The captain of the Helena G received the prestigious Cane au pommeau d'or on Tuesday afternoon, which is awarded to the first ocean-going ship of the year to dock without a further stop in the port of Montreal.
Captain Eduard Voshchuk said he was “honored to receive this award.” His ship, the Helena G, left the port of Burgas, Bulgaria on December 12 with gold and pyrite.
The voyage ended on January 2nd at Pier 43 of the Port of Montreal and will set sail again in a few days and head for Quebec.
The captain, who is of Ukrainian origin, started sailing at the age of 18. He comes from a family of sailors. His father, grandfather and uncles were all captains, so he was keen to follow in his family's footsteps. For him, sailing is the opportunity to visit other countries and come into contact with other peoples. This is his second visit to Montreal.
The gold-headed cane engraved with the name of the victorious captain and ship was presented by Geneviève Deschamps, interim president and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority.
In an interview with LCN, she also underlined the importance of this “beautiful beginning of the year ceremony” and recalled that the handover of the artifact is a tradition that began 185 years ago, around 1840.
This ceremony commemorates the time when Montreal remained cut off from the rest of the world during the long winter months due to the frozen St. Lawrence River. Montrealers then celebrated the arrival of the first ships in the spring. See also: