Information/Write-up
The Black Eyes was built by her original owners (Shirley Granger and her Husband) who ran up a debt recording an LP album and the story I was told was that the vessel was turned over in payment for the recording of the album. Her new owner was recording star and singer Stan Cayer who owned S.G.M. Records Ltd., who’s fame included being the first promoter for Terry and Susan Jacks. Stan sailed the Blackeyes down the coast through the Panama canal up the Amazon and return. On the return trip Stan sailed her single handed from Panama to Vancouver! Stan Cayer recently passed away.
She sailed out of Gastown for many years where she carried charter dive groups to the Gulf Islands. She had a ‘moon pool’ which allowed divers to enter the water from inside the vessel, a 10 CFM JMAR air compressor and was powered by a beautiful Gardiner LW6 diesel engine. She has been laying at anchor for several years now in Mannion Bay on Bowen Island.
As a side note, there was a 78 rpm vinyl LP album named after the Black Eyes with sung by song stylist Shirley Granger (the Regal Queen of Blues) in the late 1970s. The album was classified in the soul/funk genre. The artist, Shirley Lewis Granger, passed away peacefully on May 5th 2013. (Shirley Lewis Days are held annually the Town of Newburyport Massachusetts and run by the Shirley Lewis Living the Blues Foundation.)
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Shirley Granger" vocals
Henry Young: guitar
Clive Gard: bass, piano
Tom Mohr: bass
Gary O'bray: drums
Louise Martin: drums
Holly Burke: flute
Alexander Galbraith-Hamilton: narrator
Major Platt: piano
Dick Smith: saxophone
Holly Burke: saxophone
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