Maritime Heritage
24 articles
Two Banknotes Featuring Ship Engravings
In the days before the Bank of Canada assumed control of all banknote issues in Canada the chartered banks issued their own notes. To the delight of the collector, there was a wide variety of designs in use, many of were extremely attractive. A good number of banknotes featured e
Collecting Nautical Antiques
Royal Navy Officer’s Swordbelt c1840
Cooking At Sea: some marine gastronomy
John M. MacFarlane 2002
Restoring a Harold Gates Canoe
Harold Gates was a canoe builder who was born in Middleton, Nova Scotia in the picturesque Annapolis Valley. He lived there his entire life and was the best known of the maritime canoe builders during his era. He was quoted in "Older Ways" regarding his start in buildin
Malahat Drive: MacFarlane's Folly
The monument to Major MacFarlane at the Malahat Summit.
Who's In Charge of These Waters?
Waterfront Houses and Floats on the Waterfront at Cowichan Bay BC (Photo from John MacFarlane collection)
Comox Coast Guard Radio - Safety First, Service Always
"Mayday!" A single call over the radio – this simple word sets in motion a very well organized team of professionals to get help to a mariner in peril. Everyone on the water knows that "Mayday" is the spoken distress signal to alert others to immediate d
Searching For Pirate Treasure
John M. MacFarlane 2002
Captain Cook Memorial Kealakekua Bay Hawaii
The Captain Cook Memorial at Kealakekua Bay Hawaii as it appeared in 1957.
Collecting Ship Mail and Marine Post Offices
Postal Cover From C.C.G.S. Camsell posted in 1978 while on the Western Arctic Patrol. These colourful marks on the covers were developed privately by the ship’s Purser who applied them, on his own initiative, giving them a very nice cachet. (Photo from MacFarlane collection
Outboard Motorboat Racing in British Columbia
George Hynek was the Pacific Northwest Champion of Class–C outboard motorboat racing c1936. (Photo with permission from the Hynek collection.)
Charles M. Hays - A Titanic Loss
Prince Rupert’s deep water harbour, ships at anchor, cruise ship dock at lower left corner, overlooking Cow Bay. (Photo from the Laura Yerex collection.)
Ogden Point Breakwater Victoria bC
Lighthouse on the outer extremity of the Ogden Point Breakwater Victoria BC (Photo Murray Polson collection)
Flotsam, Jetsam & Lagan: stuff for the Receiver of Wreck
John M. MacFarlane & Lynn Wright Salmon 2002 (revised 2017)
Accretion on Waterfront Property
The pilings at the site of the old cannery on Don Island in the Fraser River showing accretion.
HMS Egeria and Early Hydrography on the British Columbia Coast
One of the inscribed Egeria rock monuments – this one is located in Bedwell Harbour, Pender Island BC (John MacFarlane photo)
Last Morse Code Message at VAK
Chris Hyde sends the last message in Morse code from Sooke Coast Guard Radio 1992.
Plimsoll Mark
Plimsoll Mark / Line on the side of a ship (Photo courtesy of the Murray Polson collection)
Guide to Fishing Licence Codes Seen on Canadian Vessels
Fishing Licence Stickers (Photo from MacFarlane Collection)
Vessel Licencing in Western Canada
An example of the ‘old’ system of vessel licence number notation. (The 13K indicates that it was licenced in Vancouver BC.) (Photo from MacFarlane collection)
Major James Francis Lenox MacFarlane’s Version of the Siting of the Malahat Highway
From a letter to the Victoria Times August 29, 1938
Pender Island Grafitti
John M. MacFarlane 2011
Care Taker Article
PDF document from the Nauticapedia archive.
Nautical and Maritime Heritage
Collecting nautical antiques is a popular subset of the overall collecting scene. But how should a collector go about it? How should you decide what to collect and where do you find the material?
