One Woman’s Hard Work Gives a Storied Salmon Vessel a Whole New Life.
On a farm in Nanoose Bay, BC sitting on a set of wooden stilts is the Pacific Traveller, a 42-foot wooden salmon troller. She was built in 1966 by Remmem Boatworks, a family-owned boatbuilding operation on the Fraser River.
Owned and operated as a salmon troll and halibut longline boat by Doug Henderson for the past 31 years, the Pacific Traveller is one of many iconic wooden BC salmon fishing vessels, with its beautiful lines, distinct character and large strong beams.
Over the past three decades under Captain Doug, with his two daughters, wife and many other deckhands, the boat always maintained a higher-than-industry average percentage of women on board. Doug was a tremendous support for women who wanted to enter the commercial fishing industry. When he passed away in 2019, rather than see the beloved boat go to the junkyard, his family was searching for someone who could restore the Pacific Traveller to its former glory. Enter: Magali Côté.
Magali is an internationally recognized Canadian freediver, a two-time international polespear record setter, and only the 16th woman in North America to become a rope access supervisor. She is also a commercial fisherwoman, commercial diver, structural welder, millwright apprentice, and soon-to-be 100-ton captain. In other words, she was the natural fit to carry on the Pacific Traveller’s legacy.
While steel, aluminum and fibreglass have generally taken the place of wooden boats on BC’s coastline, in Magali’s words, “I feel like the art of building and properly maintaining a wooden vessel has to be preserved as it is a big part of our history… there is nothing quite like wood when it comes to character and aesthetic. A lot of people have fond memories of their early fishing years on wooden boats which forged the fishermen they later became.”
Since taking possession of the Pacific Traveller nearly two years ago, Magali has been hard at work restoring the vessel through the pandemic doing what she calls the “perfect social distancing project”. Countless wooden planks have been replaced with old-growth fir, the hull fully scraped, and the interior cabin stripped, soon to be upgraded with new electrical systems, navigation and appliances.
In an effort to remain as authentic as possible, Magali decided to keep the original colour and only make “modern” upgrades such as stainless steel fasteners, and contemporary types of glues and varnishes. Despite the numerous challenges and setbacks inevitably experienced with such a massive project, Magali remains undaunted.
“A lot of folks have stopped by to share their interest, and many have expressed amazement to see such a major refit done on a large vessel. It is scary and impressive to see a big hole in a boat, but the rewards of having that hole replaced with solid wood are equally intense in a positive way.” — From “Working in Wood: Pacific Traveller,” Wester Mariner magazine, August 2021
While the timeframe for the Pacific Traveller’s return to the Pacific Ocean remains uncertain, Magali says one thing is for sure: “she’ll eventually go back to work!”
Discover more of Magali’s journey at: @misssnorris
Article and photos by Chelsey Ellis