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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 11, 2010 16:32:22 GMT -8
I recently acquired a copy of the glossy booklet "BC Ferries - Exploring British Columbia's Coastal Waterways". The photography and publishing is done by John L. Barnard Photographs Ltd. of Sidney BC. - I tried Googling him, but I couldn't find a website for him. Given that the booklet was done in the early 1980's, I wonder if perhaps he's passed-on since then? There is no publish date on the booklet, but from the fleet poster on the back (unlifted 'Alberni and lack of MOH vessels), and the inclusion of lifted V's photographs, it would have been sometime in the early 1980's. Here is the front & back cover of the booklet.
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Post by lmtengs on Sept 11, 2010 20:44:30 GMT -8
That looks like a nice one, Mike! The name looks familiar. Any idea if they made a second or third edition more recently?
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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 11, 2010 20:52:01 GMT -8
That looks like a nice one, Mike! The name looks familiar. Any idea if they made a second or third edition more recently? I've seen talk on this forum a few years ago about other editions of that booklet. And Scott posted a comment about the accuracy of postcard/photo identification, in a different thread tonight. So the man seems to have done a fair bit of postcard photography in the 1980's.
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Post by Queen of Nanaimo Teen on Sept 12, 2010 0:34:49 GMT -8
I too, own and love this book. I know that there are newer additions, but have never been able to find them! Apparently there is 2 editions. I think they are titled the same thing however, which makes them difficult to find on book sites. Nice find!
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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 12, 2010 6:53:13 GMT -8
A list of BC maritime books, from the website of the Vancouver Maritime Museum:
(list is alphabetical, by author)
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Post by lmtengs on Sept 12, 2010 9:01:30 GMT -8
I think I might actually have a copy of this newer addition... if not, one of my close relatives does, because I swear that I read a copy of it before, but it wasn't that one.
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mrdot
Voyager
Mr. DOT
Posts: 1,252
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Post by mrdot on Sept 12, 2010 10:08:11 GMT -8
I have probably one of the best marine librarys in BC. There are a number of duplicates, which I have entrusted to my brother, and I have several copies of the bannerman book which I had a part in.I shall pass these on to wettcoast as well. mr.dot.
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Post by Scott on Sept 12, 2010 13:22:21 GMT -8
That looks like a nice one, Mike! The name looks familiar. Any idea if they made a second or third edition more recently? I've seen talk on this forum a few years ago about other editions of that booklet. And Scott posted a comment about the accuracy of postcard/photo identification, in a different thread tonight. So the man seems to have done a fair bit of postcard photography in the 1980's. I have 3 editions of this book. There's one with a V-class in Expo colors on the cover and a newer edition with a Spirit vessel in Expo colors on the cover. Inside, the content isn't much different... just some different changes within the fleet profile section.
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Post by fargowolf on Sept 12, 2010 15:51:05 GMT -8
I remember the book "Dogwood Fleet" I got it from the library one time. "Ships of British Columbia" is still available at the downtown branch.
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Mill Bay
Voyager
Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,886
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Post by Mill Bay on Sept 13, 2010 15:01:02 GMT -8
I remember the book "Dogwood Fleet" I got it from the library one time. "Ships of British Columbia" is still available at the downtown branch. It is still available through the Fraser Valley Regional Library system as well, I think. I know that I got it out of the library many times when I was younger, until I got my own copy. I'm one of the hoarders who has two copies of it, too. One my parents bought a long time ago just before it was going out of print. I read it like crazy, so it is kind of falling apart (but only at the seams since it is only paperback) The other one is a nice hard-cover that I'm keeping safe. It came from an old family friend: I'm even having trouble placing his name right now. But he came to our house once with a box of books, said some might interest me, which they certainly did. (Strangely enough, the one on the Bermuda Triangle sort of held my fascination as well.)
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Post by Dane on Sept 13, 2010 17:04:07 GMT -8
have 3 editions of this book. There's one with a V-class in Expo colors on the cover and a newer edition with a Spirit vessel in Expo colors on the cover. Inside, the content isn't much different... just some different changes within the fleet profile section. The oldest of the three is available more or less without fail at either of the train shows at Cameron Centre (March & November). Only a couple dollars too, someone bought hundreds of them many years ago.
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Post by lmtengs on Sept 13, 2010 19:13:18 GMT -8
have 3 editions of this book. There's one with a V-class in Expo colors on the cover and a newer edition with a Spirit vessel in Expo colors on the cover. Inside, the content isn't much different... just some different changes within the fleet profile section. The oldest of the three is available more or less without fail at either of the train shows at Cameron Centre (March & November). Only a couple dollars too, someone bought hundreds of them many years ago. Where is this train show?
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Post by Alberni on Sept 15, 2010 18:26:24 GMT -8
I have the the first two editions also. Here's the front and back cover of the second: I didn't know there is a third edition so my collection isn't complete.
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Post by lmtengs on Sept 15, 2010 18:53:41 GMT -8
That's the Pacific Grace under full sail next to what I think is the 'Vancouver or 'Victoria. EDIT: Wait, that book looks like it was published before the 'Grace was built, in 2001. So it would be the Robertson II, which the Grace was designed after, also the last Grand Banks Fishing Schooner to be built.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Oct 28, 2010 20:19:13 GMT -8
New to my collection: - purchased today in Port Townsend, at the chandlery in the Maritime Heritage Center
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Post by lmtengs on Oct 28, 2010 21:28:35 GMT -8
Hmmm.... Could this be the first ever appearance of the mating slugs? Look at the photo with your head tilted 90 degrees to the right. You'll see what I mean... ;D
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Nick
Voyager
Chief Engineer - Queen of Richmond
Posts: 2,078
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Post by Nick on Nov 6, 2010 18:11:42 GMT -8
I just remembered... I was in Seattle a couple weeks ago, and in my touring of the city found myself in a Barnes and Noble. Needless to say I added this to my collection: All I can say is EGFleet did an excellent job on this one.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 6, 2010 18:53:35 GMT -8
All I can say is EGFleet did an excellent job on this one. I 2nd that motion. For those that want more of the living history of the Evergreen Fleet, I suggest that you check out the below-noted webpage each month: www.evergreenfleet.com/thedayroom_thanksgivingedition.html- EG-Fleet's "Day Room" page is updated on the 1st of every month, and features fun stuff like a "what's that ferry" photo contest, and updates on fleet items, a current fleet deployment chart, and some great photos from some awesomely talented contributors ;D. - but seriously, Matt & Emory have great photos. And there's usually some horror-film trivia too. Make it a part of your White-Rabbit new-month routine !
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Post by EGfleet on Nov 7, 2010 5:14:10 GMT -8
I just remembered... I was in Seattle a couple weeks ago, and in my touring of the city found myself in a Barnes and Noble. Needless to say I added this to my collection: All I can say is EGFleet did an excellent job on this one. And EGFleet thanks you for your purchase! I only wish Arcadia would let me do an updated edition of the book...not only do I have a ton of better photos to use that I've added to my collection since, but it's outdated now with the Steel E's being gone. Oh yeah, and there's that whole opening statement of "Washington State Ferries has never scrapped a ferry..." D'oh!
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Post by EGfleet on Nov 7, 2010 5:20:47 GMT -8
All I can say is EGFleet did an excellent job on this one. I 2nd that motion. For those that want more of the living history of the Evergreen Fleet, I suggest that you check out the below-noted webpage each month: www.evergreenfleet.com/thedayroom_thanksgivingedition.html- EG-Fleet's "Day Room" page is updated on the 1st of every month, and features fun stuff like a "what's that ferry" photo contest, and updates on fleet items, a current fleet deployment chart, and some great photos from some awesomely talented contributors ;D. - but seriously, Matt & Emory have great photos. And there's usually some horror-film trivia too. Make it a part of your White-Rabbit new-month routine ! And I am always up for new photos, historic or otherwise! I really appreciate all the photos folks send me...helps keep the site fresh. The horror movie trivia (filming locations) lasted a year. I haven't decided yet what is going to take its place so I took this month off...will come up with something different for next month. And as always, I'm open for suggestions and contributions if anyone wants something up in the Day Room...send it along.
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Post by Mike on Nov 7, 2010 21:23:43 GMT -8
My grandfather has lent me his copy of Ships of Steel: A British Columbia Shipbuilder's Story by T. A. McLaren & Vickie Jensen. Looks to be an interesting read.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 7, 2010 21:41:32 GMT -8
My grandfather has lent me his copy of Ships of Steel: A British Columbia Shipbuilder's Story by T. A. McLaren & Vickie Jensen. Looks to be an interesting read. That's a great book. I think you'll love it. - lots of information on ships that are still in the BC Ferries fleet and the Highways inland fleet.
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Post by Dane on Dec 20, 2010 18:46:19 GMT -8
Hello all, There is a new BC Ferry book out right now. An image of the cover courtesy of Flugel Horn. Here's the cropped image of the cover of "Ferries West". Ferries West: A West Coast Photo Album. West Coast Maritime Series #7 S.C. Heal --- INTRODUCTION From the 49th Parallel to the Alaska Panhandle the rugged coast of British Columbia has always posed its own special transportation challenges. From the times of early settlement, ships were the only way to get from one place to another. The evolution of what is the present day B.C. Ferry Services has had to surmount many hurdles, economic, political, logistical and operational, to bring about its vastly bigger and greatly improved present day position. The book relies heavily on a rich selection of photos to tell its story. It traces the early beginnings of waterborn [sic] passenger transportation, through to the brief historical notes on Canadian Pacific Navigation, Union Steamships of B.C., Canadian Pacific Coastal Steamships, Grand Trunk Pacific, Canadian national Steamships and Black Ball Ferries all of whom were predecessors on, or criss-crossed the routes now served by the B.C. Ferry Services. B.C. Ferries was started in 1959 by the government of Premier W.A.C. Bennett in response to public and government concerns about the inadequacies mostly of the CPR services linking the provincial capital at Victoria with the rapidly growing leading commercial centre and port of Vancouver. The service was opened with two new built vessels, the Sidney and Tsawwassen constructed specifically for a new route between the newly developed terminals at Tsawwassen and Schwartz Bay near Sidney. Expansion soon followed with a group of larger ferries and the outright purchase of Black Ball Ferries and its routes from West Vancouver to Nanaimo, Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast. When the current government headed by the Hon. Gordon Campbell came into power in 2002, it was advised from several quarters to divest itself of the political baggage that had resulted in some near fatal mistakes in the previous decade. Among others these included the so-called Fast Ferry scandal that had resulted in a colossal cost overrun to produce three under-performing ferries which were soon taken out of service and have been recently sold to Abu Dhabi. The Campbell government took the advice proffered and freed the B.C. Ferries to function like a private enterprise operation, free of most of its political baggage. Under the current management, it has reinvented itself as an invigorated business functioning almost completely like any other private sector company. The shares of B.C. Ferry Services are held by the B.C. government as the ferry system still relies in part on government subsidy, but it is no longer governed by politics and misplaced ideology. --- AUTHOR Author Syd Heal is to be congratulated on Ferries West, his latest contribution to an ever-growing body of West Coast and Canadian maritime historical literature that bears his name and Cordillera’s imprint. Ferries West, is recommended as a factual pictorial and is presented as the biggest collection of photos, we know so broadly and comprehensively cover West Coast ferries from the past as well as those we take for granted in the present era. - Murray McLellan – Publisher, Harbour & Shipping Magazine, West Vancouver. --- Ferries West is No 7 in the ongoing West Coast Maritime Series of shipping history books relating directly to British Columbia’s maritime activities from early beginnings to modern times. 8.5 x 11in, milar paperback, 236 plus pages. Fully illustrated with approx 360 black & white photos, with the story mainly told through the captions. This book is available from the publisher with standard trade and library discounts. These are: Special Christmas Offer to BC Ferries Personnel and Crews. Buy direct from publisher $30 including GST [oooops] and Postage This offer is not available through Bookstores. Regular $32.95 + $4.00 Postage + $1.85 GST Total $38.80 Published by: CORDILLERA BOOKS 102-9708 French Street Vancouver, BC V6P 4W7 ISBN: 978-1895590-44-9 Tel: 604 261 1695 E Mail: richbook@shaw.ca
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Post by Dane on Dec 20, 2010 19:03:46 GMT -8
A bit of a review of Ferries West by Syd Heal.
This black and white book at 226 pages is a photo heavy look at the vessels that have made up the backbone of BC's salt water ferry fleet, with heavy emphasis on BC Ferries from 1959 onwards. While there are a lot of great photographs the somewhat poor printing quality and black & white reproductions leads to a loss in quality of otherwise interesting images. There are photos that I have never seen before, and it is without a doubt the most comprehensive review of salt water ferries in BC that I have had an opportunity to see. Some photos were perhaps not as well selected; the value in this book is the more historic photos - contemporary shots in colour and of a higher quality are available on this forum in the photo boards.
There is a written history of the fleets that lead to BC Ferries, and of BC Ferries itself. These are, as the author intends, very short. While the histories of the predecessor organizations to BCF seem to be relatively accurate and a reasonable attempt at making short form of complicated pasts I do take issue with the presentation of BC Ferries history in a few spots - although on the whole it is reasonable. The author has an obvious "pro-BCFS" viewpoint (a.k.a. for the sudo-privitization of the fleet) and the contemporary history is tediously similar to some of the initial news releases announcing the new BCFS structure. In another common feature of BC ferries history the 1970's and 1980's are glossed over in the introductory and BC Ferries chapter histories, although captions for many of the photos fill in some critical gaps, albeit leaving a lot to the reader's imagination for 40% of the fleet's history.
To the captions themselves, they sometimes add some information on the photo subject they often also include the author's feelings on looks or whatever else. While I suppose this is not a bad thing, it again demonstrates that this book wouldn't be purchased for gaining an intimate knowledge of BC Ferries. Again though - this is not the author's intent.
Some areas I disagree with that are presented:
- This is really the first book on BC Ferries written since the Fast Cats, and obviously not enough time has passed because the presentation of the project is still heated politics, and really lacks an objective oversight of the ongoings of the time. It would be nice to see some writings on the Fast Cats with another 10 years or so passed, once they will have actually be gone for a few years and the government will have turned over a couple times.
- The author describes the retirement of the Queen of Victoria as premature, and politically motivated due to the presumed success of the forthcoming Fast Cats. Unless Heal has information we have never seen (which I do not think he does) this cannot be substantiated by fact, and with there not being a fourth Coastal class obviously the need for large vessel capacity has not been seen by BC Ferries. This was, and I believe most would agree, an adjustment to the fleet by BCF that was prudent in a time of very tight finances.
- A similar claim is made as above about the Queen of Sidney. Again health issues of crews and the cost of maintaining an aging vessel seemed to be far more pressing for retiring the vessel. This was, by hardly any measure, a "premature" retirement.
Other than this the content is not particularly objectionable.
Will follow this post with come corrections noted from captions.
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Post by Dane on Dec 20, 2010 19:36:35 GMT -8
Some notes, corrections, and observations from photos in Ferries West.
- p24/25 some great shots of the Princess of Vancouver in her first few years of service.
- p54 "There is some uncertainty as to whether B.C. Ferries ever took ownership of this vessel" (referencing Smokwa and Quillayute). There should be no doubt as the BCF Authority reports of the time include a list of assets BC Ferries took possession of, including all the existing vessels.
- p70, great damage shots of the Queen of Victoria following the Active Pass collission
- p82, caption says "Queen of Victoria" while the vessel is clearly "Queen of Vancouver"
- p92, Queen of Coquitlam shortly after entering service showing some nice nasty scratches near the bow boors.
- p95, implies the Queen of Cowichan is the current Rte 3 vessel, whereas it is the Queen of Coquitlam
- p98, says the Queen of Alberni has the same vehicle capacity as the other four C's; this is not the case because there are no gallery decks
- p115, describes the SoBC as "overbuilt." What does this mean? The passenger accomodations? But the caption goes on to imply against the sheltered waters of Rte 1, which is a difficult to defend position.
- p150, a bit of an amusing comment on the Queen of Cap/Cumb being "perhaps the design of the future" followed on p151 with the ISky... just seems sort of ironic since we know the future.
- p153, vessel being launched is the Kuper, vice Skeena Queen
- p169, says the Nimpkish has been in lay up since 2008
- p172, makes refernce to Mill Bay rte closing threats in 2010, made in early 2010 - just doesn't make sense. I think it is a reference to threatened closure in the 1990s
Other than that the book goes on to include other ferry agencies providing service, such as: WSF, Alaska State Ferries, Harbour Lynx, etc. Only one I noticed being ommited was the "Sea Link" services of the 1990s.
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