Sealers fight wind, ice, time
‘As the ice thickens along the coast of Newfoundland and even the icebreakers are getting stuck in it, seal hunters and the Coast Guard are praying for the wind to change.
Relentless northeasterly gales have piled up the ice from Bonavista to St. Anthony and trapped about 100 sealing “longliners” returning from the annual hunt. Some crews have been forced to abandon their vessels. A few have been flown to safety by Coast Guard helicopters. Others are camped on the ice floes beside their boats as icebreakers fight to smash their way through. Meanwhile, food and water are running short. Fuel could be a problem when the boats are able to move. As well as rescue operations, the four choppers are ferrying supplies.’
