Took the Olovaha from Nukualofa to Vavau in late 1979 during a severe tropical storm. The 'eighteen hour' trip took actually close to three days because the crew had to find and rescue a catamaran first that had lost it's sail/ mast in the storm. With 300 + people aboard (cabins for fourteen if memory serves me right) that turned out to be a rather wild experience. I do have fond memories of the Olovaha and the South Seas. Great to find the link for your site on the Matangi Tonga pages!

The first time I ever travelled anywhere, I sailed on the Olovaha from Lifuka, Ha'apai, an island about 100miles from the Tongan capital of Nuku'alofa. My village people wanted to present gifts and perform traditional dances at the Tongan King's daughter's wedding in June 1976. I was so excited about getting on the Olovaha, because I'd only ever watched it from the beach as it sailed past my village on its way to the wharf at Pangai (the main town of Lifuka). I don't remember much about the actual trip, but I always treasure the memories of my first trip on the legendary ferry.

Olovaha has been the most famous and useful in the modern history of Tonga. I was young but I remember so many times I stand at the wharf waving to relatives leaving Tongatapu to outer islands of Haapai and Vavau. My dad was working as an accountant for the government owned shipping company that runs the Olovaha. It is beautiful ship with lots of great memories. I especially remember when so many people, almost overcrowded on the decks as they wave. I will talk to my dad to get more information about Olovaha. I never ride on it but it was always a topic at home.

Hi Folks... came across this website and it blew me away. The memories came flooding back.. Will have to go to the attic for some fab photos I have... worked on the Queen (pretty much a haze the entire time) 1990 - what a blast... Shane/rhonda/andy(max),graeme, bernard, Caroline, shona, paula,brad/sean/ian/mark/paul/kelly... don't want to leave anyone out... it was a party day in day out... what an experience and what great people! Memories for life.... Love you all. M

Hi, We worked on the ship from 1989 onwards, as chefs. Had a ball every week from Cairns to T.I.. We have memorbillia from ship dated 1992. Captain at time was Kevin Piper....1st Mate David Nesbit....2nd Mate Mark Gunn. Many good times had in bar with Chief Engineer John Hillier....2nd Engineer Johnathon Smith....3rd Frank McShane....Boson Niel Hunter....Deckhand 1 Mark Horau....2nd Deckhand Aurthur Pease....Pursers Cheryl Mason and Derek Kean....Chefs Rob Oldenborg [ME] and Lloyd Felsman [HIM]....Barstaff Grant Caps and Claire Muttley....Hostess Jamie Winspeark....Waitress Georgins Denney....Rachel Cohn....Marine Biologist Stuart Ireland.
THIS WAS THE CREW IN '92.... Sad to see what has happened to "THE QUEEN'. Do you know the song ? Be great to see a reunion happen.
Cheers Rob and Lloyd [Chefs]

Thanks for this website which I will visit again and again, I was dragged up! on the isles of scilly and as a teenager we would meet the scillonian and Queen of the isles when they arrived to see if there was any ''clacker'' on board.
It makes me very sad to see the demise of her even tho she always made me very green round the gill's when I sailed on her..

this was the first ship i went to sea on, i think it was 1967. The rest of the crew if i remember rightly were: Capt. Davies, mate Joel perkins,ch. eng far too venerable to ask his name but he came from the Irish Arran islands,2nd eng Bob Craze from Hayle, cornwall.Cook Wilf Gibbons a geordie.bosun Harry Skewes. steward Bill Jeckells, seamen were George Stevens and myself

I remember well, on more than one occasion sailing between Scilly and Penzance on her, in the teeth of a gale, being sick as a dog and for the first half of the trip thinking I was going to die and for the second half of the trip wishing I had.

Ah me! such happy memories, very sad to see what has become of her now though.

Thanks for putting together this site, it's very interesting to read up a bit about something that was apart of my childhood.

JOhn

My First Day in command of the R M S “Queen of the Isles” and the problem of Cold Iron

By the end of 1969 I had spent 5 years with the Trinity House Steam Vessel Service and for most of the time I had been stationed at Penzance serving as Junior and then Senior 2nd Officer in the T. H. V “Stella“. It had been one the happiest times of my life involved in visiting lighthouses such as Godrevy, Longships Bishop Rock, Round Island, Eddystone and Wolf Rock to change the keepers and landing stores of fuel food and equipment. We also visited all the bays around Devon and Cornwall surveying wrecks marking shoals as well as supporting the crews on lightships such as the Seven Stones. Indeed I had also been involved in the wreck of the tanker Torrey Canyon and landed most of the survivors at Penzance.

Now as Christmas approached change was in the air, my promotion was due in the New Year to Chief Officer which would have probably been to a vessel based at Harwich in Essex . So I decided to start looking around for a new job as I did not want to leave my beloved Cornwall. I already held a Foreign Going Master’s certificate and I became aware that the smaller of the two ferries serving the Isles of Scilly from Penzance required a Captain. As the vessel was in Holmans dry dock at Penzance at the time I visited the Isles of Scilly Steamship Office and after an interview with Mr Henry Thomas the man....

Great website - as a visitor to the Scillies and being a bit of an anorak I have scale models of the various scillonians, and I started one of the 'Queen' a couple of years ago to complete the collection. It's been lying on top of the fridge half built since our daughter came along the year after, If I had found your website sooner I may have finished it by now!

I have original scale drawings of the ship produced by the builders if you ever want copies.

Simon Walsh