you'd probably move 50 or 60 ships in one month. But now we're down to probably 5 or 6 ships a week. The ship? ping has gone down. But the ice conditions are not as bad at all. This winter (1985-86) there's a lot of ice out there. The size of the floes is big. It's not the concentration, it's just the floe. We passed a floe the other day, it was 10 miles across--one solid piece. But that'll move eastward--it'11 get into a swell--and it'll break up. We estimated it was about 4 to 6 feet thick. (Some people I guess have this sense that you're out there constantly, steaming back and forth, keeping the Gulf open. But it sounds more like you're always connected with a particular ship's run.) Yeah. Well, it may seem very nice and easy to go back and forth. But actually, you're not doing anything. You can go up and down a floe, and cut the floe, you know, break the floe up into little pieces. Then you get pres? sure come on. You know, an icebreaker some? times makes its own problems. If we're go? ing through, say, what we call "fast ice"-- frozen, no ridging whatsoever, no pressure ridges. And you break a crack, and the tide pushes the ice together--what happens? One piece of ice climbs over the other. You had one foot of ice. Now you've got 2 feet. You've got another piece coming o- ver--you've got 3 feet of ice. A ship comes along and runs into these ridges. He was going nice and easy at a one-foot. But all of a sudden he runs into 4 feet of ice. He stops and he's stuck. Capt. Green: You hear of "ridging," and you hear of "rafting." Rafting is when one sheet of ice goes over the other. Ridging is like, if you have 2 bars of soap, and you push them together, what happens? See, the edges are not as hard--they give some. We call that ridging. Capt. Gomes: Icebreaking is like a car stuck in a snowbank. You're reversing, a- head; you're going astern, back and forth. You're doing this about 12 hours. Try do? ing that in a car for 12 hours--you know, stuck in a snowbank. That's what actually the icebreakers do: breaking ice, backing up, breaking, backing up. You're standing-- you can't sit down--you have to stand to do the job. You're taking your meals stand? ing, tea-time as well, standing up. Get a lot of leg work. And of course, your arms are going. You've got your throttles to work with, you've got telephones to answer. There's radar. You've got your officers keeping an eye on things. Your decision? making is continuous. CONTINUED NEXT PAGE ARM OF GOLD campground and Trailer Park 736-6516 35 Acres on the Bras d'Or Lakes * Hook-Ups and Tent Sites GROCERIES * ICE * LAUNDROMAT * CANTEEN 2 Miles from the Newfoundland Ferry Host: John Brennick On Route 105 at Little Bras d'Or, Cape Breton 736-6671 Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary! k. Visit an Underground Coal Mine 'n'rs The Miners* Museum Glace Bay, N. S. One of the Foremost Museums in Nova Scotia Bring your family to enjoy tiie once-in-a-lifetime experience of touring an actual Coal Mine witii a retired miner as your guide. After touring Museum and Mine, visit the well-stocked Gift Shop and the Miners' Village Restaurant on the same 15- acre site located just one mile from downtown Glace Bay. HOURS Museum and Miners' Village 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Daily Except Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. June 8 until September 4 Inquire about Tuesday Concerts with "IVIen of the Deeps" Ttie Miners' Museum Welcomes Group Tours and Is Open Year Round. For Information about Fall and Winter Hours: (36) PHONE (902) 849-4522 OUR BUSINESS Is Helping i'j Your; Businessi If you're considering starting a new business or expanding your present operation we can provide access to the public and private sector programs and services that can help. We have 11 regional offices across the province staffed with knowledgeable business people. Whether you're facing a challenge in financing, marketing or any other aspect of business management contact our office in your area. Business Expertise 'r; In Your ' Neighborhood >c Department of Development Honourable Roland J. Thornhill Minister World Trade and Convention Centre 1800 Argyle Street, Box 519 Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada B3J 2R7 424-5689

Cape Breton's Magazine