Sailing ......... but not as it should be

After the delights of a 55 minute mini-cruise aboard MV Island Sky, expectations were high for the next part of our journey around the islands. 

The 1hr 20m crossing from Powell River to Comox runs just four times a day, so a reservation is recommended. The most northerly of the four short crossings from the mainland to Vancouver Island, this route passes close to Texada Island - the largest of the gulf islands, but with a full time  population of just over 1,100 - and nearby Harwood Island, an uninhabited reserve of the Sliammon First Nation. 

Arriving early in Powell River, we watched in disbelief as the earlier departure slipped quietly out of the ferry terminal en route to Comox. Disbelief at the abysmal appearance of the Queen of Burnaby. Built back in 1965 and sister ship to the respectable Queen of Nanaimo, the Queen of Burnaby really is the dog-end of the BC Ferries fleet.

Click on the photograph to see a larger image.

The Queen of Burnaby in her heyday

At first sight, she looks like a rusting hulk - with upper deck windows carrying so much grime that, from a distance she gives the impression of being a burnt-out shell. I recalled that BC Ferries having closed the cafeteria earlier this year on discovering asbestos powder seeping from the ceilings, and began to wonder what we were letting ourselves in for?

We boarded the Queen of Burnaby later that day with some trepidation; at least she was running to schedule on what had been one of the busiest days of the year so far. Yet the mezzanine platform car decks were only half deployed - was that to provide extra capacity for high vehicles on the main deck below, or because they would no longer support two lanes of cars? I preferred not to think too much about that.  At least the cafeteria (or a cafeteria) was now open and serving a full menu. 

A walk around the open decks was taken (with care) as the steelwork beneath our feet was buckled and distinctly spongy in places. Towards the bow, all access doors into the deserted lounge(?) area were locked, sealed with polythene sheeting and hazard tape. The asbestos problem in the cafeteria had not been resolved, but simply sealed off, and a new cafeteria created in another lounge area.

Fortunately the sun was shining and we spent most of the crossing on deck; feeling ever more convinced that this was a ferry that should no longer be in service. Ironically, BC Ferries seem to have removed all details of the Queen of Burnaby from the fleet profile page of their website. Maybe they, too, would rather this particular Queen would abdicate.

The Coat of Arms bears the motto "Splendor Sine Occasu" - loosely translated as "Brilliance without setting".  It surely must be close to setting aboard the Queen of Burnaby.

It would be good to finish on a more enthusiastic note; surely the scenery would make up for the less than exciting ferry experience. There must be some beautiful areas on Texada Island, but there was little beauty to be seen from the deck of the Queen of Burnaby.