North Star of Herschel Island was built in 1935 for two Inuit trappers in the Canadian Arctic. She is 78' LOA and 58' LOD and carries 3 masts with four yards crossed on each with new sails bent on last year as well as 9 fore'n'aft sails. She is double hulled with 3 1/2" 1/4 sawn edge grain fir on 3 x 3 oak frames on 12" centres on the inner hull and a second hull of ironbark from the waterline down for ice sheathing. She is copper clad below the waterline. Originally she was rigged as a gaff sloop but was re-rigged in the early '80's as a full-rigged shi... read more

This vessel (the first production of the Mersey Class - 12-001) was sold by the RNLI in 2015 to private industry and subsequently purchased by current owners and brought to Canada in 2017 for use as a commercial workboat (survey and part-time SAR). Refurbishment and multiple upgrades to electrical power generation, engine controls, electronics suite and addition of manual davit crane and A-Frame cranes. Her current activities include hydrographic survey work, auxiliary SAR response, marine science, crew transfer, and general harbour and nearshore duties. A very robust and capable ves... read more