''Tilikum'' was a

dugout canoe A dugout canoe or simply dugout is a boat made from a hollowed tree. Other names for this type of boat are logboat and monoxylon. ''Monoxylon'' (''μονόξυλον'') (pl: ''monoxyla'') is Greek – ''mono-'' (single) + '' ξύλον xylon'' ( ...

that was used in an effort to

circumnavigate Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magel ...

the globe starting in 1901. The boat was a "Nootkan" (

Nuu-chah-nulth The Nuu-chah-nulth (; Nuučaan̓uł: ), also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, Nuuchahnulth or Tahkaht, are one of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast in Canada. The term Nuu-chah-nulth is used to describe fifte ...

) canoe which was already old when she was obtained by captain John Voss in April 1901. The boat was built in the early 19th century as a dugout canoe made from a large red cedar log. ''Tilikum'' was purchased for $80 in silver from a native woman (Voss describes her as a " siwash") in a transference ceremony allegedly sealed by a bottle of rye whiskey - the name Tilikum means "friend" in Chinook jargon. Apparently, John Voss and his companion in this venture,

Norman Luxton Norman K. Luxton (November 2, 1876 – October 26, 1962) was a pioneer in the Canadian Rockies known as "Mr. Banff". With John Voss, he attempted to sail around the world in an old red cedar Indian dug-out canoe. On his return to Canada, he wo ...

, were inspired by the voyage of Joshua Slocum, who sailed the sloop ''Spray'' around the world a few years earlier and wrote a best selling book about his adventures. The boat was refitted - reinforced, covered and rigged with sail, in total, and readied for her voyage at a shipyard in Spotlight Cove on Galiano Island BC. ''Tilikum'' was then sailed to

Oak Bay Oak Bay is a municipality incorporated in 1906 that is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is one of thirteen member municipalities of the Capital Regional District, and is bordered ...

harbour, then departing from there for the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

on May 20, 1901, captained by Voss and mated by Luxton. After 10,000 miles (about 16000 km) and five months on the Pacific Ocean, ''Tilikum'' struck a reef and Luxton was thrown from the boat. His whole body was badly cut by

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...

. The boat limped into harbour at

Penrhyn Island Penrhyn (also called Tongareva, Māngarongaro, Hararanga, and Te Pitaka) is an atoll in the northern group of the Cook Islands in the south Pacific Ocean. The northernmost island in the group, it is located at north-north-east of the capital ...

in the Cook Islands on 2 September 1901, and Luxton left the trip entirely in Suva, Fiji on 17 October 1901. ''Tilikum'' was crewed by 10 more men between that time and when she finally pulled into harbour on the Thames in

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

in September, 1904. On 25 October 1901, after leaving Suva, the mate, Louis Begent, the binnacle, and the compass were lost in 'large breaking seas'. Voss was now alone without a compass, from Sydney. ''Tilikum'' arrived in Melbourne on 13 March 1902 and was exhibited in full rig in Collins Street. She was moved to another vantage point at the Exhibition Buildings, but during loading onto a 'wagon', the hook broke and she was damaged, with splits appearing in five different places. Voss repaired her himself using thin steel ribs. She was then sailed on Lake Wendouree, Ballarat, and presented with a new set of sails by local yachtsmen, before travelling to Geelong to be returned to the sea. Voss was nominated as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in London after lecturing in Britain about the voyage, but he never completed the process to officially become a fellow. Captain John Voss published his sailing memoir as ''The Venturesome Voyages of Captain Voss'' in 1913. Many years after the voyage,

wrote his own version of the journey with Voss in his ''Tilikum Journal.'' This manuscript was edited by his daughter Eleanor and was published after Luxton's death as ''Tilikum: Luxton's Pacific Crossing'' in 1971. ''Tilikum'' changed hands a number of times in London, losing her bowsprit and masts over time. In 1929, the Furness Shipping Line returned ''Tillikum'' to

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

. She underwent restoration beginning in 1936 by the Thermopylae Club before she was moved into the

Maritime Museum A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water. A subcategory of maritime museums are naval museums, which focus on navies and the milita ...

in 1965, where she remained until 2015. After that, the ''Tilikum'' was on display at the Ogden Point cruise ship terminal in Victoria, B.C. Currently, the

does not have her on display.

References

External links

Captain John Voss

Maritime Museum of BC -Tilikum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tilikum (Boat) Canoes Schooners Individual sailing vessels Sailing ships of Canada Nuu-chah-nulth Ships preserved in museums Museum ships in Canada Museum ships in British Columbia Ships built in British Columbia

References

Further reading

External links