The Gikumi has just celebrated its 67th year of commercial service on the British Columbia coast. It was built in Vancouver British Columbia and had lived continuously in 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 eighties, it became the first whale watching boat on the BC Coast. The wild whale scenes in the 1993 movie Free Willy were filmed from Gikumi. She hosted US President George HW Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush along with 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 passengers. 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 she had a major hull refurbishment which included 30 new ribs and replacement of both guards and the horn timber. The Gikumi is ready for her next 67 years of service.