Queen City Cruise: Tours, 1986-1990
1986: The Sixth Annual Queen City cruise
 "Flier cover from sixth Cruise. Click to enlarge")
It was the summer of Vancouver's Expo 86. Tacky Tourist Clubs mailed a four-page guide to those on the mailing list. It opened with this letter from Randy:
June 26, 1986
Dear Friends:
1986 is sure to go down in local history as one of the most exciting years of our lifetime, and the lesbian and gay community is very much at the center of attention -- locally, across the state ... and the nation.
The Seattle Men's Chorus has just performed another wonderful concert before a sell-out crowd at the Opera House, and now they're off to the Big Apple for a special guest appearance at Lincoln Center with the New York Gay Men's Chorus. Later this summer, TeamSeattle will field one of the largest contingents of gay and lesbian athletes at the International Gay Games II in San Francisco. Closer to home, our gorgeous neighbor -- the City of Vancouver -- is throwing a spectacular birthday party called Expo 86, and a good share of their guests will be visiting the Emerald City.
But perhaps the most excitement is happening right here at home, and in a rather unexpected way. In state Initiatives 490, 479 and King County's "Proposition X", we are being presented a rare opportunity to determine a new destiny... for ourselves and our community. Those misguided people who are challenging us in the political arena may not know it, but -- just as the AIDS crisis has caused our community to realize its caring and sharing human spirit -- their bigoted campaign against the human rights movement is giving us the oppotunity to spread the truth ... about freedom and equality for all people. We shall contrast their hatred and hypocrisy with love and acceptance. And we'll have great fun doing it!
This summer vacation booklet is to let you know about a few of the activities in which the Tacky Tourist Clubs will be participating as our contribution to the excitement of 1986. Beginning with this weekend's largest-ever Gay & Lesbian Pride Celebration and continuing with the Fourth of July "Swim for Liberty" and Seafair's unforgivable Queen City Cruise, we hope there something that each of you can join in.
1986 is a year of challenges and opportunities, a year of new horizons and vision, a year of emotion and thrills... a banner year for intrepid tourists on the luxury liner of life!
Randy HensonTacky Tourist Clubs of America -- Seattle Chapter
1987: Back to the Future
 "Flier cover from seventh Cruise. Click to enlarge")
 "Flier cover from seventh Cruise. Click to enlarge")
Twenty-five years after Seattlites had celebrated a Jetsonsesque future vision with the 1962 Century 21 World's Fair, the town was beset by a new (but much cheaper) celebration of that passed event. Since everyone else seemed to be forgetting "Gay Way" -- the prescient name given to the fair's amusement park area, Tacky Tourist Clubs filled that gap with the 1987 Cruise tour theme, Back to the Future.
The Homorail, Pride '87Costume judging categories were Shopping Mall Chic, Naughty Nautical, Terribly Trekie, and GayWay Glamour.
Sister Mary Discipline returned as host of the party.
The theme also inspired one of the more outrageous of many Tacky Tourist Clubs entries in the June Lesbian/Gay Pride Parade/March. It was called the Homorail and was a foot-powered homage to the original monorail. It snaked along Broadway preceded by a human Space Needle.
1989: Heading for the Gay Nineties Tour
 "Flier cover from ninth Cruise. Click to enlarge")
The Queen City Cruise theme in 1989 looked ahead to the coming decade. The sailor and mermaid in the event's publicity photos seemed to have more pressing concerns. Onboard and dockside entertainment was supplied by Larry Lefler as Wanda Fuca, B.J. Stokeley as Tinkerbelle, Rick Rankin as Tommy Faye, The Fistful of Crinolines, and The Waitresses from Vancouver, BC with special guest Willi Taylor. Costume judging looked for the most original interpretations of these categories: Naughty Naughtical, Successful Suburbanite, Lusty Landlubber, and Future Schlock.
1990: The Good Will Cruise
Because Gay Games III in Vancouver was scheduled to open on the traditional Seafair Saturday date for the Queen City Cruise, the event was doubled up with two chances to ride on the boat with the big red lips. The first tour departed from Pier 55 on Saturday, July 28. The second one followed the traditional route on Saturday, August 18.
 "Northwest Inqueerier -- Publicity for tenth Cruise. Click to enlarge.")
The informational flyer for the Cruise that was handed out at the parade and sent to the group's mailing list was a reprise of something that had appeared for the first cruise in 1981: The Inqueerier. This version had balooned to become an eight-page tabloid instead of the one-sided sheet handed out for the first cruise The headlines were still untrue and utterly unreliable. The inside pages were packed with information and order forms for the two cruises and for a Tacky Tourist Clubs excursion to the Gay Games called "Shopper's Marathon".
 "Queen City Cruise logo. Click to enlarge.")
The Cruise also gained what would become its permanent logo. Designed by Scott McDougle, the superb image with its suggestion of posters from the golden age of ocean liners (and those ruby red lips) has graced flyers and mailers ever since. It has recently been the basis for Scott Britt's wonderful variations on the current cruise theme.
The International Bizarre Tour
The first of two outings of the Queen City Cruise saluted "the world's athletes and artists and the minions of Ted Turner who will be in town for the Goodwill Games." An international cast assembled to entertain on the dock and onboard included The Oreos, a trio featuring Billy Taylor, Empress of Vancouver. The Queen (as in QEII or a darn close double) once again greeted intrepid tourists before the voyage.
Costume categories, which sought to encourage "global thinking," were Salty Seafarer, Komrade Konsumer, Jocks 'n' Frocks, and Fiesta Fantastica.
The Traffic Stopper Tour
Perhaps it can be attributed to a few too many martinis at a planning session, but somehow the idea took hold that the second of the year's Queen City Cruise outings should attempt to make Seattle's always-challenging traffic even more disrupted. Hmm.
From The Inqueerier:
The August 18 cruise will be especially tempting for those who have found the passage through the Ballard Locks to be the most enjoyable part of past Cruises. The historic schooner Zodiac will escort the Goodtime II on part of its run. Because of its tall masts, the Zodiac forces all bridges in its path to arise in salute. The partiers on the Goodtime are sure to provide some unexpected entertainment for motorists stopped for the tall ship's passage.
Whether it was "unexpected fun" or aggravation, the classic sailing ship and its trailing tour boat did, indeed, stop traffic.
Costume judging for the second outing encouraged traffic-stopping extravagence in these categories: Naughty Nautical, Conspicuous Conception, Shopping Mall Chic, and Terribly Tropical.
