Hijinx on the High Seas
Original Crew of the Nonsuch Reunites on May 31

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Nonsuch, the ship’s original crew will be reuniting at The Manitoba Museum.

On May 31 from 2-4 p.m., nine members of the original crew, including Captain Small, will be in the Nonsuch Gallery to answer questions and share stories with the public. They will then have a private banquet, and several will stay on the ship overnight.

This will be the first time many of the crew will have seen each other in over 20 years.

"The Nonsuch has been at the Museum for so long that some people don’t even know that it actually sailed," says former crewmember Sam Richards, who still lives in Winnipeg. Richards joined the crew when he was twenty-years-old. "The group of us had lots of adventure aboard that ship. Being in close quarters with a bunch of guys took some getting used to. It definitely had its moments."

Originally built in England in 1968, the Nonsuch was a replica of the original ship, whose 1668 voyage led to the founding of the Hudson’s Bay Company. HBC commissioned the replica as a celebration of the company’s 300th anniversary in 1970, and as a gift to the Province of Manitoba for its 100th anniversary.

In 1969 the replica sailed to London, visited various ports along the English Channel, and then traveled on to France. In the spring of 1970 it was launched again, this time in Canada. It visited many ports along the St. Lawrence River and the north shore of Lake Ontario. In 1971 it traveled to Great Lakes from Toronto to Chicago, and then to Wisconsin. After an overland voyage in 1972 it sailed from Tacoma, Washington, to Kitimat, British Columbia.

Richards was with the ship for a full three seasons.

"I was at the age where I was looking for adventure and I wanted to do something different. I had some sailing experience, racing out on Lake of the Woods, so when I heard they were looking for crew members to represent Manitoba I was really excited," he recalls.

Though he survived sudden squalls and summer storms, Richards’s memories of his time on the ship are overwhelmingly positive. He adds that the men who sailed together forged a bond that has lasted a lifetime.

"It was a wonderful opportunity. The Nonsuch is a really well built ship and she sailed beautifully," Richards says. "It was more than a job. It was a life. It’s everything."

For more information, or to interview Richards or other members of the Nonsuch crew, please contact:

Holli Moncrieff Communications and Public Relations Manager The Manitoba Museum (204) 988-0614 hmoncrieff@manitobamuseum.ca