I wonder how many readers remember seeing the truly magnificent sailing vessel "Black Dog" or meeting her tall quiet owner...Bill Tellier...

I certainly do, but first some background information on both the participants. William Gaston Tellier was born in Montreal in 1905. From an early age Tellier could be found messing about in boats. As a youngster he built and raced sailing dinghies. Later on he delivered sailboats from a variety of Nova Scotia ship builders yards to their purchasers in Montreal. When the Second World War was declared, Tellier joined the Royal Canadian Navy and was immediately sent overseas to the British Navy, where he became a bomb disposal expert. Through the Canadian Navy, Tellier was introduced to Canada's west coast. While here, he observed the tuna fishermen making pots of money and enjoying the fabulous cruising waters. That was it. After his discharge from the Navy Tellier came back to the west coast as quickly as he could. Now all he needed was a boat. This was soon remied because Tellier had brought back with him from England the plans and specifications for his dream boat...Black Dog.

On June 19, 1946 the Australian gumwood keel of Black Dog was laid down in a specially built shed at Canoe Cove Shipyards then owned and operated by Hugh Rodd (now Canoe Cove Marina Limited). At one time or another all the staff at the yard worked on Black Dog. However the main shipwright was Cyril (Twink) Rodd a master shipwright and Bill Tellier who was a perfectionist with his hands.

This two masted schooner was fifty-six feet long overall and forty-five feet at the waterline. She had a beam of fourteen feet nine inches and needed seven feet of water to float. Headroom in the main cabin was seven foot six inches and the displacement was forty-three tons. The white oak hull planking consumed eleven thousand screws each countersunk, plugged and finally finished! Black Dog carried one thousand seven hundred and fifty square feet of sail in the form of her mainsail, gaffed fore staysail, a topsail, a jib and a fisherman's staysail. Her mainmast was sixty-one feet high and the foremast was fifty-one feet high. For her day, Tellier's boat carried many advanced aids to navigation such as a ship to shore telephone and a radio direction finder. All this dedication to detail and perfection took two years of sweat and toil. Finally on Saturday July 17, 1948, Black Dog named after one of Sir Francis Drake's ships slid gracefully down the ways into the calm waters of Canoe Cove to begin her epic journey.

As one of the earliest live-aboard owners, Tellier and Black Dog could be seen anchored off Canoe Cove. Here he puttered away at finishing off the little details of the vessel in preparation for his first shake down cruise and then Tuna fishing off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Tuna fishing was hard work and after four years of poor returns and little cash in his pocket, Tellier turned to the Charter business as his saviour. He landed several Federal Government contracts which kept him afloat for the next few years. In between contracts Black Dog was used as the escort vessel for the cross Juan de Fuca Strait swim craze that hit Victoria during the 50's and any time there was an away sailing regatta for the Junior members of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, Black Dog was used to tow the sailing dinghies to the regatta, Tellier having been a club member from early on. In other words Tellier turned his hand to anything to make a dollar or two and keep Black Dog ship shape. His break came when the owner of the famous boat Yankee approached Tellier and suggested charter work in the Caribbean was the answer to his woes. Tellier liked this idea and soon Black Dog was headed for the Caribbean and a number of years of successful chartering. Besides working the Caribbean, Black Dog sailed under charter throughout the islands of the South Pacific.

After fifteen years of wandering the high seas Black Dog was sold on September 27, 1963 to new owners in the States who returned her to the Caribbean. Shortly thereafter Black Dog was mysteriously lost at sea. Speculation was rampant at the time, but details of the incident were never really made clear to the public.

Black Dog was a magnificent craft to see under full sail and a great tribute to all the staff of Canoe Cove Shipyards who worked on her while under construction at the yard.

Bill Tellier, as he was know locally, was a tall quiet gentleman who lived all his life at sea sailing his schooner Black Dog between Victoria and the Caribbean. When talking to one of Twink Rodd's sons, he produced a lovely story about Bill Tellier. When he and his father used to go and visit on Black Dog, Bill would always produce cookies for the kids. Naturally they were demolished before the visit was out. This was Tellier's nature, a kindly and thoughtful person! Before he passed away in 1995, he had two other boats - each smaller in size.

At the gathering to celebrate his life, which was held at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, his home away from home, the following poem was written and receipted in his honour. Written by Humphrey Golby it reads: