NOOTKA – the former Mission Boat “Ave Maria”
As many as twenty Mission Boats and one seaplane operated from 1905 to 1969 providing medical, dental, pastoral and social care to remote settlements and communities of British Columbia. Ave Maria served longer and was built by the eye and hand of a First Nation Shipwright which makes her unique in the history of the Mission Boats.
Built at Meares Island, Clayoquot Sound in 1957 by Barney Williams, a Shipwright and fisherman of the Nuu-chah-nulth Nation. “Ave Maria” served the Christie Mission School for almost 30 years along the rough West Coast of Vancouver Island from Barkley Sound to the Brooks Peninsula. The boat was rescued during the early 1980’s in Tofino, transported overland to the Gulf Islands and resurrected in the late 1980’s by Doug Johnston of Tofino. Doug rebuilt the hard working mission boat over a half dozen years, turning her into a unique Pacific Northwest cruiser, a new built up horseshoe stern on large yellow cedar timber and new pilothouse, cabin, and forward steering station based on ships of the Baltic Sea. “Ave Maria” remained in Canadian registry until 2007.
2007 – 2008 “Ave Maria” now in US Registry underwent substantial work in Port Townsend. This included some planking and complete refastening and rudder replacement followed by complete rebuild of her forward deck, cabin and forward steering station. This rebuilding was followed by installation exquisite bronze and brass railings, and the addition of bronze bitts and chocks from Port Townsend Foundry.
The originally installed Dickinson Range was replaced by a huge beautiful cast Iron Diesel Heater made by Refleks and it appears to be the only one imported to the United States.
With a new caretaker in 2017, the old Mission Boat’s well used GM Bedford diesel dating form the early 1960’s was removed and replaced with an Luger/John Deere 94 hp Diesel greatly improving fuel efficiency and reliability.
NOOTKA has many unique features including antique brass and copper running lights all originally oil burning. The brass Side lights are from Spain, the copper steaming light is English, and the stern light in a great old Perko all converted to LED lights but retaining their original internal reflectors. New Interior work includes extensive use of yellow cedar, red cedar and teak tongue and groove paneling.
Cruising in the San Juan’s the last two years, by the time of the festival she will have returned from Desolation Sound and Pender Harbor where NOOTKA will have joined other British Columbia Mission Boats participating in Pender Harbor Days.