A dory story
Lifelong friend of Arthur Holland donating his boat for preservation
There are a lot of memories associated with the little pink dory that sits in Alton Ramsay’s warehouse.
Ramsay, the caretaker of the dory, has housed the boat since his friend Arthur Holland died about 30 years ago.
“If it was hunting season, Art was in his dory on his way to Little Courtin Island–his Island,” recalled the soon to be 93-year-old.
Holland was a well-known hunter and fisherman from St. Eleanors. He was a direct descendant of Samuel Holland, a surveyor from the 1700s and namesake of Holland College. Now Ramsay is ready to share the memories of his friend and the dory, by donating the structure to the Holland College Heritage Retrofit Carpentry department, which will take possession of the structure in the coming months.
“It’s an absolutely gorgeous boat,” said Josh Silver, the learning manager of Heritage Retrofit Carpentry.
Holland’s boat is a lap strake dory, which features the siding overlapping piece-by-piece, measurements that would have been determined by experience rather than numbers, and the option for rowing, a skull or a rudder and mast.
“The premise of modern dories is still the same. They are sturdy with a flat bottom and are still built with overlapping panels,” explained Silver.
Arthur Holland’s dory.
“We work with restoration of historic structures. In this case, we would keep the dory on display, and then build a replica.”
Silver says having the physical resource in the shop for the students to use as a learning tool is irreplaceable.
“It will be an incredible resource. For them to be able to see it and touch the boat and look at the detail and work that was done to build the boat, is a great opportunity for them.” Ramsay and Silver hope that by preserving the dory, they can share the history of the structure and how it was made. One day in late October of 1968, Holland took off in his dory to Little Courtin Island for a hunting trip.
A storm was brewing later that day and Ramsay left work early. After arriving home, he headed to the shore in Hamilton where he could see Little Courtin Island and wondered if his friend was still there.
“It was hunting season so Art was on his Island,” said Ramsay. Upon returning home, he told his son Blair that he didn’t think Holland would be able to make it off the Island.
The pair tried to call search and rescue to get a helicopter to rescue him. However, the phone line was down, so Ramsay set off for his neighbour’s house four or five kilometres down the road, in search of a working phone.
“When I finally got ahold of search and rescue, they had to call Halifax for permission to send out the helicopter,” explained Ramsay.
At one point, Ramsay was in a car with an officer who asked which way to go.
“I told him to turn his car so it pointed in this direction and turn the red lights on. A few minutes later the helicopter flew over us,” he said, with his hands motioning.
When the rescue crew brought Holland from the little island, Ramsay said he was soaking wet.
“He was leaning on his rifle to hold him up. When they brought him to land, they laid him in this field and told him they were going to take him to the hospital.
He said to the rescuer, ‘You’re not taking me to the hospital until I go home and change’,” Ramsay recounted with a laugh.
Eventually the dory was retrieved, too, upon Holland’s insistence, and he continued to use it until he was no longer able.
Ramsay isn’t sad to see the dory leave his possession, because he is glad it will be preserved.
“My wife and I both wanted to see it go to the best place that would preserve it. I’m happy to see it go.”