Owner of bat frozen into St. John River not concerned, says boat will survive the ice
Jordan Tatton will spend the winter living on his frozen-in-ice sailboat
Jordan Tatton says his sailboat was definitely not abandoned to freeze into the ice on the St. John River near Browns Flat.
He said he anchored the 13-metre boat where it is to be closer to his three children, who live in nearby Beulah Camp with his estranged wife.
Residents in the area have expressed concern about the boat stuck in the ice. Some fear environmental damage if the boat should sink and spill fuel, and others worry it's a hazard to snowmobilers who use the river to get around.
Although wintering in the ice wasn't Tatton's original plan, he isn't worried in the least about his boat being frozen in place.
As a Wesleyan "preacher's kid," he said, he practically grew up at Beulah Camp on the banks of the St. John River. As a result, he said, he's well aware of the power of spring ice flows — and he's confident his boat won't fall victim to it.
"I'm not concerned about that," Tatton, 39, said in an interview.
"I'm not concerned about that," Tatton, 39, said in an interview.
"It is a well-built vessel. As well, it has equipment on board to prevent the buildup of ice on the actual hull and mitigate damage from ice flows."
He said the boat is equipped with two different systems to prevent ice from building up around it. One is a bubbler system that uses forced air to keep the ice from forming, and the other is a propeller system that keeps water moving around the boat.
But he hasn't turned either of them on yet.
Tatton said he hasn't been concerned enough about the ice to activate the anti-ice systems. He believes his hull — with its wooden frame, concrete and fibreglass construction — is strong enough to withstand the ice.
"Yeah, the ice is going to scratch my paint, but it's not going to put a hole in the bottom," he said.
Dreamed of living on a boat
Tatton said he bought the boat in August.
"I've been dreaming of a live-aboard sailboat for a couple of decades now."
He calls it his "floating home" and spent the first month travelling the St. John River system, including time spent in Belleisle Bay and Meenan's Cove on the Kennebecasis River, before anchoring near Beulah Camp, which is operated by the Wesleyan Church and where Tatton and his wife have a long-term lease on a plot of land.
Jordan Tatton fulfilled a decades-old dream when he bought the boat, Not a Starship, last August. (Mike Heenan/CBC)
The idea was for him to anchor offshore to be close to his children.
Then, while the river system was still open, he was going to sail the boat to Grand Manan, where he owns property, and anchor there for the winter.
But there were issues with the municipality.
Since he had no permanent residence — only a boat and a motor home — he had been taking stuff to Grand Manan to store on the property.
He said local government officials removed and destroyed his possessions, claiming they were unsightly, so he abandoned his plan to overwinter on the island.
The
view from Tatton's property on the southern tip of Grand Manan, where
he was going to over-winter with his sailboat anchored alongside — until
his possessions were removed under the Unsightly Premises Bylaw. (Submitted by Jordan Tatton)
Grand Manan Mayor Bonnie Morse confirmed the municipal government removed a number of items from the property on the southern tip of the island.
She said officials went through the proper procedure under the village's Unsightly Premises Bylaw, including notification, and eventually took steps to "remediate the property."
"So what I've got left is my home floating on the river and a now-empty property on Grand Manan," said Tatton.
Officials checked
The Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada were both aware of Tatton and his boat.
Tatton shared an email from an official with Transport Canada, who wrote that while leaving his boat in the river over the winter might not be prudent, he's done nothing wrong.
In an emailed statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for the coast guard said they visited the boat last month, spoke with the owner and concluded "there is no risk of pollution or hazard to the marine environment at that time, and the case will be transferred over to Transport Canada."
Jordan Tatton plans to spend the winter on Not a Starship. (Submitted by Jordan Tatton)
A spokesperson for Transport Canada said the sailboat "has been deemed to be neither dilapidated nor abandoned."
Charlotte County boat builder Harry Bryan doesn't advise people to leave their sailboats to freeze in the ice over winter, but said the boat could very well survive without damage.
Much depends on the construction of the boat, said Bryan, who's been building boats in Letete since the 1970s.
It also heavily depends on the weather. So far, he said, it's been a pretty mild winter.
Not a Starship frozen into the ice on the St. John River near Browns Flat as seen on Jan. 9. (Mike Heenan/CBC)
"It might survive quite well," said Bryan.
Come spring, however, "the movement of the current or wind moving the ice as a flow frozen around it would surely break his mooring free, but it may not damage the boat at all."
Either way, Tatton is confident that he'll sail off unscathed come spring.
In the meantime, Tatton plans to spend most of the winter on the boat. He said it's an awkward time to get to the boat right now — while the ice prevents him from using his inflatable dinghy to reach Not a Starship, it's not thick enough to walk on.
Once he's back on the boat, he plans to make the most of it — ice fishing, watching the stars, entertaining his children, and enjoying the on-deck hot tub he recently heated to above 40 C.
The boat is equipped with a diesel furnace for heating and solar panels. Tatton said it's very cozy — even in the winter.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Allan Marven
Reply to David Amos
Me too
Benoit Boudreau
Reply to David Amos
clown time
Wilbur Ross
Like the Franklin Expedition ... doomed.
Luc Gervis
He has no idea about ice, say goodbye to the hull and most likely the boat
Dee MacDonald
Someone's not a boat owner. This vessel is toast.
Tom Smith
I'd love to hear why this 13m long, ~10m tall object is a hazard to snowmobilers. Their are far more nuanced hazards out there ... on open water ... that they should be keeping an eye out for. Poor ice fisher
shacks ... :(
jimmy vee
hmm
jimmy vee
funny.
jimmy vee
but
jimmy vee
nope
jimmy vee
for
jimmy vee
sure
jimmy vee
hmm
jimmy vee
A yawl is easy sailing, great choice for a newbie sailor
Fred Dee
as long as HE pays for problems caused by his boat!! Tired of TAXPAYERS being hung out to dry for peoples errors!!
It looks a bit like the "Spray", Joshua Slocum's boat. Is he related?
jimmy vee
Content Deactivated
Reply to Allan Marven
MR Cain
Reply to Allan Marven
Slocum did get around.
Allan Marven
Reply to MR Cain
All the way.
MR Cain
Reply to jimmy vee
With a girl in every port? Why not?
jimmy vee
Reply to MR Cain
or a boy, in the down low u know
MR Cain
Reply to jimmy vee
You can get related that way?
jimmy vee
Reply to MR Cain
Slocum's boat was 8m
jimmy vee
Reply to Allan Marven
The worst thing about crewing a boat over the ocean... there is no where to go
MR Cain
Reply to jimmy vee
I read his books.
jimmy vee
Reply to MR Cain
should I mail u another copy? mine is signed.
MR Cain
Reply to Allan Marven
Pretty old book, huh.
jimmy vee
Reply to MR Cain
lucky find at an estate sale, but I'm no expert on signatures it just looks right.
Al Clark
Some say gambling is a sin but I see an opportunity here ;-)
jimmy vee
Living on a boat or sailing the open seas has its appeal, but 13 metres can be a lot of boat, old boats are narrow so now one can have a 9 metre boot with more inside space than 13 metre. If you are docking even over night in any Caribbean port, Haiti clearly the cheapest around and they offer very good hauling out repair services, only problem one needs to live beside the boat while the work is being done otherwise expect massive theft. $10 per linear foot docking fees is not uncommon. Anchor in the harbour, well there is a reason why charter companies always show a boat moored in a cove without a
harbour.
jimmy vee
Fine, if he is capable of paying for whatever bad may happen to the situation. Somehow I'm thinking the boat is not insured. 13 metre wood sailboat does not have much value maybe on a good day being sold to someone who has no idea 20k, Canadian that is.
Ed Betterley
it is better than being tossed on a three hour tour. Enjoy your boat.
It looks like a great way to enjoy yourself.
Les Cooper
God for you! Do what makes you happy!
Frozen in ice: Residents worry mystery sailboat will sink in St. John River
Reports sent to federal authorities months ago, yet boat remained anchored offshore
Residents around the southern New Brunswick hamlet of Browns Flat have been watching the St. John River after a mysterious sailboat showed up in the fall and never left.
The 13-metre vessel is now frozen into the ice near the Beulah campground, and residents are left worrying about the environmental implications and wondering how it could have been allowed to happen.
Rob Thom first noticed the boat in late September, anchored offshore near his waterfront residence in Lower Greenwich, a drive of about 38 kilometres from Saint John.
But last month, in the wake of back-to-back Monday storms, the wind moved the boat — anchor and all — farther upriver.
Thom was hopeful the owner would get it out of the water before the river froze, but that didn't happen.
Now, he's worried about the safety and environmental impacts of it being frozen in the ice all winter.
According to Transport Canada's registry of vessels, the Not a Starship is owned by Jordan Douglas Tatton of Midland, about 44 kilometres northeast of Browns Flat.
The boat is 13 metres — or 43 feet — and made of wood.
Efforts to contact the owner, including through his church, the Wesleyan Church, were unsuccessful as of publication time.
Thom said snowmobilers often use the St. John River to get around in the winter.
"There is potential safety issues to snowmobilers, who tend to use the river and go at quite high speeds — not really expecting to encounter anything."
Thom said there is a light at the top of the mast, but he's not sure of the power source for it, so he's not sure it'll last the entire winter.
Nor, he said, would the light be visible during heavy snowfalls or strong winds that would blow the snow around.
"It's not super bright. I do see it from my kitchen window on a nice night, but I certainly wouldn't see it in any kind of a snowfall or a fog or anything like that."
He said his main fear is that the boat will eventually end up on the bottom of the river.
According to registration records, the sailboat is equipped with a diesel engine.
Residents say the Not a Starship was moved farther upriver by recent storms and has come to rest near the Beulah campground. (Mike Heenan/CBC)
Thom said he also heard what sounded like a generator when people stayed overnight on the boat after it arrived in the area.
He worries about the fuel and other engine fluids going into the river.
While the boat may survive the winter, it isn't likely to survive the ice.
Thom said the power of the spring breakup is incredible.
The combination of wind and ice have moved enormous rocks on his beach, leaving holes in the sand "a couple of feet deep or more."
He's also seen it push trees over.
"So I suspect it will break any anchor line that it's got on it and take it."
Rare to survive the ice
The general manager of the Saint John Marina said there are never any guarantees with winter ice.
"Depending on how thick the ice gets and how the currents are moving around it, there's obviously risk of the hull fracturing and caving in on itself," said Sarah Williams.
"But it might also stay perfectly fine all winter, but then get drug somewhere else with the ice movement in the spring," she said.
"There's so many different things that could happen," said Williams.
That's why the prudent thing for owners to do is to take their boats out of the water for the winter," she said.
Cindy Richards first noticed the boat in November.
"It was downriver a little farther. But those two storms that we had, those two Mondays back-to-back, it pushed the sailboat up to where it's at now because it dragged its anchor."
Potential boating hazard
The boat is now iced in, and Richards worries it will pose some problems for Beulah campground — and to boaters in general.
"I mean when they have their summer camps there and stuff, there's a gentleman that takes the kids out tubing … in that area there.
According to Transport Canada records, Not a Starship is owned by Jordan Tatton of Midland, which is near Norton. (Mike Heenan/CBC)
"So they're not going to be able to do that when that boat sinks, because no one's going to be able to boat through there."
She said the boat's two masts could become underwater obstacles to other boaters.
Like a lot of residents who have been watching the sailboat, Richards believes it will almost inevitably sink.
She said the ice is "going to smash into the wood and fibreglass and it's just going to break it up and it's going to end up polluting the river.
"And it's a shame because there's really no need of it."
Transport Canada has lead, coast guard says
Richards said residents reported the situation to government officials months ago.
Megan Gallant, a spokesperson for the Canadian Coast Guard, said on Tuesday that Transport Canada is taking the lead on the file.
On Wednesday, she confirmed receiving reports about the sailboat and said the coast guard "has been in contact with the owner," and personnel were on site Dec. 11, 2023, "to conduct a pollution and hazards assessment."
"The assessment concluded that there is no risk of pollution or hazard to the marine environment at that time, and the case will be transferred over to Transport Canada."
In an emailed statement, a Transport Canada spokesperson said the department enforces parts of the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act.
"Transport Canada can deem a vessel abandoned if it is left unattended for two years, or less in circumstances where it appears that the owner will not return," said Katherine Proulx.
"With respect to "Not a Starship", the vessel has been deemed to be neither dilapidated nor abandoned. Nonetheless, Transport Canada has contacted the owner to inform them of their responsibilities under the Act."
Sailboat frozen into the ice on the St. John River near Browns Flat on Jan. 9, 2024. (Mike Heenan/CBC)
Richards is disappointed that more hasn't been done.
"We're all about saving the environment and stuff, but we'll all sit by and watch a sailboat that shouldn't be there in the river at this time of year that's gonna be smashed up from ice or storms."
Richards said something could have been done until about two weeks ago.
"It could have been taken down the river, but now the river's froze up and unless it turns mild and it opens back up again, but if it does, then someone needs to be responsible."
Exactly who that is remains to be seen, she said.
Environmental group also worried
On Tuesday, CBC News contacted the provincial Environment Department, which also regulates the removal of ice fishing shacks, but the department did not provide any information by publication time.
The Conservation Council of New Brunswick is also concerned about the pollution potential if the boat sinks.
"This is not the way to store a boat — obviously," said Matt Abbott, the group's marine program director.
The "worst-case scenario," he said, is that the ice will damage the boat over the winter and it sinks.
According to Transport Canada records, the vessel is made of wood and is equipped with a diesel engine. (Mike Heenan/CBC)
It's then "at a high risk of spillage of diesel over time," said Abbott.
Even if the boat does survive the winter with its hull intact, Abbott said the power and weight of the ice will either snap its line or drag the anchor around. Either way, the boat will likely run aground and could be damaged in the process and still sink.
Abbott said his group plans to notify Transport Canada about the sailboat. He said they often work with the federal department in cases of lost or abandoned boats.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hmmm I wonder if the owner is willing to sell it
Ronald Miller
I can tell it's from Canada by the flag.
Allan Marven
Reply to Ronald Miller
Can't be a business ship. Most of them like CSL sail under the Liberian flag for the anonymity . and tax avoidance.
Denis Reagan
Reply to Allan Marven
Hardly. This boat was planted by Xi or Putin for sure. Looks so innocent out there, but wired-up to detect all our fishing boats and cruise ships in the area.
Lynette Browne
Reply to Denis Reagan
Yup. All of them on the St. John River.
jimmy vee
Reply to Ronald Miller
Given that there are Transport Canada records on the boat that does suggest that its Canadian registered, however the way the flag is displayed suggest that it is foreign owned but cleared Canada customs at some port when entering Canadian waters.
james stewart
Reply to Denis Reagan
hey. the balloons got shot down. might as well try boats, right?
james stewart
Reply to Ronald Miller
I can buy a Canadian flag at a Walmart in Singapore.
(are there Walmarts in Singapore?)
David Amos
Reply to Allan Marven
Oh So True
Allan Marven
They are doing a remake of Shackleton this winter. Gotta freeze up a
little longer.
David Amos
Reply to Allan Marven
Shackleton is somebody well worth remembering
Leo Norton
And maybe it will be just fine.
David Amos
Reply to Leo Norton
True
Bill Moore
It's like the weather, everyone talks about, but nothing is done, slackards!! Call the navy ice breaker & deal with it, jeez!!!
Fred Brewer
Reply to Bill Moore
Sure, let's deploy an icebreaker from Halifax with a crew of 50 or more, to travel all the way to Saint John and travel upriver to shallow water where it will likely get stuck but even if successful would cost the taxpayer several million dollars. Yeah, that makes perfect sense.
Denis Reagan
Reply to Fred Brewer
I got his funny sarcasm.
Glenn O'Halloran
Reply to Denis Reagan
As did I. It is amazing how the buck passed so quickly on this matter though.
Bill Moore
Reply to Fred Brewer
So what, the Navy needs the work & good experience, eh!!!
David Amos
Reply to Bill Moore
True
Either this article has been updated or re-written since first being
posted, but the name of the owner is included, the coast guard has
been in contact with him and the ship has a diesel engine
Mike May
Reply to Eddy Geek
Yup, updated with nothing to tell us so those posting look like idiots! The mawds for this site are a joke!
David Amos
Reply to Mike May
Relax an enjoy the circus we are funding
Jos Allaire
What a bad written article❗It keeps repeating the same thing over and over again.
Reply to Jos Allaire
... and the same picture shown over and over.
Bobby Richards
Reply to Jos Allaire
Probably written using AI. A lot of articles are gong that way.
Ronald Miller
Reply to Jos Allaire
If it had more left bias it would be a typical JP article.
Gene Bonvie
Reply to Jos Allaire
Surprised a New Brunswick based reporter would spell Saint John as
"St. John". I wasn't sure where this was until I read the article.
Denis Reagan
Reply to Gene Bonvie
Don't see an extra "S" in either, so it's clear to me.
Denis Reagan
Reply to Jos Allaire
"Boat" has many syllables for some. Maybe that's the reason for repetition?
Eddy Geek
Reply to Denis Reagan
4 right??
oh wait
Denis Reagan
Reply to Eddy Geek
I'm going one at a time with those sticky wickets.
David Amos
Reply to Jos Allaire
Welcome back to the circus
John Johnston
Anybody check to see the person is not in the boat deceased?
Lynette Browne.
Reply to John Johnston
Like still in the boat? They tried his hometown and church. Yikes......
David Amos
Reply to John Johnston
Good question
Allan Marven
Much ado about nothing . If snowmobilers are worried about that, drink less rum before and during your outing.
Fred Louis
Reply to Allan Marven
haha my thoughts exactly "snowmobilers travel at high speeds not expecting to encounter hazards" maybe they should slow down and drive with care and attention. WOW what a concept lol
David Amos
Reply to Allan Marven
Are you trying to put Captain Morgan or Higgy out of business?
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