This decked sailing canoe is named for the Ojibwemowin word gayaashk, a singular, animate noun meaning “seagull”.
The Kayoshk was one of the “beautiful batwing sailboats that used to add zip to the Oliphant Bay” recalled one Oliphant camper (Whiting, 1974). The others were Frolic and Aphrodite.
Twin Skiffs
Kayoshk was built around 1890-1895 by James W. Falls, a carpenter and business-owner who ran a hardware store on Berford Street in Wiarton. He built two identical boats from the same plans: Kayoshk and her sister, Frolic. The Kayoshk was made for the Bull Family of Wiarton, and it is believed that the Frolic was made for poet William Wilfred Campbell (Heigenhauser, 2025).
Fred Millar, long-time Oliphant camper and repeat Regatta champion, described the sisters:
“Two of these little boats were alike as identical twins. They were decked in the fore and aft, having a ‘well’ for the crew about ten feet long. They had batwing sails and were the most beautiful, balanced craft I have ever sailed. In a breeze of a certain velocity, they steered with touching the tiller, and in tacking hugged the wind very close indeed.” (Millar, n.d.)
A Friendly Rivalry
When he was about 21 years old (ca.1897), Fred Millar found the Kayoshk “laid up in an open boat house” with the foresail stolen (Millar, 1957) . Fresh out of university, Fred worked out a deal to buy the boat from Ernie Bull. Later, Fred noted, “in reality, he gave me the boat at a nominal price, out of friendship”(Millar, n.d.).
During the 1890s, teenaged Fred Millar would spend summers camping on Whiskey Island in Oliphant, with his close friends Chauce Henderson and Lyle Tatum. As adults, they continued this tradition on Smokehouse Island. A few years after purchasing the boat, Fred and Chauce built cottages side-by-side on the West part of the island, which offered a good mooring place for Fred’s Kayoshk and Chauce’s Aphrodite.
Aphrodite was built by Chauce’s father, who admired the Kayoshk so much that he built his boat according to the same plans, only a little bit bigger. In the meantime, Lyle had bought the Frolic and would occasionally sail to Oliphant to join Fred and Chauce. The winged skiffs soon became a familiar sight along the coast as the friends enjoyed a playful rivalry, sailing together on summer days.
Regatta Legacy
The friends would race these boats annually in the Oliphant Regatta. The competition was always close, but “Fred usually won, as he was a risk-taking sailor”(Appleby et al, 2002). When Fred couldn’t make it up to Oliphant for some summers, his twin sisters Laura and Marion took up the challenge. With Laura as skipper and Marion at the foresail, the Kayoshk continued to win the Regatta cup in Fred’s absence. Of his sisters, Fred said “they made a very good team, for they knew all about it and had sailed with me many times” (Millar, 1957).
In the 1930s, Fred sold the Kayoshk to his friend, James J. Tyson and son, Clarence. With the help of their cousin, Richard M. Crawford, they fixed up the boat and she continued to sail in Oliphant, Red Bay and Colpoy’s Bay until the 1950s. She was then salvaged by Mr. Crawford. He gave the Kayoshk to his neighbour, George Heigenhauser, and they restored the historic ketch together. She last sailed in the 75th Oliphant Regatta in 1981.
Roughly 130 years old, the Kayoshk has undergone many repairs over the years; in the spring of 2025 she was restored by the Marine Heritage Society in Southampton before taking her place at the BCM&CC.
Sources
- History of the Kayoshk as recalled by George Heigenhauser, donor, 2025 [notes & conversation].
- Appleby, Patricia et al. 2002. A History of Smokehouse Island. Oliphant Campers Association fonds, BCM&CC Archives A2016.001.005
- Ancestry.com. Ontario, Canada Births, 1832-1917 [database on-line].
- Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library. Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1942 [database on-line].
- Becker, Helen Millar. 2005. Handwritten notes re: Oliphant history and memories. Oliphant Campers Association fonds, BCM&CC Archives A2016.001.006
- Becker, Helen Millar. 2006. “The Millar Family”, in Oliphant – 100 years. pp.59-60. Oliphant Campers Association fonds, BCM&CC Archives A2016.001.002.
- Millar, Frederick Gourlay. 1957. Autobiography [manuscript].
- Millar, Frederick Gourlay. n.d. “Sails and Skippers” for The Wiarton Echo. Oliphant Campers Association fonds, BCM&CC Archives A2016.001.010.
- The Ojibwe People’s Dictionary, “gayaashk (na)”: https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/main-entry/gayaashk-na
- Oliphant Campers Association. 1981. Seventy-Fifth Annual Regatta [flyer/program]. Oliphant Campers Association fonds, BCM&CC Archives A2016.001.040.
- The Wiarton Echo, Oct 27, 1892. Advertisement for J.W. Falls Hardware and Grocery Store. “Johnny Get Your Gun”, p.4: https://newspapers.brucemuseum.ca/link/newspaper11626
- Whiting, Ruth. 1974. “Put on your Old Grey Bonnet”, republished in The Bruce County Historical Society Yearbook 1993. pp 41-50: https://newspapers.brucemuseum.ca/link/newspaper566
- Wikitree. Family Tree of James Victor Crawford., managed by Judith Chidlow. Last modified Nov 4, 2020: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Crawford-19702
The BCM&CC would like to extend a sincere thank-you to our friends at the Marine Heritage Society for all of the care they put into restoring the Kayoshk.
Special thanks to George Heigenhauser for donating the Kayoshk and to Fred Becker for facilitating this donation and providing photos and documents.
