Hurricane Edna Large Web view.jpg Harbourville, circa 1880 ThumbnailsJess and Robert
Hurricane Edna
Etching
Edition of 60
17 3/4 x 24
$1000 unframed
$1550 framed

The rise and fall of the tide in the Upper Bay of Fundy is accompanied by a horizontal movement of water in excess of ten miles per hour in the deeper, central channels. This horizontal movement creates a downward pull on the floating buoys, which are attached by a rope to the weighted lobster traps causing the buoys to be submerged, particularly in the deeper water. In order to tend these traps the fishermen had a routine of leaving the harbour on the ebb tide and concentrating their effort at low tide when the highest number of buoys would be visible. As the tide turned, the fishermen would return to the wharf, which was high and dry at low tide, to tie up their boats. In the Upper Bay of Fundy none of the wharves were accessible at low tide.
Hurricane Edna was preceded by large waves and no wind. The waves struck at low tide, when the boats were all out and had no where to go for shelter. They had to wait outside of the wharf as the hurricane increased in intensity, until high tide (six hours). The surf was too dangerous to try entry into the harbour. The print shows my father in his boat as he negotiated the harbour entrance. The force of the wave on the stern of his boat nearly shoved him sideways at the surfing speed into the wharf. Only by opening the throttle wide open and shoving the stick which controlled the rudder hard over was he able to avoid collision. No boats were lost.
(1991)
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