Midway through September, 1957, my friend Peter Saunderson and I organized ourselves to head up the Inside Passage to find the remains of an old paddlewheel steamer wrecked in a wild November storm in 1879. The Waubuno first captured my imagination as a boy after World War 2 when I read the account of herContinue reading “Searching for the Waubuno”
Category Archives: Shipping Lore
The quaint old steamers
The photo says it all: coal smoke belching from a hard working freighter steaming into the sun. (“Steaming Down The Sun” © Ritchie With.) When I photographed her in 1964 the era of these ships was coming to a close. In fact, that was one reason I was able to take the picture – myContinue reading “The quaint old steamers”
Captain Nickerson
A familiar name around Georgian Bay ports over a century ago was Nickerson. Capt. Charles J. Nickerson was one of them. His story might have been typical of how a young man of that period carved out his maritime career. He was featured in The Globe newspaper of Toronto’s series “Prominent Men of the GreatContinue reading “Captain Nickerson”
They loved their ships
Following the wreck of a sailing ship in Georgian Bay in 1891, the publication Marine Review commented on the depth of affection people in the marine world had for particular ships. The writer had been told by an old mariner: “For God’s sake don’t say the old boat went to pieces becasuse she was rotten.Continue reading “They loved their ships”
