CAPE ISLANDER FISHING BOAT ON CANADA'S DOLLAR

The Cape Islander — a fishing boat near and dear to many communities across Nova Scotia — will soon be floating on the face of your spare change.

Thousands of Canadians took part in the Royal Canadian Mint’s contest to create circulation coin designs celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary this year. The “tail” side of the commemorative loonie will feature a design that incorporates several of the country’s landmarks.

The Cape Islander — said to have originated in Clark’s Harbour in 1906 — made the cut.

“It is meaningful to us because it hasn’t gotten much recognition and it’s a popular boat,” said Leigh Stoddart, mayor of the small community located on Cape Sable Island.

But he admits its popularity hasn’t really received much public recognition, until now.

“I don’t think it’s that well advertised,” he said during a phone interview on Tuesday.

The boat received some publicity in 1996, which the province declared to be the Year of the Wooden Boat.

But the Cape Islander is designed to be used by fishermen and so it’s much smaller than famous boats like the Bluenose.

“For lack of a better word, it probably just got ignored. But it’s a pretty important boat for the fishing industry,” Stoddart said.

The Cape Island-style fishing boat is in demand in Stoddart’s fishing town. Right now, there’s about a three-year waiting list for boat construction orders.

It started off as a small, wooden boat with a flat bottom at the stern that then rounded toward the bow. The structure is still the same today, but they’re now made of fibreglass and can get to be about 50 feet in length.

St. Catharines, Ont. resident Wesley Klassen is the designer behind the 2017 commemorative loonie.

“I chose images that are in one way or another connected to the railroad, for which all Canadians can be forever grateful, and I’m touched that my design appealed to so many of them,” Klassen said in a November news release.

He said he drew on childhood memories of family vacations and decided to illustrate of Canada’s greatest engineering achievements.

To read the complete article, see:
Cape Islander to be featured on back of new loonie (http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1428944-cape-islander-to-be-featured-on-back-of-new-loonie)

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