Northumberland Strait iceboat
Encyclopedia
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
, typically 5 metres in length, 2 metres in beam, with runners fastened to the hull for dragging over sea ice
Sea ice
Sea ice is largely formed from seawater that freezes. Because the oceans consist of saltwater, this occurs below the freezing point of pure water, at about -1.8 °C ....
.
Constructed of wood, similar to fishing dories
Dory
The dory is a small, shallow-draft boat, about long. It is a lightweight and versatile boat with high sides, a flat bottom and sharp bows. They are easy to build because of their simple lines. For centuries, dories have been used as traditional fishing boats, both in coastal waters and in the...
built in Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, the iceboats were operated in the Northumberland Strait
Northumberland Strait
The Northumberland Strait is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada...
during the 19th century and early 20th century, running between Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
and the mainland provinces of New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
and Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
during the winter months between December and April when sea ice made passage by non-icebreaking
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
steam ships impossible. They were also used during the winter months to connect Pictou Island with mainland Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, sometimes in conjunction with passages from Prince Edward Island.
Throughout the 19th century, iceboats became an essential link to mainland North America for Prince Edward Island, transporting both mail and passengers. Passengers would pay a premium fee to sit in the boat for the entire crossing, or a reduced rate if they assisted the crew. In addition to pulling ropes attached to the iceboat, hand-holds were molded along the outer gunwale
Gunwale
The gunwale is a nautical term describing the top edge of the side of a boat.Wale is the same word as the skin injury, a wheal, which, too, forms a ridge. Originally the gunwale was the "Gun ridge" on a sailing warship. This represented the strengthening wale or structural band added to the design...
s which were used for hauling the iceboat over sea ice until reaching stretches of open water.
The greatest danger that iceboat crews and passengers faced was not the stretches of open water, nor the sea ice, but rather the heavy "slush" that would pool in areas of open water that were in the process of solidifying into ice. There are several accounts of boats becoming mired in these conditions and oars being broken during attempts to row through the slush. Wind and tide formed another danger as the fields of sea ice were prone to rapid drifting as a result of these forces. There have been accounts of iceboats being swept up or down the Northumberland Strait and landing far from their intended destinations. Strandings also occurred in which case iceboat occupants would huddle on the surface of an ice floe beneath the upended iceboat waiting for storms to pass, sometimes breaking parts of the boat off for fire wood to stave off the cold. Fortunately not many lives were lost during these perilous crossings.
Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island
Wood Islands is a Canadian rural farming and fishing community located in southeastern Queens County, Prince Edward Island on the Northumberland Strait....
and Caribou, Nova Scotia
Caribou, Nova Scotia
Caribou is a small Canadian rural community in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.Located on the Northumberland Strait northwest of the town of Pictou, Caribou is named after the Woodland Caribou which used to live in Nova Scotia until European settlers hunted the herds to extinction in the 19th century...
, (sometimes combined with a stop at Pictou Island, Nova Scotia
Pictou Island, Nova Scotia
Pictou Island is a Canadian island located in the Northumberland Strait approximately 4 NM north of Nova Scotia and 10 NM south of Prince Edward Island. Measuring 9.5 km in length and 2.5 km in width, the island is administratively part of Pictou County....
), and across the Abegweit Passage
Abegweit Passage
Abegweit Passage is the narrowest part of the Northumberland Strait, comprising the 13-kilometre wide portion between Cape Tryon, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick. Tidal currents in this area can reach up to 4 knots...
between Cape Traverse, Prince Edward Island and Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick
Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick
Cape Tormentine is a Canadian rural community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.The community derives its name from a headland of the same name which extends into the Northumberland Strait, forming the easternmost point in the province.-Railway:...
. This latter route, was known as the "Capes Route" and was the longest running iceboat service, operating from December 19, 1827 until 1917 when the icebreaking railcar ferry Prince Edward Island began service on this route.
Original Northumberland Strait iceboats are preserved at the Northumberland Fisheries Museum in Pictou, Nova Scotia
Pictou, Nova Scotia
Pictou is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km north of the larger town of New Glasgow....
as well as the Gateway Village tourism complex in Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island
Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island
Borden-Carleton is a Canadian village located on the south shore of Prince Edward Island, fronting on the Northumberland Strait.The village was created through a merger on April 12, 1995 of the original port town of Borden and the farming community of Carleton...
; an outdoor interpretive display can be seen in Cape Traverse.