The Wreck of the Flora M.
Flora M. Gaff-rigged Schooner 1896-1923
This ship model is of a gaff-rigged schooner with the name ‘Flora M.’ The model was made by John MacDonald. There may be a family connection - the 'M.' could stand for MacDonald, as the ship's name 'Flora MacDonald' was already registered so could not be used again.
The real 'Flora M.' was built in Hantsport, NS in 1896, and registered in Windsor, NS, #117163 at 178 gross tons in 1906.
She ran aground on August 21st, 1911 near Cape Blomidon, NS in the Bay of Fundy, but was refloated. She was on passage from Hantsport, NS to Vineyard Haven, MA, USA; cargo unknown. The tidal range here is the largest in the world, so running aground was not uncommon, and with a sandy seabed and in summer weather not necessarily terminal. She was reregistered, presumably after repairs, in 1912.
The gaff rig arrangement of the sails is good for handling with a small crew, for navigating river estuaries, and for light winds. Its weak point is sailing to windward in stormy conditions, for which a bermudan sloop rig (typical of modern leisure yachts) is more efficient. She has a good hull shape for ocean work, with a long keel for easy steering and good overhangs at either end to handle big waves.
She was finally wrecked on December 6th 1923 after running aground near Beaver Harbour, NB on the north side of the Bay of Fundy. She was on passage from Windsor to Boston with a cargo of lumber. There is not much data available, but we can put together a likely scenario for her loss.
The weather records for Saint John, NB show a big rise in temperature and over 51mm (2") of rain on that day (more than half the monthly average) - classic signs of a 'Nor-easter', and one on a more northerly track than usual (or snow would have likely been the precipitation). These normally pass to the south of or over Nova Scotia. The skipper may have set sail into the forecast storm expecting Nor'easterly winds, which would have blown him safely on his way out of the Bay. He would probably have timed his departure to have the strong Fundy tides sweep him out of the Bay on the ebb also. With the wind and tide in the same direction, the waves would have been flattened somewhat. High water at Saint John that day was around 10 am, so we can envision the ‘Flora M.’ casting off a little before that hoping to be swept as well as blown down the Bay during the afternoon . If the storm centre took a more northerly track than usual however, and moved up the New Brunswick shore the Flora M would have experienced quite different conditions. She would have been forced onto the (northern) lee shore by the strong Sou'westerly or Sou'easterly winds of the early December storm. An unexpected Southerly wind acting against the tidal current would have caused large, steep waves rather than a Nor’easterly wind flattening the seas. She is likely to have made little forward progress against wind and wave after the early afternoon, gradually being forced northward towards the rocky lee shore as darkness came on around 4:40pm. The skipper would have shortened sail to slow his progress towards the rocks, hoping that the storm would move through rapidly, but (as shown by the high rainfall) this storm was a slow mover. They probably ran aground sometime in the early evening.
The fate of the crew is not known. It is a rocky coastline with few beaches. The next harbour along from Beaver Harbour is called Deadman’s Harbour, after the bodies which were found floating in it when it was first settled in the 1700’s, which does not bode well for the survival prospects of sailors shipwrecked nearby at night in a December storm.
This ship model is of a gaff-rigged schooner with the name ‘Flora M.’ The model was made by John MacDonald. There may be a family connection - the 'M.' could stand for MacDonald, as the ship's name 'Flora MacDonald' was already registered so could not be used again.
The real 'Flora M.' was built in Hantsport, NS in 1896, and registered in Windsor, NS, #117163 at 178 gross tons in 1906.
She ran aground on August 21st, 1911 near Cape Blomidon, NS in the Bay of Fundy, but was refloated. She was on passage from Hantsport, NS to Vineyard Haven, MA, USA; cargo unknown. The tidal range here is the largest in the world, so running aground was not uncommon, and with a sandy seabed and in summer weather not necessarily terminal. She was reregistered, presumably after repairs, in 1912.
The gaff rig arrangement of the sails is good for handling with a small crew, for navigating river estuaries, and for light winds. Its weak point is sailing to windward in stormy conditions, for which a bermudan sloop rig (typical of modern leisure yachts) is more efficient. She has a good hull shape for ocean work, with a long keel for easy steering and good overhangs at either end to handle big waves.
She was finally wrecked on December 6th 1923 after running aground near Beaver Harbour, NB on the north side of the Bay of Fundy. She was on passage from Windsor to Boston with a cargo of lumber. There is not much data available, but we can put together a likely scenario for her loss.
The weather records for Saint John, NB show a big rise in temperature and over 51mm (2") of rain on that day (more than half the monthly average) - classic signs of a 'Nor-easter', and one on a more northerly track than usual (or snow would have likely been the precipitation). These normally pass to the south of or over Nova Scotia. The skipper may have set sail into the forecast storm expecting Nor'easterly winds, which would have blown him safely on his way out of the Bay. He would probably have timed his departure to have the strong Fundy tides sweep him out of the Bay on the ebb also. With the wind and tide in the same direction, the waves would have been flattened somewhat. High water at Saint John that day was around 10 am, so we can envision the ‘Flora M.’ casting off a little before that hoping to be swept as well as blown down the Bay during the afternoon . If the storm centre took a more northerly track than usual however, and moved up the New Brunswick shore the Flora M would have experienced quite different conditions. She would have been forced onto the (northern) lee shore by the strong Sou'westerly or Sou'easterly winds of the early December storm. An unexpected Southerly wind acting against the tidal current would have caused large, steep waves rather than a Nor’easterly wind flattening the seas. She is likely to have made little forward progress against wind and wave after the early afternoon, gradually being forced northward towards the rocky lee shore as darkness came on around 4:40pm. The skipper would have shortened sail to slow his progress towards the rocks, hoping that the storm would move through rapidly, but (as shown by the high rainfall) this storm was a slow mover. They probably ran aground sometime in the early evening.
The fate of the crew is not known. It is a rocky coastline with few beaches. The next harbour along from Beaver Harbour is called Deadman’s Harbour, after the bodies which were found floating in it when it was first settled in the 1700’s, which does not bode well for the survival prospects of sailors shipwrecked nearby at night in a December storm.
