Why a Booktrail?
2000s: Brian Harvey goes in search of his father’s secret past.
Sea Trial: Sailing After My Father
What you need to know before your trail
After a 25-year break from boating, Brian Harvey circumnavigates Vancouver Island with his wife, his dog, and a box of documents that surfaced after his father’s death. John Harvey was a neurosurgeon, violinist, and photographer who answered his door a decade into retirement to find a sheriff with a summons. It was a malpractice suit, and it did not go well. Dr. Harvey never got over it. The box contained every nurse’s record, doctor’s report, trial transcript, and expert testimony related to the case. Only Brian’s father had read it all — until now.
In this beautifully written memoir, Brian Harvey shares how after two months of voyaging with his father’s ghost, he finally finds out what happened in the O.R. that crucial night and why Dr. Harvey felt compelled to fight the excruciating accusations.
Travel Guide
Sail away around Vancouver Island with Brian Harvey
At the northern tip of Vancouver Island, there is a section of ocean called the Nahwitti Bar. This is no watering hole. Instead, it’s a shoal that extends from Cape Sutil to Hope Island marking the exit from Goletas Channel to the Pacific Ocean.
Brian, his wife and his dog decide to go on a two month journey around Vancouver Island in a sailing boat named Vera. He does this in the memory of his father who, after eight years of retirement, was summonsed to court over something which had happened in an operating theatre one day.
The setting is raw and remote, and you can imagine what it must be like sailing in such a small boat in such a vast ocean. There are many dangers, and not just the creatures in the sea, or the sea itself. Sailing is no easy feat even for experienced sailors. The landscape where they sail can at times be hostile as the history of fishing here is controversial – villages and communities have seen drastic change due to the nature of the fishing industry over the years. Then, there’s the weather to contend with.
This is also a cultural journey as there are lessons to learn about the colonial history of the area. There is a lot to learn too about the indigenous First Nations communities in and around the region too.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: Sea Trial: Sailing After My Father
Destination : Vancover Island Author/Guide: Brian Harvey Departure Time: 2000s
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