Author Archives: admin
The Wanderer Class Diesel Cruiser
The Wanderer Class cruiser was designed by William Garden in about 1963. The idea of a tri-cabin diesel cruiser of a West Coast style was arguably originally created by Edwin Monk Sr., but there were others before him I’m sure. The tri-cabin arrangement (boats with a foc’sl, raised pilothouse, and aft cabin) was[.....]
Norgale, a Troller design by William Reid
The Norgale is a William Reid design built in the Williams Boat Works shop in Sointula and launched in 1964. Actually this is the second Norgale built by the Williams family, the first one (41′ troller built by Albert W. Williams in 1949) became the Evelyn Gale. This Norgale is a big boat,[.....]
Falcon Rock, Fisheries Patrol Vessel
The Falcon Rock was built for the Minister of Fisheries in 1960 at the McKay-Cormack Ltd yard in Victoria. She served the Department for 37 years, much or all of it out of Prince Rupert. I believe she had 2 or 3 sisters, all built in BC yards around the same time. [.....]
George Bruigom, Boatbuilder
George Bruigom built boats in Comox from about 1970 to 1985. Senang Hati, the 45 footer above, is rumored to have been his last boat.
I didn’t know George but I did stop by his shed a few times. George was a busy guy, I remember at least once going by and[.....]
Sterling Hayden and Wanderer
Any story telling session among sailors out here on the West Coast will not go long before someone mentions Sterling Hayden. Writer, Actor, Father, and mostly Sailor, he was a larger than life character who touched the lives of many, but perhaps especially those concerned with boats and sailing. It seems that many[.....]
Westcoast Troller hull form
Above is the troller Anna B, built in 1968 at Maderia Park by Fred Crosby. Apparently Fred built 5 or 6 boats in the late 60’s, but that’s about all I know of him. The Anna B is the only one I can find in the Ship’s Registry.
Other boats built by Fred[.....]
Wapama, Last of the Steam Schooners
The Mercury News for Saturday April 6th, 2013, reports that Wapama will be broken up next week in Richmond, California. She is the last existent West Coast Steam Schooner, at one time this fleet numbered over 220 ships. Built at St. Helens, Oregon of fir in 1915, she is 216′ long with a beam[.....]
The Le Clere’s and Pacific Yew
Sometimes it’s hard to believe the riches we in BC are blessed with. I’m thinking about boatbuilding materials today. Many countries or parts of the world have one or no indigenous high quality boatbuilding woods. New Zealand has Kauri, the Philippines have their Mahogany, Africa has Iroko, and Burma Teak. But[.....]
Varua and Starling Burgess
From The Circumnavigators by Don Holm
“Varua, which means “spirit” or “soul” in Tahitian, is considered by many aficionados to be the most beautiful and functionally perfect sailing yacht ever built.”
Above are the hull lines of Varua, designed by Starling Burgess in 1940. In More Good Boats Taylor reports that Burgess and Robinson tested her model[.....]
Kedging, Another Lost Art.