How many of you remember the first Nechako, later renamed the Canadian II? That beautiful 109 fantail boat that took us between Kemano and Kitimat in a speedy 5½ hours. Ok, not so speedy but we do have a lot of great memories of those trips. As kids we used to run up and down those decks and play outside, sometimes watching the porpoises play around the bow, or seeing the killer whales nearby. Getting to sit in the wheelhouse was my favourite part. That big wooden and brass wheel at the helm, and the beautiful brass compass to the left (ok, to the port side) of the wheel. I think we all have our fond memories of the Nechako and most Kemanoites memories go farther back than my first memory which was about 1968. After the Nechako left Kemano, it was moored by the Oak Street Bridge in Vancouver. When I was in high school in Vancouver I remember seeing it several times as I crossed the bridge on the way to the airport. Unfortunately the Nechako ended up abandoned in Cowichan Bay for about 16 years. It was an eye sore and had moss and trees growing all over it. Fortunately it was rescued by the current owner who knew how to spot a worthy vessel that just needed a face lift. I had heard the Nechako ended up in Florida so when my mom and I visited my sister Lynn there in February, Lynn and I were able to track down the Nechako and arrange a surprise tour of the boat for my mom. It was in an unfinished state because the owner, Frederic, was restoring it as close to its original condition as possible. When it is complete he and his family will live on the Cora Marie, its original and current name. He is keeping as many of the original parts as possible, and is even restoring parts of the boat that were changed by different owners. When the Nechako ran in Kemano it had already been altered from its original state such as having had many of the windows replaced with portholes by the previous owners, the coastguard. In the accompanying video he speaks about how well the boat was built originally. Also, towards the end of the video he talks briefly about its history. There are a few surprises there, I recommend watching all 5 minutes. He asked several questions about Captain Bill Cogswell of the Nechako during her reign in Kemano, because he had heard that Captain Cogswell had taken such good care of her. I phoned Captain Bill, who is now 89, and he related to me so many details of the Nechako that I never knew, and said it was the best job he ever had. I put Bill in contact with Frederic so I’m sure the two have managed to exchange many stories. Frederic was disappointed that the compass (shown in the video) wasn’t the original and spoke about how much he would like to have the original. The original compass sits in the Kitimat museum. Frederic was unsuccessful in repatriating the compass from the museum. I’m not sure of the reasons that the compass would have to stay in a museum, relatively unseen, when it could relive its former glory in its original home (and on TV). Wouldn’t that be the way you’d want to live out your life. :-) Maybe there’s something somebody on this Kemano site can do to reunite the compass and the Cora Marie. Perhaps if we show enough support we can move the powers that be into an act of kindness. Any ideas?
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 21:03:09 +0000