Ashbury College - Ashburian Yearbook (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

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L ,O On the twenty -fifth of May, 1976 the crew of the Brigantine Playfair, David Carlson, john and Arnie Mierins, and Gad Perry among them, set off from Kingston heading for New York. After getting enough exper- ience to get by they left Lake Ontario. Then, they ran aground. At four a. m. in Montreal the boat got stuck. Needless to say an Ashburian was on watch. After seven hours the Playfair was away, head- ing for Quebec City. Smooth sailing it was not after Quebec, as the Playfair left the relative safety of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In short, the stretch from Quebec to Gaspe was un- pleasant for some. The wake from the Rus- sian tankers passing the Playfair near Quebec didn't help things either. The crew was very happy to arrive in Gaspe where as they did on every shore leave, they had showers. Whether it was in a Y. M. C. A. , a hospital or a school a shower was bliss for the sailors. At Gaspe Dave Carlson discovered that he had finally got his sea legs. Unfortun- ately, he discovered this on land. So, after walking the streets of Gaspe for a couple of hours he found himself swaying from side to side and having an awkward time walking normally. JT After stopping in the Magdalen Islands fDave was at the helm heading for the is- lands and found it difficult coping with the large waves coming from behind the boat! and then Baddeck, the Playfair reached Halifax. Here the crew changed boats and officers. Perhaps the crew and officers were becoming too friendly for such a disciplined occupation such as sailing. But whatever the reason, the crew of the Play- fair became the crew of the Pathfinder, and the crew of the Pathfinder, and the in- famous Mr. Prince became one of Dave's new officers. CMr. Prince was infact a 16 year old megalomaniacj In any event, the new crew of the Path - finder set sail from Halifax to Lunenburg and from there to Salem. This leg of the trip was the longest, taking five days and encountering heavy seas and thick fog. Coupled with the lack of fresh water fthe crew had to drink the juice from canned fruits or gather the moisture off the sailsb the rough ride was indeed trying for the whole crew. Finally in Salem, the crew was treated like heroes. It was not until Stanford that Dave realized the extent of the heroes wel- come. Sailing by way of Plymouth, New Bedford, Mistic, and Newport, the Path- finder reached Stanford where the sailors were fed MacDonalds hamburgers and en- tertained by a re -enactment of the Ameri- can Revolution. The climax of the trip was approachingg the sail-past in New York. After getting spun and turned by the treacherous cur- rents at Hell's Gate, the Pathfinder sailed into New York with the hundreds of other foreign vessels. It was, as Dave put it, a zoo. It was also a letdown. What will David remember most vividly? Perhaps the games of rigging tag, or the party at Stanford, or learning how to live with twenty four others, getting up at four a. m. to go on watch and be tossed about by the waves crashing across the bow, salty spray in the face, or being enveloped by the damp, silent fog. And even for Dave, who despises pretentiousness, it was a peak experience. A.1.J. 9

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THOSEWHO GO DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS

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Christine Varley appears dubious about the cookies. Below: There was no doubt at all about the gym. In the background is Paul Macoun. Mrs. Joyce with grandchild Stephanie 'fkifi Below Left: Leslie Crockett with Rebecca Hopkins and Michael Lister. Below Right: Leslie Crockett, Chris Monk, Susan Crockett, Rebecca Hopkins and Sister Danielle, Michael Lister. , us. IO