The End of a Dream
Above photo: Captain Ed Noonan at home in Bay de Verde
Mackenzie’s Dream, a multi-species fishing vessel owned by Quinlan Brothers Ltd. of Bay de Verde on Newfoundland’s east coast, was one of the largest fishing vessels in the area in 2005.
There were lots of other 65-footers in the Trinity and Conception Bay fleets, especially from Port de Grave, approximately 45 miles to the south, but Mackenzie’s Dream was 26-feet wide and higher than many vessels in her class and fitted ...
The Survival and Patience of Job – Part IV
Life for Job Goudie and his family would never be the same after the explosion that killed his friends Rollie Weir and Ralph King on Monday morning, May 29, 1978.
Job barely survived, but there must have been times following when he wondered if survival was indeed a blessing. His struggle to live had only just begun when the Dobbin brothers pulled him from the ocean in Little Bay.
For weeks, doctors could do little or nothing to fix his broken, fractured and mangled bones. Because his ...
The Survival and Patience of Job — Part III
On May 29, 1978, Ultramar fuel distributor Job Goudie from Springdale, Newfoundland was filling the gas tanks of a vessel in nearby Little Bay when an explosion occurred. The vessel owner, Rollie Weir, along with crewman, Ralph King, died in the inferno, but Job was blown overboard from the deck of the vessel and survived. He was badly burnt, with multiple bones broken along with many fractures, but thanks to the quick action of Bert and Leonard Dobbin from Little Bay, Job survived. This is ...
The Survival and Patience of Job — Part II
Above photo: Job’s boots were blown off his feet in the explosion but later recovered. The force of the explosion separated half the boot from the soles in both.
Last month we told you about an explosion and fire that killed two men from Little Bay Islands onboard a vessel. A third man miraculously survived. Job Goudie, from Springdale, was delivering gasoline to a small tanker vessel that was docked in Little Bay near Springdale, on Newfoundland’s northeast coast, when a fire, ...
The Survival and Patience of Job
Above photo: The Maraval later named the Notre Dame.
Miracles happen, they say.
Job Goudie agrees. He is one. At least the fact that he is still alive can surely be described as miraculous or, as his wife Sylvia says confidentially, it was divine intervention that saved her husband.
In May 1978, Job was in a horrific explosion that killed two men, but incredibly, Job came out of it still breathing, but he was far from well.
In 1972, Job and Sylvia, along with their four sons, ...
Ernest Thornhill – A Man of Uncommon Courage and Bravery
Captain Bert Boertien has had his fair share of injuries including broken bones in his fishing career.
The renowned fishing skipper from Souris, P.E.I. also had several close calls that could have been fatal, but on each occasion, luck and lots of it, was on his side. From his room at a nursing home in Souris, he loves to recount those stories and share them with friends. The Navigator was lucky enough to hear a few.
In 1969, Bert’s fishing vessel, North Bay caught fire and sank off ...
The Tragedy of the Miss Ally – Part V
Above photo: Fishermen’s Memorial in Woods Harbour, Nova Scotia
The last communication between the fishing vessel Miss Ally was just before 11 p.m. Sunday, February 17, 2013. Not long after that, the vessel’s emergency locator beacon sounded. At that time, the Joint Rescue Coordinating Centre (JRCC) and Coast Guard staff realized that the 44-foot boat had likely succumbed to the storm that was raging off eastern Nova Scotia. A few hours later, two Coast Guard staff were asked to go ...
The Tragedy of the Miss Ally – Part IV
Above photo: William Alexander — the Coast Guard ship that was tasked to the location of the Miss Ally
On Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013, Katlin Nickerson’s plan was to haul halibut lines and head for port with a good paying trip in the fish hold of the Miss Ally. But darkness closed in and the crew couldn’t find the markers to finish taking back the last several lines of gear. Katlin decided to wait until daylight to finish the job and then head to port. Not far away, an intense storm ...
The Tragedy of the Miss Ally – Part III
The fishing vessel Miss Ally out of Wood’s Harbour, Nova Scotia, had fished halibut more than 100 miles offshore for four days before heading for port on February 17, 2013. Captain Katlin Nickerson and his four crewmembers were all young men and close friends. The fishing had been fair during their four days at sea, but word of an approaching storm scheduled to slam the area on Sunday evening sent most vessels scurrying for safety by Saturday night or early next morning. The Miss Ally ...
The Tragedy of the Miss Ally – Part II
The loss of the Miss Ally still sends chills down the spines of fishing families in southwestern Nova Scotia. Five young men died when the 44-foot vessel was overwhelmed by a huge wave as they were steaming home from a fishing trip. Last month, we introduced you to Della Sears Newell, the mother of the young captain of the Miss Ally. Della told us about her son and his accomplishments. She also told us about driving Katlin to the boat on February 12, 2013 and watched as his longliner headed out ...
