Talking with John M. MacFarlane about “Around the World in a Dugout Canoe”

By Bill Arnott 

Anticipating fame and wealth, Captain John Voss set out from Victoria, BC, in 1901, seeking to claim the world record for the smallest vessel ever to circumnavigate the globe. For the journey, he procured an authentic dugout cedar canoe from an Indigenous village on the east coast of Vancouver Island. For three years Voss and the Tilikum, aided by a rotating cast of characters, visited Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil and finally England, weathering heavy gales at sea and attracting large crowds of spectators on shore. The austere on-board conditions and simple navigational equipment Voss used throughout the voyage are a testimony to his skill and to the solid construction of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth vessel.

For the inner-child-adventurer in each of us, Around the World in a Dugout Canoe (Harbour Publishing) is a tale that has it all: a search for buried treasure, stormy seas, exotic locales, and deliciously sketchy accounts from journals, logbooks and letters. Despite limited records of information around the book’s central figure, Captain John Voss, authors John MacFarlane and Lynn Salmon have pieced it together like a jigsaw, meticulously assembling an engaging, informative and page-turning bestseller. 

I had the pleasure of visiting with John as part of my Artist Showcase (a lighthearted newsletter series featuring author interviews I share every few weeks, which you can join here). As fellow Fellows of London’s Royal Geographical Society, we take our research and writing seriously; something I don’t always do in my interviews. With that, join us for a relaxing conversation as we get to know one of the mariners behind the untold story of the Tilikum, starting with his bio:

John MacFarlane: I was born into a navy family. We moved, on average, every eight months of my childhood. I’ve lived and worked in seven Canadian provinces and five other countries. I trained with the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve before joining Parks Canada, and was the Director of the Maritime Museum of British Columbia in Victoria. Retiring in 2010, we moved to Qualicum Beach, arguably one of the most beautiful places to live in the world. 

In 2018 I was awarded the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers as well as the Maritime Museum of British Columbia’s S.S. Beaver Medal for Maritime Excellence, and in 2019 was appointed Honorary Member of the Company of Master Mariners of Canada. In 2020 I shared the John Lyman Book Prize of the North American Society for Oceanic History for Lynn’s and my book, Around the World in a Dugout Canoe.

Bill Arnott: In light of that, what do you feel you’re best known for? 

John: I’ve changed careers several times over my lifetime. Different groups of colleagues know me from these different roles. Lately (and probably lastly) I am known as a nautical historian and champion of British Columbia’s nautical heritage. 

Bill: What would you say brought you here? And please don’t say transit or the tides; I plan on using that joke, repeatedly, in the future. Specifically, what’s driven you? 

John: Descended from a long line of mariners and being a fifth generation British Columbian drives my love of floating heritage and nautical history. I started my working career in the naval reserve and spent seven years at the Maritime Museum of British Columbia, where I’m still Curator Emeritus. Now, in retirement, I have the time to actualize my passion for recording and interpreting these stories for anyone who is interested.

Bill: The success of your book tells us a lot are interested! Who would you say has been a role model or mentor to you? 

John: I’ve been lucky throughout my life to have bumped up against people who took an interest in me, and who possessed qualities and attributes that were worth adopting. 

Bill: I like that. Tell us, what are you currently working on? 

John: I maintain a website called The Nauticapedia-Maritime Heritage, an eclectic melange of articles, databases, photographs, and ephemera related to the nautical heritage of British Columbia. It takes several hours per day to maintain. It generates a huge email correspondence with people who view it online—this is both a blessing and a curse. And I’m finishing a manuscript of a book on the shipwrecks of British Columbia (an account of almost 2,000 of them—a book which may never be commercially viable).

Bill: And what’s your advice to others? 

John: Theodore Roosevelt sent a telegram to someone that said, “Do the best you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.” I repeat that to myself several times a day and it’s good advice to anyone trying to get something done.

The second bit of advice is to remember that life is short; if you want to do something, get on with it immediately. You never know what events are just around the corner to scuttle long term plans if you don’t do things now.

Lastly, remember that it’s not how much money you earn that makes you rich but how much you spend. If you can live on less than you earn, you are “rich.” Wealthy and rich are not the same things; rich people are happy, for wealthy people happiness is optional.

Bill: Well said. Now for a sharp tack. (Or is it jibe?) Something I like to include in every interview is what I call a trademark Quirky Question. So, make a choice. Toast: multigrain or sourdough?

John: Given a choice I’d take sourdough, but I’d feel guilty I wasn’t choosing multigrain which has a healthier image than the tasty sourdough. I’ll choose multigrain if I’m among a crowd but sourdough when there’s no one around to give disapproving glances.

Bill: I love it. A mariner after my own (sourdough) heart. Thanks very much John, and again, congratulations on the success of your and Lynn’s truly enjoyable book!

In his personal journal, Captain John Voss refers to the Tilikum as a trustworthy friend. Around the World in a Dugout Canoe relives the Captain’s adventures on land, asea, and promoting his trip to skeptics and fans worldwide. Which left me sharing the sentiment of Voss in describing his remarkable vessel—its construction in part indigenous, colonial, and jerry rigged—symbolic of our nation, with all its irreparable flaws, partially mended cracks, and inimitable strength.

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Bill Arnott is the bestselling author of Gone Viking: A Travel Saga (Rocky Mountain Books 2020) and The Gamble novellas (WMPublications, 2021). His poetry, articles, and column-series Bill Arnott’s Beat are published in Canada, US, UK, Europe, Asia and Australia and he’s the producer of Bill’s Artist Showcase, featuring international authors and artists. When not trekking the globe with a small pack and journal, Bill can be found on Canada’s west coast, making mischief and friends. @billarnott_aps