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Ian Andersen: (1943-present)
2008 was the
25th anniversary of operating the Silver Fox. I actually
fell in love with boats at a very early age....
I was
born in the middle of the Second World War in Victoria, BC, where my
father was a shipwright (boat builder) at V.M.D. Shipyards. When I
was three years old enough to sit still on the spare seat of his
bicycle - on weekends he would often take me to various places
around Victoria where he was helping build large wooden boats in
private yards. While he worked I used to play with the wood shavings
under the keel until it was time to return home.
At age 11, I recall getting grounded for
taking Dad's sailboat out for a spin without his permission. I can't
remember who helped me tip Dad's boat back up and bail it out, but I
quickly discovered that I didn't know as much about sailing as I
thought. Nevertheless, while still in short pants and wearing a
school uniform, I knew I was destined to be a sea captain.
Dad and I built a very fast racing sailboat,
and by the time I was 15 (see picture) I was wearing a snappy light
blue captain's hat and cutting a swath through as many of the young
maidens' hearts as I could find.
 I started building 8-foot-lomg plywood
kayak kits in our basement. These were sold across western Canada by Woodward's Stores, and when this operation grew too unwieldy I moved
up the street to a neighbour's house. He had a much larger workshop,
and so we joined forces and started selling them to Eaton's stores
and other outlets.
In 1961, when I graduated from St. Louis
College in Victoria, the caption under my yearbook mug shot read
"Capt. Puget of the Grade 12-ers."
Considering my passion for boats it
was perfectly natural to start working in the shipyards. I started
as a "helper" at Walker Marine in Gordon Head, but shortly after
that I was hired by Harbour Marine to wash down boats, and deliver
boats on trailers. A new outfit in town, they were located almost
under the Johnston Street bridge in Victoria West (where there is
now a luxury hotel). I then worked for a few months as a shipwright
helper at McKay Cormack Shipyards, and eventually got on full time
as an apprentice shipwright at HMC Dockyard in Esquimalt. All the
while I continued building boats on the side and also started a
small fiberglass business. It was a proud day, indeed, when I became
a journeyman shipwright, qualified to work on wood, steel, aluminum
and fiberglass hulls.
My first involvement with passenger vessels
was in 1964, when a company I was instrumental in forming launched
two 50-foot-long sternwheelers: the Yukon Queen and Yukon
Belle. These operated in Victoria Harbour, and I eventually
married Janet Fox, a glamorous young hostess who sold tickets on the
Queen.
We had some pretty famous people ride on
those paddlewheelers, of which Walt Disney was probably our
best-known customer.
 A
few years later we moved to Port Hardy, on the northern end of
Vancouver Island, where I continued operating boats - this time on
the open ocean. We also built the area’s first motel, the Pioneer
Inn, and I learned how to cook in a hurry when we opened the area's
second pub-restaurant at the motel.
I also got involved with a commercial
troller fishing boat, which was a great sea-going experience that
quickly taught me the ocean could be a humbling experience. In 1983
we acquired the Silver Fox as an addition to our small fleet
of charter fishing boats. It was built in Nanaimo in 1977 for Ursul
Fox, who was operating Sullivan Bay Lodge, located on the mainland
across from Port Hardy. Constructed of fiberglass, it was actually
designed to be a commercial gill-netter.
I was still heavily involved in the Pioneer
Inn at the time (we sold it in 1991), but I worked part time on the
Silver Fox whenever possible. My first major contract
was to move men and materials to a logging camp that was just inside
the infamous Nahwitti Bar on the northern tip of
 Vancouver
Island. I had finally found my niche and have never looked back.
After all these years I still love to take people fishing and get a
real kick out of watching them land good-sized fish. Besides,
cooking for five people is much less stressful than the 75 I
used to cook for on a busy Saturday night in Snuggles Pub and
Restaurant.
Being a shipwright has helped me rebuild,
restore and improve the original hull, and the Silver Fox is
currently in better condition than when I purchased it 25 years ago.
It is also a point of pride that it is always much admired
everywhere I take it.
As you can probably gather by
reading between the lines, I don't really have to work any more, but
the idea of putting in 50 years of charter boating appeals to me.
Besides, I am a great believer of the Confucius quote: "Choose a
job you love, and you will never work a day in your life."
My father once said, "There are old
skippers, and bold skippers, but I have never met an old, bold
skipper!" So I guess I have not been "too bold!" |
In June 2003, my sister, Joan, wrote the
following poem about me:
Because when he was young, toy trains
were in fashion,
when he got older, BOATS, BOATS, BOATS
were his passion....
brother, uncle, husband and father of
two,
friend and mentor to many, he grew
up to be a BOAT BUILDER, an inn-keeper,
chef, and a generous host,
fire-fighter, fisherman, entrepreneur...
but what he likes most
is leaving the docks and going to sea on
the SILVER FOX!"
So, how much longer will I continue
operating the Silver Fox?... A fair question. Hopefully my
good health will hold until 2014, which will mark 50 years since I
started ferrying people around in boats. Then I think I will just go
out there for the fun of it.
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