Hurricane/Tropical Storm Kyle

In the wake of hurricane/tropical storm Kyle, Nova Scotia Power crews are continuing to restore electricity for customers.

Overnight, the company has restored power for more than 40,000 customers in Yarmouth County, Halifax Regional Municipality, Lunenburg County, Queens County, Digby County, Annapolis County, Colchester County, Cumberland County, Yarmouth County and Pictou County. High winds, heavy rains and, in many cases, trees and branches falling into power lines caused outages late Sunday night and early Monday morning.

More than 100 Nova Scotia Power crews were deployed early this morning

The winds from Hurricane Kyle have been snapping huge tree branches--and some not so huge--as Yarmouth feels the rage of the storm.

Heavy rains also pelted the area in the afternoon and early evening.

These photos were taken between 6 and 8 o'clock in the evening in Yarmouth.

Maximum sustained winds were estimated at 120 km/h. Kyle was moving north northeast at 24 km/h as it continues on its track towards New Brunswick.

The hurricane has been responsible for many broken tree branches around Yarmouth County, although shortly after 9 p.m. Nova Scotia Power was reporting on its outage line that there were no major power outages in the Yarmouth area, although lights had been flickering throughout the evening.

A hurricane warning remained in effect for Yarmouth, Digby and Shelburne counties. A tropical storm warning continued for Queens, Lunenburg and Annapolis counties and parts of New Brunswick.

Wind gusts of 90 to 130 km/h could be expected over southwestern Nova Scotia this evening.

The Atlantic Storm Prediction Center had issued a storm surge warning for higher than normal water levels along the coast of Yarmouth and Shelburne counties. The combination of storm surge and wave setup are expected to result in water levels of more than one metre above the high tide, which will be occurring within a couple of hours of the storm arriving this evening. This combination could cause some coastal flooding.

It was being emphasized that portions of southwestern N.S. and southwestern N.B. will likely encounter tree damage during the strongest winds of Kyle. This could result in downed power lines and damage to structures.

Pending Storm

Two big fronts are moving in over the weekend. There is a typical fall storm coming for the 27th that will dump an inch or so of rain on us. Then overnight the 27 thru the 28th Tropical storm, possibly hurricane by then, Kyle hits us. Sounds like a wet weekend. Might stop raining by Monday the 29th. As you can see the storm is headed right for us. Where it shows it sitting on Sunday is right on top of us, YIKES. Could be a category 1 hurricane by then.

Yarmouth International Air Show

After being grounded the day before because of the weather, the air acts of the Yarmouth International Air Show took to the sky on Sunday, Sept. 14, thrilling the 6,000 or so people on the Yarmouth Airport grounds who took in the show. Visit Nova News for details and pictures. The first day was a wash out due to the weather but the second day was a success, if you did not mind the looog traffic lines leading into the airport. One of our local reporters got brave.

On Friday, Sept. 12, Yarmouth Vanguard reporter Carla Allen strapped herself to a Skyhawk and did a tandem jump from 12,500 feet above Yarmouth. After free falling at 170 miles per hour, she lightly floated to the ground.

The Skyhawks, which are comprised of highly professional, skilled and experienced soldiers from the Canadian Forces, videotaped her jump, giving NovaNewsNow.com readers and viewers a chance to experience her jump with her. Watch her video.

Well we are coming into Fall and the weather is cooling down, the leaves are turning and winter is on the way. What will this winter be like, especially with the cost of heating your house nowadays.

Something New

I have a new web site in the works, http://visityarmouth.net . Still working out the kinks, but have a look and let me know what you think. And don't forget to pop over to http://southwestnova.info to learn about our area.

I'm Back

Went on vacation for a week +. There really hasn't been a lot going on here lately. We do have an airshow coming up. The Yarmouth International Air Show 08 is scheduled for Sept. 13-14 with a practice day for performers on Sept. 12 at the Yarmouth airport. In-air performances are scheduled for 1-4 p.m. each day with static displays from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Dave Warner of the South West Shore Development Authority (SWSDA) said the event should be a major boost for the area. It's been a number of years since the last air show in Yarmouth. Warner said the opportunity started with a call from the Nova Scotia International Air Show (NSIAS), wondering if Yarmouth was interested in joining a group of places to take turns hosting an air show. He said there was much debate about the issue before moving forward. The plan is for Yarmouth to host a show every two or three years, said Greg Moulaison, the executive director of the air show. With the exception of the largest air shows, most performers prefer not to go to the same sites every year.

"You can't ask for it every year unless you're a major show," said Warner.

Besides the Snowbirds, Skyhawks and jet truck, which is a small pickup truck with a jet engine attached to the back, other major attractions will include American stunt pilot Pete McLeod, a Griffin helicopter, Harvard heritage aircrafts and a CF-18 Hornet. Moulaison said there is also the chance of flyovers by some U.S. aircrafts, however because they are still awaiting confirmation he didn't want to name them. Putting on a show of this size requires a tremendous amount of work and both Warner and Moulaison said they welcome anyone wishing to volunteer with the project. The hope, Moulaison said, is that the event will act as a unifier for the community much the way something such as the Shark Scramble does.

"We're looking for something that will unite the communities both within the town and within the area to a common thing that we can come together and enjoy and have a good time . . . and create economic impact."
Come on over and see the show. Should be a good time

Wedgeport, N.S. tuna tournament

Last year was the first time in 31 years that a tuna tournament was held in Wedgeport, N.S. This year will be the first time since the heydays of the international matches that the weigh-ins will be back on the Tuna Wharf where it all began.

“The excitement of yesteryear is coming back,” says Doris Bain of the Wedgeport Tuna Museum, who is also on the organizing committee of the tournament. “Since we’ve mentioned that it’s coming to the Tuna Wharf there is even more enthusiasm, more excitement, people are really hyped up.”

Hype is something that is no stranger to tuna tournaments in southwestern Nova Scotia. In the days of the international tuna matches that began in 1931 and continued until 1976 (the match in 1939 was cancelled because of the outbreak of World War II and the event took a break between 1959-65) teams from countries from around the world descended on Wedgeport to take part in the matches. Crews included people like U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, author Ernest Hemingway, aviator Amelia Earhart and hockey all-star Jean Beliveau.

“When you think about back in the day…the government spent all of their tourism dollars on this event,” says Bain. “People came from everywhere, all walks of life.”

In 2004 a tuna tournament became a component of the local annual Shark Scramble tournament. Last year it was decided that it was time to bring the tournament back to Wedgeport.

“It was a whole different experience bringing it back to home turf,” Bain says.

Last year seven boats took part in the tournament, landing nine tuna. Hundreds of people came out for the weigh-ins and saw the crew of the Fin Seeker – with their combined weight of 707 pounds from two tuna – take the top prize. One of the boats was from the United States. Another interesting aspect of last year’s tournament was an all-female crew that took part.

This year organizers are expecting more boats to register. As of mid-July there were nine boats registered, which included two U.S. teams, and another few boats were expected to sign up. Even the high cost of fuel, one of the expenses crews will have to incur, doesn’t seem to be acting as deterrent.

The boats will leave the wharf on Tuesday, Aug. 19, heading out about 10 to 12 hours from shore. The fishing begins on Wednesday, Aug. 20, with all boats required to be back at the wharf by noon on Saturday, Aug. 23. The weigh-ins will begin at 1 p.m., with the closing ceremony and trophy presentation planned for around 3 p.m.

Like last year, fish buyers will be on hand to bid for the tuna during an auction. The fish will then head off to market, although two of the companies are planning to offer a sushi bar at the wharf so people can sample the tuna.

Bain is once again expecting a lot of excitement on the wharf when the tuna are landed. For some people, prior to this the only time they will have seen a tuna is in photographs, a can or between two slices of bread. This is a unique experience Bain says.

“Most people who fish tuna commercially do not call home and say, ‘Get the gang together, we’re coming home, put the party on the wharf’,” she says. “As soon as they unload they’re gone, versus when you have a tournament, you get to see the excitement of the fishermen and hear the stories.”

In addition to the fishing tournament, organizers have expanded the activities into a small festival that will run during the week. Other events will include a pageant, dance and musical concerts.

Another Shark Scramble in the books

This year 118 sharks were landed during the annual Yarmouth Shark Scramble, for an overall combined weight of 23,439 pounds. All of the shark caught were blue sharks, with the exception of one thresher shark.

Bernie Nickerson aboard the Ocean Warrier won first place for the largest shark caught, which weighed in at 403.7 pounds.

The high boat average went to the Trinity 2004, which had six people aboard. The average weight of the sharks caught was 272.9 pounds. Overall, the vessel brought in 1,637 pounds of shark.

The one thresher shark caught during the scramble weighed in at 277.7 pounds and was caught by Randy Purdy.

There were many prizes given out during the event. The trip to a southern destination, which was sponsored by Rudders Seafood Restaurant and Brew Pub, was won by Brian MacKay.

The electric scooter, donated by Nordic Marine Power Inc., was won by Randy Ritchie.

The shark that was caught during the scramble was sold for its meat, with proceeds going to a local charity.