Scottish Cultural Centre, 8886 Hudson St., Vancouver
13 Nov 2019 1900h - 2200h
Members $5 / Non-Members $10
vanspeakers@bluewatercruising.org
Travel the Northwest Passage and explore the Arctic with the author Ken Burton. Visit the people and places from Alaska through Nunavut to Greenland. Explore historic settlements and learn about the unique wildlife.
Captain Ken Burton currently shares his passion for history and until recently (late 2017) served as the Executive Director of the Vancouver Maritime Museum (VMM).
Captain Burton has served a variety of roles, in the high Arctic, Antarctic and Central America over the past many years (since 1998) with different entities. This includes as guide, historian, logistics support, Captain and or advisor on a multiple of Northwest Passage transits and adventure expeditions.
His most recent effort ‘Canada’s Arctic – A Guide to Adventure Through the Northwest Passage’ was published in 2018. The book takes a traveller from Unalaska, USA through the entire Northwest Passage ending in Iqaluit and Western Greenland.
As a career member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) he worked throughout Canada (including the Canadian Arctic) and abroad as a Federal Enforcement Peace Officer, Patrol Vessel Commander and Commissioned Officer. In 2014 he was inducted into the Order of Canada family of honours when he was appointed as a Member of the Order of Merit (M.O.M.).
In the year 2000, Captain Burton was placed in charge and served as Captain of the St. Roch II Voyage of Re-Discovery. This was a Government of Canada millennium project, which saw Captain Burton and crew retrace the voyages of the original RCMP St Roch’s Arctic transit and subsequent circumnavigation of North America. The transit was completed successfully in a 17.5m high-speed aluminum catamaran. During this 169-day 24,000 nautical mile circumnavigation of North America, they made over 50 ports of call into 7 different countries and set a number of world records. Captain Burton remains one of the few people in history – if not the first and only one – to have ever completed this circumnavigation in a non-ice-strengthened vessel in one season.
I am having a difficult time trying to find a copy of his book. The big bookstores don’t have it, even the Maritime Museum do not have any available .
Hi Wade, while at the Vancouver Boat Show, I spoke to the publisher, Peter Vassilopolous of Pacific Marine Publishing, about this. He said, if you can’t find the book , then you can order the book from his website at http://www.marineguides.com. I hope this helps!