SHEGUIANDAH—A member of the Manitoulin Sea Cadets Corps just experienced a memorable trip, having been part of a group of youth to have sailed Newfoundland on a tall ship.
“It was the trip of a lifetime,” stated Laszlo Vernarsky. “I started sailing last year and fell in love with the sport.”
After receiving financial support to be able to go on the trip through a GoFundMe fundraiser his mother Viktoria had posted, Laszlo departed the Toronto airport on June 30 and arrived at St. John’s Newfoundland the same day. He started his sailing journey from St. John’s harbour on July 1. His sailing trip lasted 10 days along Newfoundland shores. The trip was organized by Tall Ship Expedition Canada-Brigantine a Kingston based charitable youth organization which provides expeditions for youth between 15-25, with 8-to-30-day voyages.
“We sailed on St. Lawrence 2 (ship), up the coast of Newfoundland,” said Laszlo. He explained a typical day, if not having been on night shift the previous evening, would mean getting up at 7:45 am, with breakfast at 8 am. “The usual shift would be from 8-12, with a break between 12-2, and 10 back on from 2-6 and six to eight.”
“If you were to work below deck, after each meal a group had to make sure everything was cleaned to perfection,” continued Laszlo. “If you were posted on deck, you were on standby and would help the ship crew. You could be outside for 14 hours a day.”
“It was very tiring,” said Laszlo, who noted one day, “we had to deal with unfavourable weather with 50 kilometre winds and 100 millimetres of rain.”
“Definitely I would do this again, as much as I might complain I loved every minute of the trip,” said Laszlo.
“I would like to thank all the people who supported me and the Tallship youth program. Your support means a lot to me and for the youth that are able to attend this wonderful opportunity,” continued Laszlo who was one of 21 students on the trip, ranging in age between 14-22 from across Canada and the US.
“Although we had never met before we developed a strong relationship with everyone on board the ship. We had to trust each other, work together and help each other at all times,” Laszlo continued. “It felt like we were like one big family.” He explained the trip lasted 10 days sailing the coast of Newfoundland with stops at inhabited islands, small towns and fisheries.
“Our final destination was Lewisport where we switched with another group, so they could experience and get training in sailing,” Laszlo said.
“My favourite part of the trip was getting to see the wildlife, like puffins, sharks, whales and dolphins. The landscape was stunning. The weather at times was challenging but the crew made it memorable.”
Along with ship staff, there were 26 people on board the 68-foot ship during the trip.
“The hardest part of the trip was saying goodbye to the people on the ship, and the friends we had just made,” Laszlo said. “I would also like to thank the Tall Ship organization for providing this wonderful program for youth across North America. I consider myself lucky to be able to attend and gain lifelong memories.”
