The Village Squire, 1981-07, Page 9times
The wind and water of Huron can be as
unforgiving as any in the world and the
fisherman who isn't weatherwise is not
long in business. Specific VHF radio
channels, a MAFOR (marine forecast)
code, improved ship -to -ship and ship -to -
shore communicatoins, and highly -
accurate navigational gear all help to
improve the odds, but common sense
remains a trump card.
McLeod uses every tool he can to
ensure a safe outing for himself. his crew
and his boat. "When the weatherman
says 7-7-7 you get everything aboard and
get the hell home." he chuckles. In
MAFOR that means wind out of
the northwest at between 48 and 55 knots
per hour with snow or rain and snow. "I
don't like that snow." growls McLeod.
"Everything gets covered and unless
you've got radar (which he has) you can't
see a thing."
For a man of McLeod's background it's
a common question. perhaps. but there's
no hesitation in the answer. His worst day
on the lake was November 10, 1975. He
was at the wheel of the Bessie -Ann,
standing in for his friend Bob McGraw.
They were between Bayfield and
Goderich and a stemwinder began to
blow out of control. Water was corning
over the piers at Goderich and McLeod
opted for Bayfield where he "didn't think
it was that bad until I got in and looked at
it. People on the dock watchin' us were
more scared than us."
Within hours he heard about the
Edmund F. and how she had been caught
on the same storm, on Lake Superior. She
and her crew of 29 didn't make it home.
"I don't want to see any more of
them," says McLeod, his voice tailing. ❑
VILLAGE SQUIRE/JULY 1981 PG. 7