Workboats – Lighthouse Memories

Refuelling a Lighthouse

September 23, 2014diesel, Facebook, helicopter, hovercraft, Ivory Island, lighthouse, litehouse, refuelling, Scarlett Point, shipAdult Memories, Boats, British Columbia, Canada, Coast Guard, Environment, Equipment, Helicopters, Hovercraft, Icebreakers, Keepers, Lighthouses, On The Job, WorkboatsretlkprLeave a Comment

British Columbia (BC) lighthouses mostly have diesel generators unless they are close enough to a large town or city to allow a power cable to run to them. So how does one refuel a lighthouse as most of them are sitting fairly high above the water line and very distant from a local gas station? Well, thanks to […]

Moving Day 1970s

May 9, 2012Alexander Mackenzie, CCGS, Green, helicopter, lighthouse, litehouse, moving, Pachena, ship, Sir James | Douglas, travelAdult Memories, Boats, British Columbia, Children, Coast Guard, Equipment, Groceries & Mail, Helicopters, Hobbies, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, Transportation, Travel, Workboatsretlkpr1 Comment

One of the problems with moving to another lighthouse was that everything had to be crated and or well-packed to withstand the dangers of the transportation and handling by ship and/or helicopter. It also had to survive unexpected falls and/or water damage, both fresh and salt. When my wife Karen and I first moved on […]

Derrick Operation at Boat Bluff c. 2004

April 18, 2012BC, boat, Boat Bluff, British Columbia, derrick, hoisting, lighthouse, litehouse, suppliesBritish Columbia, Coast Guard, Construction, Equipment, Fishing, Groceries & Mail, Keepers, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, Photos, Recreation, Search & Rescue, WorkboatsretlkprLeave a Comment

The derrick is another lifting device used on stations that do not have a rock in the sea for a highline and where seas were also relatively calm. It was used like the highline to lift and lower items to and from the work boats or lower the keeper’s boat or station boat in and […]

Grocery Mishap at Kains Island (Quatsino) c.1975

March 2, 2012accident, BC, foam, groceries, lighthouse, litehouse, mail, sea foam, workboatAdult Memories, Coast Guard, Equipment, Groceries & Mail, Incidents, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, Storms, WorkboatsretlkprLeave a Comment

The landing under the hook (aka highline) at Kains Island was a large basin at the back side. It looked like a very large boulder had been washed out from the hole. It was a bit tricky if the swell was running to bring the station inflatable in safely but we never had a accident in […]

Supplies for Cape Scott Lighthouse 1975

February 15, 20121975, accident, Cape Scott, CCGS Douglas, groceries, lighthouse, litehouse, ship, Sir James | Douglas, workboatAdult Memories, Boats, Coast Guard, Construction, Equipment, Groceries & Mail, Incidents, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, Ships, Workboatsretlkpr2 Comments

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 […]

In Memorium – Bill Exley (1920 – 1994)

April 24, 1994Bill Exlex, Capt., CG, Coast Gurad, In Memorium, lighthouse, litehouse, shipsAdult Memories, CG Vessels, Coast Guard, Icebreakers, In Memorium, Lighthouses, Old Website, On The Job, Tenders, WorkboatsretlkprLeave a Comment

Captain William (Bill) Mills Exley (January 08, 1920, Vancouver, BC – April 24,1994, Victoria, BC) was a friend to all the lighthouse keepers he met. Bill joined the Coast Guard as a mess boy on the Estevan in 1939 and retired 45 years later as District Area Supervisor (DAS), Victoria. He was a tough boss but was […]

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