An England-based tall ship is spending some unexpected time in Louisbourg, N.S., thanks to post-tropical storm Bertha.
“I’ve never met a bunch of nicer people than I have in this town,” says Dylan Nelson, an Irishman who is enjoying his first trip to North America.
“I’ve been to many towns on tall ships, but this is the nicest one I’ve ever been in.”
Dubbed a “tall ship for all,” the Lord Nelson is specially equipped to accommodate people living with a wide range of disabilities. Several crew members are living with disabilities and called the Lord Nelson their “ship of dreams.”
They each contribute in some way, regardless of ability or disability, completing tasks that range from scrubbing the decks to steering the boat.
“Keeping lookout, keeping logs, to setting sails, scrubbing decks, to helping in the galley,” says Capt. Barbara Campbell. “Everyone joins in with everything.”
“You can do whatever you really want to do, if you put your mind to it, and this ship just proves it,” says Nelson.
The ship is wrapping up a two-year trip around the world, during which time it picked up crew members at various stops.
“We are all strangers in the beginning, but we leave the boat as friends,” says crew member Jan Olijve.
The ship had spent some time in Halifax and was bound for St.-Pierre-and-Miquelon when rough seas forced the Lord Nelson to turn around and head for Louisbourg.
“When we got out to sea we could feel the swell from tropical-storm Bertha and when I could see how heavy the rain was associated with it, and the conditions, we decided it would be good to turn around,” says Campbell.
The crew toured the Fortress of Louisbourg and say they have been treated like royalty since making port in the small town.
“We’ve been made so welcome here,” says Campbell. “Everyone has kind of forgotten the St.-Pierre bit.”
“I enjoy the street, the scenery, the seafood, everything so far,” says crew member Nazeer Ali.
The Lord Nelson will head back to Halifax for its last Maritime stop, before setting sail for its home port of Southampton.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald
