Prairie Schooners

Being a bush pilot in the Lake Winnipeg area allowed me to meet and spend time with many of the Captain's and crew of the Lake Boats that carried freight and passengers north, usually from Selkirk, Manitoba to many of the isolated communities on Lake Winnipeg. The boats were a life-line to the people of the north, bringing in all types of freight including some heavy equipment to build local roads in each community. A Captain of a boat just was not designated, he or she, spent years as a deck-hand and then became 'Mate' and then was interviewed by Dept. of Transport officials, and then wrote their Captain's Papers (exams) in either Thunder Bay or the West Coast. Having successfully completed their exams they could get a job, usually on one of the boats that they were familiar with, and the rule was that a boat travelling on the lake that was over 50 feet long required a Captain. Some, not all, of the Captains are listed in my book, 'Prairie Schooners' and this name is derived from the fact that you are from the Prairie's and not familiar with the big Oceans. There are some disasters noted and a number of people have lost their lives. This is not the complete history of sailing on Lake Winnipeg and it is not "Fiction".