A Northumberland Strait iceboat is a rowing

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

, typically in length, in beam, with runners fastened to the hull for dragging over

sea ice Sea ice arises as seawater freezes. Because ice is less dense than water, it floats on the ocean's surface (as does fresh water ice, which has an even lower density). Sea ice covers about 7% of the Earth's surface and about 12% of the world's oce ...

Construction and use

Constructed of wood, similar to fishing

dories A dory is a small, shallow-draft boat, about long. It is usually a lightweight boat with high sides, a flat bottom and sharp bows. It is easy to build because of its simple lines. For centuries, the dory has been used as a traditional fishin ...

built in

Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...

and

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

, the iceboats were operated in the

Northumberland Strait The Northumberland Strait (French: ''détroit de Northumberland'') is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada. The strait is formed by Prince Edward Island and the gulf's eastern, southern, and western sho ...

during the 19th century and early 20th century, running between

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

and the mainland provinces of

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

and

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

during the winter months between December and April when sea ice made passage by non-

icebreaking An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

steam ships impossible. They were also used during the winter months to connect

Pictou Island Pictou Island is a Canadian island located in the Northumberland Strait approximately north of Nova Scotia and south of Prince Edward Island. The island has a length of 9.5 km, a width of 2.5 km and a total area of approximately 12.8&nb ...

with mainland

, sometimes in conjunction with passages from Prince Edward Island.

History

Throughout the 19th century, iceboats became an essential link to mainland North America for Prince Edward Island, transporting both mail and passengers. Passengers would sometimes assist the crew. In addition to pulling ropes attached to the iceboat, hand-holds were molded along the outer

gunwale The gunwale () is the top edge of the hull of a ship or boat. Originally the structure was the "gun wale" on a sailing warship, a horizontal reinforcing band added at and above the level of a gun deck to offset the stresses created by firing ...

s which were used for hauling the iceboat over sea ice until reaching stretches of open water. Crews and passengers faced stretches of open water, the sea ice, and slush ice that was in the process of freezing, which could make progress difficult. There are several accounts of boats becoming mired in these conditions and oars being broken during attempts to row through the slush. The boats bucked wind and tide among fields of sea ice. The two primary routes for iceboats was between

Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island Wood Islands is a rural farming and fishing community located in southeastern Queens County, Prince Edward Island on the Northumberland Strait. It takes its name from several small forested islands, then located several hundred metres offshore in ...

and

Caribou, Nova Scotia Caribou is a small rural community in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Located on the Northumberland Strait northwest of the town of Pictou, Caribou is named after the Woodland Caribou which used to live in Nova Scotia. Nearby geographic locat ...

, (sometimes combined with a stop at

Pictou Island, Nova Scotia Pictou Island is a Canadian island located in the Northumberland Strait approximately north of Nova Scotia and south of Prince Edward Island. The island has a length of 9.5 km, a width of 2.5 km and a total area of approximately 12.8&nb ...

), and across the

Abegweit Passage Abegweit Passage is the narrowest part of the Northumberland Strait, comprising the 13-kilometre-wide portion between Cape Traverse, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick. Tidal currents in this area can reach up to . This portion ...

between

Cape Traverse, Prince Edward Island Cape Traverse ( ) is a community in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada. A winter iceboat service crossed the Abegweit Passage between Cape Traverse to Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick for many decades during the 19th century and early 2 ...

and

Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick Cape Jourimain is an area comprising two islands and a section of mainland along the southwestern shore of the Northumberland Strait, three kilometres west of New Brunswick's easternmost point at Cape Tormentine. The two islands, Jourimain and Tr ...

. This latter route, was known as the "Capes Route" and was the longest running iceboat service, operating from December 19, 1827 until 1917 when the

railcar ferry ''Prince Edward Island'' began service on this route. Original Northumberland Strait iceboats are preserved at the Northumberland Fisheries MuseumNorthumberland Fisheries Museum
/ref> in

Pictou, Nova Scotia Pictou ( ; Canadian Gaelic: ''Baile Phiogto'') is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km (6 miles) north of the larger town of New Glasg ...

as well as the Gateway Village tourism complex in

Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island Borden-Carleton is a town in Prince County in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. It is situated on the south shore fronting on the Northumberland Strait. The town was originally incorporated as a community on April 12, 1995, through ...

; an outdoor interpretive display can be seen in Cape Traverse.

References

{{Reflist

External links

PEI's iceboats

PEI's iceboat service

Iceboat - Dictionary of Prince Edward Island English

Ice Boat Service National Historic Event

A historic link

The last iceboat

Rowing boats Water transport in Prince Edward Island Water transport in New Brunswick Water transport in Nova Scotia

Construction and use

History

See also

References

External links