The ice buildup that stranded P.E.I. spuds in 1979
Icebreaker sent in after buildup of ice turned hour-long ferry trips into nine-hour tours
The trucks were stuck, the spuds were stranded and the ferries were barely moving forward.
It was all because of the thick layers of ice that had formed in the Northumberland Strait.
A cold snap had created "the ice conditions here that old hands say are the worst they can remember," the CBC's Bob Allison reported on The National on Feb. 21, 1979.
Over the previous week, ferries had been taking up to nine hours to make a 15-kilometre trek that normally took less than 60 minutes to complete, due to the problems with the ice.
Allison said in some cases, the ferries simply couldn't complete their journeys.
Traffic jam at the terminal
The slow-down in ferry service then caused problems at the ferry terminals on both ends.
"Trucks piled up at the terminals. Some Island potato shippers were losing $10,000 a day because of the delays," Allison told viewers, when recapping the previous week.
"Fresh produce and liquid oxygen for hospitals were held up on the mainland."
That backup led to a decision to send in the Louis St-Laurent, a Coast Guard icebreaker, which quickly got the ferries going again.
On board the icebreaker, Capt. John Burdock explained that the conditions on the Northumberland Strait had created thick layers of ice that could be measured in metres in some cases.
"I'm sure there's ridges and rafts here that we've gone through ... I don't think I'd be exaggerating if I said they were up to 30 feet," said Burdock.
The National reported the icebreaker was due to remain in the vicinity for a few more days.
