Sounds like the makings of a good children’s story doesn’t it so “if your sitting comfortably, let be begin the tale of our afternoon tour!”
On a sparkling sunny afternoon the ‘Prince Edward I’ under the command of Captain Kenny departed the quayside in Charlottetown on a ‘Scenic Nature Cruise”. With the exception of Lester the Lobster it turned out to be more scenic than nature but still very enjoyable.
We sailed past Peake’s Wharf the historic waterfront, Fanningbank the Lieutenant Governor’s House and the many range lights rather than lighthouses that are numerous along this craggy coastline. Basically if you could see a range light ahead and another astern then you know you are on a safe line of passage. We enjoyed some breath taking views of the rocky red shoreline and cliffs – the soil has heavy concentrations of iron ore.
Charlottetown lies at the confluence of the Hillsborough and North Rivers and both shorelines are adorned with magnificent detached properties surrounded by rich green grassland and trees – a wonderful place to live.
The highlight of the afternoon was to be a lobster trap hauling demonstration with Captain Kenny building up the anticipation as towhether we would find a lobster in the trap. The waters in the harbour are not the best for lobsters but further round the headland and on the otherwise of Prince Edward Island the lobsters are numerous. There are strict rules in place as to the size of lobsters that can be taken to ensure they remain a sustainable catch.
Another popular sport is tuna fishing and Captain Kenny told us that his brother-in-law had caught, with a reel and line, a 1013lb (Pound) Blue Fin Tuna only the week before. This catch would, however, mark the end of his tuna fishing season so strict are the local licences.
So continuing to build up the excitement Captain Kenny hauled in his lobster trap and what do you think? Yes there was a lobster as displayed by Captain Kenny in the photo. We learnt of course that this lobster was called Lester and regularly twice a day was hauled to the surface to be displayed to an amazed audience!! The star looked pretty fed-up with the whole affair!! His reward was for some mackerel bait to be placed in the trap before he was replaced and returned to the depths for his next appearance.
Lester evidently was just of a size to be taken legally weighing in a just over a pound. A lobster of this size would be about 10 years old. His 10-minute appearance would leave him unharmed – a lobster can survive for about 2 hours in fresh air but if cooled and covered in a wet cloth could survive happily for 2 to 3 days. Smaller, younger lobsters are provided with an escape route from the trap since a larger lobster will eat their smaller brethren.
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