The waterfront Campbell River Maritime Heritage Museum home of the only known example of an original wooden seiner. SCO 10532.
The restoration of the BCP45, the last wooden seiner that graced the back of the Canadian five dollar bill from 1972 to 1986, was a test of Haines’ skills as a shipwright and foreman. The now gleaming vessel, housed at the Maritime Heritage Centre, has been officially declared a national historic site. "Pretty well everything, right from the keel up is all new," Haines once said. "All the planks, all the decks, all the beams, 90 percent of the ribs. I would say there’s close to 15,000 board feet in it. Working on the BCP45 off and on for over 40 years and being the final skipper of the vessel, Allen (Ollie) Chickite was the man who was probably most instrumental in bringing the BCP45 back to Campbell River. Chickite was 14 when he first signed on as a cook aboard the BCP45, working 11 years for skipper and cousin Mel Assu. "This boat means a lot to me because of my cousin Mel Assu who gave me a break. When I was a young man I wanted to get on a boat real bad and he took me under his leadership. Every young man that I've taken aboard, they have become quite a character of their own. Two are teachers, one is working for the fire department in Vancouver, a head superintendent, so with Mel's teaching I've carried on his work." He was on board that day in 1958 when the picture was taken by a magazine photographer that ultimately resulted in the engraving for the bank note (he is on the net table at the stern). Chickite never dreamed he would one day own the BCP45, but after 18 years gillnetting on other boats, owner BC Packers made him an offer in 1983. "They approached me and asked if I wanted to buy it," he said. "I said, ‘Sure, but I don't have the money.' They said, ‘Give us a dollar down and make it legal.' No one wanted this ship. Everyone wanted bigger and better boats to fish for the elusive gold we all chase after," he recalled.
Size: 5580px × 4016px
Location: Maritime Heritage Museum, Campbell River. Vancouver Island. British Columbia. Canada.
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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