Voyage of Rediscovery

Dates of Creation:

1998-2003

Physical Extent:

1.94 m of textual records and other material

Scope and Content:

This large series consists of records relating to a concentrated effort on the part of the Museum and RCMP to raise funds for the continued preservation of the St. Roch.  This fundraising effort took place from the late 1990s and concluded in 2002.  Loosely categorized under the title the “Voyage of Rediscovery” the fundraising effort was actually composed of two distinct aspects. The first and much less involved of these was the sale of the a large landscape painting, conceptually identified as a portrait, by the artist Ken Kirby, called “Isumataq”. The second and more complex activity was the circumnavigation of North America, initially conceived of as the voyage of a single ship following in the footsteps of the St. Roch which was the first ship to complete this journey.  This initial conception, however, was changed and the voyage was completed by two ships, the RCMP vessel the Nadon, renamed the St. Roch II for the duration of this voyage and an ice breaker commissioned from the Canadian coast guard, called the Simon Fraser.

This series includes records from various creators, including all of the departments of the Vancouver Maritime Museum who were involved in the staging of this fundraising event, as well as members of the crew of both of the ships. These records document the activities involved with raising funds and organizing the venture by museum staff in Vancouver as well as records of the voyage itself.  The series includes records in the forms of memoranda, correspondences, notes, proposals, budgets, photographs, forms, certificates, pins, reports, standing instructions, log books, applications, curriculum vitas, references, certificates, medical records, flags, press releases, proposals, invoices, receipts, website printouts, minutes, ephemera, newspaper clippings, plans, manuscripts, published materials, marketing plans, and audio cassettes.

The series is arranged into six subseries:

Notes:

Title of series:  Supplied title based on contents of the series.

Physical Description:

  • 5 audiocassettes
  • 5 CDs
  • 147 photographs
  • 2 flags : 182 x 92 cm
  • 1 pin

Language: The records are predominantly in English, and include materials in French and Spanish.

Restrictions: Access to material in this series is restricted pending FOI/POP review.