Boxing Rock is a shoal off Hartz Point in Shelburne Harbour – one that’s exposed only at low tide.

According to local folklore, it had a special purpose for the sea captains of our past. Sailing ships and their crews spent weeks up to months at sea, eating, sleeping and working within inches of each other - Inevitably, they got on each others’ nerves.

Captains dealt with bickering crew by sending them to Boxing Rock. Imagine the Captain calling over the gunwales, “Here’s the deal, boys. Shake hands and share a beer or box until one of you drops. We’ll be back before high tide to pick up one or both of you.”

More often than not, the two would duke it out, only the winner returning to the ship. But every now and then a pair would appreciate the dry land beneath their feet – however modest a chunk – the break from their labours and the jug of beer they agreed to share. They would sit together, laugh together, and drink together, breathing the fresh air and watching the waves lap at their feet.

There are only a few short hours before high tide, so drink up.