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Post by Ferryman on Aug 3, 2008 21:22:15 GMT -8
I'm out in Kelowna at my parents place for the week, so I get to do some exploring. Today I was out on Okanagan Lake on a friends 22 foot boat (we're working on ours tonight to get it seaworthy for me to take out tomorrow). We just happened to be cruising around the area of the new William R. Bennett bridge, when suddenly I noticed what looked like remainders of the old Ferry dock that the MV Lloyd Jones (ex Vesuvius Queen) would have used in the 1950's before the bridge was built. This was on the Westbank/Westside of the Lake. There was two Ferry slips there it looked like. I believe there was 3 Ferries that would run the route, MV Lloyd Jones, MV Lequime (now Fintry Queen), and the MV Pendozi. But I just thought I'd let everyone know that at least something remains. I don't think there's anything left of the Ferry dock on the Kelowna side.   I'm not sure if this is THE Fintry Queen (MV Lequime) that used to do the route from Kelowna to Westbank, but it would sure be neat if it was. We also passed her today as well.   I hope to go out to the Westbank Yacht club at some point this week....perhaps tomorrow. This is where the MV Pendozi is kept. For more info and photos, check out: www.oacbs.ca/historical/1900s_pictures.htm |
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Mill Bay
Voyager 
Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,885 
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Post by Mill Bay on Aug 3, 2008 21:53:19 GMT -8
That looks like a dead ringer for the Fintry Queen. Although that link said she was in disrepair, she seems in pretty decent shape right now.
I didn't even know the Pendozi is still around, you would think that she had gone the way of the other former Okanagan ferries.
One thing you might consider, Chris, although it might not be the most pleasant past-time during a vacation... find out if Kelowna or Westbank have archives that might offer accurate information on the lake ferries and whether that really is the location of the original ferry slip.
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Post by Ferryman on Aug 5, 2008 23:40:07 GMT -8
My research on Okanagan Lake Ferries continues while I'm up here...... So here's some other things I've found out: The MV Fintry Queen (The sternwheeler you see in the photos above) is the one and only Fintry Queen I figured out where the dock on the Kelowna side was......right at the foot of Queensway Avenue, ironically almost right where the Fintry Queen ties up. I'm going to go down there tomorrow and get some photos of this spot. I found my way down the the old terminal on the Westbank side though. Getting down there was easy. I just drove down to that general direction, until I found this street sign.  Here's some photos of this old terminal      (I'm not too sure if this building had anything to do with Ferry operations...but in case it did, here's a pic of it too....)  After visiting the old Westbank terminal, I continued on to find the MV Pendozi. I had read in that website link that I posted in this threads initial post, that it was part of the Westbank Yacht Club. So I followed the shore until I found her. Here's what she looks like today, with an enclosed car deck to house the yacht club, and it's almost like they drove her into the shore leaving the hull partially in the water.      To finish off my upload of photos from today, here's my kind of "Aquatic Park"!. This is at Gellatly Bay, which is about 2 mins of driving up the shoreline from the Westbank Yacht Club, which holds the MV Pendozi. I haven't figured out yet if this was an actual Ferry dock, of if this is just some sort of fancy diving board    Now for some more historic photos, check out: (PS: I think you need Powerpoint to view this....) Otherwise go to google.ca, and type in "Kelowna Ferry". and this should show up as the 5 listing down, as "Slide 1". www.th.gov.bc.ca/wrbb_celebration/documents/Bennett_Bridge_Historic_Milestones.ppt |
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Post by fargowolf on Oct 20, 2008 8:50:18 GMT -8
This was on the Westbank/Westside of the Lake. There was two Ferry slips there it looked like. I believe there was 3 Ferries that would run the route, MV Lloyd Jones, MV Lequime (now Fintry Queen), and the MV Pendozi. But I just thought I'd let everyone know that at least something remains. I don't think there's anything left of the Ferry dock on the Kelowna side.quote] Yup. That's the old Westbank Ferry Dock. I have a few pics I took a couple of years before the loading bridges were removed last year I think. Nothing remains of the dock on the Kelowna side. In fact, my Dad can confirm this, as he was one of the divers that did the underwater work. |
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Post by Ferryman on Oct 22, 2008 18:04:23 GMT -8
Turns out there is something left on the Kelowna side, after I did some research. In one of the photos provided in the powerpoint file, which is provided in one of my previous posts, it shows a photo of the terminal at Kelowna. The title one the photo of the terminal on the Kelowna side (page 18) said something around the lines of "Ferry terminal at the foot of Queens Way". So I went down there, and found "Queensway Avenue". Today, at the foot of Queensway Avenue is a parking lot, which would have once been the holding lanes for the terminal. So I knew that looked like a familiar sight after seeing the photo.  So as you can see, there's a boat ramp there now. But look a little closer to the sides of the ramp leading to the water. The wall to the left was once the road leading on to the dock.  Still don't believe me?  Looking a little closer, as to wondering why there's fences on either side of the boat ramp under the water. It suddenly drops off a little deeper in the water, making me think that that ramp was set in place there. This leads me to believe that they took the ramp from the dock, and set it down to be used as a boat ramp, right beside where the ferry dock was.  The Fintry Queen even ties up just a few meters down the shoreline these days.  To finish off my investigation, it's a clear shot right over to where the Westbank terminal was. If you look at the top of the piling at the end of the little boat ramp dock, it marks basically the exact point along the shoreline on the other side of the lake where that terminal was.  Cheers! |
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,091
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Post by Neil on Oct 27, 2008 18:50:21 GMT -8
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Post by Scott on Nov 12, 2008 17:05:02 GMT -8
Off topic a bit, but I heard that while Highway 97 was closed between Summerland and Peachland there was a free water taxi (apparently run by the Ministry of Transportation) operating around the closure. www.bclocalnews.com/news/34074589.html |
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Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 12, 2008 18:28:04 GMT -8
Off topic a bit, but I heard that while Highway 97 was closed between Summerland and Peachland there was a free water taxi (apparently run by the Ministry of Transportation) operating around the closure. www.bclocalnews.com/news/34074589.htmlTheir first choice was to use the Sicamous, but she was wedged too tightly in the Pentiction lakeshore. (no, not really) |
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Post by Low Light Mike on Dec 27, 2008 15:29:17 GMT -8
I believe there was 3 Ferries that would run the route, MV Lloyd Jones, MV Lequime (now Fintry Queen), and the MV Pendozi. At my family Christmas dinner, I was talking with my mom about the Okanagan (she lived various spots in the valley during the 1940's & '50s). I asked her about the Okanagan Lake ferries, and she mentioned the Pendozi. She told me that it was named for "Father Pendozi" who was the big Catholic leader in the area. She also said this Catholic theme also influenced the name of the "Mission Ridge" area. |
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Post by corporalrabbinoff on Jan 15, 2009 18:26:34 GMT -8
Pendozi looks identical to the Vesuvius Queen is she considerd a sister ship?
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Post by fargowolf on Mar 1, 2009 20:19:47 GMT -8
I believe she was considered a sister ship to the Vesuvius. I THINK that was mentioned in the book, The Ships Of British Columbia by Gary and Patricia Buchanan. IF I recall, both ferries crossed the Fraser before the Deas Island Tunnel was built. After, one went to the Southern Gulf Islands and the other went to Okanagan Lake.
I'll see if I can get the book from the library tomorrow.
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ProudCanuck
Chief Steward
Champ Car - Gone, but not forgotten!
Posts: 242
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Post by ProudCanuck on Mar 1, 2009 22:20:39 GMT -8
I believe she was considered a sister ship to the Vesuvius. I THINK that was mentioned in the book, The Ships Of British Columbia by Gary and Patricia Buchanan. IF I recall, both ferries crossed the Fraser before the Deas Island Tunnel was built. After, one went to the Southern Gulf Islands and the other went to Okanagan Lake. I'll see if I can get the book from the library tomorrow. I just pulled out my copy of "The Ships of British Columbia" and it states the following: Page 20" Vesuvius Queen, now in islands service, once served in the Okanagan at Kelowna. She and her 36-car identical sister Saltspring Queen started their days crossing the Fraser River before the Deas Tunnel was built." Page 170 - Table of Ships" M.V. Saltspring Queen and M.V. Vesuvius QueenThe nearly identical sisters came to BC Ferries from different directions. The Salty, formerly named Delta Princess had crossed the Fraser River before the Deas Tunnel was built. She was later in the Gulf Ferries fleet at the time of the takeover. But her sister, Lloyd Jones, was in Kelowna until the floating bridge made her unecessary. Cut into pieces, she was transported back to the coast. First named Bowen Queen and subsequently Vesuvius Queen, she had served several of the short island routes. The two 36-car ferries continue in service and feature beautiful, cleaming brass bridge and engine room fixtures." |
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Post by Dane on Mar 1, 2009 22:28:18 GMT -8
A word of caution about Bannerman & Bannerman's "The Ships of Britsh Columbia."
A lot of really tremendous information is in that book, and a lot of stories you cannot read anywhere else. I also think many of the photo's are brilliant. It's quite enjoyable to read.
That said, as a technical source it is not a very solid book. There is a lot of misinformation (albeit most of it is small) and sometimes incomplete information. Several dates are off, and there are many forward looking statements about the Highways absorption which were quite off. Moreover, several of the vessel profiles contain inaccuracies.
It is a great book, don't take it the wrong way, but as a technical source it is not the best. Unfortunately it's sort of the only game in town in many ways.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,091
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Post by Neil on Mar 1, 2009 23:05:55 GMT -8
A word of caution about Bannerman & Bannerman's "The Ships of Britsh Columbia." A lot of really tremendous information is in that book, and a lot of stories you cannot read anywhere else. I also think many of the photo's are brilliant. It's quite enjoyable to read. That said, as a technical source it is not a very solid book. There is a lot of misinformation (albeit most of it is small) and sometimes incomplete information. Several dates are off, and there are many forward looking statements about the Highways absorption which were quite off. Moreover, several of the vessel profiles contain inaccuracies. It is a great book, don't take it the wrong way, but as a technical source it is not the best. Unfortunately it's sort of the only game in town in many ways. Dane, I disagree that Bannerman's book can in any way be considered a 'great book'. In many ways it's a lazy, superficial piece of promotional material- one for the fans, and not a serious piece of journalism. Lots of pictures, yes, and indeed, there are stories you won't get elsewhere, like anecdotes about Chinese cooks and a terminal staffer who didn't wear a bra. Important stuff. There is not even the pretence of impartiality in the book when it comes to politics. Page 4, it says: Copyright 1985 BC Ferry Corporation. That tells you all you need to know about how in depth it really is in telling us the story of BC Ferries from an investigative journalistic viewpoint. Unfortunately, as you say, we don't have much else. |
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Post by Ferryman on Jun 18, 2009 10:25:16 GMT -8
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Post by Barnacle on Jun 20, 2009 8:07:05 GMT -8
My research on Okanagan Lake Ferries continues while I'm up here...... *snip!* I found my way down the the old terminal on the Westbank side though. Getting down there was easy. I just drove down to that general direction, until I found this street sign. Here's some photos of this old terminal I was going through a pile of "vintage" slides I obtained at a thrift store some years ago, and found one that looked like a ferry dock. I scanned it the other day, and came up with this:  It's been heavily color-corrected (it shifted toward red years ago) but the large scan makes the sign perfectly legible--it says "Kelowna Welcomes You." I thought you folks might be interested... no point in hoarding all these shots, is there? Thanks for posting the good shot with the hills clearly visible, Chris... made it MUCH easier to verify the location! |
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Post by Ferryman on Jun 20, 2009 8:18:28 GMT -8
Wow! Awesome find Barnacle! Thanks for posting this.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 27, 2010 14:05:23 GMT -8
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 12, 2012 8:50:17 GMT -8
On sale at Ebay: - this postcard  |
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Post by Ferryman on Oct 1, 2012 2:08:09 GMT -8
A look at the stern of the Fintry Queen, which has been tied up with uncertainty for the past couple of years. It's only just beginning to show neglect, with that her paint isn't as bright as it once was in my photos further up in this thread. Not sure what the story is with the side paddle wheeler to the right though.  Okanagan Lake Vessels by Deck-dog SSI, on Flickr |
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Post by Queen of Nanaimo Teen on Jan 17, 2016 19:31:48 GMT -8
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Feb 16, 2023 0:09:31 GMT -8
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