Old fishing boat goes adrift in Caraquet
An old fishing boat in Caraquet floated away from shore after it broke free from its moorings over the weekend.
The Lady Shippagan, which has been inactive for several years, went adrift around 5 p.m. on Sunday and then ended up landing on a nearby bank that same evening.
"It just went to shore and it's there, still upright," said Daniel Landry, who has been the harbour manager at the Caraquet wharf for the past six years.
Landry said there was no one on the boat when it floated away, but said strong winds in the area and weak ropes caused the boat to come loose.
Right now, he said the boat is about 300 metres from where it was initially docked at the wharf.
Landry found out about the boat after receiving a phone call from one of the Canadian Coast Guard boats that was monitoring the area because of the high winds.
Never happened before
During the high season, there are about 70 boats at the wharf, but Landry said something like this has never happened before. He was worried the boat would drift even further.
"I was surprised," he said.
Landry said both the coast guard and the provincial environment department have been notified and will be handling the incident.
"I don't know what is going to happen with it now," he said.
The Lady Shippagan, which is owned by a private company, has been at the wharf for the past 30 years and is slated for demolition.
Landry wouldn't say who owned the boat, but said they have been notified of the boat that went adrift.
