Ownership of the schooner then moved to the tiny Newfoundland port of Brigus, where Harold Bartlett had her in service as a fishing and coasting vessel along the Newfoundland and Labrador shoreline. The ship sailed under British registry out of Newfoundland and other Canadian maritime ports.

We recently heard from the grandson of Rev/Dr. Cecil Webber who was born and grew up in Brigus, NF and sailed on the Morrissey when the ship was involved in coastal freight. Rev. Webber was on during the summer of 1921 or thereabouts. The photos below seem to have been from that era.

In 1924, Captain Robert Bartlett, Harold’s cousin, bought the Effie M. Morrissey for $6,000 (same as her building price) thanks to a gift of $10,000, from the Commodore of the Larchmont Yacht Club, James Ford who was Vice President of the United States Rubber Company.

Bob Bartlett was born and grew up as a Newfoundlander when Newfoundland was Great Britain’s very first crown colony, he was never a Canadian citizen. Captain Bob was 50 years old at that time and had more than 30 years at sea behind him and many famous exploits in the far North.

Robert Bartlett had won worldwide acclaim as the “ice navigator” who had skippered
Admiral Peary’s ship, the Roosevelt, on the famous expeditions to reach the North Pole in 1905 through 1909. He also was well known for his leadership and courage during the Karluk Expedition of 1913-1914.

However, during the summer of 1925, “Captain Bob” tried his hand at fishing “down the Labrador.” He sailed the Morrissey into coves where her crew set traps or, later in the season, jigged for fish out of motor boats.
Icebergs posed a constant threat; Bartlett recounted several episodes when the engineless Morrissey just missed wrecking by threatening bergs.

These are some of the voyages through 1933. This is scanned from the inside cover of Sails Over Ice published in 1934.