Keith McLaren, born in Victoria, British Columbia, took his first shipboard job in 1969. Since then, he has worked on over thirty vessels on the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, Beaufort Sea, North Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. He also spent two seasons sailing on the Bluenose II out of Halifax. He studied photography at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and his experience on the BIuenose II inspired him to write his first book, Bluenose and Bluenose II. He holds a Master’s Certificate and presently works as a captain for the B.C. Ferry Corporation. He lives on Salt Spring Island with his wife and two children.