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High Seas, High Risk: The Story of the Sudburys
Island Tug & Barge, once the largest employer in Victoria, BC, was a Pacific Ocean marine salvage company world famous for deep-sea rescues and long distance towing feats - and infamous for superior crews and a feisty little fleet, including the renowned Sudbury and Sudbury II . Most famous, however, was the unstopable, fiery owner, Harold Elworthy - "H.B." for "Hard-boiled" - a boy who started with nothing and became a maritime giant. Together these ships and men proved themselves as some of the best marine salvors in the world. High Seas, High Risk recounts the Sudbury s' most notable and dramatic tows and rescues, told mostly through the memories and anecdotes of former crew members.
Island Tug & Barge made headlines around the seafaring world. The Sudburys made almost impossible rescues with ease - towing their charges through typhoons, pulling them off pinnacles of rock, fighting their fires and keeping them afloat with batteries of pumps. Beset by storms, lightning, and impossible conditions, the two tugs always made it home safely. Year after year the drama was repeated, until, one day, the headlines stopped. The Sudbury and the Sudbury II disappeared, Island Tug & Barge was gone.
Writing with the care and detail of a historian, and the passion of a maritime adventurer, Pat Wastell Norris has parlayed her childhood seafaring passion into every story and anecdote - an interest instilled by her father who carried her about his 60-foot tugboat before she could walk. This never-before told history of Island Tug & Barge is a must-read for mariners and yachtsmen of every ilk--the armchair adventurers, professionals and everyone in between.
Island Tug & Barge made headlines around the seafaring world. The Sudburys made almost impossible rescues with ease - towing their charges through typhoons, pulling them off pinnacles of rock, fighting their fires and keeping them afloat with batteries of pumps. Beset by storms, lightning, and impossible conditions, the two tugs always made it home safely. Year after year the drama was repeated, until, one day, the headlines stopped. The Sudbury and the Sudbury II disappeared, Island Tug & Barge was gone.
Writing with the care and detail of a historian, and the passion of a maritime adventurer, Pat Wastell Norris has parlayed her childhood seafaring passion into every story and anecdote - an interest instilled by her father who carried her about his 60-foot tugboat before she could walk. This never-before told history of Island Tug & Barge is a must-read for mariners and yachtsmen of every ilk--the armchair adventurers, professionals and everyone in between.
235 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 22, 2025
I rate a book by how well it does what it sets out to do. In this case the author has clearly set out the goal of documenting a local history of two vessels and their crews and the salvage jobs that they undertook. That is exactly what the book delivers.
The book is well structured, first the reader is introduced to the man who starts the company, then a brief history of the company, and then the boats themselves including sketches of how they are laid out. It's an easy read, a good book to have between larger and more serious reads, and there is an good amount of B&W photographs throughout that perfectly fill in the picture in the reader's head of what is going on.
The author has done a good job of selecting the stories to tell, each one is different than the other in some way for example the first time such a long tow was done, or when a fire was involved, or when the government started to intervene in salvage with environmental regulations. Because the book is about the ships the crews change from notable event to notable event, though the author does a fine job of introducing the more notable people as they come so that their quotes and thoughts are well incorporated.
The author achieved the stated goal, the book is well organized and easy to read. If the topic is interesting to you, this book is definitely worth the time.
The book is well structured, first the reader is introduced to the man who starts the company, then a brief history of the company, and then the boats themselves including sketches of how they are laid out. It's an easy read, a good book to have between larger and more serious reads, and there is an good amount of B&W photographs throughout that perfectly fill in the picture in the reader's head of what is going on.
The author has done a good job of selecting the stories to tell, each one is different than the other in some way for example the first time such a long tow was done, or when a fire was involved, or when the government started to intervene in salvage with environmental regulations. Because the book is about the ships the crews change from notable event to notable event, though the author does a fine job of introducing the more notable people as they come so that their quotes and thoughts are well incorporated.
The author achieved the stated goal, the book is well organized and easy to read. If the topic is interesting to you, this book is definitely worth the time.
December 18, 2018
A very local book seeing as these tugs were based here in Victoria. Lost of long haul and rescue stories, Venezuela to Victoria to bring back tankers, hauling an aircraft carrier from the U.S. to Japan and many rescues of ships in terrible weather conditions. It got a bit repetitive but I remember some of these tale from when I was young.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews