CANADA’S COMMERCIAL MARINE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2019 WESTERNMARINER.COM 49
Park in Victoria. In 1965 the vessel was transferred to the
collection of the Maritime Museum of British Columbia,
taking pride of place as the only internationally significant
artifact in their collection. The tilikum has added signifi-
cance in that the vessels of most other early circumnavi-
gators – particularly Slocum’s sPray – no longer exist. Sadly,
however, since the loss of the museum’s Bastion Square
exhibition space the tilikum has been hidden away in off-
site storage.
As for Capt. Voss, he owned several vessels after the
tilikum voyage, mainly sealing schooners. He even de-
signed and built a two-masted sailing yacht in Japan for
another attempt at a round-the-world voyage, naming it
tilikum II. His new partner, a German national, had the
vessel registered in Germany and accompanied Voss on
the first leg of a voyage around the world in 1913. But
with war looming they sold their interest in the vessel in
Australia, fearing that the partner would be interned as an
enemy alien.
In 1913, while in Japan, Voss published his book The
Venturesome Voyages of Captain Voss, which has since
never been out of print. It has been translated into at least
seven languages and has become a classic in the cruising
library, although Voss didn’t seem to benefit from any in-
come from sales. The book is interesting in that it contains
several factual errors which have never been corrected,
and some of the best stories of the trip were left out.
By 1915 Voss had relocated to the United States, where
he retired to live with relatives in Tracy, California. By then
he was nearly broke and was reduced to running a taxi,
charging five cents a ride. He died of pneumonia, in pov-
erty, and was buried there.
The impact of tilikum’s voyage may be hard to truly
appreciate today, but Voss accomplished his feat – a feat
only one person had accomplished before – without a
chronometer, radio, weather forecasts, proper charts or
sophisticated navigational instruments.
Standing as a symbol of the resolute strength, confi-
dence and knowledge that any mariner needs to safely
navigate the oceans, Voss and the tilikum inspired others
to reach beyond their comfortable lives and take up the
challenge – to embark on adventure in the face of naysay-
ers and doubters, to push their own limitations and seek a
place in history. That is the true legacy of the Tilikum.
In October 2019 Harbour Publishing will be releasing
Sailing Around the World in a Dugout Canoe: the untold
story of Captain John Voss and the Tilikum.With more than 23 years working in the
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