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Post by princessofvanfan on Jan 17, 2016 0:45:05 GMT -8
Yes, I remember sailing on the Sidney on Comox-Powell River back in the late 80's and admiring the extra touch of class the teak handrails gave her.
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Post by Ferryman on Jan 17, 2016 14:51:36 GMT -8
As far as I know, even with reference to the "Queens of British Columbia" book, is that the Sidney was built with the teak handrails on the outer decks. The Tsawwassen however, did not have the teak handrails ever. Chris, I can't say for sure, but I believe that the Sidney's twin sister did have the wooden railing in the beginning. Have a look at this photo showing the Tsawwassen in Horseshoe Bay in June 1969 when she was one of the route 2 regulars ... Perhaps they were not teak? Edit: Have a look also at this Rick Horne photo from March 1974 ... Both ships had wooden railings on the prom deck. The sun deck had metal top railings from 1960. Why did the Tsawwassen loose the wooden railings while the Sidney 'still' has them? I have no idea. The Tsawwassen's railings were all metal by Expo year (1986).
It was the railings that I was referring to. But there were other aspects of the original two that were unique to them (among BCF new builds) such as having three life boats aside, & having the raised forward lounges (like their cousins the Coho & Alaska's 'Blue Canoes'). Another thing that they kept, as compared to their heavily modified 'cousins' (the Seven Sisters) was the abundance of outside deck space which was lost on the 'Sisters' when they were stretched. My brother's photo also gives a good look at a bit of how the Swartz Bay Terminal looked 45 years ago. The Sidney is docked in berth 3 (today's berth 4) which remained looking much the same until they were completely rebuilt just a couple of years ago. Also, look at the people in the life boat. Some appear to be women in 'street clothes', so are they passengers? Are drills ever done nowadays with passengers? Isn't that interesting, so it did. Wasn't the Tsawwassen orphaned fairly early in her career once she headed north to assist on Route 2? If so, that could have meant that the railings weren't being well looked after with no regularly dedicated crew, which may have lead to the teak railings being removed. Didn't the Sidney spend a number of years on Route 9 until she was sent up to Route 17 by 1986 when the Nanaimo took over? It makes a world of a difference when a ship has a regularly dedicated crew to take care of the small things. |
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 17, 2016 19:52:38 GMT -8
Isn't that interesting, so it did. Wasn't the Tsawwassen orphaned fairly early in her career once she headed north to assist on Route 2? If so, that could have meant that the railings weren't being well looked after with no regularly dedicated crew, which may have lead to the teak railings being removed. Didn't the Sidney spend a number of years on Route 9 until she was sent up to Route 17 by 1986 when the Nanaimo took over? It makes a world of a difference when a ship has a regularly dedicated crew to take care of the small things. The Tsawwassen was one of the regulars on route 2 from ~1962 to 74. In mid 1974 it was replaced by the Stena Danica. After that I believe that she started her gypsy life spending summers as boat 5 on route 1, and winters in relief service on routes 1 & 2, and possibly 9. My photo records show the wooden railings in the 1970's but they were gone in Expo year (1986). I have no photos to narrow down just when she lost those railings. I suspect that you are right about her receiving less TLC over the years due to not having long term dedicated crew aboard. |
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Post by jwjsamster on Feb 15, 2016 9:19:46 GMT -8
Hello forum,
I don't know if this has been discussed before, but did BC ferries ever consider stretching the Sidney class ferries? and if not, why only V class ships? did they have that in mind during their initial design?
Thanks for the info,
JWJ
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Post by WettCoast on Feb 15, 2016 11:21:21 GMT -8
Hello forum, I don't know if this has been discussed before, but did BC ferries ever consider stretching the Sidney class ferries? and if not, why only V class ships? did they have that in mind during their initial design? Thanks for the info, JWJ My understanding is that BC Ferries management back in the late 1960's & early 70's did not consider the Sidney twins as candidates for lengthening due to them being of a narrower beam. (See the Bannerman book, The Ships of British Columbia.) The four car lanes per side were really too narrow and should have been changed over to three lanes aside as was the case with their Spaulding 'cousins', the Coho & Alaska's 'Blue Canoes'. Nevertheless, it could have been done as Alaska did stretch two of those 'cousins' (the Malaspina & Matanuska). |
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translinkfan
Oiler (New Member)
'Bout them Alcoa's!
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Post by translinkfan on May 4, 2016 21:40:28 GMT -8
Was on my way to Yale Historic site from the Stave Falls Power dam so I went through Silverdale. Managed to photograph the Sidney from the highway. My first time seeing it in person. Quite a sad sight but cool none the less.  QueenofSidney-1 by Dannny29, on Flickr |
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Neil
Voyager 
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Post by Neil on May 4, 2016 22:48:52 GMT -8
Was on my way to Yale Historic site from the Stave Falls Power dam so I went through Silverdale. Managed to photograph the Sidney from the highway. My first time seeing it in person. Quite a sad sight but cool none the less. What's 'cool' about it? Yet another owner of a derelict vessel, using a public waterway to store their junk. Far too much of that on the Fraser. How cool will it be when the ' Sidney starts rotting into the muck as the San Mateo did, or maybe breaks free in a storm to cause a navigation hazard? |
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translinkfan
Oiler (New Member)
'Bout them Alcoa's!
Posts: 48
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Post by translinkfan on May 5, 2016 16:12:17 GMT -8
Was on my way to Yale Historic site from the Stave Falls Power dam so I went through Silverdale. Managed to photograph the Sidney from the highway. My first time seeing it in person. Quite a sad sight but cool none the less. What's 'cool' about it? Yet another owner of a derelict vessel, using a public waterway to store their junk. Far too much of that on the Fraser. How cool will it be when the ' Sidney starts rotting into the muck as the San Mateo did, or maybe breaks free in a storm to cause a navigation hazard? Just the fact that I've never seen it in person until now for the first time. Cool your jets. |
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Neil
Voyager
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Post by Neil on May 5, 2016 19:24:05 GMT -8
What's 'cool' about it? Yet another owner of a derelict vessel, using a public waterway to store their junk. Far too much of that on the Fraser. How cool will it be when the ' Sidney starts rotting into the muck as the San Mateo did, or maybe breaks free in a storm to cause a navigation hazard? Just the fact that I've never seen it in person until now for the first time. Cool your jets. Might be the first time you've seen it, but the ' Sidney has been there for ages and photographed many times. At this point, it's worthwhile to bring up the bigger issue of abandoned vessels rather than just saying 'cool', so I don't need you telling me to 'cool my jets' when I do so. |
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translinkfan
Oiler (New Member)
'Bout them Alcoa's!
Posts: 48
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Post by translinkfan on May 7, 2016 0:02:36 GMT -8
Just the fact that I've never seen it in person until now for the first time. Cool your jets. Might be the first time you've seen it, but the ' Sidney has been there for ages and photographed many times. At this point, it's worthwhile to bring up the bigger issue of abandoned vessels rather than just saying 'cool', so I don't need you telling me to 'cool my jets' when I do so. Whatever you say. Never originally intend to ruffle anyone's feathers to start with. |
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Post by WettCoast on Jul 7, 2016 22:31:05 GMT -8
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Post by Starsteward on Jul 8, 2016 15:38:39 GMT -8
This historic photo of the 'M.V. Queen of Sidney , circa 1978, triggered a flashback moment to Sunday, June 14, 1964. It was on that date, at 0:05:30 hours that this raw rookie's catering career began at Horseshoe Bay aboard the 'Sidney' under the supervision of Chief Steward Tommy Wheeler. He was a 'character'. "Back in the day", a Busboys' position could be equated as an 'indentured servant', and early Chief Stewards ruled as one's master. About 40 seconds into first meeting Chief Tommy, I had already hung the 'tyrant' tag on him and during the shift, his inspections of garbage can cleanliness, to a 'white-glove' wipe across the top of the walls that separated the toilets in the men's W.C.s, left no doubt in my mind as to the quality of effort required to maintain or continue my employment with B.C. Ferries. With about 40 minutes sailing time before we reached the end of our shift, I was P.A.'d to Tommy's office. Was being summarily summoned to his office sound the death knell of my one-day catering career? Sitting behind his desk, eye-glasses perched on the veiny- blue bulb of his nose, steely eyes glaring up at me, Chief Tommy gruffly announced that I wouldn't be reporting back to the 'Sidney' the next day. Head spinning, knees suddenly weak, I have no recollection of how long it was before the old b_gger, followed up with his next sentence, as somewhere out of my mind-fog, I heard: 'We're all going to report to the 'Sechelt Queen' tomorrow, same time as today! And so began my catering career on 'Bennett's Navy'. As the Summer of 1964, unfolded, I came to know and understand my boss's modus operendi, discarding the 'tyrant' tag I had slung around Chief Tommy's neck and replaced it with something more appropriate, for as demanding as he was, I came to experience qualities of 'frankness' and 'fairness', sprinkled with his rowdy sense of humour. Chief Steward Tommy Wheeler's new tag read simply; "Tough Old Salt  " Aye, this first life-lesson at sea would serve me well in the years ahead. |
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Post by WettCoast on Jul 8, 2016 16:19:40 GMT -8
This historic photo of the 'M.V. Queen of Sidney , circa 1978, triggered a flashback moment to Sunday, June 14, 1964. It was on that date, at 0:05:30 hours that this raw rookie's catering career began at Horseshoe Bay aboard the 'Sidney' under the supervision of Chief Steward Tommy Wheeler. He was a 'character'. "Back in the day", a Busboys' position could be equated as an 'indentured servant', and early Chief Stewards ruled as one's master. About 40 seconds into first meeting Chief Tommy, I had already hung the 'tyrant' tag on him and during the shift, his inspections of garbage can cleanliness, to a 'white-glove' wipe across the top of the walls that separated the toilets in the men's W.C.s, left no doubt in my mind as to the quality of effort required to maintain or continue my employment with B.C. Ferries. With about 40 minutes sailing time before we reached the end of our shift, I was P.A.'d to Tommy's office. Was being summarily summoned to his office sound the death knell of my one-day catering career? Sitting behind his desk, eye-glasses perched on the veiny- blue bulb of his nose, steely eyes glaring up at me, Chief Tommy gruffly announced that I wouldn't be reporting back to the 'Sidney' the next day. Head spinning, knees suddenly weak, I have no recollection of how long it was before the old b_gger, followed up with his next sentence, as somewhere out of my mind-fog, I heard: 'We're all going to report to the 'Sechelt Queen' tomorrow, same time as today! And so began my catering career on 'Bennett's Navy'. As the Summer of 1964, unfolded, I came to know and understand my boss's modus operendi, discarding the 'tyrant' tag I had slung around Chief Tommy's neck and replaced it with something more appropriate, for as demanding as he was, I came to experience qualities of 'frankness' and 'fairness', sprinkled with his rowdy sense of humour. Chief Steward Tommy Wheeler's new tag read simply; "Tough Old Salt " Aye, this first life-lesson at sea would serve me well in the years ahead. Double 'like' on this post, Mr Starsteward ... |
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Post by Kahloke on Jul 8, 2016 18:18:28 GMT -8
This historic photo of the 'M.V. Queen of Sidney , circa 1978, triggered a flashback moment to Sunday, June 14, 1964. It was on that date, at 0:05:30 hours that this raw rookie's catering career began at Horseshoe Bay aboard the 'Sidney' under the supervision of Chief Steward Tommy Wheeler. He was a 'character'. "Back in the day", a Busboys' position could be equated as an 'indentured servant', and early Chief Stewards ruled as one's master. About 40 seconds into first meeting Chief Tommy, I had already hung the 'tyrant' tag on him and during the shift, his inspections of garbage can cleanliness, to a 'white-glove' wipe across the top of the walls that separated the toilets in the men's W.C.s, left no doubt in my mind as to the quality of effort required to maintain or continue my employment with B.C. Ferries. With about 40 minutes sailing time before we reached the end of our shift, I was P.A.'d to Tommy's office. Was being summarily summoned to his office sound the death knell of my one-day catering career? Sitting behind his desk, eye-glasses perched on the veiny- blue bulb of his nose, steely eyes glaring up at me, Chief Tommy gruffly announced that I wouldn't be reporting back to the 'Sidney' the next day. Head spinning, knees suddenly weak, I have no recollection of how long it was before the old b_gger, followed up with his next sentence, as somewhere out of my mind-fog, I heard: 'We're all going to report to the 'Sechelt Queen' tomorrow, same time as today! And so began my catering career on 'Bennett's Navy'. As the Summer of 1964, unfolded, I came to know and understand my boss's modus operendi, discarding the 'tyrant' tag I had slung around Chief Tommy's neck and replaced it with something more appropriate, for as demanding as he was, I came to experience qualities of 'frankness' and 'fairness', sprinkled with his rowdy sense of humour. Chief Steward Tommy Wheeler's new tag read simply; "Tough Old Salt " Aye, this first life-lesson at sea would serve me well in the years ahead. Great post! And great trip down your memory lane. I love stories like what you just shared with us. I agree with Wett Coast - clicking the 'Like' button is not sufficient enough. |
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Post by articulated on Jan 23, 2017 19:16:29 GMT -8
I have been working on putting together some BC Ferries route and vessel histories, and a portion of the Queen of Sidney's history is a bit fuzzy for me. Specifically, I know she started on route 1 (obviously), and then she worked on route 2 (alongside Queen of Tsawwassen) until 1964/1965, when she was replaced by the last of the Victoria class vessels. The next for-sure point I know of is in 1986, when Queen of Sidney began operating full-time on route 17 after replacing Princess of Vancouver.
Sometime in that 20+ year gap she operated on a few different routes. I have seen fleeting references to being a replacement vessel on route 2 when the V-class was being stretched, and operating as a summer extra on route 1 and 3. I also know that she operated for a while on route 9 before being replaced by Queen of Nanaimo.
If anyone knows some more information on the assignment history of Queen of Sidney during this time period, I'd be very interested to hear it. Thanks in advance!
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Post by WettCoast on Mar 1, 2017 23:16:17 GMT -8
Looking not so Good ...Ferry graveyard featuring the Queen of Sidney (one of BC Ferries' two 'originals') at Silverdale, Fraser River, below Mission, BC - 1 March 2017 This was shot from the 'Dome Car' of Via Rail's Canadian, while running west along the south bank of the river. A few hours later I saw for my first time BC Ferries newest vessel, the Salish Orca.  © WCK-JST by Jim Thorne, on Flickr
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Post by chinook2 on Mar 7, 2017 11:01:23 GMT -8
I have been working on putting together some BC Ferries route and vessel histories, and a portion of the Queen of Sidney's history is a bit fuzzy for me. Specifically, I know she started on route 1 (obviously), and then she worked on route 2 (alongside Queen of Tsawwassen) until 1964/1965, when she was replaced by the last of the Victoria class vessels. The next for-sure point I know of is in 1986, when Queen of Sidney began operating full-time on route 17 after replacing Princess of Vancouver. Sometime in that 20+ year gap she operated on a few different routes. I have seen fleeting references to being a replacement vessel on route 2 when the V-class was being stretched, and operating as a summer extra on route 1 and 3. I also know that she operated for a while on route 9 before being replaced by Queen of Nanaimo. If anyone knows some more information on the assignment history of Queen of Sidney during this time period, I'd be very interested to hear it. Thanks in advance! The information is all in the posts here, but will summarize as best I can. Beginning in 1965, Sidney's summer duty was as the third boat out of Swartz Bay. Most or all trips included a stop at either Village Bay or Otter Bay. Between 1965 and 1968 she was the relief ship for the Tsawwassen and all seven Victoria class vessels. From 1968-74 her duties were roughly the same, but as Sechelt Queen was now available, and the Victoria class ships were spending longer times out of service when being stretched, Sidney and Sechelt shared relief duties on route 1 and 2. Not sure, but likely still doing summers on route 1 1974-76. When the Sunshine Coast Queen and Langdale Queen were retired in late 1976, the sidney and tsawwassen were reunited on route 3, until the Queen of New Westminster took over the first ship role at Langdale. Tsawwassen was the second ship there, but mainly in peak season in those years. It was at this point in 1977 that the Sidney became the primary boat on route 9, working there until 1982. Previously, Sechelt Queen had worked the route in summer, Queen of the Islands in off peak. From 1982-86, Sidney saw less active service, but with the Ministry of Transport service coming under Bc Ferries jurisdiction, moving the Sidney to route 17 made total sense, as it freed the underutilized Princess of Vancouver to become the Vancouver Island Princess for bc steamships. In 1994 Queen of Sidney was identified as having structural issues in her hull, and received steel replacements to address this. I presume at this point, she was identified as being the first of the two originals to go. By the fall of 2000, according to a Monday Magazine article, engine crew had to wear respirators to deal with the oil her Mirlees engines were spurting. Hope this helps. My favorite ferry, btw. |
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Post by articulated on Mar 7, 2017 20:13:47 GMT -8
I have been working on putting together some BC Ferries route and vessel histories, and a portion of the Queen of Sidney's history is a bit fuzzy for me. Specifically, I know she started on route 1 (obviously), and then she worked on route 2 (alongside Queen of Tsawwassen) until 1964/1965, when she was replaced by the last of the Victoria class vessels. The next for-sure point I know of is in 1986, when Queen of Sidney began operating full-time on route 17 after replacing Princess of Vancouver. Sometime in that 20+ year gap she operated on a few different routes. I have seen fleeting references to being a replacement vessel on route 2 when the V-class was being stretched, and operating as a summer extra on route 1 and 3. I also know that she operated for a while on route 9 before being replaced by Queen of Nanaimo. If anyone knows some more information on the assignment history of Queen of Sidney during this time period, I'd be very interested to hear it. Thanks in advance! The information is all in the posts here, but will summarize as best I can. Beginning in 1965, Sidney's summer duty was as the third boat out of Swartz Bay. Most or all trips included a stop at either Village Bay or Otter Bay. Between 1965 and 1968 she was the relief ship for the Tsawwassen and all seven Victoria class vessels. From 1968-74 her duties were roughly the same, but as Sechelt Queen was now available, and the Victoria class ships were spending longer times out of service when being stretched, Sidney and Sechelt shared relief duties on route 1 and 2. Not sure, but likely still doing summers on route 1 1974-76. When the Sunshine Coast Queen and Langdale Queen were retired in late 1976, the sidney and tsawwassen were reunited on route 3, until the Queen of New Westminster took over the first ship role at Langdale. Tsawwassen was the second ship there, but mainly in peak season in those years. It was at this point in 1977 that the Sidney became the primary boat on route 9, working there until 1982. Previously, Sechelt Queen had worked the route in summer, Queen of the Islands in off peak. From 1982-86, Sidney saw less active service, but with the Ministry of Transport service coming under Bc Ferries jurisdiction, moving the Sidney to route 17 made total sense, as it freed the underutilized Princess of Vancouver to become the Vancouver Island Princess for bc steamships. In 1994 Queen of Sidney was identified as having structural issues in her hull, and received steel replacements to address this. I presume at this point, she was identified as being the first of the two originals to go. By the fall of 2000, according to a Monday Magazine article, engine crew had to wear respirators to deal with the oil her Mirlees engines were spurting. Hope this helps. My favorite ferry, btw. Thanks very much for the detailed information. The specific years on when Sidney changed routes was what I was missing, and helps connect a bunch of dots. |
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Post by chinook2 on Mar 8, 2017 0:05:51 GMT -8
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Post by EGfleet on May 7, 2017 11:01:15 GMT -8
From the Nov 1 1958 edition of Marine Digest.  |
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Post by WettCoast on May 7, 2017 12:15:41 GMT -8
From the Nov 1 1958 edition of Marine Digest. The 'concept drawing' bears a great likeness to what was delivered with Blackball's Coho. Not a huge surprise, really, seeing as the Sidney twins were built from a mild variation on the Coho blueprints ... |
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Post by Scott on Feb 2, 2018 20:01:46 GMT -8
The latest episode of the X-Files has aerial and interior scenes of the Queen of Sidney...Viewer discretion advised.YouTube Link |
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Post by camroncamera on Mar 29, 2018 9:33:02 GMT -8
The latest episode of the X-Files has aerial and interior scenes of the Queen of Sidney...Viewer discretion advised.YouTube LinkHello, forum! I have a fun little detective story for you! And I am hoping you can help me solve this "X-File"  TL;DR version: I've been catching up on the new season of The X-Files on my DVR... Season 11, Episode 5 "Ghouli". Important scenes are set on a rusting, decommissioned ferryboat. Something about it catches my eye, and after a night of research I've determined that there is a 50/50 chance that my parents took photos on that very same ferry back in 1970 while on their honeymoon to Victoria, BC. Internet research has led me here. If you'll allow me to retrace my steps (please bear with me as I attempt to link and properly size the photos): A did a quick Google search to learn about the derelict ferry "Chimera" seen in The X-Files Season 11, Episode 5 "Ghouli", and IMDB came to the rescue: "The blue and white ferry boat called the "Chimera" is actually the "Queen of Sidney" and is awaiting salvage near the town of Mission, British Columbia, Canada." www.imdb.com/title/tt6803126/triviaAll of you here already knew this was the "Queen of Sidney" (Image credit: 20th Century Fox Television):    I knew that The X-Files production had returned to British Columbia for filming the newest seasons. I also remembered that my parents rode a ferry to Victoria, BC back in 1970 because several years ago I had scanned my family's collection of 35mm slides. My parents were married on July 17, 1970 in Vancouver, Washington, USA (the "other" Vancouver to our Canadian friends . They spent the following few days honeymooning in Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC and Victoria. I thought "what are the chances that my parents rode on that very ferry?" Well I decided to go back through those scans of their honeymoon slides, to find those pictures taken aboard a ferry from Horseshoe Bay terminal:  Among the old slides there was a photo of another ferry at the terminal that I was able to determine was not the same design as the type they took photos from. The name was partially obscured in the photo, "....ine Coast Queen":  This other ferry at the terminal, I was able to discover, was "Sunshine Coast Queen" and was originally commissioned as the "Vacationland" in 1952. After serving its useful life, it sank in 1987 under tow to a Chinese scrap yard: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacationland_(ferry)ferriesbc.proboards.com/thread/8557/sunshine-coast-queen-photos-discussionThere were no wide-angle photos of the ferry that they were aboard, just a couple candid shots on the outer decks. Here is the shot in the X-Files episode that made me stop in my tracks and go researching this stuff... Those mushroom-shaped vents looked so familiar! (Ventilation cowls - I had to look that up) :  Well, here is why they looked so familiar:  Well, into the rabbit hole I went, and (after many Google images searches) I learned that the photo above is almost certainly the sun deck aboard one of only two Sidney-class ferries: It is either "Queen of Sidney" or "Queen of Tsawwassen": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney-class_ferry With that information, I was able to dig further. The "Queen of Sindey" and "Queen of Tsawwassen" were the first two ships to be custom-built by BC Ferries, and they were virtually identical. If i understand correctly from the discussion on this forum, no other successive ferries shared the same upper rear outdoor observation deck design (with those nearby mushroom-shaped ventilation cowls): ferriesbc.proboards.com/thread/8538/queen-tsawwassen-photos-discussionHere is the only other shot from my parents' slides depicting a portion of the vessel that they were aboard that day:  Well, I haven't heard back yet from my parents but I'm doubtful they would remember the exact name of their ferry that day. Are there enough clues from these images to determine whether they were aboard the "Queen of Sindey" or "Queen of Tsawwassen"? Full-sized images can be found here: www.camroncamera.com/p1043444647Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this "detective story" and thank you for any answers you can provide |
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Neil
Voyager
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Post by Neil on Mar 29, 2018 11:12:55 GMT -8
The boat your parents were on was almost certainly the Queen of Tsawwassen, which was one of the four regulars on the Horseshoe Bay - Departure Bay run at the time. The 'Sidney was most likely doing the Tsawwassen - Gulf Islands route. I have schedules for the summer of 1970, but they're not with me at this time.
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Post by WettCoast on Mar 29, 2018 11:19:17 GMT -8
Hello, forum! I have a fun little detective story for you! And I am hoping you can help me solve this "X-File" TL;DR version: I've been catching up on the new season of The X-Files on my DVR... Season 11, Episode 5 "Ghouli". Important scenes are set on a rusting, decommissioned ferryboat. Something about it catches my eye, and after a night of research I've determined that there is a 50/50 chance that my parents took photos on that very same ferry back in 1970 while on their honeymoon to Victoria, BC. Internet research has led me here. I thought "what are the chances that my parents rode on that very ferry?" Well I decided to go back through those scans of their honeymoon slides, to find those pictures taken aboard a ferry from Horseshoe Bay terminal: Well, into the rabbit hole I went, and (after many Google images searches) I learned that the photo above is almost certainly the sun deck aboard one of only two Sidney-class ferries: It is either "Queen of Sidney" or "Queen of Tsawwassen": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney-class_ferryWell, I haven't heard back yet from my parents but I'm doubtful they would remember the exact name of their ferry that day. Are there enough clues from these images to determine whether they were aboard the "Queen of Sindey" or "Queen of Tsawwassen"? Full-sized images can be found here: www.camroncamera.com/p1043444647Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this "detective story" and thank you for any answers you can provide Your parents were almost certainly aboard the Queen of Tsawwassen. The photo I have left in the quote of what you wrote above showing the tail end of the upper 'Sun Deck' could only be from either the Sidney or its twin sister. Your parents were there in the latter part of July 1970. I do know where the two vessels were working that summer. The Tsawwassen was one of four regular vessels serving on 'Route 2' (Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay near Nanaimo on Vancouver Island). The Sidney was the 5th (extra) vessel serving on Route 1 (Vancouver to Victoria via Tsawwassen Terminal & Swartz Bay). My brother David was working on the Sidney at the time as a summer student crew member. So your parents must have been on the sister ship, Tsawwassen. The Sunshine Coast Queen, BTW, was operating on 'Route 3' (Horseshoe Bay to the Sunshine Coast via Langdale). Horseshoe Bay Terminal with Queen of Tsawwassen at berth 1 - 9 April 1971 
 Queen of Tsawwassen (@ Saltery Bay) showing Sun Deck aft raised area over the cafeteria - 8 August 2007. This feature was unique to the Sidney class twins.
Both photos © WCK-JST - Fujichrome 71-1-16 - ViewScan by Jim Thorne, on Flickr |
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" Aye, this first life-lesson at sea would serve me well in the years ahead. 
