Description
The Tilikum is a Nootkan Indian ocean-going canoe — only 38 feet overall including her native figurehead. Purchased for $80 by Captain John Voss, this unlikely craft left Oak Bay harbour in Victoria, British Columbia on May 20, 1901 on a voyage to circumnavigate the globe — a voyage that would become the longest ever taken by canoe. On board were Voss and Norman Luxton. Norman Kenny Luxton was born on November 2, 1876, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. A newspaperman with an interest in native Indian artifacts, Luxton, met Voss in a West Coast bar. Over drinks, the two discussed the maritime exploits of the day. Joshua Slocum had recently achieved great fame by sailing around the world in a tiny yawl named the Spray. When Voss boasted that he could best Slocum by repeating the voyage in an even smaller vessel, Luxton called him on his bravado. If Voss would take him along — and if they managed to cross all three oceans — Luxton was prepared to pay Voss $2,500, and half the proceeds from whatever he published about the voyage. It seemed like a good idea at the time. The pair shared an enthusiasm for ships and sea adventures, and although they disagreed on many things, their mutual quest for fame seemed enough to cement the deal. Ten thousand miles and six months later, Luxton was a broken man in a Suva, Fiji hospital bed. He and Voss had crossed the Pacific Ocean together, but had nearly killed each other along the way. Leaving Luxton behind, Voss and a new mate completed the voyage. Luxton's Pacific Crossing is Norman Luxton's personal account of his six months at sea. As the Tilikum itself celebrates the 100th anniversary of its departure from Oak Bay, Luxton's story is back in print, with a new foreword by Harvey Locke — a trustee of the Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation — and new photographic material.