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Post by Balfour on Jul 6, 2009 14:34:57 GMT -8
I guess I should of done this when I first became a member but here I go... My name is Scott Young but everyone calls me Scotty I'm 13....14 tomorrow I live in Powell River,BC...born in Nanaimo, BC My first ferry ride was on the Queen of Sidney when i was one week old. And I have too many favorite ferries to count Good to have you here! You might already know a couple long time forum members here that hail from Powell River!
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Post by Curtis on Jul 6, 2009 15:46:17 GMT -8
You might already know a couple long time forum members here that hail from Powell River! He'll find/recognize me soon enough. He'll be at Brooks this September...
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Post by qonw on Jul 14, 2009 12:24:55 GMT -8
hi, I am Sean, I am from Quebec, and I move to British Columbia two months passed. My english is not good, so i excuse for that. I am a good friend of Luke. He gived me the love of the ferries and they are now being close to my heart. I live now in Maple Ridge, being very close to Luke. My house is being on the street that his is being on.
I am being certain that I will be being a valued member in this internet website.
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Post by Curtis on Jul 14, 2009 13:16:23 GMT -8
Well then Sean, Bienvenue à traversiers de côte ouest et Colombie-Britannique. English (if correct): Welcome to West Coast Ferries and British Columbia.
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Jody
Chief Steward
Ferry Foamer
Posts: 152
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Post by Jody on Jan 30, 2010 14:54:02 GMT -8
OK, I should have followed through with this one last month, but didn't. My bad. So here goes...
Greetings, Ferry Friends! My name is Jody, I'm a pushing-40 twice-divorced has-been who never was, and a lover of the Washington Ferries ever since I was a kid. As a warning, I'm relatively new to the idea that loving ferries, taking pictures, etc. was something that lots of people are prone to.
My background includes 20 years as a professional and freelance journalist, six years as a railroad engineer and conductor, and three years in railcar manufacturing. As well, I am a former photo studio owner, lab manager, used car salesman, waiter, cook, consultant, rail excursion operator and delivery boy. Most recently, I'm on a good solid run of unemployment following the collapse of my former employer, Colorado Railcar Manufacturing. After they closed, I relocated in Bremerton, WA so my sweetheart could finish up nursing school. One year later, I'm considering returning back to college myself to finish up the degree that I quit on 18 years ago because of the sudden start to my family.
I have four children of my own, all boys, and four more surrogates that I love tremendously. They all think I'm nuts, but put up with me anyhow. God bless them for it, too.
In addition to ferries, I'm a big lover of trains and the rail industry. Because I know it well and have spent a majority of my career there, a lot of my perspectives on ferrying are twinged with the remnants of that knowledge. I also love lighthouses, covered bridges, and all things 'old'. Most everywhere I go, I am never without my camera. As for the photo, they say the camera puts ten pounds on you. I didn't expect it all to go to my ears... There's a reason I try to stay on the side with the viewfinder...
By the way, my "Ferry Foamer" moniker is kind of a play on a somewhat derogatory term for railfans, who are derided as being "foamers" for a number of reasons I won't get into here. But I've kind of embraced the term tongue-in-cheek mainly because it makes some folks bristle. My sweetheart was the one who tagged me with the term, so I ran with that as well.
So, that's me in a nutshell. Hi.
Jody
PS - dang near forgot to mention my favorite boats. Seems to be a theme here...
Favorites: Passenger-only boat: Kitsap Foot Ferry's M/V Carlisle II WSF car ferry: M/V Rhododendron Other WSF car ferries I like: M/V Kaleetan, M/V Sealth, Small car ferry: Marion County, Oregon's M/V Buena Vista no. 3 BC Ferries car ferry: M/V Oak Bay (even though I've yet to see her. I'm kind of infatuated with the overall looks of the boat) Single-ended ferry: Black Ball's M/V Coho
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Post by Jacob on Feb 19, 2010 20:48:57 GMT -8
Hi there... My name is Jacob... and I'm a ship nerd. There. Now it's out in the open. Not that anyone ever doubted it. I am 33, and have loved ships since I can remember. As a kid, riding the BC Ferries on Route 1 was always a high point of the month for me. The Esquimalt and Victoria were my favorites, until when I was about 11 and I got to steer the Burnaby when it was #2 out of Swartz Bay. That probably set me for life. I actually love and am quite interested in anything to do with transportation, but mostly ships. I started as a deckhand when I was 20, volunteering for a year and a half with Mercy Ships-Pacific on the M/V Island Mercy, a 997 GRT Medical aid ship based in the South Pacific. The Island Mercy was formerly the Canadian National cargo/passenger ferry Petite Forte from Newfoundland, built in 1961. I then worked on the Caribbean Mercy for three months in 2000, then in 2001/2002 I volunteered with Marine Reach in New Zealand on their 283 GRT medical aid ship Pacific Link. After that I moved to Winnipeg and worked in inner city ministry with my church there, eventually supporting myself by driving school buses, transit buses and highway coaches for Beaver Bus Lines (Like I say, I like any kind of transportation, so due to the lack of a serious shipping industry in Winnipeg, bus driving filled in pretty well.) In 2005, following Hurricane Katrina, I went to Louisiana to volunteer with Friendships Unlimited, as a deckhand on one of their disaster response vessels, the Mersea, which along with her sister ship Hope, was deployed to New Orleans. Later I returned for another year, as bosun on the Mersea. I returned to BC a year and a half ago to hopefully get a job with BC Ferries. I am now working as a staffing pool deckhand on Salt Spring Island. As such I work on the Queen of Nanaimo, Howe Sound Queen, and Skeena Queen. It would be hard for me to really say if I have a favorite one now, because there are things I like about all of them, or the ones I'm familiar with anyways. The Queen of New Westminster is now my favorite Route 1 vessel though. She is the last real link to the V class, though she is in fact a B class vessel. In reality I just love old ships, the older the better. I am a hobby ship photographer, and have several hundred images uploaded to http:/www.shipspotting.com, including many ferries, BC and otherwise. My tag on shipspotting is also Jacob, so you can look for me there if you like. Happy sailing!!!
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Post by Low Light Mike on Feb 19, 2010 22:27:12 GMT -8
I started as a deckhand when I was 20, volunteering for a year and a half with Mercy Ships-Pacific on the M/V Island Mercy, a 997 GRT Medical aid ship based in the South Pacific. The Island Mercy was formerly the Canadian National cargo/passenger ferry Petite Forte from Newfoundland, built in 1961. Welcome, Jacob. Is the M/V Island Mercy similar in size and purpose to YWAM's Anastasis ? The Anastasis spent some time in Esquimalt in 1986 or 87, and the YWAM team took the opportunity to "work the island" during that refit. I didn't get down to Esquimalt to see the Anastasis, but I did get to see their team perform "Toymaker and Son".
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Post by Jacob on Feb 20, 2010 13:52:29 GMT -8
Hello Flugel Horn. No, The Island Mercy was way smaller, but also a YWAM medical aid ship. The Island Mercy was 173', 997 GRT and slept 80 crew. She was built by St John Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. Ltd. in 1961 as the Petite Forte. The Anastasis was 540', 11800 GRT And had up to 350 crew. She was the former Greek liner Victoria, being built in 1951. Also was one of the most beautiful ships afloat as far as I'm concerned, though I never worked on her. Sadly she was broken up at Alang, India in 2008. As far as I can tell The Island Mercy (which YWAM sold to a Phillipine navigation training school in 2001 after replacing her with the Pacific Link) also met her fate on the same beach in 2004, but I can not confirm that. The trails I have followed seem to end there though. Sad for a ship lover like me. You can view a number of photos I have posted of the Island Mercy and other vessels at shipspotting.com just search her name with the search function.
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Post by nolonger on Mar 26, 2010 13:56:58 GMT -8
Oops....not really new but perhaps reborn. Joined in 2004, when I was an employee. Lost interest after I retired but recently rediscovered this forum. This place sure has changed. Good to see so many still here and contributing. I was occasionally chastized for behaviour not worthy of the Lady Byng, but promise to more civil this time around. Sailed on BCF for over 36 years, on Rtes 2, 3 ,and 30. former Nanaimo resident now living 240 miles due east of Tsawwassen. Occasionally travel to Victoria and Langdale to see family, but that's about it for ferry travel for me now. I really enjoy the pictures you all have posted, there are some great photographers on here. It's interesting to hear about others experiences and I like reading and learning about WSF and AMHS vessels and operations. over.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Mar 26, 2010 14:39:04 GMT -8
Oops....not really new but perhaps reborn. Thanks for coming back. I always enjoyed your first-hand perspective of things, especially after the Queen of the North sinking. Hope you're enjoying retirement (somewhere east of Hope...)
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Post by nolonger on Mar 26, 2010 15:06:32 GMT -8
Thank you Mr. Horn. As far as retirement goes, all I can is, What a concept, getting paid to stay home. I haven't set an alarm clock for 3 years.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,196
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Post by Neil on Mar 26, 2010 15:49:56 GMT -8
I was occasionally chastized for behaviour not worthy of the Lady Byng, but promise to more civil this time around. Gordie Howe never won the Lady Byng either, but his elbows probably sharpened the alertness of many an opponent and made them better hockey players. I remember a couple of your sharp elbowed posts, and I remember thinking that they weren't entirely unwarranted. Civility isn't always the best medicine.
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Post by Barnacle on Mar 28, 2010 7:11:19 GMT -8
Gordie Howe never won the Lady Byng either, but his elbows probably sharpened the alertness of many an opponent and made them better hockey players. It's sad how few people know what a Gordie Howe hat trick is these days.
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Rhody
Chief Steward
Posts: 108
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Post by Rhody on May 18, 2010 21:36:12 GMT -8
Hello everyone, My name is Paul Kemna and I just recently moved to Washington State from Minnesota, a place I love but lacks anything as unique as the Washington State Ferries. My first Ferry ride was on the Chelan as she sailed through the San Juans on our way to Sydney. Since then I've had a chance to ride ten other ferries and hope to ride them all by the end of the summer. (Hiyu!) I'm also trying to visit some of the other ferries that are still around, the Skansonia, Ocean City, Shasta and the Kalakala. Should be fun (if I don"t drive my wife crazy first)
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Mirrlees
Voyager
Bathtub!
Deck Engineer- Queen of Richmond
Posts: 1,013
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Post by Mirrlees on May 18, 2010 21:52:37 GMT -8
Welcome Aboard, Paul..! I'm glad that you've discovered us.
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Post by mrtitanic on Jun 6, 2010 22:07:29 GMT -8
Howdy Everyone, I just discovered this website a few days ago. Wow, is it loaded with excellent info, pics and stories. I hope I can bring something to the Log Desk Table with over 33 years of maritime engine room experience. Three with the Alaska State Ferries and currently 24 with the WSF. The rest of my time has been spent sailing off shore for the MEBA. I'm looking forward in cruising through all the West Coast Ferries Forum pages. Wishing everyone smooth sailing! mrT
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Nick
Voyager
Chief Engineer - Queen of Richmond
Posts: 2,078
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Post by Nick on Jun 7, 2010 14:57:43 GMT -8
Welcome Aboard!
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Post by lmtengs on Jun 7, 2010 16:35:56 GMT -8
Thanks you for boarding the West Coast Ferries Vessel Queen of Internet. We wish you all the best on your voyages throughout the forum.
I like your avatar! I'm not totally sure what the mods will think of it though. As far as I know, there's a policy against 'moving' avatars or signature pics. :\
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jun 7, 2010 17:20:29 GMT -8
I like your avatar! I'm not totally sure what the mods will think of it though. As far as I know, there's a policy against 'moving' avatars or signature pics. :\ You are correct, there is a policy that says that members can't use moving or flashing images. A friendly "PM" has been sent to our White Star Line new member.
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Post by mrtitanic on Jun 7, 2010 19:36:28 GMT -8
Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. Avatar has been changed. I better spend some time reading this board's CFR's. Hopefully I can stay on course in the future. It hurts when you hit a iceberg.
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Post by alaskanmohican on Jun 22, 2010 18:06:01 GMT -8
Hello, I just joined yesterday after "lurking" on the site for a while. A little about myself, currenlty I work for AMHS shoreside. I have also worked for Princes Tours and Holland America Line for about 5 years driving tour bus around Alaska and the Yukon.
I grew up in Alaska and lived in a small fishing town that has no highway so depended on the ferries for access. Always had an interest in the ferries and boats in general. In fact, one of my hobbies is building model boats RC and static.
If I had to chose a favorite ferry it would probably be the Kennicott. Yes, she definately has her flaws, and she is not a pretty boat to look at, but she was built for certain routes and conditions, and she seems to handle those well. I suppose part of the reason I like the Kennicott is that she was built while I was in highschool, and she was the first newbuild for AMHS in about 20 years. So there was a bit of excitement around her construction even if she did end up looking like a floating brick.
Anyway, looking forward to participating in this forum.
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Post by WettCoast on Jun 22, 2010 19:35:18 GMT -8
Welcome aboard 'Alaskanmohican'. It is good to have you with us. I look forward to hearing & seeing more about ferry operations in Alaskan waters.
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Mirrlees
Voyager
Bathtub!
Deck Engineer- Queen of Richmond
Posts: 1,013
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Post by Mirrlees on Jun 22, 2010 20:45:08 GMT -8
Welcome Aboard, alaskanmohican..! Enjoy your cruise with us
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Post by hullnumbers on Jun 22, 2010 21:24:09 GMT -8
Welcome aboard alaskanmohican.
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Post by lmtengs on Jun 23, 2010 9:19:52 GMT -8
Hello, one of my hobbies is building model boats RC and static. You'll have to post some photos of those Welcome to the forum
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