Maritime Life and Traditions No. 6

Table of Contents THE LIGHTKEEPERS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA By Helene David Thanks to public and professional support and to their unique geographical locations, twenty-seven of British Columbia’s lightstations are holding out against automation. But, under ever more pressure for increased technology and decreased costs, the Canadian government is campaigning for a policy of modernization. Here we are given a glimpse into the self-contained lives and duties of the lightkeepers and ask, how much longer will they work Canada’s lighthouses. THE MEN BEHIND THE RACERS By John Leather Throughout this century authors have written of big-class yachting by focussing on the roles of designers, owners and the yachts themselves: few have considered in any detail or depth the part played by professional crews and captains without whom this nineteenth-and early-twentieth century sport could never have happened. The author redresses the balance and offers a particularly personal light. SAILING CRAFT OF BELIZE By Tom Zydler In recent years the indigenous working boats of the world's maritime people have been in steady decline. Amidst the apparent gloom, however, there is the occasional enclave of survival, where boats not only still exist but also continue to work their traditional trades. One such area of hope is the coast of Belize where numerous lobster sloops and sand lighters still earn a living. SCRIMSHAW, OCCUPATIONAL ART OF THE WHALE-HUNTERS By Stuart M Frank Far from being the exclusive domain of the Yankee whalemen of the nineteenth century, scrimshaw was produced by British, Australian, and Portuguese hand-whaling mariners, by some early factory-ship and shore-station crews of all nationalities, and occasionally by naval and merchant seamen from Britain and America. As an art form it emerged in the 1820s but saw its appreciation fade along with the traditional “hand-to-flukes” whaling of the nineteenth century. SCHAARHORN, SWAN OF THE LOWER ELBE By Joachim Kaiser Germany has preserved many of her great steamships and Schaarhorn, built in 1908, is one of the most remarkable. Furthermore,as fascinating as the vessel herself is the story of her restoration — with the right combination of determined individuals, empowered decision makers, and willing helpers, an ambitious, large-scale rebuild can be achieved despite the odds.