'People keep falling in love with her': 125-year-old sailboat returns to B.C. waters
Surrounded by the sailboat equivalent of friends, family, and fans, Dorothy is embarking on the journey of a renewed lifetime
“It’s the first day of the reborn Dorothy,” says Angus Matthews, a Maritime Museum of B.C. board member.
The boat is being eased out of dry dock, 125 years after her birth.
“You got to go back before the Wright Brothers flew to appreciate her age,” Matthews smiles. Back to 1897, when her plans reflected like a twinkle in the eye of shipbuilder J. J. Robinson.
“She’s probably overbuilt for her size,” says Tony Grove, a shipwright who’s spend the past decade refurbishing the boat.
The quality of her build is one of the reasons Dorothy has outlived her peers.
“She’s the oldest registered sailboat in Canada capable of sailing,” Matthews says.
She first set sail with W.H. Langley, a prominent lawyer in Victoria, who commissioned the nine-metre sloop for the small fortune of $1,800.
“Dorothy was his pride and joy,” Matthews says.
Together, Langley and Dorothy won Queen Victoria’s birthday regatta in 1900. They also experienced what became the first official sighting of an alleged local sea monster dubbed the Cadborosaurus.
“She’s had a few near-death experiences,” Matthews says.
But Dorothy is a survivor. And this trip from Gabriola Island to Vancouver Island, aboard a BC Ferries vessel, is not the first time she’s been delivered to a new home.
“People keep finding her,” Matthews says. “And falling in love with her.”
She had about a dozen owners over her first century, before making the acquaintance of the Maritime Museum of B.C., and being introduced to “the boat whisperer” in Grove.
“There was a bit of a giddy [feeling],” Grove says about being hired to refurbish Dorothy.
He removed rot and righted wrongs that threatened to sink her. “This is kind of a real privilege to work on something of this age.”
After a decade of restoration in his workshop, Dorothy has been transported to Ladysmith, B.C., where she’ll be re-introduced to the water before sailing south to host the public in Victoria next year.
“She has this wonderful history that she carries with her,” Matthews smiles, adding that Dorothy will eventually be used to inspire young sailors. “To see that sail on to a new generation is a big thrill for us.”
“If she’s looked after,” Grove smiles. “There’s no reason why she can’t be around for another 125 years.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.