Belcarra, towing a log boom to the sawmill.
Growing up in Vancouver you see tugboats.
When I met Rick Smith (who was a logger and tug boat operator back in the day) everything fell into place and I wrote Tug: A Log Boom's Journey.
These are the kind of marks put on logs so people know who they belong to.
This is how the logs get from the truck into the ocean.
Towing the log boom under the Lions Gate Bridge.
Just like in my story! I saw this on a morning bike ride around Stanley Park,
some logs escaped from a boom and washed up on the shore.
A tug, towing a logboom to the Fraser River.
Tug
A Log Boom's Journey
Groundwood Books (2022)
"I’m helping Dad on the tugboat. We’re going to tow a log boom to the sawmill on the river… I look out for ferries and other boats in the harbor… Then I see it — a deadhead!"
Follow a child and his father through their workday on a tugboat on the West Coast as they watch a log boom being made, then tow it to a mill upriver. The pair must steer clear of other ships, race against the tide and weather a storm along the way.
Told from a child's perspective, this fun, accessible picture book explores the key role of a tugboat in the logging process. As explained in the author's note, the story is inspired by Scot Ritchie’s childhood memories of seeing tugs and log booms off the coast of Vancouver, British Columbia, with additional information provided in the note about forestry on the West Coast today.
“From award-winning author and illustrator Scot Ritchie comes this lively look at the journey of a West Coast tugboat towing a log boom, as seen through the eyes of a young boy.”