Ghost stories at Fortress Louisbourg - HALIFAX.CityGuide.ca

Ghost stories at Fortress Louisbourg - HALIFAX.CityGuide.ca

Raindancer Story

Jimmy Norman MacDonald (Big Jim) helped a friend sail a yacht to the Virgin Islands. He was on his way to the Airport to fly back to Nova Scotia when he saw a sign on a bulletin board.

Wanted crewman for sailboat to sail to Nova Scotia. See Captain Ron at Schooner Raindancer II. 

So Jim found Captain Ron and asked about trip. "Are you a sailor?" asked Captain Ron. "No"said Big Jim, "I am a songwriter". "We could use a songwriter," says Captain Ron and Jim was welcomed aboard. Big Jim had never written a song before but Nova Scotia was a long way off and he had a lot of time to work on it. You can hear the song here

Louisbourg Legion Helps Haiti

The Ladies Auxiliary with a lot of help from the branch and others volunteers put on a week of spectacular breakfasts. and raised close to $7,000 which the government will raise to $14,000

Congratulations on a job well done!

Gary LeDrew

Rule of the Road for Steamers

Rule of the Road for Steamers

When all three Lights I see ahead ~

I port my helm, and show my Red

Green to Green ~ or Red to Red~

Perfect safety ~ Go ahead!

If to Starboard Red appear,

It is my duty to keep clear;

Act as judgment says is proper~

Port ~ or Starboard ~ Back ~ or Stop her!

But when upon my port is seen

A Steamer's Starboard light of Green,

For me there's naught to do, but see

That Green to Port keeps clear of me.

Both in safety and in doubt

I always keep a good look-out;

If in danger, with no room to turn,

I ease her! ~ Stop her! ~ Go astern!

by Thomas Gray, December 1877

N.S. man caught up in major European drug bust

Spanish police seize a tonne of cocaine on Canadian-registered ship

Last Updated: Thursday, December 24, 2009 | 6:21 PM AT Comments0Recommend0

CBC News

The Destiny Empress, a former Department of Fisheries and Oceans vessel, is seen at a navy base in Ferrol, Spain, after it was seized off the Spanish coast Tuesday. Police say the ship was carrying at least a tonne of cocaine destined for London. (Spanish Interior Ministry)A former scallop fisherman from Digby, N.S., has been arrested on the high seas by Spanish police as part of a major international cocaine bust.



Officers from the Spanish National Police's special operations group seized a Canadian-built ship carrying at least a tonne of cocaine Tuesday morning. The ship was boarded 320 kilometres off the coast of Spain and was destined for the port of Vigo from the Caribbean, Spain's Interior Ministry said.

'My husband is completely innocent. He was not aware of what was taking place on the ship.'—Sheree Halliday

Seven crew aboard the vessel, including 53-year-old Digby native Philip Halliday, were arrested after a search of a secret compartment found the drugs. Police in Spain and England arrested a further 16 people of several nationalities on accusations that they participated in a criminal network seeking to import the drugs to London via the Caribbean.

"The subjects are experienced criminals with long-standing associations," Scotland Yard said in a statement. "Their network stretches from London and Spain to the Caribbean and Colombia."

Halliday's wife, Sheree, said she was informed by a phone call from Spanish police that her husband had been arrested, but she didn't know whether he had been charged.

"My husband is completely innocent. He was not aware of what was taking place on the ship. In no way would he ever jeopardize his safety or his family," Sheree Halliday said from Digby.

Halliday would not discuss how her husband got to be a crew member on the boat. She did say that she later heard from the Canadian Embassy in Madrid that Philip Halliday, who had heart bypass surgery last year, was first taken to a hospital in Spain and later to a prison hospital ward.

The ship is a former Department of Fisheries and Oceans craft that was decommissioned in 2001, sold in 2005 and then renamed the Destiny Empress. The 58-metre, steel-hulled boat was based Nova Scotia until last spring, when it moved to the Caribbean. Pictures taken this year in Antigua show it still flying a Canadian flag, and Transport Canada's vessel registry lists it as a 1,200-tonne pleasure craft registered in Montreal to the Empress Investment Group Ltd.

Spanish police said it was the first time they had seized a boat of that type with drugs aboard. Officers who boarded the Destiny Empress found the cocaine under a trap door that had been bolted down with an aluminum plate and covered by a carpet in one of the ship's rooms.

The Spanish National Police said the drug haul amounted to a tonne, which would be worth about $75 million at British wholesale prices, while Scotland Yard asserted the seizure measured 1.5 tonnes and was worth $620 million at street prices.

Gary LeDrew

Ship seized with cocaine worth $600M

December 23, 2009 1:15 p.m. EST

The Destiny Empress was seized carrying $600 million worth of cocaine.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• A ship carrying $600 million worth of cocaine is seized off Iberian coast


• The ship is believed to be carrying 1.5 tons of cocaine


• Members of the crew were arrested by police


• The Destiny Empress is a former coast guard vessel


• 
  

London, England (CNN) -- Spanish police have seized a ship carrying nearly $600 million worth of cocaine, in a joint operation with London's Metropolitan Police, Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency, and maritime authorities, Scotland Yard announced.

The ship, carrying an estimated 1.5 tons of cocaine, was boarded 200 miles off the Iberian coast early Tuesday morning, police said.

Police believe the drugs were bound mostly for London -- and had a street value of 375 million British pounds, they said.

Members of the ship's crew were arrested, police said while suggesting that other arrests also had been made.

"The subjects are experienced criminals with long-standing associations. Their network stretches from London and Spain to the Caribbean and Colombia," the Metropolitan Police said in a written statement.

Police did not name the suspects or say what they were charged with. British law restricts what information can be published about people who have been arrested, for fear of prejudicing legal proceedings.

The 150-foot ship, the Destiny Empress, is a former Coast Guard vessel that set off from the West Indies.

The seizure of the ship was based on an intelligence operation, the police said in announcing it Tuesday.

Peter Beyer of the Metropolitan Police central task force thanked the Spanish police for their role in the operation, saying, "Their dedication and professionalism has ensured that the harm caused by this criminal network to the communities of London has been reduced significantly."

Destiny Empress comes to town

Destiny Empress Antigua

Gary LeDrew

Mike MacDonald Reception

Mike's Reception was a big success. In spite of the short notice Friends and family showed up in droves to congratulate the new senator for Cape Breton. Mike Duffy was a guest of honour and Alfie McLeod was M.C.

Gary LeDrew

Louisbourg's lighthouse hits milestone

Section: Cape Breton

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The sounds of cannon fire will return to the harbour this month as part of celebrations to mark the 275th anniversary of the first lighthouse in Canada.

The Louisbourg Lighthouse Society along with the Coastal Connections Trail Association and the Louisbourg Youth Group have planned a number of activities to mark the occasion.

With support from Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, historians, mariners and community organizations will come together Aug. 22 to celebrate the anniversary at the lighthouse.

Known throughout the world for its dramatic role in the strategic ebb and flow of European power struggles in the 18th century, Louisbourg is perhaps lesser known for its historic role in coastal navigation. Before lighthouses, one method used to guide ships into the harbour in foggy weather was cannon fire.

In addition to cannon demonstrations and firings from Lighthouse Point, guest speakers will address the significance of the lighthouse in 18th and 20th century navigation and a retired lightkeeper will make a presentation on that part of the light's history.

Festivities will be at Lighthouse Point overlooking Louisbourg harbour from 11 a.m. to about 3 p.m.

Cannon demonstrations are scheduled for 11 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

At 1:30 p.m., visitors are invited to participate in a choice of three tours - learn about geocaching, a 21st century game using GPS navigation; learn about the significant archaeological sites along the lighthouse trail or take in a nature walk, observing the many varieties of plants along the lighthouse trail.

Gary LeDrew

Forgotten American Soldiers

It is American Memorial Weekend but long forgotton are the remains of the soldiers of their first great victory. Over 800 bodies remain buried on a lonley windy point in Louisbourg.

The French surrendered to the British king. But it was the end of luck for the men of New England. The farmer boys and fishermen who won the day were then required to hold the fortress until the British regulars arrived. They did not arrive until the following Spring of 1746. Through the winter as many as 17 men died per day, a total of 800 Yankees dead and over 1,000 ill from cold and disease. Too tired and weak even to dig graves, New Englanders dropped the corpses of comrades beneath the floorboards of abandoned French homes.

Gary LeDrew

Destiny Empress

Destiny Empress which out wore her welcome here has found a new Home in St Johns Antigua and has a new coat of paint too.

these Photos were sent by Pierre F. Munoz. from Montreal.

Gary LeDrew

Codfish

A Newfie Fishing boat Atlantic Mariner Landed Codfish on Sunday.

Fisherman friend Gary Trainer sent some photos. More Photos

Gary LeDrew