AZOV

In 1886, William Buntin of Wellington Square, Ontario had the two-masted schooner AZOV built for himself at the shipyard operated by John Potter and John Simpson. John Simpson was the accredited master builder. Buntin and his business associates operated their schooner mostly on Lake Ontario during the first eighteen seasons of her career.

John Shaw and John Forest, of Port Lambton, Ontario, owned AZOV in 1884 and she ran in the salt and lumber trades. Salt was the northbound cargo for Owen Sound, Ontario and other Georgian Bay ports. From there she would run light to a North Channel port or Manitoulin Island for lumber or cedar shingles. In May of 1894, AZOV collided with the Canadian Government fisheries cruiser PETREL near Amherstburg.

At the turn of the century, AZOV was owned by W.F. Lawrence, of Hamilton. By 1903, he had sold her to H.P. Laurence, of Watford, Ontario, who in turn sold her to Captain John McDonald, of Goderich. About 1906, Captain McDonald sold his schooner JOHN G. KOLFAGE in order to pay for purchasing the AZOV and also to have her rebuilt at Sarnia.

Sailing the AZOV on Lake Huron became a family affair as Captain McDonald’s son, Dan, was the mate and his daughter, Etta, was in charge of the galley. The McDonalds painted their schooner white with green trim.

On October 22, 1911, AZOV was southbound on Lake Huron loaded with lumber and shingles for Chatham, Ontario. She was working her way across the mouth of Saginaw Bay in heavy weather when she began to leak. The crew exhausted themselves at the pumps and the AZOV began to settle and became unmanageable.

The yawl boat was lowered and crew abandoned AZOV about nine miles east by south of Point Aux Barques. The abandoned schooner quickly broached to and capsized. Captain McDonald and his crew of five, including his son and daughter, were driven away from the Michigan shore by the westerly winds. They rowed and bailed as the little yawl boat sailed across the heaving lake. Sometimes a wave would break over them and half fill the boat.

The crew were in a state of exhaustion, cold and wet, and all became very drowsy. The Captain had to prod someone occasionally with his steering oar in order to keep them going. The crossing took eighteen hours and they came ashore six miles north of Goderich. A farmer took them to his house, where they recovered sufficiently to make the stage coach ride to Goderich.

The AZOV drifted across the lake and was found by the tug McGAW about five miles off Kincardine. An attempt was made to tow her but she would not follow. She eventually came ashore near McGregor Point, about four miles south of Port Elgin, Ontario. The elements broke her to pieces where she lay.

AZOV upbound light