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Post by Northern Exploration on Jun 23, 2008 18:56:05 GMT -8
One of the best places to stand on a windy day or when it is lightly raining is in the crook of the wall between the Conference Room and the firehose box. There is a pocket of air there and the aerodynamics of the front leave that spot much calmer than a few feet on either side. If you see some moron in many layers of clothes there on a winter day - it may just be me. My last secret is if it isn't too gusty the firehose box is a great place to put your coffee for a moment .
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Mill Bay
Voyager
Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,886
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Post by Mill Bay on Jun 23, 2008 20:25:50 GMT -8
Quote originating from Mr Mill Bay (above) Did you see what looked like a wall and thought that you could not go forward? How many times have you traveled on a Spirit and not figured out how to get to that place? Once you are there you can look right into the 'mythical conference room'. Have you ever been to the 'bow' on the upper car deck? It is an easy place to get to and a great place to take in the view. I wonder how all the people in the photo got to that forward area immediately below the bridge? I figured that out the first time I was on one of those boats... i was thinking about the space just below it, which is only used for the anchor gear and to board foot passengers. Nothing like creating controversy. The passenger area's may be circular on the C's, but at least they have interesting car decks. The Coastals and the spirits do have interesting upper car decks with all the large windows and opportunities for forward viewing. And those raised ramps to the doors that I can step off of and jar my back ;D, but the gates at the ends look a little too much like white picket fences. The evil nick-name for the Tsawwassen, I only used once, because I was annoyed about her lack of vehicle space. The ships may be large and efficient, but with the new interiors, all they bring to mind is the cheapness and artificiality of consumer society. We've been over the economic losses incurred by building them in Germany before. Write to your local MLA or MP and ask them why the governing officials of Canada are traitors to their own citizens by not ensuring the health and sovereignty of Canada's skill base and manufacturing sectors. The large open areas are nice, and I already knew about that secret crook in the wall by the conference room window, but unfortunately, the open area at the stern usually seems to be the place a lot of people go to smoke, which isn't all the pleasant. Finally, no matter how you dress them up, there is no way in hell they will ever come to represent the same sense of nostalgia that the older ships do because they don't even represent the same social values or aesthetic visions that the old Spaulding ships do or did.
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Quatchi
Voyager
Engineering Officer - CCG
Posts: 930
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Post by Quatchi on Jun 23, 2008 21:45:53 GMT -8
That is my favorite spot on a spirit, as you get to stand in peace and watch with one of the best views in BC before you. There is no wind whatsoever so little that I can safely wear my Bailey hat.
If you haven't found this tiny little piece of paradise on the spirits I suggest you find it the next time you ride one.
Generally I don't mind the Spirits, of course they arent as elegant as the V's and will never have the class the Tsawwassen and Sydney did, but they are still not bad looking ships. Not all the ships can be classic spauldings, and not all ships can be an original design. A ship or any other object has on purpose in life and that is to be efficient in its purpose. Ferries are designed to move large heavy objects from point A to point B.
In the architecture field we run into the problem quite often that a building becomes a piece of art and looses its primary purpose whatever that may be. You have to design a building/ship from the inside out. If you design a building/ship from the outside in you will end up with inefficient space uses and added cost. When you properly design a building/ship from the inside out and then tweak the outside you will every time get he most efficient design. Of course with shipbuilding there are basic rules that don't apply to a building. Such as a hull and basic Hydrodynamics which are no. 1 concern, but the principal is the same you design your ship for its intended use and it will be most effecient for that use. As such the Spirits were designed with the passenger in mind. They function very well and many of the traveling public love them.
As much as I like the Coastals and am amazed by FSG's work and their skills I still give the spirits a made in BC bonus.
Cheers,
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Post by Canucks on Jun 23, 2008 22:05:07 GMT -8
I would have to say the best place is right at the front of the Spirits, come on who doesn't like to get hypothermia in winds so fast you can fall into them. It is even more fun on Route 2 on a C-Class during a storm when you are strongly advised to stay inside. Go outside and see who can run around the fastest...(oh yeah in the dark too). ;D
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Jun 23, 2008 22:11:35 GMT -8
Another thing to add to the why I hate the spirits? Deck 5 where the anchor gear is was not designed for passenger use!
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Koastal Karl
Voyager
Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
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Post by Koastal Karl on Jun 23, 2008 22:13:20 GMT -8
I just got off the Wack after 2 nights and 2 full days on her which is the most time I have spent on the Wack. She is a neat little ship and she is different which makes her interesting. I was sad to leave her tonight and leave my recliner seat where I slept for two nights. It was a a nice mini cruise.
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Mill Bay
Voyager
Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,886
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Post by Mill Bay on Jun 23, 2008 22:30:47 GMT -8
Well, I am very familiar with the secret spot to stay out of the winds on the Spirits, and the open end of the upper car deck can offer the same effect in certain conditions, I was mainly addressing my grievances with these ships. Finding a little spot like that to hide from the wind for a little while can almost help you forget the boring bland super-efficient vehicle carrying freighter you're on.
For the architects, you'll notice i haven't actually complained about the looks of the Spirits. I'll just say, that their beauty is debatable.
Now, I'll turn traitor and complain of the Chilliwack. I'm not sure I'd want to spend two days on board because there is nowhere to go, and there is only the one main passageway, so you can't even walk in circles (although you used to be able to). All you can do in the Chilliwack is pace frenetically back and forth, but you can't do it in straight lines because of the constant rocking, so you end up walking in a zig-zag.
And, anyone has to admit that the cardeck of the Chilliwack is the absolute worst place to be at any time: In a car you risk shooting through the roof as you go over the grooves in the deck plates, and when the ship is under way you risk hearing damage because it sounds like artillery going off down there, and I can imagine how squished you'd feel if you got parked under the platform deck... you'd probably end up with compression in you spine from not being able to stand up properly, lol.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,191
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Post by Neil on Jun 23, 2008 22:32:02 GMT -8
The ships may be large and efficient, but with the new interiors, all they bring to mind is the cheapness and artificiality of consumer society. ...as opposed to the sense of aesthetic accomplishment one got from looking at the interior of the Queen of Esquimalt? Finally, no matter how you dress them up, there is no way in hell they will ever come to represent the same sense of nostalgia that the older ships do Nostalgia: The suspension of critical thinking, and the substituting of selective memory that convinces one that somehow, for some reason, things were better back then... I've overheard a number of conversations on my three Coastal trips, and talked to a few people. I've yet to hear anyone lament the loss of the old ships. We need to get used to the fact that the general travelling public has a different view of things to that of the ferry fan. The Spirits and the Coastals represent a distinct step forward to most people. because they don't even represent the same social values or aesthetic visions that the old Spaulding ships do or did. 'Social values'? We're talking WAC Bennett, here. His social values were rooted in the nineteenth century. 'Aesthetic vision'? Again, the dear old ' Esquimalt. Especially those ceilings... Mill Bay, I'm with you on the lack of personality of the new vessels. Even my sixteen year old remarked, at the deck six entrance on the 'Inspiration, "This looks like an office building". But, to her, and I suspect, to a lot of other non-fans, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
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Post by DENelson83 on Jun 23, 2008 23:41:32 GMT -8
Yes, you can walk all the way around the outer perimeter of deck 6 on the Spooks. I did that myself on the summer solstice in 2007. Quote originating from Mr Mill Bay (above) Did you see what looked like a wall and thought that you could not go forward? How many times have you traveled on a Spirit and not figured out how to get to that place? Once you are there you can look right into the 'mythical conference room'. Have you ever been to the 'bow' on the upper car deck? It is an easy place to get to and a great place to take in the view. I wonder how all the people in the photo got to that forward area immediately below the bridge?
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Post by ferrytraveller on Jun 24, 2008 0:10:33 GMT -8
as for deck 5 on the spirit, yes they are off limits to passengers as many of you are aware. Reason being there is too much equipment that passengers could get hurt on or would touch and they shouldn't. On the Spirit of BC, you will see the anchor man out when going in and out of the terminals and through the pass, the best job on the boat during the nice summer days !! Lucky for me, it was my job this past weekend.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2008 8:44:41 GMT -8
When they first made the queen of TSA and her sister very elegent interior with nice furnishing's?
but they have always been some of the most elegent looking but nothing compared to the the old madjesty Queen of the north.
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Post by chinook2 on Jun 29, 2008 16:19:16 GMT -8
The interiors of Sidney and Tsawwassen were not really any fancier than the later 7 ships, apart from the raised foward lounges--all had brown and/or tan office style chairs, with a few rows of Highback chairs at the back of the forward lounge. SID and TSA did have fancier ashtrays, a little bit of creative metalwork on somebody's part. Railing tops on the outside decks were originally oak--these were replaced by the 1980s. The add-on restaraunt was very simliar to the later ships, but of course the snack bar was way bigger as it was on the sundeck in the original restaraunt area.
Sidney and Tsawwassen were my favorite ships growing up, but on a busy summer day on route 1 or 2 they could be miserable, as they were sorely deficient in lounge space, and had no sheltered, shady areas on the outside decks. I remember one trip on the Tsawwassen, mom and I sat in the snack bar stairwell while baby sister napped in mom's arms.
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