Samuel Bawlf’s book about Sir Francis Drake (The Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake) has stirred the imagination of many people. Did Drake sail north as far as the coast of British Columbia? One of my clients was so intrigued by the concept that he commissioned me to produce a work that would recreate a possible meeting of Drake and his men with the natives of the coast. He chose Comox as a possible area of contact based on Bawlf’s writings.

A point of concern for me was the design of native canoes and habitat as most of the records we use are from the 1700’s onward. But what were they like in the 1500’s? Talking with native historians we could only imagine that their designs would not have changed much. So we are left with many unanswered questions to further stimulate the mind.