A favourite for every visitor is the replica ketch Active II. The Active II was built by shipwright Bill Porter and rigged by sailmaker Don Lucas in 1986 and fills our entrance gallery. The first Active was built in 1873 and worked the coast until 1959.

The ketch trade could be tough. The pay was poor, crews slept onboard and many fished to supplement their rations. Ketches were typically crewed by a skipper and one or two deckhands. Boys wanting to go to sea could gain their first experience in ketches before moving to steamships. Some chose ketches because the short voyages brought them back to their home ports each week.

Ketch hands were versatile. They were skilled in vessel handling, coastal navigation, rigging sails, mending, cooking, and cargo loading. They also stuffed the holds with sacks of grain or bales of wool weighing more than fifty kilograms. Ketch hands earned a reputation as tough, rough and ready sailors.

Visitors are encouraged to board the ketch and experience life at sea on dry land!

Gallery