He joined the Merchant Navy at the age of 15. In 1960 (He was qualified as a Master Mariner.) He came to Canada in 1964, joining the Canadian Coast Guard. In 1965-67 he was the first Cadet Supervisor at the Canadian Coast Guard College. In 1967 she transferred to the Quebec Region of the Canadian Coast Guard. In 1970 he was the Master of C.C.G.S. Simcoe based at Prescott ON. In 1974 he was assigned to a special project in Senegal and in 1975 in Iran. In 1978 he was the Master of the CCGS Pierre Radisson, Icebreaker (Maiden voyage), in a West to East transit of the Northwest Passage. In 1982 he was on a special project in Finland. In 1988 he was on a special project in the USSR. In 1987-89 he was the Senior Nautical Officer and Master-designate for the Polar 8 Icebreaker project. In 1990 he was the Master of the CCGS Pierre Radisson he completed a partial transit of the Northwest Passage westward to accompany the USCGC Polar Sea through Lancaster Sound, Peel Sound, Demarcation Point and return. He retired in 1991, having made 11 transits of the Northwest Passage (6 eastwards and 5 westwards), 3 North Pole voyages and 1 circumnavigation of Antarctica. He commanded 10 Arctic icebreakers on 23 Arctic voyages. |