 |
| Maria Jennings with Trina Samson Step Dancers Christina Boudreau and Grace DeWolfe |
 |
| Grace DeWolfe, Christina Boudreau and Leah Boudreau with Richmond MLA Michel Samson |
 |
| Captain Phip Watson with Michel Samson and Samson's daughter.
August 14th, members of the Arichat Boat Club hosted a
Meet & Greet for the Captain and crew of the Nova Scotia icon the
Bluenose II. It was a lovely evening as Boat Club members, along with members
of DIMA, the Municipality of Richmond and Richmond County MLA Michel
Samson, made members of the Bluenose crew feel truly
welcomed to the historic Acadian Island. Crew members of the Bluenose II were
wined and dined in a true Cape Breton Tradition, and besides the delicious food
they were treated to an excellent evening of entertainment. Some planned and
some spontaneous. The evening was
started with appetizers, served by Trina Samson Dance School dancers,
Leah Boudreau, Christine Boudreau and Grace DeWolfe, who then performed a
series of step dance numbers for the gathering. Kenny Petitpas and friends, who
are very talented local performers from the Isle Madame performed a number of
traditional tunes for the group leading up to and following the delicious
seafood chowder dinner. While guests enjoyed their dessert they were
entertained with more entertainment by Petitpas and special singing
performances by the multi-talented
singer and dancer, Leah Boudreau as well as an performance by three members of
the Bluenose crew, which was met by the applause of the audience. During the
evening there was a presentation ceremony, where gifts were presented to
Captain Phil Watson and crew members. During the evening, I chatted with crew
members, learning of how they came to join the Bluenose II crew and what they had
learned during their sailing experience. Maria Jennings and her sister both
from Alberta had gained a love for sailing after taking a sailing course in
Alberta and during a trip to the east had expressed a desire to continue
sailing, especially after seeing the Bluenose II in dock. Maria told me that
because of her passion for the sea and sailing, she had been encouraged to
apply to the Bluenose organization to become a crew member. And not only did
she apply but so did her sister, and to their amazement, they had been both
accepted. Their dream had become a reality and the experience they were having
was above all their expectations. Maria confided it will be hard for her to
picture a life now away from the sea and sailing, but would recommend the experience
to any young person. She admits it is not all fun and games, there is a lot of
hard work, but there is also time to enjoy the peacefulness of the sea and all
the enjoyment that it brings. During time off between watches, when crew aren’t
working on a maintenance project or getting some sleep, there is always time to
hang out together. In tight quarters on Bluenose II, you quickly become a
close-knit group. In the evenings, someone always seems to have a guitar around
for a sing-along on deck, this was displayed during the evening’s entertainment
as 2 young ladies, one from Alberta and one from Lunenburg were joined by a
young gentlemen from Newfoundland as they joined in the musical lineup. Before leaving Arichat Port, Captain Phil
Watson in recognition of Fete Nationale Acadiens, was presented with an Acadien
Flag by MLA Michel Samson and his lovely daughter, which was flown by the
Bluenose on August 15. The Bluenose is truly an Ambassador for Nova Scotia and
it is great to see her back out on tour.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment