Halifax by Sea

by Michael Goldstein

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I'm standing in the main cabin of an old-time sailing vessel. We must be someplace offshore, as I can see green hills on the horizon, through the cabin window. Blue water reflects the light of a lovely day. The horizon, the hills, and the blue water move rhythmically up and down, as the ship heels with the waves--port to starboard, starboard to port-- never still. An unlatched cupboard door slowly creaks open and shut, in time with the boat's motion.

My inner ear tells me I'm rocking back and forth as well, and I begin to reset my balance, my legs braced to compensate for the vessel's sideways tilting. The first faint messages from my digestive system remind me I'm prone to mal de mer. Up...and down. Up...and down.  

I once spent three weeks on an old Canadian Navy minesweeper, criss- crossing the north Atlantic in November. Now, my strong memories of greasy food and the smell of diesel fumes come back to haunt me. Up...and down. Up...and down.

"Hey, Dad, let's go into that neat ship display!" I look behind me, as children's racing footsteps disturb my thoughts, and see brick walls, bales of rope, and lots of other people. Nothing is moving back and forth. The feeling of wave motion and my incipient nausea vanish. When I look back through the ship's window, however, the horizon is still tilting.  

How easily we're fooled!  I'm inside one of the fascinating displays of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, hard by the ocean in Halifax, Nova Scotia. My poor brain, convinced by optical illusion and reinforced by old memories, was about to have me part company with my breakfast.  The hills and horizon are but a clever picture, connected to a motor-driven wheel that slowly rotates, driving the cupboard door in synchronization. I know if I concentrate on them, I'll slowly turn green.

This room, called the Age of Sail, is housed in a former warehouse adjacent to the new museum building. The smells of hemp rope and canvas sailcloth have permeated the walls and floor, providing another bit of authenticity that sends strong messages to my internal computer.  Somebody very clever designed this display. One of the more interesting displays is the huge Fresnel lens from the Sambro Lighthouse beacon at the mouth of the harbor. Photographing it requires a long lens, so as not to be reflected in the picture, and a careful light meter reading taken from the surface of the Fresnel lens itself.  

HMCS SACKVILLE  
After I've explored the Age of Steam and marvelled at a hundred tiny models, I'm ready to explore the museum's best display.  It's tied up just outside.  HMCS Sackville is the last of the World War II corvettes--the terror of Germany's submarine service--the Unterseeboot.  Resplendent in her fresh "dazzle" paint, she looks ready to depart in an hour, escorting yet another heavily laden convoy from Halifax to war-torn Britain.   The ship is tied to bollards on the dock by huge mooring ropes that make compositions with wonderful leading lines augmented by the separations between the planks of the dock surface.  My 24 mm. lens brings the bollard and the large loop of the hawser into the foreground, drawing the eye into the image and Sackville herself.  

Sackville is operated by the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust. Sea cadets proudly explain the operation of the "hedgehog," a sort of marine shotgun which threw a pattern of twenty-four fearsome bomblets over a wide area-- 240 yards--in front of the ship.  Much more effective than individual depth charges, it was the combination of the hedgehog and advanced sonar techniques that won the Battle of the Atlantic. 

I had already read  Ships Against the Sea and Fifty North, books about the Sackville's exploits. Alan Easton, former commander of the Sackville, kept me spellbound with his stories of adventure at sea. To walk these decks now, my imagination working overtime, is a memorable experience.  

HALIFAX  EXPLOSION  
Exhausted from battling the entire German Navy, I stagger back inside the museum to view an excellent video on the Halifax Explosion. In 1917, another convoy was forming up in Bedford Basin. A Norwegian steamer called the Imo collided with a French freighter the Mont Blanc. The Mont Blanc, loaded to the scuppers with munitions, caught fire, and her cargo soon detonated. The resulting explosion, the largest on record up to the time of Hiroshima, was heard a hundred kilometers away. Part of Mont Blanc's anchor went flying over the Halifax peninsula to land two miles away in Fleming Park. In all, nearly two thousand citizens of Halifax perished, and the disaster wiped out the entire north end of the city.  

HISTORIC PROPERTIES
All this activity takes place at Historic Properties, a large area of refurbished waterfront that has become the tourist showcase of Halifax. Bluenose II, a famous replica of the well-known fishing schooner, is tied up here and will take you on three-hour cruises of the harbor. You can also sail local waters on the Mar II, a gaff-rigged ketch of 52 tons originally built in Denmark as an icebreaker and now operated by Murphy's Sailing Tours. My captain of the day, Tim Sandford, tells me he learned to sail on this 75-foot monster!  

Sailboats are wonderful subjects for wide-angle lenses. Aiming upwards Into the rigging offers many opportunities for abstracts. Masts and ropes curve inwards, creative opportunities that put persecutive distortion to work for you. I find that using auto-exposure under these circumstances can be a big mistake ... that sky is very bright. Instead, I meter the existing light off my palm, and open the lens one stop above that reading. My exposures are spot on, whatever filters I happen to be using.

Photographing people on boats is fun. I generally go for the worm's-eye view, shooting up at people and breaking the horizon, which makes for more dynamic compositions. Often, I'll use a little fill light, setting my flash to deliver one f-stop less light than the ambient. This puts a sparkle in eyes and other reflective surfaces, while retaining shadows. If the image is an obvious flash photograph, it's a failure. With patience and a willing assistant, you'll find a large folding reflector does an better job than the flash.  

You may wish to go whale-watching or deep-sea fishing from Historic Properties, see buskers entertain the crowd, or shop for souvenirs in old sail lofts. You can always enjoy an excellent lunch and a whiff of grog, sitting in the Atlantic breeze, while watching all this marine activity. Salty's features a large outdoor patio, right on the water, where I'm soon presented with a plate of shrimp pasta, accompanied by a robust Merlot.  

The best seafood I've enjoyed in Halifax wasn't in Halifax at all, but across the harbour at the Dartmouth Ferry Terminal. You can reach MacAskill's by taking a ferry from Historic Properties. If you've come by boat, just tie up at the wharf, and take the elevator up to the restaurant.

To work off the effects of my large meal, I now begin the trek from the waterfront up to Citadel Hill. My route takes me through the Grand Parade, where soldiers of the 78th Highlanders, resplendent in kilts and ostrich plumes, once entertained the townsfolk with Sunday marching and band concerts. Here, I was once accosted by Peter Cox, Town Crier of Halifax, who mistook me for a tourist, and invited me to take tea with the Mayor.  

At the fortress on Citadel Hill, there are always "soldiers" in full uniform, working on the guns, marching up and down, and lending authenticity to this marvellous historic place. Don't be shy about asking them to pose, or repeat some marching sequence while you make photographs. Be prepared, however, that any casual question about their uniforms or units will result in a carefully- researched lecture by a well-informed student. At twelve sharp, the noon gun is fired from Citadel Hill. You only get one chance each day to photograph this event, and you want to catch the smoke and flame issuing from the barrel.    

Compose your image, then wait for the command to "Fire!". Don't release your shutter until you see smoke come out the touchhole at the rear of the gun ... then run off a series of exposures with your motor drive. Use a tripod and a shutter release cable, as you will jump a foot in the air when the gun fires.  

On the slopes of Citadel Hill is the Old Town Clock. Built by the Duke of Kent several centuries ago, it has ticked away the years for this historic city, while world events have brought prosperity and change. Most of these events were of a military nature. The magnificent harbor, that inspired the founding of the town in 1749, has been defended by guns on this hill ever since. The extensive fortress that now guards Halifax gradually evolved through many wars, until it rivalled Gibraltar. It's restoration alone has taken more than forty years, and each time I return, I see sections I didn't know existed.

"The Tides of History" is a major audio-visual presentation that covers the history of Halifax up to the present day. It lasts almost an hour, and as you proceed through the years, you pass through four separate theatres, each with different artifacts and displays. I emerge with renewed interest in exploring my roots. The rest of my day is spent wandering through old gun batteries, and a Martello Tower, in Point Pleasant Park, while the smells of salt air and pine forests recall childhood rambles.  

The centre of summertime nightlife seems to now be Spring Garden Road, where pubs and eateries abound. Pre-dinner drinks may be enjoyed on a rooftop patio, just across the street from the Lord Nelson Hotel, while observing the nightly volta. Arrive well before dark, and there are wonderful pattern shots to be made, looking down on folks walking up and down in colourful clothing. After dark, with a tripod, you can do it again, using time exposures to paint interesting blurs on the film.  

This city has become ever more cosmopolitan since my move to Toronto. Just around the corner, on Brenton Street, I discover La Paloma, a European Spanish restaurant, featuring paella and bouillabaisse, gazpacho, and live flamenco guitar. Their bread is flavoured with oregano and fennel, and their seafood stew with garlic and saffron. I spend a happy evening with vino tinto and spicy food, practising my lisp and my reflexive verbs.  

Tomorrow, I'll drive out to Chebucto Head, to photograph the lighthouse by dawn's early light, and explore the remnants of the old harbour defences that may still be seen there. Perhaps I'll loop by York Redoubt, where huge rifled cannon still peer out over the channel approaches, waiting to welcome enemy ships with plunging fire. Dozing in the sun on the grassy flanks of the emplacements, it's easy to imagine myself a grizzled veteran, waiting for the first crosstrees of German men o' war to poke above the horizon. A trip to the famous Peggy's Cove, with its wonderful rocks and impressive lighthouse, always results in another roll or two of satisfactory images. Then, with my salt levels topped up and my memory banks recharged, I'll leave this "warden of the north", until my next trip 'down home.'

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