In Cardigan on April 1, 1919, work began on the building of the three-masted schooner, the Barbara MacDonald. This vessel was named after one of John A. MacDonald’s daughters.

This vessel was built from the finest material available. The mate- rial for the hull came from British Columbia and the masts from New Brunswick. In October the finishing touches were applied and the ship was made ready for the water.

‘Barbara MacDonald’ ready to be launched.

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The Launching

The stage was then set for the big day — the launching of the Barbara MacDonald. People came for miles around and marvelled at the excellence of the boat. Besides being a strongly constructed and

well-modelled ship, she was a thing of beauty.

Everything went off without a hitch. The traditional bottle of champagne was broken and the big vessel started down the runway. With a splash she hit the water, rolled to either side, then righted herself and proudly floated on the Cardigan River.

Mr. MacDonald was justly proud of this vessel. Many months of labour and a great deal of money had been spent but the beautiful ship riding at anchor in the river was well worth the effort.