{"product_id":"book-the-best-loved-boat-ian-kennedy","title":"Book The Best Loved Boat Ian Kennedy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBuilt in 1913, the Canadian Pacific Railway's ship\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrincess Maquinna\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003esteamed up and down the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island in summer and winter, calm weather and storms, for over forty years, and has become one of the most beloved boats in BC’s maritime history.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePrincess Maquinna\u003c\/i\u003e, sometimes referred to as the “Ugly Princess” but most often “Old Faithful,” transported Indigenous people, settlers, missionaries, loggers, cannery workers, prospectors and travellers of all kinds up and down Vancouver Island’s rugged and dangerous west coast, stopping at up to forty ports of call on her seven-day run. The\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ePrincess Maquinna\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efaithfully served as the lifeline for all those who lived on the west coast of Vancouver Island before it became accessible by roads. Because of this strong connection she became the “Best Loved Boat” in BC’s maritime history. Kennedy recounts battles through eighty-knot gales along the exposed coastline sailors called “The Graveyard of the Pacific,” and reveals the bigotry that forced Indigenous and Chinese passengers to remain on the foredeck of the ship while other passengers sheltered from the elements inside. He brings the history of this beloved ship to life with rich detail, recalling a time when this remote part of British Columbia was alive with mines, canneries and now-forgotten settlements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrize(s): Short-listed Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Book Prize (2024) \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Ian Kennedy’s ode to the beloved\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ePrincess Maquinna\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003etakes readers on a fascinating voyage along Vancouver Island’s rugged west coast in the 1920s. Before roads and airplanes, she travelled year-round, day and night, the skipper navigating with rudimentary charts and nothing but a whistle for echolocation and a weight tied to a rope for a depth sounder. Life on the coast revolved around regular “Boat Days” when the ship’s arrival with mail, cargo and passengers created a hubbub of excited activity. As extreme weather events threaten road access to our beautiful coastal communities, this book is a timely reminder that marine transport remains a viable option. Kyuquot’s\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eUchuck lll\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand Bamfield’s\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrances Barkley\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eare still as warmly welcomed on their “Boat Days,” as the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eMaquinna\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewas in her glory days.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e–Judith Phillips, author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eOur Whole Bamfield Saga: Pioneer Life on Vancouver Island’s West Coast\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Winner of the BCHF Community History Award, 2015\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“A wonderful account of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaquinna\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand the voyages she made on the “saltwater main street” off Vancouver Island's west coast, providing goods and transportation for the residents of remote communities there. Ian Kennedy takes the reader on a typical run for the ship from Victoria to Holberg in Quatsino Sound and introduces numerous salty characters; white knuckle situations; troubling racism, and humorous anecdotes all while relating the histories of the ports that the vessel stopped at. In this well researched study, the author paints a vivid picture of life at sea aboard the famous ship as well as the hardships and joys of those that she both carried and met along her route.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e–R. Bruce Macdonald, author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNever Say P*G: The Book of Sailor’s Superstitions\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eSisters of the Ice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Ian Kennedy’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Best Loved Boat\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is not just a wonderfully written story of a ship, but also a fascinating history of the west coast of Vancouver Island. A pleasure from cover to cover”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e–S. Thomas Russell, author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eUnder Enemy Colours\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harbour Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48288726712568,"sku":"9781990776403","price":34.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0617\/2672\/0248\/files\/BestLovedBoat_Kennedy_Harbour_RGB300_900x_dc739415-f25f-4528-8cb3-60292b53c442.webp?v=1777329270","url":"https:\/\/himwitsa.com\/products\/book-the-best-loved-boat-ian-kennedy","provider":"House Of Himwitsa","version":"1.0","type":"link"}