Joseph Darby

In 1801, the Canadian government set up a lifesaving establishment on Sable Island. Somebody had to be in charge. That's how the role of Superintendent of Sable Island came to be. In the early 1800s, the Darby family found work running the supply ship between mainland Nova Scotia and the remote Sable Island outpost. Joseph Darby, the eldest son, became a master of navigating the treacherous waters around "The Graveyard of the North Atlantic", and eventually rose up to be in charge of the island