Category Archives: Old Website

Spindrift Studios – the Artwork of the Heine Family

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Harry Heine R.S.M.A., C.S.M.A., N.W.W.S. (July 24, 1928 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – September 25, 2004 Victoria, BC, Canada) was an artist who specialized in maritime scenes. – Wikipedia

Many years ago, having found the Heine family website at Spindrift Studios, I admired the lighthouse paintings of Harry Heine and upon request I was given permission by his son Mark Heine to reprint the following three works of Harry Heine for your enjoyment, and as a lure to get you to visit the family website. Beautiful artwork. Click the photos below to go to the website.

"Passing Friendly Cove"

  Continue reading Spindrift Studios – the Artwork of the Heine Family →

Supplies for Cape Scott Lighthouse 1975

Adult Memories, Boats, Coast Guard, Construction, Equipment, Groceries & Mail, Incidents, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, Ships, Workboats, , , , , , , , ,
CCGS Sir James Douglas - photo F&O Canada

 In 1975 we (myself, my wife Karen and our two young children, our dog, cats, and all our furnishings) were on our way clockwise around Vancouver Island from Quatsino lighthouse to Pachena Point on board the CCGS Sir James Douglas with acting Captain Tom Hull. This was a grocery run so the trip was already pre-planned and we were just passengers. 

The seas were not high but as we rounded Cape Scott, the northern-most tip of Vancouver Island, we began to roll in the southwest swell. As we motored around into quieter waters on the inside of Vancouver Island, we were still being tossed around by occasional large ocean swells.  Continue reading Supplies for Cape Scott Lighthouse 1975 →

Groceries at Green Island c.1975

Adult Memories, Beachcombing, Coast Guard, Equipment, Groceries & Mail, Incidents, Lighthouses, Old Website, Ships, , , , , , , , , ,
Cloo-Stung - photo Barry Duggan

The Cloo-Stung was a catamaran of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) used for delivery of personnel and supplies to Prince Rupert area lighthouses in protected waters. The groceries were delivered to the Coast Guard base in Prince Rupert from the local stores. These were then packed in slings (large canvas or net circles with ropes attached to allow them to be attached to a hook) and loaded onto the Cloo-Stung. Continue reading Groceries at Green Island c.1975 →

Lighthouse Photos by Cyril R. Littlebury c. 1922-1932

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Photos of British Columbia lighthouses by Cyril R. Littlebury in the years 1922 to 1932 with thanks to Dudley R. Booth for permission to publish – please visit Dudley’s new website at Historic Photos. There are many more photos there besides lighthouses.

When Dudley Booth developed some old negatives his father gave him he found a treasure trove of scenes from 1920s and 1930s Vancouver. 

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  Continue reading Lighthouse Photos by Cyril R. Littlebury c. 1922-1932 →

Quarter Master Design by Eric Nevatie

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A lot of contacts that I have made with this website have given me permission to use some of their lighthouse photos and art to illustrate my stories. Quarter Master Design is one of these. Perusing the website today, I decided that instead of showing selected items to wet your appetite, I would print a copy of their home page for you to see. Click on the picture above to go to the website of Eric Nevatie at Quarter Master Design – beautiful!

Groceries and Mail on a Lighthouse

Adult Memories, Coast Guard, Fishing, Groceries & Mail, Helicopters, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, Ships, , , , , , , , , ,
Groceries being loaded at Coast Guard Base - photo John Coldwell

Some of you may wonder why the number of stories about re-supplying the lighthouses exceeds the others on this site by a large margin (lots more coming!). Next to the family and job, the arrival of the mail and groceries was the most important event in the life of the lightkeeping family. 

Imagine no telephone, no television, no two-way radio, possibly no AM radio, and no contact with the outside world except what you saw going by your window. The post was and still is the most important contact to the real world.  Continue reading Groceries and Mail on a Lighthouse →

Hurricane on Langara Island – 1962

Childhood Memories, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, Stories, Storms, Weather, , , , , , ,

– Jeannie (Hartt) Nielsen (daughter of Ed Hartt, Senior Keeper on Langara 1957 – 1963) 

Langara Point - photo Jeannie Nielsen

I had gone by myself to the cabin for a weekend, and in the evening of the second day I was sitting in front of an open campfire watching the sun set. As the sun sank in the sky, a fast moving band of black cloud moved in. 

By midnight that night, the wind was screaming, and the sound of the ocean was ferocious. I could see nothing in the black night, and shone my flashlight toward the bay. All I could see was spray and white water. I watched anxiously for any sign of water coming in under the cabin walls, as the cabin was not far from high tide mark. And from the sound of the ocean, it was wild out there. I was scared. I laid awake all night listening to the sounds of crashing branches, and just hoped that one of the giant trees around the cabin wouldn’t come down. It would have been foolhardy to try to go home in the dark, so all I could do was wait it out.  Continue reading Hurricane on Langara Island – 1962 →

Discovery Island Lighthouse Rots in the Sun

Anti-Automation, Automation, Coast Guard, Equipment, Foghorns, Government, History, Kayak, Keepers, Lighthouses, Old Website, Recreation, , , , , ,

Automated in 1977, these videos show what happens to a sadly neglected automated lighthouse. What a place for a B&B! Thanks to Discovery Island website for the information. Just for your information discoveryisland.ca does not seem to be working anymore.

The two following videos I found on Youtube were originally posted by the website discoveryisland.ca

Take a look at the tower and lantern that the keepers so meticulously maintained. 

Originally the keepers at Discovery Island would manual record the wind speed and direction, air temperature, sea temperature, humidity, sea level pressure, wave height, ocean swell height and direction, visibility and sky condition and then report it back via radio about seven times a day. Now due to the automation of the lighthouse the weather reports have gone the same way.

The new weather Instrument are mounted on the top of the tower and measure the wind speed and temperature and then automaticly report it back to Environment Canada, when it is not broken.

Only twenty-seven MANNED lighthouses are remaining says the government!

Day of Departure – Going on Leave c.1970s

Adult Memories, Childhood Memories, Children, Coast Guard, Communication, Helicopters, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, Radio, Ships, Transportation, Travel, Weather, , , , ,
MBB-105 - photo J. Coldwell

In the days before portable radios and instant communications, we were always apprehensive about the day we headed out for holidays. 

First there was the weather which as everone knows on the West Coast of Canada is always unpredictable even with modern weather forecasting. We observed the weather but rarely got any weather forecasts. 

Next came the Coast Guard. Our long-awaited flight could be diverted for search and rescue, maintenance, or any of a hundred other reasons.  Continue reading Day of Departure – Going on Leave c.1970s →