Schooner glory

There aren’t enough words to describe how great it was to host the first schooner launch to take place in Lunenburg in about 40 years.

There was such excitement as people began gathering at The Dory Shop for pre-launch festivities, including music, barbecue and beverages and of course sizing up the soon to be christened Kitty Cochran.

As 1 p.m. approached there was the good-natured jockeying for the best viewing positions, notably along Lunenburg’s former Railway Wharf. Then as the half hour neared, female crew of the Barque Picton Castle, all of whom had helped rig the boat, climbed aboard in their sun hats and dresses; a picture reminiscent of another age.

At 1:30 p.m. it was finally time for Annette Veasey, co-owner of the Kitty Cochran with her husband Duncan, to christen the vessel. Of course it’s well-known in these parts that those darn champagne bottles never break on the first swing. But this one smashed marvelously on the second try and then it was time to send this little schooner down the ways.

Here too there was a momentary hitch, but that only added to the drama, and then she was free. An afternoon of revelry followed and continued well into the night.

Our sincerest congratulations go out to the Veaseys, as well as to schooner builder David Westergaard. We look forward to more projects with him in the near future.

Dory Plug