Gikumi

John Turpin stated "The Gikumi has just celebrated its 68th year of commercial service on the British Columbia coast. It was built in Vancouver B.C. and had worked continuously out of Telegraph Cove from September 1954 until February 2017. It was the town’s cargo boat, towed logs to their sawmill and hauled lumber and other building materials all over the BC coast. It even had a stint at being a pilot boat. In the early 1980s it became the first whale watching boat on the BC Coast. The wild whales scenes in the 1993 movie Free Willy were filmed from Gikumi. This vessel hosted US President George HW Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush along with former British Prime Minister John Major and his wife Norma during a whale watching expedition. The vessel was re-powered with a Caterpillar (3406) and twin disc gear in 1997. In the early 2000s the vessel was brought up to requirements for Transport Canada certification for berthed passenger. Over the last 22 years the vessel has been completely refurbished. Certified architectural drawings were completed and all systems have been approved and the vessel has received full certification for 8-berthed passengers and 40-day passengers.

In 2020 this vessel had a major hull refurbishment, which included 30 new ribs, replacement of both guards, the horn timber, dozens of planks and complete refastening and re-caulking. The Gikumi is ready for her next 68 years of service."