Weather and status report

Winter has a firm grip on eastern Canada. We’ve come through weeks of snow every day, to sunny days, to milder temperatures and rain. The weather continues to surprise us. However nothing compares to what happened recently in the province of our birth, Newfoundland.

Hurricane force winds combined with a heavy snowfall, dumped 93 centimetres, 36 inches, on the community where I grew up. You can imagine the height of the snowbanks after the drifting. They already had lots of snow prior to the blizzard. The result was a State of Emergency in effect for 8 days as the capital city cleaned up the snow from the narrow streets of St. John’s. Prince Edward Island has had an easy winter by comparison.

I prefer to stay inside rather than fight the elements this time of year. Reading, writing and genealogy fill my days. Walking outside is preferable to the treadmill but those excursions are limited by the elements. I have no desire to venture forth on a sunny day when the temperature feels like it is in the -20s C. While I am warm enough when I’m walking, it can take the remainder of the day to alleviate the chill that seeps into my bones when the temperatures are so low.

My husband and I attempt to embrace winter but usually it embraces us.

Questions and answers:

Hootin’ Anni at http://hootin--anni.blogspot.com/  asked if it was saltwater in my last blog post From the shore.

It was frozen saltwater in the photos. The cargo vessel and the icebreaker were in Summerside Harbour in Prince Edward Island. The port is in the Northumberland Strait between the island and mainland Canada. The sea around the island freezes every winter.

Joanne at http://cuponthebus.blogspot.com/ asked about the same post:

Was that a regular route for Trinityborg and Cornwallis on regular duty seeing her through? 

Cargo vessels, such as Trinityborg, make regular visits to the port at Summerside during the other three seasons. There was such a vessel in port over Christmas and while the harbour had loose ice, the vessel could get out of port when the wind took the ice out to sea. Trinityborg came into port before the harbour froze which was later this year than it has been for a number of years.

The home port for Cornwallis is Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She comes to the aid of any vessel which needs her assistance. 

This time of year, icebreakers on the east coast of Canada spend much of their time in the Gulf of St. Lawrence between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. They provide a path through the icy Gulf for the ferries to and from Newfoundland. The bridge to the mainland from Prince Edward Island means sea traffic is nil here when ice encases the island.

The following article has satellite photos of the ice around PEI in February and April 2015. 

The photos are here.

From the shore

Frozen. The vast white plain stretches as far as the eye can see except this one undulates with the tide. Now the only blue is overhead on a clear day. Boat traffic has long since ceased, until today. The cargo vessel, Trinityborg is trapped in place at the wharf in Summerside and the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker, the Edward Cornwallis is in port to release her from the icy grip.

My husband and I watched the progress of the vessels as we walked the boardwalk. The icebreaker led the way with the cargo vessel following.

When the Cornwallis cleared the harbour, she stopped and waited for the larger vessel. 

When the Trinityborg cleared the harbour, she blew the horn.

Then the Cornwallis proceeded into the Northumberland Strait followed by the larger ship. They became part of that vast white plain.

The Trinityborg has a website where one can follow her progress. She was headed to Belledune in northern New Brunswick, through the icy Strait. I imagine the Cornwallis saw her safely there.

It was an interesting diversion to watch the two vessels as we walked the boardwalk.