She gave 45 years of faithful service to her employer until her last day on the job, Sunday, September 12. When she retired, she got a fitting sendoff, complete with a cake and a party, coworkers and officials in attendance, the showing of a video photo album documenting her employment history, and a large crowd of well‑wishers bidding her bon voyage as she sailed into the next stage of her life. "She" is MV Grand Manan, until last week the backup ferry owned by Coastal Transport Ltd. that carried vehicles and passengers between Blacks Harbour and Grand Manan Island.
     Affectionately known as the "old black boat," the ferry will rest at Blacks Harbour through the winter, awaiting any emergency call to substitute for MS Grand Manan V. After construction is completed in Florida on the brand new ferry, MV Grand Manan Adventure, the old black boat's destiny is still undetermined -- she could be salvaged, or there could still be a life somewhere on the water for the old gal.
     The new $65 million state‑of‑the‑art ferry, larger and with more horsepower, is expected to be on duty by May 2011. It will carry 82 vehicles and boast such amenities as pet kennels, a children's play area, two elevators, a television room, wider parking spaces and three mezzanines.
     The retiring ferry was built to carry 100 passengers and 22 vehicles, and in the first months of her service, recalled Chief Steward Donalda Cook, cars were lifted in a sling, one‑by‑one, and dropped into the hatch by a winch, a risky and time‑consuming maneuver. The drive‑on system was soon adopted.
     As at most retirement parties, tales were told about the honoree. She was a true native, built in Saint John. On her maiden voyage, she came off the dock and promptly ran aground. She was towed off by a fisherman, who was rewarded with lifelong free passage for his efforts. Her first engines, retrofitted from train locomotives, were replaced in 1991, and her lounges got a makeover in 2008. She has a crew of 15, most of whom do more than one job -- for example, Chief Steward Cook is also a deckhand.
     Her master for the past 14 years, Captain Ed Allen, celebrated her in a song he wrote, called "The Grand Manan." A DVD recording of the music with lyrics played throughout her last day's trips as background to a video of still photos taken by Cook over the years. She was well dressed for the occasion, with all her pennants flying and her bow sporting four nautical signal flags spelling out "45 Years of Service -- 1965."
     For her last crossing of the day, from Grand Manan to Blacks Harbour, scores of people assembled on the North Head wharf. A C‑130 circled overhead. She acknowledged the cheers by sounding her horn as she left the island for what was officially the last time. Halfway to her destination, she and her sister ship, Grand Manan V met, halted and saluted each other with long horn blasts. Tears were shed. As Chief Steward Donalda Cook wrote later in an email, "It was very emotional for everyone. People who work on the water have a great attachment to their vessels, and the MV Grand Manan was one of the best!"