Robertson II
1974-1980: The Early Years aboard the Robertson II
In the early 1970s, a Victoria physician, Dr. Philip Ney ran an adventure program for young people aboard the ex-troller Nipentuck on the west coast. As the program expanded, the need for a larger vessel became obvious and Dr. Ney started a search which led him ultimately to Nova Scotia and the Robertson II. “The Robbie,” as it affectionately became known, was a Grand Banks fishing schooner in active service since its construction in 1940. Under Dr. Ney’s pioneering leadership, a company was formed in 1974 to own the ship – Pilot Programs Ltd. – and a non-profit society was created to run the program – Quest Star Life Discovery Society.| A bowsprit was added to the Robertson II’s shapely profile and with a volunteer crew comprised of family members and friends and a collection of second-hand sails, the intrepid doctor set out for the Panama Canal. Her crew was reminded from time to time of her long service in the fisheries as the rank odor of former cargoes drifted up from her bilges with each ocean swell. While stopping in Barbados, a minor mix-up of hoses when taking on fuel and water meant that the crew also had to suffer the indignity of diesel fumes in their tea. After a pleasant trip through the Panama Canal, where the Robertson was used as a pilot training ship, Dr. Ney left the schooner in Acapulco and Robert Hirschfield brought her safely to her new home port of Victoria. It had become apparent on the 8000-mile voyage from Nova Scotia that the Robertson II was under-rigged, she was given a three-masted rig with a suit of new sails made in Hong Kong. |  |
From 1974 to 1980 sail training programs aboard the Robertson were developed that ranged from 2 days to 20 days and saw as many as 800 young people a year participate. Voyages took them to the Gulf Islands, the Strait of Georgia and the spectacular fjords of British Columbia such as Jervis Inlet and Princess Louisa. A particularly innovative program called “West Trek” combined seven days of hiking the West Coast Trail of Vancouver Island with five days of sailing and exploring in Barkley Sound.
Operating costs could usually be met by revenue from trainees’ fees but ongoing maintenance and restoration expenses were a constant drain on resources and energy. On a windy night, the Robertson’s aging “Jimmy” diesel packed it in, proving the last straw in the mounting financial burden for owners and operators. Dr. Ney had accepted a new posting in Christchurch, New Zealand and so in the fall of 1980 the Robertson II was put up for sale.
1980-84: Re-Birth of the Robbie
| It was a Saturday in early September 1980 that the Robertson II lay tied to Ship Point Wharf awaiting the auctioneer’s hammer. However, there was a real surprise in store for everyone. When the bids were opened, the successful tenderer was Mr. Alan Graham of Calgary. He promptly donated the vessel back to the Society with the provisos that there be some new faces on the board of directors and that a second society, the Friends of the Robertson II, be formed to help specifically with fundraising. |  |
Alan Graham’s involvement was largely the work of local Victoria Businessman, Jim Hartshorne, who had explained the plight of the Robertson II the day before the auction as they gazed at her spars from a nearby restaurant window. Hartshorne was to become one of the members of the new board under the chairmanship of Dr. Wally Eggert.
The winter of 1980 saw the engine removed and rebuilt and some major repair work carried out in the stern area. In the spring of ’81 the Board, despite the fiscal balance that hardly made it worth the bank’s while to send out a monthly statement, hired a new Executive Director, Martyn Clark. This position called for him to skipper the Robertson II, raise funds and develop sail training programs. He assembled a team and began a major restoration effort which would see the Robertson II restored to her historic two-masted gaff rig. The work could only take place in the winter months as the ship would still need to sail from May to October. The total restoration was scheduled to cover three years and to cost $350,000. Work included replacing the old wheelhouse with a traditional deckhouse, replacing the spars, diesel tanks, sails, rigging, steering box, wheel, hatch coamings, skylights, generator, steering, crew’s quarters, and chart table. Builders who were instrumental in the restoration included Gerry Fossum, Jeff Mitchell, David Roycroft, Lars Junker, Derek Cash, Geoff Munday, Gerry Boy, Real Fournier, Chris Maloney, and Tony Anderson.
A vigorous advertising campaign, new brochures, and mailings to B.C. schools had resulted in healthy bookings for spring and summer, but the dockside loafers and armchair sailors became increasingly skeptical that the schooner would be ready in time. On the appointed day the decks were scrubbed clean and the Robertson II took on board another group of eager school children. Her suit of new white sails, cut in the tradition of the true Grand Banks fisherman, were an inspiring sight but the crew eyed her massive boom and mainsail, larger than 2000 square feet, with more than a little apprehension.
And so another winter rolled around, and the crew devoted themselves to gutting the interior and installing new water tanks, cabin soles, tables, bunks, heads and galley. The final phase of the restoration – new decking and bulwark caps – was completed in the winter of ‘84-’85. The Robertson II had already won the award for the best restored sailing vessel at the Victoria Real Estate Board Classic Boat Show in ’82. Her programs were fully booked almost a year in advance with long waiting lists for the summer trips.
SALTS sailed the Robertson II from 1974 to 1995 when she was retired. The ship served as a floating museum in Victoria’s Harbour, available for public tours, until she was sold to a private owner in 2003.