The Wreck Of The Robertson II

Many are mourning her fate. The old fishermen sitting on the jetty of Lockeport, N.S., where I bought her, kept assuring me, "she's a good sea boat." I learned this was a special term reserved for fishing schooners that behaved so well in a storm, they never lost any of their dories. I later experienced her remarkable seagoing characteristics while on our trip to B.C. We plowed into a storm in the Bermuda Triangle. Although we shipped much water through shrunken deck and planking, by God's grace the good old Robbie saw us safely into port. Now she is dead -- but does the vision that brought her to Victoria live on? Robertson II, built in 1940 by the MacKay yard in Shelburne, N.S., had an unusual start, which partly explained why she outlasted her contemporaries. Because of the need for shipbuilders during the war, her undecked hull was left to weather and cure for six months. Having seen the remarkable changes in young lives as the result of our first adventure program, West Trek, using the ex-troller Nipentuck, I scoured the East Coast for a Bluenose-type fishing schooner. In 1974 there were very few that had not sunk, rotted, burned or been driven ashore. I found the Robertson II in the fishing village of Lockeport and bought her from Gary Malloy, who had used her for long-lining. After a partial refit in Lunenburg in July 1974, we sailed south, around the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal and up the west coast to Victoria. Margot Ney and I established the Sail And Life Training Society -- SALTS -- then coaxed or coerced friends into being ship painters and crew. Our intention was to help rehabilitate some delinquent young people, but primarily to prevent adolescent problems from becoming entrenched. As problem prevention, a carefully designed sail-training program has no equal. It imparts courage, as young people cheerfully tackle strong winds and big seas, and self-discipline, as they stay awake during the dog hours of an anchor watch. More: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/comment/story.html?id=2db1d4d4-42bd-41f3-8217-76c59476c3d5&p=2 [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on July 9, 2007]

Note: http://www.canada.com/v...