All Things St. Jacques, NL

Albatross – The Model Alex Hickey 2024-06-17

Mention the Albatross on many parts of the south coast of Newfoundland and folks will say, “Isn’t that the name of Dr. Fitz-Gerald’s boat?” Of course, the answer is yes. He owned two vessels of that name. The first was sunk in 1916. Within a year he had a second small schooner sailing Fortune Bay where he ministered to the health needs of its residents. This one was also named Albatross. The new Albatross served him for the duration of his medical career and was sold near the end of his life to Chesley Yarn of Mose Ambrose who used her for trading along the coast. Where she went after that, I don’t know.

The first Albatross, built by John Cluett of Belleoram to specifications provided by Dr. Fitz-Gerald, is the subject of my book, Misfortune Bay: The Loss of the Albatross. As the publication date for that book neared, I reflected on the fact that no one alive today had ever seen the original Albatross. That would mean that whatever schooner the reader was familiar with would become the ‘Albatross’ in their mind as they read. I have no problem with that. Such is the nature of reading stories.

Very few photographs of her exist. Those we do have were included in a biography of Fitz-Gerald, titled The Albatross, written by his grandson Conrad Trelawney Fitz-Gerald in 1935. I included one of them in Misfortune Bay. It occurred to me that I could have a scale model built since all the physical dimensions of the vessel were included in that biography. With those in hand, I went looking for a model boat-builder. I followed a few obvious suggestions but was not able to locate one. Then, I asked my friend Doug Wells in Hr. Breton. He immediately gave me the name of Max Taylor in Baie D’Espoir. Through friends Dave and Doug Jackman from that area, I made contact. Mr. Taylor agreed to give it a try. He doesn’t usually take on custom orders. He builds schooners from his own knowledge and research. He uses detailed templates which he has developed over the years. I sent him a photo of the Albatross, its specifications from the biography and photos of similar-sized Newfoundland schooners. He took a look at the material and told me he’d need a bit of time to clue up a project he was working on. I smiled, for I knew then and there I had reached out to the right person.

A couple of months later I received a call from Mr. Taylor. “She’s finished, or at best I think she is,” he said. I could barely contain my excitement. I felt like driving from St. John’s to the south coast that afternoon! A week later, on a clear, warm, early summer day I set out for the Head of Baie D’Espoir. Mr. Taylor’s directions were perfect. As I drove up the quiet street his shed was easy to spot.

Max Taylor is of a quiet disposition, extremely polite, humble and a great conversationalist. He came out to meet me and walk me back to his workshop. His subtlety was legendary. I entered a long building in his backyard that exuded the most wonderful aromas of different woods, sawdust and paint. This was not a playhouse. There were busy benches, windows that caught the afternoon sun bouncing off the bay, and tidiness that speaks to someone knowing just where to reach to find the things they need.  On his workbench that day was a fine-looking schooner receiving paint details, a vessel destined for a niece in New Brunswick. I could hear in his voice the pride and care that was going into every detail because he knew well the eyes that would be soon looking upon it. His eyes followed me as I looked around, knowing I was seeking out the Albatross. He smiled and simply walked to the far end of his shed. I watched as he removed a protective sheet of plastic and brought her to the table in front of me. “I wanted to keep the dust off her,” he said. My eyes befell a vessel that had sunk beneath the waves a hundred and eight years earlier. “She might not be perfect. I couldn’t get a good look at her deck from the picture,” He nodded towards the 8 x 10 black and white photograph pinned to the wall above his workbench. The Albatross was hove out slightly on her port side giving a better view of her hull than deck. “I scaled the dimensions you gave me and drew up my templates and built her from there.” I shook his hand and thanked him for his work. I added, “Neither you nor I will ever meet anyone who saw the original. This is as good as it gets.”

He laughed and said, “I guess you’re right.”

We talked about him, his interests in boats, the history of boat-building and shipyards in Baie D’Espoir and his work history. I learned a lot that afternoon, such as who owned particular operations, when they operated, where they were located and the types of boats they built. I also learned how his hometown of Morrisville got its name. As you’d expect, some boat builders settled there with that family name. We talked about particular vessels, especially one he had built several decades earlier, which was still in use years after he sold her.

Max Taylor, like many men from that area, worked a career with the Hydro development on the Upper Salmon or, as it is sometimes known, the Baie D’Espoir hydro plant. After retirement he ran a small contracting business but all the while those schooners in the back of his head called to him. Eventually, he focussed all his energies on model boat-building. During one of our earlier telephone conversations, he told me about the model dories he builds and sells. I left his workshop that day with the Albatross and a bright yellow dory.

Max spends his good weather months at home breathing the familiar scents of the mostly evergreen forest behind his property, the delicate hints of tar from the pine trees which line his backyard and the sea breezes which sometimes come ashore. There he works with enormous care and attention to detail, taking raw materials, and, piece by piece, assembling them into objects that have art written all over their surface. His calloused fingers show years of hard work but his handshake is like a whisper on the wind. And it is that delicate touch that brings forth such beauty.

As I prepared to leave, Max made sure the Albatross was secured to her moorings in the back of my truck and would not allow me to leave until he was confident she would not move around and get damaged. She made it all the way to St. John’s without a blemish! When I do book signings for Misfortune Bay: The Loss of the Albatross, this Albatross is proudly displayed. I tell everyone the good fortune I had in finding such an excellent craftsman as Mr. Max Taylor of Baie D’Espoir.