Neil
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Post by Neil on Aug 21, 2011 12:13:51 GMT -8
The only island in all of Georgia Strait that has a high school is Saltspring.
Hornby has K-7, as I imagine most islands have. Older kids get on a school bus that takes them to the ferry, then across to Denman, another bus to the other side, ferry, and a third bus to whatever high school it is in Courtenay. Cortes kids have it even worse depending where they live on the island. Definitely one of the disadvantages for families living on most of our smaller islands.
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Post by lmtengs on Aug 21, 2011 12:37:01 GMT -8
...and then there's us city kids, who have 5+ secondary schools at our disposal to choose from. Do I want to go to the school that excels in Drama, technology, at-your-own-pace learning, music and languages, or sports? Or maybe I want to choose one of the multitude of private schools in the area, don a ridiculous looking uniform and remortgage the house to get guaranteed university enrollment? And lets say little Johnny starts getting bullied halfway through his first school year? Well whoop dee ding, we can switch him to a new school to alleviate that problem. Boy, we have it good. Yet still, I walk 2 miles (uphill both ways ) to get to school. Hmm.
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Post by hwy19man on Aug 21, 2011 14:33:36 GMT -8
The only island in all of Georgia Strait that has a high school is Saltspring. Hornby has K-7, as I imagine most islands have. Older kids get on a school bus that takes them to the ferry, then across to Denman, another bus to the other side, ferry, and a third bus to whatever high school it is in Courtenay. Cortes kids have it even worse depending where they live on the island. Definitely one of the disadvantages for families living on most of our smaller islands. Hornby and Denman Island students have three regular public schools to choose from in the Comox Valley. In Courtenay, they are G.P. Vanier and Isfeld Secondary. In Comox, it is Highland Secondary. All are grades 8-12. The students also have the distance education option.
Cortes Island students have a public school from Kindergarten to grade 10. For Quadra Island, the school goes to grade 6 with most students going to Southgate or Phoenix middle schools for grades 7-9 in Campbell River. Phoenix is a french immersion school. There is also Oasis school. The secondary schools are Carihi and Timberline for grades 10-12 and Elm Street Alternate school, grades 11 and 12 only. It must be quite the trip getting there and back especially on days when the weather is ugly.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 26, 2011 20:06:35 GMT -8
Seen at the Cortes Island museum in July 2011 - a typical west-coast boat-day description.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Sept 2, 2011 10:10:20 GMT -8
I attended an information meeting last night regarding the two week shutdown of Hornby's ferry service, which runs from October 23rd through November 7th. There were only about twenty people in attendance. Another meeting will take place at the end of September. There were four or so BC Ferries reps there, and Tony Law, the Hornby FAC rep. The meeting was informal, with questions being answered and information given, and a number of signboards. I was surprised, as were a number of people, that BC Ferries has made no provision for getting people to Buckley Bay during the shutdown. A water taxi will run from Ford Cove on Hornby to Gravelly Bay, and from there people have to find their way across Denman, either by arranging rides, hitch hiking, or leaving their cars on the Denman side. A number of suggestions were made regarding ways BC Ferries could set up a transportation option across Denman. The BC Ferries people said nothing was written in stone, but as of now there are no plans to do so. Unacceptable, I thought. The ferry from Hornby is not, as was suggested, a ferry just to Denman. It's a piece of the link to Vancouver Island, and they're not preserving that link during the shutdown. Surely a van or small bus, for at least part of the day, would not be beyond BC Ferries' budgetary limits as part of such a rebuilding process. Marine Link, the operators of the Aurora Explorer, have been contracted to operate a barge for commercial traffic. It will operate from Buckley Bay around to a boat ramp near the existing ferry dock at Shingle Spit. One resident contended that the ramp is not in good condition, but BC Ferries said that an engineer had examined it and deemed it capable of handling the expected traffic, with some improvements. Drivers of the commercial vehicles will go on the water taxi, after somehow finding their way across Denman, and they'll also have to get from Ford Cove to the Spit, where their trucks will be. The barge is 120' x 48', but because of the ramp situation, not all types of vehicles will be able to be accommodated. Tides during that time will apparently allow loading for the times given. The water taxi, with a capacity of 30 people, will operate on the same schedule as the car ferry, with an extra early morning run because of one run dedicated to school kids. Concerns were raised about the extra strain on the Co-op, with people not being able to get into Courtenay to shop, and the Co-op running short of food and other supplies. People also asked about the frequency that BC Hydro and Telus have to visit the island that time of year, due to frequent windstorms and power failures. BC Ferries said they were talking to both about leaving equipment on the island, but nothing had been resolved. The barge will not be running every day, so response time could be affected. Residents were assured that medical emergencies should not be affected. BC Ferries will have administrative personnel on the island for the full duration of the closure to monitor any emergencies or needs to vary the service provided. All in all, it seemed as if BC Ferries had done a decent job of thinking out most aspects of the shutdown and its impact on the island, other than the rather glaring omission of any plan to get people across Denman. Except for one rep who seemed to be somewhat irritated that people would question the company's expertise in handling such an disruption in service, the people on hand were respectful of residents' concerns. I expect that Hornby residents will simply stock up on everything they need before the shutdown occurs, and will not schedule any doctor apppointments or other engagements off island during that time. Businesses on the island that depend on visitors will be out of luck for two weeks, as no one will use the water taxi for casual visits. The barge schedule: New dock fits for Quinitsa, Tachek, and Kahloke:
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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 2, 2011 14:19:52 GMT -8
Neil: thanks for that Hornby shutdown report.
Are you likely going to be on Hornby during that shutdown period?
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Sept 2, 2011 20:32:03 GMT -8
Neil: thanks for that Hornby shutdown report. Are you likely going to be on Hornby during that shutdown period? No. Our set up here is a little too primitive to be stuck in if there's a prolonged power outage with no way to get myself and my vehicle back to town. If we had a proper house with a fireplace and/or generator it could be cozy just to hunker down for a couple of weeks. I'll be back here at the beginning of October until the day before the shutdown. The summer crowds have already started to dissipate and island businesses are cutting back hours. September is a favorite month for many residents, when the remnants of summer weather still allows them to enjoy beaches and island life without the hordes of visitors. Definitely a mixed blessing, tourism.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 4, 2011 17:11:17 GMT -8
Seen on the Mill Bay ferry: - the Saanich Peninsula people value their ferry, and they use it.
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Mill Bay
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Post by Mill Bay on Sept 9, 2011 9:34:16 GMT -8
New dock fits for Quinitsa, Tachek, and Kahloke: If those dock fit drafts are to scale, it gives an interesting size comparison of the Kahloke and Tachek which are both listed as 30 car vessels.
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Post by lmtengs on Sept 18, 2011 0:37:53 GMT -8
Here's from one of Maple Ridge's local papers recently: Just another person fallen victim to BC Ferries and their $#!&...
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 13, 2012 11:03:23 GMT -8
The issue of a community deciding who should be able to jump the ferry queue:
- From the minutes of the Oct.2011 FAC meeting for the Quadra & Cortes routes.
...and from Oct.2011 FAC meeting for Alert Bay / Sointula routes:
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Mar 31, 2012 14:25:05 GMT -8
I don't know whatever happened to the threads in the 'ferries and community' section, so I'll put this here. An update of sorts, from BC Ferries, on the interminable story of Bowen Island's efforts to agree on how and where to load their ferry. www.bowenislandundercurrent.com/news/145408585.html
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Post by Low Light Mike on Mar 31, 2012 14:53:27 GMT -8
(a post from Neil, moved here by me) I don't know whatever happened to the threads in the 'ferries and community' section, so I'll put this here. An update of sorts, from BC Ferries, on the interminable story of Bowen Island's efforts to agree on how and where to load their ferry. www.bowenislandundercurrent.com/news/145408585.html
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Post by Scott on Apr 3, 2012 22:14:04 GMT -8
I don't know whatever happened to the threads in the 'ferries and community' section, so I'll put this here. An update of sorts, from BC Ferries, on the interminable story of Bowen Island's efforts to agree on how and where to load their ferry. www.bowenislandundercurrent.com/news/145408585.htmlSnug Cove is quite the unique situation with no real holding area and it being right in the middle of a little town. I've found that a lot of people get confused as to where the ferry lineup actually is. I know Bowen Islanders have their "rules" but I don't think most tourists are very well acquainted with them. Do any other BC Ferry terminals have this issue? I'm trying to think of some of the smaller islands where toll-booths aren't neccessary, but all that come to mind have much smaller traffic flows and are out of the way of any commercial or residential areas. Heriot Bay on Quadra Island is the closest I can think of at the moment. The ferry line-up along the side of the road does cross some intersections and runs alongside the "mall" if it backs up too much. But still, that ferry is only 1/3 the size and less than half the frequency of the Bowen Island ferry.
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Post by lmtengs on Apr 3, 2012 22:27:13 GMT -8
I don't know whatever happened to the threads in the 'ferries and community' section, so I'll put this here. An update of sorts, from BC Ferries, on the interminable story of Bowen Island's efforts to agree on how and where to load their ferry. www.bowenislandundercurrent.com/news/145408585.htmlSnug Cove is quite the unique situation with no real holding area and it being right in the middle of a little town. I've found that a lot of people get confused as to where the ferry lineup actually is. I know Bowen Islanders have their "rules" but I don't think most tourists are very well acquainted with them. Do any other BC Ferry terminals have this issue? I'm trying to think of some of the smaller islands where toll-booths aren't neccessary, but all that come to mind have much smaller traffic flows and are out of the way of any commercial or residential areas. Heriot Bay on Quadra Island is the closest I can think of at the moment. The ferry line-up along the side of the road does cross some intersections and runs alongside the "mall" if it backs up too much. But still, that ferry is only 1/3 the size and less than half the frequency of the Bowen Island ferry. Brentwood Bay had a similar situation until recently when the trestle was widened, and Montague Harbour Terminal had only the street to line up on. Although less populous, Alliford Bay also uses this system. The Fort Langley Albion Ferry used road line-ups right through the Indian Reserve. Also, though not part of the official terminal, until Departure Bay's expansion, staging along the roads outside the terminal wasn't uncommon on weekends during the summer months, as was lining up along the Upper Levels before HSB's expansion.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Apr 8, 2012 20:19:55 GMT -8
What the ferry means to the community of Klemtu (July 2011 when the Queen of Chilliwack arrives on Sunday)
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Neil
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Post by Neil on May 22, 2012 15:09:23 GMT -8
I still haven't read Dr Phillip Vannini's study on the relationship coastal folks have with their ferries, but I will eventually. I wonder if he included a section on the proprieties of lining up for ferries and the passions this issue can excite. The Bowen forum rarely talks about ferry travel per se, but it does on occasion devote a tremendous amount of time to ferry lineups. A thread on the topic was recently deleted because of flaming, and a new thread started by the moderator, explaining the deletion, has 42 replies. Bowen does have a really weird situation in Snug Cove, with cars lining up in front of many businesses, and people parking or entering and leaving through the lineup. There seems to be far more energy to argue about the situation than to resolve it. bowen-island-bc.com/forum/read.php?1,1266302
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Post by Low Light Mike on May 22, 2012 15:43:29 GMT -8
I still haven't read Dr Phillip Vannini's study on the relationship coastal folks have with their ferries, but I will eventually. I wonder if he included a section on the proprieties of lining up for ferries and the passions this issue can excite. Neil, you won't be disappointed with this issue when you read Dr. Vannini's book. He covered line-up etiquette, including the differing uses of gaps-in-the-lines on different routes and how the unwritten-rules are not the same from route to route.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jun 13, 2012 9:54:44 GMT -8
Has BC Ferries done a bicycle only sailing before? And isn't Saturday morning usually very busy on the Fulford route? velovillage.ca/
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Post by Ferryman on Jun 13, 2012 12:01:07 GMT -8
Yes, Saturdays are typically the busiest day of the week for Route 4. Normally the 5 round trips for the morning doesn't come into effect until the beginning of July, but they've added the 5 round trip in for the morning on that Saturday - the extra round trip being chartered for the cyclists I'm guessing.
Alot of cyclists use that ferry route during the summer months as well, and of course especially on Saturdays. So it will be interesting to see how the Velo village fairs out with the Salt Spring Market rush
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jun 14, 2012 11:00:40 GMT -8
Yes, Saturdays are typically the busiest day of the week for Route 4. Normally the 5 round trips for the morning doesn't come into effect until the beginning of July, but they've added the 5 round trip in for the morning on that Saturday - the extra round trip being chartered for the cyclists I'm guessing. Alot of cyclists use that ferry route during the summer months as well, and of course especially on Saturdays. So it will be interesting to see how the Velo village fairs out with the Salt Spring Market rush Some background on how this first ever bicycles only sailing came to be. www.straight.com/article-708991/vancouver/cyclists-sail-salt-spring
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jun 14, 2012 11:15:05 GMT -8
Some background on how this first ever bicycles only sailing came to be. BC Ferries website has a service notice about this "high traffic event". But no where does BCFerries refer to this as a "Bicycle ONLY"event. - According to the BCFerries service notice on their website, it's just a regular sailing where they expect to have lots of cyclists, as well as regular traffic. But we all know how about BCFerries website notices being inaccurate.... ;D www.bcferries.com/bcfservicenotice?id=644932
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Oct 20, 2012 11:50:46 GMT -8
The Bowen Queen's current stint on the Bowen run continues to be a hot topic on that island's main forum. This thread deals with a somewhat frivolous notion of billing BC Ferries for lost time, but there are several more threads on the topic as well, over several pages. bowen-island-bc.com/forum/read.php?1,1272051
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Post by Ferryman on Dec 6, 2012 23:06:46 GMT -8
A bit of a heart warming scene at a hospital where CEO Mike Corrigan took some time out of his day and made an appearance to visit a Ferry Fan who had just completed their 47th brain surgery.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Dec 31, 2012 8:17:37 GMT -8
As I look out my window and stare at the backside of tiny Cormorant Island, I wonder if that little island is the smallest geographically that is served by a BCFerries car ferry.
Certainly the population of Alert Bay and Yalis is larger than some other ferry islands. But the land mass itself is very small. It must be quite a dense population, for a small island.
So what comes close, in terms of geographical size, served by a BC ferry? - Probably just Penelakut Island.
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