The S.S Minnow from Gilligan's Island found a new home on Vancouver Island

Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, B.C. - The S.S. Minnow - it left on a three-hour tour and wound up with a hit 1960's television series - Gilligan's Island. The 11-metre / 36-foot mahogany S.S. Minnow was one of several boats used in the filming of the series, and appears in the opening credits for the second season. After the series it actually did sail onto a reef in the Hecate Strait, while cruising south from Alaska. The boat was purchased by Scotty Taylor of Parksville on Vancouver Island and made its new home at Schooner Cove Marina in Nanoose Bay. Taylor puchased on the condition that he would fix it up. After putting about $200,000 Cdn into the renovations, in August 2006, Tayor, then 70 years old, decided to put back up for sale It was purchased by local businessman Ken Schley of Quality Foods, who has refurbished it extensively. It's now used occasionally for company promotions, etc. Much of the time it's stored privately in Nanaimo, but it often puts in an appearance at the annual Nanaimo International Bathtub Race in July. You might also see it docked at times at Fairwinds Schooner Cove Marina in Nanoose Bay.

Where: Parksville is an east coast village 147 km / 92 mi north of Victoria, and 37 km (23 mi) north of Nanaimo. It's known for its long sandy beaches and annual beach festival that features a sand castle building competition that draws competitors from around the world. Nanoose Bay is half-way between Nanaimo and Parksville.

Canada’s Coolest:

Welcome to a new feature on Canada Cool. I'll be presenting different 'Coolest' lists with my favorites and I encourage you to nominate suggestions from your own experiences. You can Twitter @CanadaCool or email [email protected]. Let me know what makes your suggestion exceptionally cool. Remember, by contributing your comments you are giving Canada Cool permission to quote you. Only a selection of submissions will be included, but all comments and submissions are greatly appreciated!

The first feature is: Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives

Here are some of my favorites...

The Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta - This 229 km (142 mi) Rocky Mountain route from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper passes 100 frozen rivers and nudges the base of the Athabasca Glacier - the most accessible glacier in the world. You can stop and explore it. It spills down from the Columbia Icefield, an area of ice so massive that you could fit the entire population of North America on it with each person getting at least a square metre of space.

The Corridor, Algonquin Park, Ontario – this 56-km stretch of Hwy 60 cuts through the southwest section of Algonquin Park. Less than three hours north of Toronto the park is a nature-lover's paradise with 7,725 km of lakes, rivers, forest, trails, camping, comfortable lodges and 2000 km of canoe routes. Offers hiking trails to stop and enjoy, but what makes it really cool is that it’s one of the best places in North America to spot moose (especially in May and June). And, on Thursday nights in August up to 600 cars will gather to listen to wolves howl.

The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Driving this 303 km (187 mile) route is like riding a roller-coaster: the road snakes around hairpin turns, rises to heights over 365 metres (1200 ft), weaves around headlands revealing spectacular coastal scenery, and plunges down to sea level taking you into the heart of small fishing communities. The most dramatic scenery is between the Cape Breton Highlands National Park entrance near Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, so go slow. And, plan some flexibility into your schedule, so you can drive it on a clear day.

And here are some of your nominations for 'Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives'...

More from Canada’s Coolest

'Canada's Coolest' topics we'll be publishing in the future:

• Golf Course Features
• Haunted Hotels
• Hotel Special Services

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