The Best Loved Boat

“Ian Kennedy’s ode to the beloved Princess Maquinna takes 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 Uchuck lll and Bamfield’s Frances Barkley are still as warmly welcomed on their 'Boat Days,' as the Maquinna was in her glory days.” —Judith Phillips, author of Our Whole Bamfield Saga: Pioneer Life on Vancouver Island’s West Coast, Winner of the BCHF Community History Award, 2015 “A wonderful account of Maquinna and 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.” —R. Bruce Macdonald, author of Never Say P*G: The Book of Sailor’s Superstitions and Sisters of the Ice “Ian Kennedy’s The Best Loved Boat 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.” —S. Thomas Russell, author of Under Enemy Colours