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Recorder and Times
Their message doesn't come in a bottle. But local members of
the Save Our Shipwrecks (SOS) organization hope area divers will
world together to help preserve the St. Lawrence Rivers rich
marine heritage.
On Sunday, divers from the newly-formed SOS Thousand Islands
chapter completed their first project by properly marking the
Robert Gaskin. a triple-mast schooner which sank in 71 feet of
water just east of Blockhouse Island in 1889.
Treasurer Rob Andress said marking the ship will stop damage to
its deck and milings caused by dive boats dropping anchors onto
the wreck.
The Thousand Islands chapter was formed in April and consists of
25 members with varying degrees of diving experience.
The group believes if divers understand the heritage value of
shipwrecks, they are less likely to strip them and more likely to
appreciate and protect them thereby preserving our marine
heritage.
The Gaskin, launched in Kingston in 1863, was built for trans-Atlantic
travel and boasted a carrying capacity of 20,000 bushels. The
ship's main purpose was to transport grain from Milwaukee,
Wisconsin to Prescott.
Divers marked the wreck With a Coast Guard-approved buoy which
has enough strength to allow a 32-to 40 foot boat to safely moor
off it. The buoy ends the need for larger dive boats to drop
anchors and will limit any damage caused to the wreck by
misplaced anchors hitting the ship. The system should also
improve the safety of divers during their descents and ascents.
The new buoy is anchored to the bottom of the river by a six-foot
long, steel auger pin driven into the clay, along with 1,200
pounds of concrete placed beside the pin.
The marker will be taken down in November or December and re-installed
in the spring.
Another shipwreck will be marked in late September or early
October. The Muskellunge is sitting in 90 feet of water just east
of the city limits.
Andress who estimates there are 17 wrecks in the immediate area,
said the organization will continue marking shipwrecks to prevent
other ships from being damaged by falling anchors.
There are also a number of wrecks which still haven't been found
so SOS may be able to help locate them.
The group has received more than $1,100 in sponsorship, including
$900 from the city.
Councilor Larry Journal, who also participated in Sunday's dive,
said the money is well spent because of the spin-off revenues
created by divers traveling to the area.
"SOS can put Brockville at the forefront for tourists coming
here." said Journal, who has been diving for three years.
Diving has become a major tourist attraction in many towns and
cities across Ontario. according to Journal.
SOS member Bill Slade agrees. noting divers usually spends $100 a
day in the community they are visiting. "It's an untapped
market," Slade said. "Brockville is a phenomenal place
for diving because there is so much to see and the water clarity
is great.
Slade, who has been diving for 15 years, said the water has
improved dramatically. "When I started diving the visibility
was two to three feet. Nowadays, you can see on 20 to 30 feet in
front of you".
Slade said the town of Tobermory on Georgian Bay welcomes more
than 12,000 divers annually, pumping close to $40 million into
the economy.
Like Slade, Andress said the city needs to market its excellent
diving potential. "I've run into people in Rockport and
Kingston who knew there were wrecks here but didn't know were
they were," Andress said.
The projects completed by SOS Thousand Islands will be printed
and distributed to SOS members across Ontario on a quarterly
basis, bringing a high exposure to Brockville as a diving
destination.
Andress points out the non-profit organization always needs
donations. "We have to beg, borrow or steal to get supplies,''
Andress joked.
Joining SOS costs $25 per person or $40 a family. Money goes to
the provincial headquarters to cover insurance for special
projects and other expenses.
Andress began diving last year because he always wanted to try it.
"When you first start everything seems a little scary but
the more you dive the more comfortable you feel."
The rest of the summer will be busy for the organization. Next
month, the group will be participating in the Home and Leisure
Show at the Memorial Centre offering information on the
underwater world and local marine heritage. In September, SOS
will be taking part in "the International Marine Clean Up
Day." Members will be removing garbage from the city's
marina and harbour front.
They will also be hosting a Dive Brockville Day to introduce out-of-town
divers to some of the wrecks in the area and the joys of drift
diving with the river's current.
The group plans to hold in' .formation and education seminars on
Brockville's marine heritage in the future.
Andress also hopes to have a brochure printed next year which
would be handed out to divers and dive-boat charters. The
brochure will cover the history of the wrecks being explored,
giving the divers a surveyed map of the wreck and reiterating the
organization's message, "take nothing and leave only bubbles
. "
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