17 November 2020: Today we're heading way up north to Ontario Canada for a visit to a pretty unique sight/site. It's not often one finds a real shipwreck parked alongside a public road, but here's the story, short and sweet, from the Ontario blog. The pictures really are the story here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You’ve probably spotted the gigantic abandoned ship that impressively rises out of the water while you've been driving along the QEW from Toronto to Niagara Falls.
The rusting shipwreck, which closely resembles a pirate ship and floats [ed: well, "floats" is a figure of speech in this case] only a few metres off the shoreline at the Jordan Harbour off Lake Ontario, is named La Grande Hermine or The Big Weasel. [ed:love the name in English. I think I know the guy it was named for!]
Tilting strongly to one side and measuring in at 140 feet (40 metres) in length, it’s a life-sized replica of the three-masted sailing vessel that famous explorer Jacques Cartier traveled on in the 1500s.
While the original didn’t survive, a replica was featured at Montreal’s 1967 Expo event as a gimmicky floating restaurant. It was later destroyed after sitting on display in a park in Quebec City for nearly three decades.
The third version of the vessel that sits off the highway in the town of Jordan today was purchased by a businessman and was intended also to be a floating eatery or gambling casino.
Despite the unique drifting venue, the business failed to get off the ground and the ship was abandoned. [ed: not sure I want to eat in a restaurant named "The Big Weasel"!]
An arson fire destroyed much of the ship in 2003 and what’s left of it remains burnt, rusted and run down, on the side of the road making for an interesting sight.
You can visit this fascinating roadside attraction and piece of history for free. Just follow Exit 55 to the parking lot on Beacon Boulevard.
Make sure to respect the rules of the area during your visit. Adhere to social distancing measures by visiting with a small group and pick up your trash to leave the area just as beautiful as you found it. [ed: good advice]
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Makes us wonder how many auto accidents occurred when a driver saw this sight!
Until next time,
Fair Winds,
Old Salt
PS: MARITIME MAUNDER has now surpassed 115,000 viewers! Thank you, all!
No comments:
Post a Comment