Sable Island has been the focus of human interest and activities for over three centuries. Mapmakers, settlers, fishermen, mariners, shipwreck victims, lifesavers, naturalists and scientists, prospectors, educators, students, artists, journalists and visitors have explored, survived, studied, and otherwise experienced Sable Island—directly, with toes in the sand, or from a distance. For many, their fleeting or long-term encounter with the island was memorable—tragic, perplexing, inspirational, mildly interesting, inconvenient, educational, life-changing, joyous. And through these people and their work, adventures and misadventures, connections with the island extend beyond them and into the lives and communities of others who may not have touched or been touched by Sable Island.
In this series of “Connections”, special moments and lasting impressions are shared by people who have experienced Sable Island first-hand or have a distant, but enduring, relationship with the island.
Occasion of the Soul – Shar Irving-Kennedy, 2009
Thoughts of the past keepers of the island, the lighthouses, and the many rescues, captured my imagination, and in that instant I simply got out my paints in an attempt to express this reflective moment.
Remembering Acadian – Krista McAllister, 2003
I had the most wonderful experience with Acadian on one of our last evenings on Sable. I was alone on a dune writing in my log and felt a presence behind me. I wasn’t sure what to do, so did nothing.
