hope for the fog to lift. After
a while he tried to get his bearing by listening to the waves
crashing on the shore, but the sea was silent. He became more and
more alarmed as thick fog swirled around him. He started gasping
for air, his heart beat loudly in his chest. He tried to control
the mounting anxiety brought on by his feeling of complete
disorientation.
Josh had one hand on the tiller when he
thought he saw something coming towards him. He peered into the
thick fog and saw what looked like the outline of a large fishing
boat. The image sharpened as it approached. Minutes later a 42-foot
Cape Islander appeared out of the fog and turned alongside the Melanie Jane . He was surprised to see a woman in her late
sixties at the helm. She was dressed in a fisherman's slicker, and
her wild grey hair framed a well-worn face. She didn't say a word
but beckoned him to follow her. As the boat went on ahead of him,
Josh read the neatly painted name, Marion Rose.
He quickly turned on his engine and
followed from about 50 feet astern. The woman never looked back and
kept on going at a steady pace. They motored on for about 45
minutes until the Marion Ros e slowed down to let Josh
approach. The woman then turned to Josh's boat and pointed to
starboard. By then the fog had started to dissipate and he
recognized the entrance to Cheticamp Harbour. He turned toward
shore, expecting the other boat to do the same, but when he looked
back the Marion Rose had vanished.
At the pub later that night, Josh
recounted his adventure.
“Was she wearing a captain's cap?”
asked Terry.
“Yes, as a matter of fact she was.”
“Well,” replied his friend,” you were
rescued by the 'Captain's Widow'. You're some lucky bastard!”
That evening Josh learned that in the
early 60s, Captain John Campbell, a local fisherman, had often gone
out to sea with his wife. She was a legend in the area, a strong
hardy woman. One day in 1964 she stayed ashore while her husband
took the boat out. A severe squall came upon him unexpectedly. They
found his boat but his body was never found. The next season the
Captain's wife began to take the Marion Rose out on her own.
People were concerned but she knew what she was doing. One day in
late August, a few people saw her go out to sea, even though they
were forecasting the worst storm of the season. They never saw her
or the Marion Rose again.
Once in a while there would be another
tale of how some lost tourist was shown the way back home by
following her ghostly boat. Over the years her legend grew and she
became known as “The Captain's Widow”.
Josh didn't put much stock in these
ghostly stories. He'd heard enough spooky yarns during his
late-night shifts on the Nunavu t than to take all this
seriously. Still, stories his grandfather had told gave him enough
respect for the supernatural to keep an open mind.
Things were working out well for Josh.
He owned his own home, he had a great job and he was deeply in
love. In the fall, he planned to take a trip to Quebec City with
Melanie and ask her to marry him.
Josh loved those days in late
September, when the warm air and the honeyed light made him feel
summer would go on forever. Once again he had taken his boat out
toward Inverness. It was early evening as he approached the narrow
gut at the north end of Cheticamp Harbour. The sea had been getting
steadily worse and he was relieved to be so close to home. He
didn't see the empty oil drum bobbing up and down in the rising
swells. The Melanie Jane hit the oil drum head on. The bow
shot up and the boat flipped on its side. The wildly swerving boom
hit Josh on the side of the head and he was thrown into the
turbulent sea. Dazed and gasping for air, he flailed in the water,
trying to get his bearing. He was confused; images of impenetrable
smoke flashed in his mind. He experienced the same burning lungs,
the same desperate need for air. As his body was violently tossed
by the crashing waves, Josh lost
a while he tried to get his bearing by listening to the waves
crashing on the shore, but the sea was silent. He became more and
more alarmed as thick fog swirled around him. He started gasping
for air, his heart beat loudly in his chest. He tried to control
the mounting anxiety brought on by his feeling of complete
disorientation.
Josh had one hand on the tiller when he
thought he saw something coming towards him. He peered into the
thick fog and saw what looked like the outline of a large fishing
boat. The image sharpened as it approached. Minutes later a 42-foot
Cape Islander appeared out of the fog and turned alongside the Melanie Jane . He was surprised to see a woman in her late
sixties at the helm. She was dressed in a fisherman's slicker, and
her wild grey hair framed a well-worn face. She didn't say a word
but beckoned him to follow her. As the boat went on ahead of him,
Josh read the neatly painted name, Marion Rose.
He quickly turned on his engine and
followed from about 50 feet astern. The woman never looked back and
kept on going at a steady pace. They motored on for about 45
minutes until the Marion Ros e slowed down to let Josh
approach. The woman then turned to Josh's boat and pointed to
starboard. By then the fog had started to dissipate and he
recognized the entrance to Cheticamp Harbour. He turned toward
shore, expecting the other boat to do the same, but when he looked
back the Marion Rose had vanished.
At the pub later that night, Josh
recounted his adventure.
“Was she wearing a captain's cap?”
asked Terry.
“Yes, as a matter of fact she was.”
“Well,” replied his friend,” you were
rescued by the 'Captain's Widow'. You're some lucky bastard!”
That evening Josh learned that in the
early 60s, Captain John Campbell, a local fisherman, had often gone
out to sea with his wife. She was a legend in the area, a strong
hardy woman. One day in 1964 she stayed ashore while her husband
took the boat out. A severe squall came upon him unexpectedly. They
found his boat but his body was never found. The next season the
Captain's wife began to take the Marion Rose out on her own.
People were concerned but she knew what she was doing. One day in
late August, a few people saw her go out to sea, even though they
were forecasting the worst storm of the season. They never saw her
or the Marion Rose again.
Once in a while there would be another
tale of how some lost tourist was shown the way back home by
following her ghostly boat. Over the years her legend grew and she
became known as “The Captain's Widow”.
Josh didn't put much stock in these
ghostly stories. He'd heard enough spooky yarns during his
late-night shifts on the Nunavu t than to take all this
seriously. Still, stories his grandfather had told gave him enough
respect for the supernatural to keep an open mind.
Things were working out well for Josh.
He owned his own home, he had a great job and he was deeply in
love. In the fall, he planned to take a trip to Quebec City with
Melanie and ask her to marry him.
Josh loved those days in late
September, when the warm air and the honeyed light made him feel
summer would go on forever. Once again he had taken his boat out
toward Inverness. It was early evening as he approached the narrow
gut at the north end of Cheticamp Harbour. The sea had been getting
steadily worse and he was relieved to be so close to home. He
didn't see the empty oil drum bobbing up and down in the rising
swells. The Melanie Jane hit the oil drum head on. The bow
shot up and the boat flipped on its side. The wildly swerving boom
hit Josh on the side of the head and he was thrown into the
turbulent sea. Dazed and gasping for air, he flailed in the water,
trying to get his bearing. He was confused; images of impenetrable
smoke flashed in his mind. He experienced the same burning lungs,
the same desperate need for air. As his body was violently tossed
by the crashing waves, Josh lost
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