The Ghost of Cove Island

Excerpt from Ghosts of the Bay

There is something in the lonely isolated world of a lighthouse keeper and the drafty damp tower he tends that makes one believe this is a world inhabited by ghosts. To the men that kept the light on Cove Island it was the real thing.

Captain Tripp, a sailor of sterling reputation, was in command of the Regina, a small schooner whose fresh paint could not hide her years. The term "coffin-ship" was often used but Captain Tripp had faith in his trusty vessel. It was a clear day in September 1881, when he loaded his cargo at the Goderich dock and headed into the Bay. He had made only one mistake. Instead of picking up a load of lumber, he chose salt.

All was well until the plucky Regina rounded Cape Hurd and was hit by a squall. Waves crashed over the bow, adding more water to an already leaky hull. And there was lots to soak it up — lots of salt. With her weight increased a hundred fold by the wet cargo, the relentless pounding of the waves strained her hull. Water seeped even faster through the noticeable gaps in her seams, and the salt continued to drink it up. The Regina rode lower and lower in the water but the optimistic Captain believed they could reach a sandbar that was located just off Cove Island. His crew was skeptical, in fact, at this point, they were mutinous. They abandoned ship. The ever-faithful Captain Tripp stayed on board, attempting to single-handedly manoeuver his poor Regina to safety.

Later questioned about the mutiny, the crew’s stories were so exaggerated and so contradictory that a full-scale investigation was called. A final evaluation of the wreck which lay near Cove Island, its masts above the water, proved both vessel and Captain could have been saved had she been kept afloat a few more minutes. Captain Tripp’s body was never found but a rumour circulated that he had been buried on Cove Island.

On a cold November day, one year later, the sky turned grey and a storm settled in. Captains strained to see the familiar blink from Cove Island light through the snow, but it was not there. Panic set in on the water. Suddenly the light reappeared - throwing its welcome beacon. When the keeper was questioned, he admitted the kerosene lamp had gone out. A decade later he confessed more - he was off the island when the incident occurred and the island was completely abandoned. The keeper had always felt a strange presence and now was sure - it was the ghost of Captain Tripp.

Research of old log books during the production of Alone in the Night, Lynx Images’ book and film on lighthouses of Georgian Bay, Manitoulin Island and the North Channel, revealed that in 1881, lightkeeper George Currie did discover Tripp’s body. Currie wrote that after finding the corpse he wrapped it in a sail and buried it on Cove Island.

To read more about the history of Cove Island from Alone in the Night

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