News Release Archive
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/TOURISM--SEASONED CAPTAIN PILOTS MATTHEW
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It's hard to get the sea out of your blood, especially after
spending more than four decades on the rigging of a ship, or
swaying with the slow roll of a yacht.
Just ask Captain Edward Kemp. The 61-year-old marine pilot has
volunteered to help guide the 73 foot long replica of John
Cabot's ship, the Matthew, through the St. Peter's Canal. He said
he's "thrilled out of my boats."
Captain Kemp is one of 40 Nova Scotians who is getting the chance
of a lifetime to participate in this historic re-enactment
voyage. On Aug. 19 he will board the vessel in Sydney and finish
his captain duties on Aug. 21 when the ship passes through the
canal. "I'm not nervous. The Matthew is up my alley," he said.
Captain Kemp started to get his sea legs, at the age of 15,
working as a cabin boy in Aberdeen, Scotland. The life of salt,
sweat and sea became ingrained in his blood and he decided to
work his way up to get his Master Mariner in 1967 and his Marine
Pilot licences in 1972. "I went to sea as an indentured boy. It
was very hard and very satisfying. I went from cabin boy to
captain," he said.
Captain Kemp emigrated to Canada in 1958, at the age of 22, and
three years later he settled in Cape Breton for good. As a 27
year veteran pilot, his first job in Canada was sailing on the
Branda Marguerite, a schooner which carried coal from North
Sydney to Newfoundland.
Over the years, he has piloted a number of vessels through the
Bras d'Or Lakes including such famous ships as the royal yacht
Britannia and the Serendipity, one of Aristotle Onassis' yachts.
In 1984 he piloted the Columbia and recently took the helm of the
H.M.S. Rose into North Sydney as part of the Tall Ships visit to
Cape Breton.
The Matthew visits Nova Scotia from Aug. 17-29, 1997. This
historic journey is coordinated by Economic Development and
Tourism, on behalf of the province, in conjunction with the ports
of Neil's Harbour, Sydney, Halifax, Shelburne and Yarmouth.
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Contact: Melanie Marchand
The Matthew Project Assistant
Economic Development and Tourism
902-424-3747
ngr August 15, 1997 - 12:10 pm
