4 - Wednesday, January 22, 1992 - North Shore News The beautiful symbols of imperial evil SOMEWHERE BETWEEN Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, the Nin2, Pinta, Santa Maria and two Spanish Navy escort ships slipped past the Sea Shepherd in the night, making an unscheduled stop at a marina in a place calied Puerto Del Rey, thereby successfully avoiding a confrontation with native protesters on the open seas. The voice of the Spaniards talk- ing amongst themselves had been audible in the Sea Shepherd’s wheelhouse for several nights be- fore this, but the signa’s had been too brief for anybody to get a fix on the radio directional finder. By day, everybody had been out on deck or up on the mast as we pounded through eight-to-10-foot seas, scanning for a glimpse of a sail with a cross on it. By night, the radar had been manned non- top. It had been a painrully close race. The Spaniards reached the safe- ty of port on the coast of Puerto Rico a mere 20 minutes before the protest ship got close enough to spot them through the binoculars, after nearly two weeks of search- ing. As the last of the replicas of Columbus’ original caravels disappeared into the mouth of the harbor, the big grey Spanish Navy frigate which had been herding the little sailboats along turned pon- derously, belching smoke, and steamed out toward us, throwing up a bow wave like a man rolling up his sleeves, with an equally formidable sea-going tug crashing along behind. The warships circled us, their crews standing stiffly on deck, staring, nobody waving. It was all totally mano a mano. On the Sea Shepherd's deck, half a dozen home video cameras were rolling, along with my sta- tion’s big Betacam mounted on its triped, facing their 50-mm deck gun. . Most of the amateur cameras were being aimed by native guys, some of them with long hair, others wearing bear-claw necklaces, some with headbands, a few with baseball caps, all of them looking appropriately stern. For fun, or maybe to provoke the Spaniards, Captain Paul Wat- son ordered his helmsman to come hard over to the port, so that the’ Sea Shepherd manoeuvred across the frigate’s bow. NV educator HAROLD LOUCKS...well-known North Vancouver educator passes away. Bob Hunter STRICTLY PERSONAL Explained Watson: ‘‘That's called ‘Crossing the T.’ Back in the days of sails and broadside cannon, you’d be able to fire on the enemy without them being able to fire back.”” Oddly enough, on the Spanish Armada’s decks not a single cam- era was to be seen. It was as though they were the unarmed ones. Flanking outward, they deftly positioned themselves on either side of us. Some kind of pincer movement. Interesting. Seemed to have a game plan. Whatever it was, they didn't get to exercise it. Just then, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter came charging out from Puerto Del Rey to break things up. Her captain was on the blower to Watson and the Spaniards, snapping out orders in a distinctly no-nonsense tone of voice. Watson was to pull back a mile immediately, and the Spanish Navy ships were to hold their positions to accept a pilot to take them into a nearby military base. Once the Spanish warships rumbled off, fuming, the Sea Shepherd dropped its Zodiac over the side, and half a dozen natives, plus my cameraman, the unflap- passes away HAROLD LOUCKS, a long-time North Vancouver resident and educator, passed away recently in Victoria. He was 78 years old when he died on Dec. 9. Mr. Loucks was a principal and teacher in several North Van- couver schools, including Ridgeway, Burrard View, Queen Mary, Capilano, Sutherland, Windsor and North Vancouver Senior Secondary. At the time of his retirement in 1975, Mr. Loucks was the prin- cipal at the former North Van- couver Senior Secondary School. Mr. Loucks moved to North Vancouver from Prince Albert, Sask. in 1943. Except for military service, he taught for the North Vancouver District 44 School Board from that time until his Tetirement. Mr. Loucks is survived by his wife of 52 years, Laura, and sons, Ron and Barry. pable Dina Elissat Winlaw, roared off to the marina where the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria had taken refuge. Looking at Dina’s tape later, my hair almost stood on end. The three wooden ships, as they came into view, were tied up to docks, their sails down already. They were silhouetted against the sun like three fantastic harps, the planking of the high prows ” and sterns elegantly folded together, like wings. For a long time now, ! had been reading (and writing) about the horrifying consequences for the North, Central and South American people of Christopher Columbus’ arrival on a Caribbean beach half a millenium ago. I'd gotten caught up in the darkness of the Black Legend. It hadn’t occurred to me that the ships themselves were things of great beauty. Even docked, they had a grace that took my breath away. A shame that such magnificent vehi- cles had borne such brutal men. In any event, they were safe in harbor now, beautiful symbols of impe ial evil. The voyage to in- terceyt them had failed. As soon as the shore party’s Zodiac had rejoined the Sea Shepiterd, Watson set a course for San Juan. So damned close... A flop! I couidn’t believe it. My own plan once we got to San Juan was to go find the Sailor’s Bar and settle down to cry in my cerveza, lf The Road ToWhistler Drives You Around The Bend, Why Not TurnTo Us? BCFAIL SKI TRAIN THE BEST WAY TO SKI B.C. For more information, please call BC Rail at 631-3500. Now'til March 27th, we're adding @ special Friday right run to our daily Ski Train service toWhistler. It pulls out of the North Van station at 700 PM. and arrives inWhistler at 9:30 PM. And it costs just 529 return. This coupon is, ‘worth $5.00. ‘towords your ‘puidhase | . +. of a return trip-on the BC Rail Ski Troin-to Whistler, = te presented at the BC Rail Ticket "Office, 1312-West’ Ist Street, North Vancouver at time of | puchose? Offer is nof valid id through of other = SKITRAIN- § . 2 ¥ eet = So,why drive that long, winding road to Whistler when you can unwind on the train ond arrive fresh and reedy to ski? Our Ski Train service also runs daily, leaving North Van at 700 AM. and arriving in Whistler at 9:34 A.M. u agents | ‘or-on- board conductor partite Minimum ‘ purchase i is ofe-full round-trip.’ “Limit. Bre coi pet-ficker” purthbse. No facsimiles cccepted. “Coupon does not-applyte childred’ s fare’. Coupai. expires | April U5, 1992. “8,