Own and love a heritage vessel? Apply to have it join the Registry.
The Western Canada Heritage Vessel Registry (WCHVR) is dedicated to recognizing and preserving historically significant vessels built in Western Canada. The Registry promotes high standards of preservation, raises public awareness of maritime heritage, and supports the sustainable conservation of our floating history. A permanent, publicly accessible record is maintained for each vessel on the Registry.
Please read the Guidelines document below carefully before applying.
the deadline for SUBMITTING applications IS December 31
2026 Ceremony
Held on September 15 in the Maritime Museum of BC (MMBC) gallery in downtown Victoria, the inaugural Western Canada Heritage Vessel Registry (WCHVR) ceremony welcomed representatives of the vessels, museum members, and the public to celebrate the remarkable first cohort of Registry vessels.
The WCHVR Committee presented a medallion and plaque, a burgee, and a bound Statement of Significance to each vessel representative.
The WCHVR Committee is made up of Robert Allan, Bill Noon, Tim Rendell, Tad Roberts, MMBC Executive Director Brittany Vis, and Development Manager Anya Zanko.
John MacFarlane, Curator Emeritus at the MMBC and founder of Nauticapedia, and a driving force behind the establishment of this Registry, joined virtually to share remarks.
2026 Vessels
The first cohort of significant vessels was invited to apply over the Spring and Summer, to test the process before opening the application to the public. After application and assessment, the following seven vessels joined the Registry:
Dorothy – built in Victoria in 1897 by J.J. Robinson to a design by Linton Hope, Dorothy is reputed to be the oldest active sailing yacht in Canada. Through eleven different owners and ultimately owned by the Maritime Museum of B.C., she embodies the best of BC yacht construction of the late 19th century while creating a window into that period in the city of Victoria and its waterfront.
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Master – designed and built in 1922 by the legendary Arthur Moscrop at his Beach Avenue Shipyard Ltd., the steam tug Master served the BC coast towing logs and barges under various owners for over 40 years. Saved and restored by the World Ship Society, later evolving into the SS Master Society, she has been a waterfront fixture for public education ever since. The iconic Master is believed to be the only wooden-hulled, steam powered tugboat afloat in the world today.
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Meander – the classic motor yacht Meander was built for a prominent Vancouver businessman in 1934 at W.R. Menchions & Co. Ltd., to a design by Robert Allan. Her colorful career includes sessions as a private yacht, a coast mission vessel, a naval patrol vessel, a Greenpeace protest ship, and a family live-aboard.
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Torhavn – built in 1939 by Hugh Rodd, Torhavn is an excellent example of a small subsistence fishing vessel, substantially intact and operating. Once prolific on this coast, there are no other known double-ended, live-well boats with an operating Easthope gas engine still afloat in BC.
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Columbia III – the flagship of the Columbia Coast Mission, this renowned vessel brought hospital, dental and many other community services to the many regions of the BC coast. Built in 1956 by Star Shipyard (Mercer’s) Ltd to a design by Robert Allan, she served the Mission from 1956 to 1968 before moving into private hands. Today she serves as one of BC’s premier eco-tourism vessels for Mothership Adventures Ltd.
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Falcon Rock – the lead boat of the famed “Rock” class Fishery Protection Vessels, the robust Falcon Rock was built for the federal Department of Fisheries in 1960 by McKay Cormack Ltd of Victoria to a design by W.M. Reid. She was retired and sold into private hands in 1981 and has cruised the coast extensively ever since.
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Silver Ann – one of the last wooden gillnetters built in British Columbia, Silver Ann was built in 1969 at Britannia Shipyard in Richmond by Sadajiro Asari. The boat showcases Japanese-Canadian wooden construction techniques. The boat and its gear are one of the few existing examples of a pure gillnetter from that era.
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Apply for the 2027 cohort!
Read through the application materials and guideline document here.
Apply here for the 2027 registry cohort, until December 31, 2026.
All vessels accepted into the Registry will be identified on the MMBC’s website.
Questions may be directed to info@mmbc.bc.ca.
