| This
is where most stories would naturally end. But, oh no, not Andy's and my
story. Our flight out of St. John's to Toronto was delayed because another
flight was canceled and they were trying to shift passengers around. That
really wasn't a problem since we had a long layover there until our flight
to San Francisco. We still had time to wander around some of that city
and go to lunch with some friends that Andy had there.
After lunch we went back to the airport and just before our flight was
ready to board both Andy and I smelled smoke! Shortly thereafter we could
see a thin veil of smoke moving through the departure lounge. We decided
it might be a good idea to slowly walk to the other end of the terminal
just in case things got dicey. The airport employees did not seem to have
a clue what to do. The immigration people did not want to let anyone out
because they would have to reprocess everyone if they did. Common sense
prevailed and the entire international terminal was evacuated.
The fire was in some electrical wiring in the ceiling close to our departure
gate. By the time the fire department had put it out and the airport officials
had let us all back in and we got through Customs again an hour had gone
by. We boarded the plane hoping that this really was the end of the `Great
Adventure'. The announcement of free drinks went along way towards making
the flight home and arriving two hours behind schedule more palatable.
When I first signed on for the trip I had no idea how important the
Cabot 500 celebration was to the Canadians. As we traveled from port to
port along the St. Lawrence River and across the Gulf of St. Lawrence to
the coast of Newfoundland the flotilla was looked on with respect and admiration
and sometimes awe by the local populations. This Cabot 500 Flotilla has
been a very special event in their lives. I am proud to have been a part
of it.
Jay Ailworth
Strange Bird
Marina Village Yacht Harbor
Alameda, CA |
Return to Jay's Home Page
Andy's Final Comments
As we made our passage from Quebec City, another historic
drama was playing out on the other side of Newfoundland. After 6 years
of construction, the 1.2 million-ton Hibernia platform was being towed
to it's final resting place. With 9 large ocean-going tugs pulling it slowly
along, it entered the record books at the largest man made object ever
moved. While the date and time of the tow was mainly due to project delays
and "weather windows", it seemed somehow natural that such an event would
take place only weeks before Newfoundland's 500th anniversary.
Oil production, not fishing, is probably the future of Newfoundland.
As we traveled, we would often hear Coast Guard reports
on VHF about the position of the "tow" and the navigation restrictions
around it. One day, the Coast Guard simply reported, "The Hibernia Platform
is now on station". It took me a moment to realize what that meant - after
6 years and 4.2 billion dollars, the platform had finally reached its home
200 miles offshore! I read later that it was placed only 3 meters from
the "X" on the map where it was supposed to be.
The Hibernia project was what brought me to Newfoundland
in 1990. It was Newfoundland that drew me back in 1997, and will probably
continue to draw me back until I'm too old to go.
Andy Barrow
O.P.B
San Ramon, CA |
