May 21, 1901, one of the world’s greatest sailing exploits begins.

It was a trip involving raging storms, allegations of a murder, shipwreck, potential cannibals, and a cast of characters of varying degrees of colourful and dubious backgrounds.

Inspired by the solo circumnavigation of the globe by Nova Scotian Joshua Slocum, several other daring feats of sail were proposed. Each proposal was an attempt to outdo the original feat of that Canadian born captain and his ship “Spray”, itself a ship not ideal for deep water sailing.

One such proposal involved another Canadian captain, John Voss and his ship, a modified aboriginal cedar dug-out canoe.

Named “Tilikum” meaning “friend” in the Nootka language, it was thought that being much smaller than “Spray”, and a native “canoe” at that, would make the feat more spectacular.

A five-thousand dollar prize for completing the circumnavigation, made the adventure more interesting.

Capt Voss, allegedly not without some dubious background involving smuggling, had obtained the canoe from a Nootka native, the sale illegally aided by giving whisky to the native.  It was long and narrow, at 38 ft, by 5.5 ft.  Voss prepared it by adding decking raising the sides somewhat and adding a small cabin, masts, keel, and ballast.

Readied by May 20^th, the strange craft left Victoria harbour on Canada’s west coast early on May 21^st.  With Voss doing the sailing, he would be accompanied by Norman Luxton. The latter was a journalist, but also with a varied and colourful past, who would document the voyage.

After a variety of incidents, Luxton who had been badly injured when the ship hit a coral reef, would later say that he risked being murdered by Voss, and so left the ship in Syndey Australia,

As the voyage continued from point to point, a variety of mates, ten in all, shipped with Voss, although one was lost overboard, along with the compass.  Luxton would later suggest Voss had murdered the man and thrown him overboard in a rage, a fate he himself had feared.

After stops in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Brazil, Voss and Tilikum arrived at Margate, England in 1904.

Although he did not sail back to Vancouver, Voss called it a circumnavigation on a technicality because he had sailed across the three great oceans.

After being displayed at Earl’s Court in England in 1905 where Voss was nominated as a fellow in the Royal Geographical Society, the ship found new owners. Years later, in 1929, it was “discovered” semi abandoned on Canvey Island in the Thames estuary. When authorities in British Columbia were advised of the situation, they arranged to have it returned to Canada where it now sits.

All other issues aside, there is no doubt of the amazing seamanship of Voss to have achieved such a feat in such an unlikely craft.

Voss and Luxton both wrote books of their adventure, although they vary someone on certain points.

John Claus Voss’ book  ‘The Venturesome Voyages of Captain Voss’ by John Claus Voss (1858-1922), photographs by Powell, H. Price first published in 1913 can be read here. (Tilikum begins pg 46)