Pop’s Pride – Part III
On September 6, 2016, the 22-foot fishing boat Pop’s
Pride left port in St. John’s Newfoundland between 6:30 a.m. and 7 a.m.
with four fishermen onboard. Three of the men were from a single family. The
fourth was a family friend. All were from Shea Heights, a tight-knit community
within the city limits of St. John’s. As the men hauled their nets that
morning, winds increased to approximately 30-32 knots (56-60 kilometres per
hour) along with seas of two metres (six feet). It appears the ...
Pop’s Pride – Part II
Three members of one fishing family, along with a family friend, all from Shea Heights-St. John’s, N.L., went fishing on September 6, 2016 in a 22-foot open boat. When Eugene Walsh, his son Keith and Keith’s son, Keith Jr., along with Billy Humby, had not returned by early afternoon, family members and friends became concerned. Winds had increased to 25–30 knots and waves reached six feet high outside the St. John’s Narrows — not good conditions for a small boat. This is Part II of ...
Pop’s Pride
Sonya Walsh didn’t hear her husband Keith get up on Tuesday morning, September 6, 2016.
Neither did she hear the alarm clock that always woke Keith. She didn’t hear her husband and their son Keith Jr., age 18, having breakfast and chatting before they left the house at approximately 5 a.m. to go fishing.
Ordinarily, 36-year old Sonya would have merely dismissed her deep sleep that morning as nothing more than extreme tiredness, but events later that day makes her wonder about some ...
Operating in Poor Weather Led to the 2016 Fatal Sinking of the Pop’s Pride
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) found that adverse weather conditions led to the sinking of the small open fishing vessel Pop’s Pride and the loss of life of its four occupants in September 2016, off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The report also highlights the continued need for focused and concerted action by all levels of government and industry members to fully address the safety risks and deficiencies that persist in Canada’s fishing industry.
In the ...