Queen of Sidney

[Curtis]

Totally I would want to do that

[mvQueenofnewwestminster]

it's this site here...

www.wraiths.org/bc_ferry.htm

[Koastal Karl]

We should all get together and sneak onboard her! ;D

[Curtis]

That would be cool

[NMcKay]

why, rainy day will let you on to take photos if you want.

[Koastal Karl]

Dident someone do that at Tsawwassen on a V class that was sitting there?? Unless it was ferry worker.

[Balfour]

I think I saw that as well, and I think there is a link to that somewhere on this forum. There's even a rare pic with a platform lowered on a V class.

[NMcKay]

if you ask rainy day nicely they will let you in.

[Balfour]

i-mazing!

[Curtis]

Wow

[Doug]

You guys didn't know the Sidney was still in mission??? Well we drove by it last Easter Weekend and we seen it from the same view. I wasn't paying much attention to the road but I think we were on the Lougheed. I don't think Rainy River has touched it since it left New Westminster....

[NMcKay]

yeah well. i drive by them everyday

[Ian]

What are they doing with the sidney, is she just a eye sore or does she have a purpose.

[Balfour]

That's what I wanna know.

[Doug]

Probably store logs in the car deck or something. Use her as an enclosed barge.

[mvQueenofnewwestminster]

In case anybody ever doubted the historical signifigance of the Sidney, check out this page:

www.answers.com/topic/flag-of-british-columbia

- how the government of BC could let her go without even so much
as a simple ceremony is a crime.

[mvQueenofnewwestminster]

Apparently, the guy who now owns it is called Art. & he runs a marine parts store out of it.

- here's "Art's" - page:

www.arthursmarine.com/home_page.htm

[Ferryman]

Are you sure he's running a marine store out of it? It looks like to me like he's selling the parts of her.

[Ferryman]

Oh and whoever wanted to know the site for the pictures someone took sneaking on to the V-Class at Tsawwassen, it was on Queen of Esquimalt.
www.infiltration.org/gallery/ferry01.html

[Retrovision]

Thanks for the flag link, mvQueenofnewwestminster, I knew the Sidney was historically significant to the BC Ferries, but not to the province.

What really makes me scratch my head is the fact that a large portion of the B.C. government's MLA's were once So-Creds... which was Bennet's party.

[cascade]

Quesation for the older people on this site - do you remember been in school and asked to draw the "new" BC flag - plus having to name the flower of each Province in Canada.

At school in Sidney we were taken down to the terminal when the Queen of Sidney came back from it's first re-fit - this was a great school day out. Everyone in class was so proud. I guess they just don't do that anymore.

I can't remember the first vessel to be streched - but it happen again, and we had a school trip out to see it in Sidney. Not a bad day out when your 8 or 9 years old.

[NMcKay]

must have been pretty exciting/ cause i know i was always excited when we took BCF to nanaimo, even thought it was the 7:00 sailing, and it was almost always dark by the time we got to the island.

[cascade]

Here's another bit of info - which is a bit off from the Queen of Sidney - but inline with a couple of commnets made above.

Frank Leonard - Mayor of Saanich - did his Master Thesis for a History degree on W.A.C Bennett and the years before BC Ferries. He was able to get access to Bennett's papers - It appears from his thesis - if correct - that Bennett had engineered the Strike and also came up with the soluation to the problem. Hence how we have BCFS. So the idea that a few MLA's are of the "old" school - SoCr - sounds interesting.

UVIC has the paper - I have asked Frank Leonard for a copy - he declined to pass it on - so when I am next in Victoria - I will go and have a read of this. I also wonder why other parties haven't picked up on this?

Would like to see / read what the NDP make of - or how they write the history about the Fast Cat investment - problem.

Getting back to the Queen of Sidney - why not de-com her and then tie her up at the Sidney Government wharf - make a theme - historical - marine - point of interest for local school children and anyone else interested in BC History?

Remember back - TC read an article about Cruise ships coming into Sidney - so why not also visit the "Queen" ?

[mvQueenofnewwestminster]

Way ahead of you Cascade
I contacted the local chamber of commerce in Sidney, a couple of years ago with the same idea & got the predictable response:
"...unfortunately we are not funded sufficiently for such an enterprise, although worthy - it is with regret", blah,blah

-people just don't seem to have money for these types of things today

[cascade]

OK so if Sidney doesn't have the funds - then why not have a petition towards the government - for a Credit / grant against Tax if you put funds into a Pot to have the Queen of Sidney parked on a perment bases in Sidney?
(What would it cost to de-com her?)

They seem to be able to raise funds to sink vessels, then charge people to go dive on them. Even the Federal Government get's on that act - with old Navy ship's - why not sink a ferry - it's better than selling her for scrap - this way divers can enjoy her for years plus is good for the local economy - hotels - food - B&B - dive companies ect..

Hey it's worth a try - isn't it?