Survivor Extreme
Northern Labrador was a very busy place in 1995. The huge Voisey’s Bay nickel development was starting to swing into full gear in a remote part of the Labrador coastline just 21 miles south of Nain, the most northerly major town in Labrador.
The early signs of winter are obvious in that region by late October with snow on the ground and ice forming along the coastline, while many ponds and lakes are often frozen solid.
Marine shipping is crucial for the transport of nearly everything in ...
A Red Sky at Morning
Like most veteran fishing skippers, John Gillett has plenty of good yarns to spin about his many years on the water.
Some are funny, some are about boats loaded to the gunwales, some are about bad years and others are about close calls — all are interesting.
A few years ago, I had the opportunity one evening to sit and chat with John on the veranda of his home in Gillesport/Twillingate on the northeast coast of Newfoundland.
Overlooking Twillingate Harbour while sipping a cup of tea ...
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 ...
Safety – Everybody’s Job
Safety in the fishing industry is different than in other industries.
Statistically, fishing is still the most dangerous occupation in the country outside the military and policing. We lose, on average, nearly a dozen fishermen every year. That high number is due in part to the fact that some accidents at sea cause multiple deaths, especially in these days of larger boats.
While no two fatal accidents are alike in the inshore fishing industry, there are often similarities. I once wrote ...
