by Maria Koropecky, tour guide
Victoria Tall Ships Festival
June 2005
Hello, my name is Maria Koropecky. Welcome to the North Star of Herschel Island. How is everybody enjoying the festival so far? Before we board the ship, I would like to share some information with you to help make your visit more enjoyable.
The 30-tonne North Star was built in 1935 in San Francisco at the George W. Kneass shipyard and shipped (more like piggy-backed) to Herschel Island in the Arctic aboard the 600-tonne trading ship, Patterson, in 1936. Herschel Island, by the way, is about 3000 miles/ 6000 kilometres north of Victoria (as the crow flies) on the tip of the Yukon Territory and Mr. Herschel was an English scientist.
North Star was specifically designed for use in the chilly Arctic, and was commissioned by two Inuit fox-trappers (James Wolkie and Fred Carpenter) who paid at that time, $23,000 for her construction. (Apparently, they actually mailed a box full of cash to San Francisco to pay for her). Remember, this was during the Great Depression...
She was originally rigged as a schooner. Her hull was constructed of double wood planking of Australian greenheart (a very tough wood that can tolerate freezing). In addition, Irish ship felt was installed between the planking instead of ordinary caulking which would shrink and fall out in cold Arctic conditions.
Transporting cargo was North Star's job in the Arctic. She was used to transport the fur trappers, their families, dog sleds and trapping gear to their base camps in the spring.
In August and September she was used to transport fur pelts to market. She also shipped supplies from Tuktoyaktuk and Aklavik to Sachs Harbour on Banks Island.
Each Fall, (except for 3 years when she was trapped frozen in the Arctic ice), North Star was hauled out of the water and onto land for the winter months. The whole village participated in the process, hand winching and hauling the North Star out on its side over skids fashioned from the bodies of freshly killed seals and drift logs. This process sometimes took several days.
Johansson has the reputation of being quite the character. He has the firmest handshake of anyone you'll ever meet (probably from working with all of those ropes for so many years) and currently he is reported to be working in New York city as a choreographer. And his daughter apparently works and lives up Island.
Johansson had dreams of sailing her solo around the world — and although it is possible for the ship to be sailed single-handedly, I don't think that particular dream was realized. However, from 1968 to 1973, she was used for scientific investigations in the Arctic.
In 1973, Johansson, his wife and daughter sailed her south to be retrofitted. It was at this time, that her hull was copper clad to keep out the toredo worm (not a necessity for Arctic waters). The ship was also re-rigged at this time as a three-masted, square-rigged ship. She first visited Victoria in that year.
The following year in 1974 she returned North and was used in sail training with the Inuit and as a survey ship to survey the controversial B.C./Alaska border. She was even chartered for awhile by a wealthy patron to search for mermaids.
She was purchased by her current owners, the Macdonald family in 1996 and they immediately moved on board (with a cat and a dog) making it their home.
North Star of Herschel Island is the only trapping schooner still afloat from that era of Arctic history. The others are either gone or abandoned on the beach and mostly forgotten. She is still making a contribution 70 years later (not as a replica) as the only fully-rigged sailing ship in Canada, a tribute to her Inuit owners and Sven Johansson, and to her new owners, the Macdonalds, who continue to maintain and operate her.
Captain Macdonald and his family are with us today and are willing to answer questions. The Captain has requested "No Smoking."
Please remember that while you are free to explore the upper deck of the vessel, be cautious where you walk. I also request that you do not move or remove any items. Everything you see onboard has a job and is intricately connected to the running of the ship. In other words, they aren't props or decorations. If you are curious about how something works, please ask the Captain if he can explain or demonstrate it for you.
Anyone wanting more extensive information can explore the North Star website, www.northstar.titaniumwebs.com at their leisure. There you will find the ship's store and more detailed information about the rich and colourful history of this historic vessel.
Those who wish to board many now do so. Thank you for your attention and for visiting North Star of Herschel Island.
