Handmade dories pass float test on North Saskatchewan River leak-free

Paul Winter smileswidely as heapproachesthe bank of the North Saskatchewan River inGold Bar Park after a three-hour rowthrough the city in a Newfoundlanddory.

"Fantastic. Wicked. It's the remedy I needed. My addiction was [ful]filled," Winter says with a laugh.

"Rowing is hard on your face. You get stiff cheeks, 'cause you constantly can't get the smile off. It's just pure fun."

The row wasa test fortwo dorieshe built by hand, seeing if the boats leakafterthree hours on the water.

He was joined by four others, friends from his church who wanted to be a part of theafternoon trip.

• Finding dory: Edmonton man builds Newfoundland boats in landlocked Alberta

"I want to celebrate this accomplishment of getting these dories launched," said Paul David Mercier. "Secondly, it's a bit of nostalgia for me because it harkens back to my childhood and time out on the water down east."

'It's a remedy I needed'

5 years ago

Duration 1:51

Paul Winter missed the traditional dory boats of his home province of Newfoundland. So, he built them and tested them out on the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton.

Winter,raised in Corner Brook, N.L., yearned for the ocean-faring life after working six years pouring concrete. Hequit his job to make a dory by hand. It took more than 300 hoursand his business, L.A. Dories, was launched.

Winter worries the art of building theflat-bottomed traditional fishing boatis dying.

-"You're tuned in to the river, to the river valley, and the dory, like all the history in it."- Paul Winter

"I didn't want that design just to go away," he said.

Winter said he overheard a bridge construction worker singing the traditional Newfoundland folk song I's The B'y as he passed below.

Winter is hoping the many Newfoundlanders who moved to Alberta for workwill also yearn for a row in the traditional boat andrent his dories to ridethe river.

He's also planning to hold annual dory races on the North Saskatchewan River.

"It's a beautiful experience. There's no sound, you know. You're right with nature," Winter said.

"You're tuned in to the river, to the river valley, and the dory, like all the history in it."

@Travismcewancbc

Travis.mcewan@cbc.ca