New White Head ferry now repaired and serving island

The new $5 million ferry between White Head and Grand Manan was docked for maintenance for eight days, but was back in service on Saturday, January 21.
Murray Ryder of Coastal Transport says that the MV William Frankland was taken out of service on Friday, January 13. "It needed some repairs and adjustments," says Ryder. The vessel was constructed in Gaspé, Quebec, by Chantier Naval Forillon, but the steering mechanism was built in Germany, and it was necessary to have someone from that country fix the problem.
"It has a Voith propulsion system," adds Gregg Ryder of Coastal Transport. "And everything seems to be working great now."
The MV Lady White Head was called back into service between Grand Manan and White Head while the MV William Frankland was being repaired.
The MV William Frankland, built for the New Brunswick Department of Transportation, was launched on December 14. It bears the name of the man who built the first house on White Head Island, back in 1805. A native of Whitby, Yorkshire, England, William Frankland was a sea captain, shipbuilder, artist and Bay of Fundy pilot. He was 37 years old when he moved from St. Andrews to Grand Manan in 1801, but then he made the move to White Head, where he gained local fame for loaning John James Audubon his gun, so Audubon could collect bird specimens during an 1833 visit to White Head.
Ella Ossinger is one of many descendants of William Frankland who live on White Head. "I didn't have anything to do with naming the new ferry, but I think it's nice," she says. "There's quite a few of us who are related to him."
The MV William Frankland can carry 12 cars, which is four more than the MV Lady White Head, so Ossinger says she and her neighbors are happy with the extra room on board for vehicles. "Some use it more than others, but this ferry is a lifeline for us."
"With the old ferry, you'd have to park your car in the line-up the night before to make sure you get a spot," she adds. "But we get good service, and the captain and crew are excellent."