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. 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. 18