The Sternwheeler The Sternwheeler and marine traffic along Okanagan Lake dates back over 100 years, to 1885 and the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R) at the Northern end of the Okanagan Valley. By 1893, sternwheelers began to flood into the waters of Lake Okanagan. These ships were used mainly to service the agricultural and mining settlements located along the shores of the 80 mile long lake. Over the decades, larger and faster ships were built to accommodate the growing numbers of passengers and cargo and became a way of life until the mid 1930’s. SS York  SS Okanagan   SS AberdeenThe S.S. Aberdeen was the first C.P.R. stern wheel steamer on the Okanagan Lake. It was built at Okanagan Landing and launched there in May, 1893. The 'Aberdeen' burned wood until 1902 and then was converted to a coal burner. Northcote Caeser recalls cutting nearly 50,000 feet of logs for lumber, and 525 cords of four feet wood for the Aberdeen. The 'Aberdeen' was named in honour of Lord and Lady Aberdeen who had a ranch in the Guisachan District. It was 146 feet long; the beam was 30 feet; and the gross tonnage was 554  SS Sicamous     The SS Sicamous ( http://www.sssicamous.com ) is a member of the OACBS and the OACBS is one of her patrons Kelowna      Kelowna Yacht Club The Kelowna Yacht Club has changed a bit http://www.kelownayachtclub.com/index-1.htm
RegattaThe first Kelowna Regatta was held in 1906. This consisted of canoe and boat races, swimming, diving, and water oriented events. Soon competition with other towns in the Okanagan began. In time, towns as far away as Vancouver (even before the road link) came to the annual event.       Ship BuilderJ. J. Robinson Shipwright  
Misc Boats      
FerriesThese ferries crossed from Westbank to Kelowna on a regular basis. Upon completion of the bridge they were no longer needed M.V Lequime / Fintry Queen Originally named the ‘M.V Lequime’, the Fintry Queen was built in Vancouver in 1948 and operated as an open-air barge. It was then shipped to Kelowna in sections for re-assembly as a car ferry until the completion of the Okanagan Lake Floating Bridge in 1958.
The Fintry Queen’s first transformation took place in 1968 when it was converted from a car ferry to a passenger ship. Over successive years, decks and equipment have been added to increase capacity and provide service for up to 327 passengers. The Fintry Queen now measures 140 ft in length (154 ft including the paddle wheel), is 41 ft wide and weighs 585 tonnes. It has been an Icon of Kelowna ever since. In the last few years it has come into disrepair and is now fast becoming an eyesore David Lloyd Jones
- M.V. Vesuvius Queen at retirement:
- Previous Names Lloyd Jones (1950 - early 60's)
- Bowen Queen (early 1960's ~ 65)
- Vehicle Capacity 35
- Place Built Victoria, B.C.
- Passenger Capacity 184
- Year Built 1950
- Length 136.7 ft.
- Joined BC Ferries Early 1960's
- Gross Tons 277
- Retired from BC Ferries 1998
- Horsepower 480
The Vesuvius Queen was almost identical to the Saltspring Queen despite being built different years and in different places, and never serving together until they both joined B.C. Ferries. Soon after the Lloyd Jones was built in Victoria, "she" was moved (not sure how) to Lake Okanagan. There, "she" served between Kelowna and Westbank, until the bridge was completed in 1958. The last day of Kelowna - Westbank ferry service (10 minute crossing) occurred on July 20, 1958. According to Frank Clapp, the Lloyd Jones along with two other ferries (the Leguime and Pendozi) carried 534,371 vehicles during their last year of service. (Clapp, 44) The Lloyd Jones was bought by B.C. Ferries in the early 1960's, for the Vesuvius - Crofton run. Since there is no navigable water between Okanagan Lake and the ocean, the Lloyd Jones was cut into pieces and transported to the coast by truck. There, "she" was put back together as the Bowen Queen and put into service for B.C. Ferries. (Bannerman, 77-8) By 1965, the Bowen Queen had to have been renamed as a new "Powell River Class" ferry was given this name. The new Bowen Queen was built in 1965 and the old Bowen Queen was renamed Vesuvius Queen. Gary and Patricia Bannerman tell a story of an accident involving the Vesuvius Queen in their book, The Ships of British Columbia. The sole man in the engine room (an oiler) was knocked out cold when he walked into a pipe. As the ferry approached Vesuvius Bay at 9 knots, there was no one to slow the engines down. Considerable damage to the ferry, cars, and dock resulted (Bannerman, 104). During her time with B.C. Ferries, the Vesuvius Queen served on many of the minor routes. She was also used on a variety of routes outside of the corporation. In 1990 the Vesuvius Queen along with the Nicola went into emergency service between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish when a rockslide closed down the Sea-to-Sky highway. ("Cleanup of Landslide...") In 1996, she was used as a relief vessel on the Albion Ferry (across the Fraser River between Fort Langley and Maple Ridge). (MacQueen) In 1998, the Vesuvius Queen was sold to Agencia Naviera Del Caribe of the Dominican Republic for $85,550. Origin of the Names: - Lloyd Jones - Lloyd Jones was a pioneer and businessman in Kelowna (Okanagan Lake area) (Clapp, 78).
- Bowen Queen - Named after Bowen Island, the most populated island in Howe Sound, north/west of Vancouver. Bowen Island is named after James Bowen, an officer with the British navy (Encyclopedia of British Columbia).
- Vesuvius Queen - Named after the town of Vesuvius, on the west side of Saltspring Island. According to the Encyclopedia of British Columbia, Vesuvius "was named after a Royal Navy vessel that had no connection whatsoever with the B.C. coast."
What happened to the Vesuvius Queen? The Angencia Naviera Del Caribe bought the Vesuvius Queen in 1998 with plans to move it to the Dominican Republic after a major refit in B.C. (Cleverly). Unless something happened to these plans, this is what I assume happened to the ferry. Interesting note - One of the members of OACBS (Robert Mellalieu) Grew up in Crofton and sailed on the Vesuvius Queens (David Llyod Jones) every Saturday. Rob now lives in Kelowna and is a Member of the Westbank Yacht Club (Pendozi) Also Robert - has very close ties with Kelowna where the Fintry Queen (M.V Lequime) is moored Pendozi The Pendozi is now the Westbank Yacht Club (http://www.westbankyachtclub.com) Note: the Pendozi isn't "AT" the Westbank Yacht Club it "IS" the yacht club  
BridgeWhile we used to have the largest floating bridge in Canada (in the world when built) we dont now The old bridge had and overall length 7/8 mile, Lift Span is 265 feet long and can be raised to provide 60 feet of vertical clearance. The Okanagan Lake Bridge was officially opened by H.R.H. Princess Margaret and Premier W.A.C. Bennett on July 19, 1958. It was a toll bridge up until April 1, 1963. Total construction time - 2 years. On the opening of the old bridge - Princess Margaret actually sailed under the bridge in Shepard until recently owned by a member - the "Shep" is still in use on the lake today   You can read al about the new bridge here http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/WilliamRBennettBridge/index.htm 
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