Thank you for this wonderful trip down memory lane. In 1987 we were in our early twenties and enjoyed a fantastic cruise from Cairns to Thursday Island. We have many photos of our trip featuring passengers and crew.

Hi just been reading your website on the queen of the isles and was wondering if you could tell me where I could obtain some plans to enable me to build a model of this class ship Regards vernon

Having just returned from St. Ives following a family holiday covering 3 generations of us, we were reminiscing about the Queen of the Isles and found your brilliant web site.
I travelled on her with my then girlfriend to St. Mary's for a day trip one rainy day in the summer of 1970 the price of the return ticket then was £4.00. We left the quay in St. Ives and rounded the island lookout the sea was heavy and waves were breaking over the foredeck (I have some 8mm cine film of the trip I will find and put on) we went up to the bridge and the Captain was pleased to talk since everyone else was being seasick.
Being flat bottomed suited the tidal harbours but was not very stable in heavy seas.
The Captain told us that the BBC had just made a documentary out the ship supplying the Scillies and several times they had to turn back because the camera crew who were in the focsle kept getting swamped out and sick from the waves breaking over the bows.
I knew she was sold to be used for island hoping in warmer climates but did not know of her sad demise, I was rather hoping she was still being used somewhere in the world.
The noise of her hooter being sounded at St. Ives quay 15 mins before departure will stay in my memory forever.
It would be nice to find the BBC film documentary and add it to this site as a tribute to this not very pretty but practical and functional ship that would have still been a great attraction to St. Ives had she still been around today.keep the storie

A very interesting site you have created. One correction: I do not think the aerial photo you use on the 2 Minerva reef pages is actually Minerva Reef. You can tell from the Google Earth images. Minerva South is shaped like a figure eight and Minerva North is an ovoid. The photo you have is much more irregular.

I've been to Minerva Reef 4 times. It's a remarkable place.
Cheers,
Bruce

just to complete a couple of names when she was on the Scillies run. the skipper was Len Davis and the steward was Jerry White

I remember the Queen as she sailed from St Ives to Scilly in the 60s. My grandfather was Harbourmaster in St Ives and supported the venture which was opposed by local boatmen who failed to see the importance of this sailing in revitalising St Ives as a port. I saw her again in the late 60s or early 70s sailing in the Menai Straits

My ex wife Lyn and I,along with my Parents,took the cruise from Cairns to Thursday Is. when the Coral Sea Celebrations were on. Dad was stationed on TI during WW2, so it was an exciting nostalgic trip for him. He showed us his name carved into the wall of the bunker under the old gun emplacements on top of the hill. We enjoyed Willie Nelson's old city council bus Tour up there as well. That cruise ,on a ship with so much character, will always remain in my memory as a major fantastic journey. The passenger numbers were down so the crew spent a lot of time with us, and they were just fantastic. I was so disappointed to learn that she is laying wrecked in the Islands .

10th July is a significant day in NZ as it marks the anniversary of the Rainbow Warrior Bombing at Marsden Wharf. At the time this vessel was known as the Gulf Explorer and was laid up not far from the Rainbow Warrior. My late father was watchman and what should have been a quiet watch instead turned into something more dramatic.
It is the 30th anniversary this year which is actually what first got me thinking about what happened to this ship. I have so many fond memeories of her. Thanks for the website and sharing her history.

My grandfather sailed on her as mate and Pilot when she was up here ,he then went and did the winter season going out the the Scilly Isles ,I used to go along on the trips from Menai Bridge to Llandudno.

Hi,I am building a radio controlled model of this ship,following a feature article in October 2011 vol.85,issue 790 of Sea Breezes.My hull is grp,50 ins loa,by 14 ins beam,drawing 4 ins,8ins deep hull.Powered bya single 2in three bladed prop,driven by a 6volt Decaperm motor,via an Mtronic electronic speed controller,with a rudder servo,and a fullsize cd player/radio,playing music of the era,and ships horn,engine room soun ds,etc.Weight is a serious problem,as I suffer Parkinsons,but I`m keeping it down-just!!Good pics,very helpful,will be back,bob