Urban landscapes: the glorious derelict
LA GRANDE HERMINE, NEAR ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO
This is a burned-out replica of the ship used to bring French explorer Jacques Cartier to Eastern Canada in 1535, where he founded present-day Quebec City.
According to Wikipedia, this replica, which served as a restaurant, was bought by a businessman “with the intention of moving it to Ontario and re-opening the restaurant.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have the funds to realize his dream, and the ship sat in Jordan Harbour, near St. Catharines for years, unused. In 2003, the ship was destroyed by what police called a suspicious fire, most likely the work of arsonists. The burned-out hull still sits in the harbour.”
The derelict is easily visibly from the busy, nearby Queen Elizabeth Way highway and I’d seen it for years without doing anything to photograph it.
Finally, on a recent trip to Ontario, I got up at 4 a.m. and drove to the site, spending several hours making pre and post-dawn photos. As you can see, it was well worth the effort.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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Beautiful shot, Frank. Don’t know what it is about boats of any size or shape that intrigues me but they always seem so peaceful. Even this one.