N.B. man is proud owner of a hovercraft, thanks to the Canadian Coast Guard
CBC
The Canadian Coast Guard is calling and they want you to buy a hovercraft.
Not a familiar scenario?
It is for Gino LeBlanc, of Caraquet. He was not surprised when the call came in last fall.
"In the world of big hovercraft, it's a small world," He jokes.
But if they thought they had found the perfect buyer, LeBlanc at first said no. For one thing, he already had one.
Eventually, after a visit to the coast guard's hovercraft base on Sea Island in Richmond, B.C., to see the retired search and rescue vessel, he changed his mind.
Only one problem remained.
"Unfortunately, the hovercraft was not on the right ocean," LeBlanc said.
In the months that followed, LeBlanc and his crew would prepare for — and embark on— a "once in a lifetime" journey to bring the hovercraft all the way to his hometown in northeastern New Brunswick, where he co-owns Northeast Diving Ltd.
Most Canadians would love to knock a cross-country road trip off their bucket list. But when you are the proud new owner of a hovercraft, it's not so simple.
Too big to transport by road, it would have to sail.
LeBlanc spent the winter in B.C. at the coast guard base, learning the ins and outs of this particular craft.
"We received tremendous knowledge over there that you can't buy. It would take years to learn it by yourself," LeBlanc said.
Known as the Penac, the hovercraft has an international history. Built in 1984 by a British company, it was first used for passenger transport in Copenhagen.
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