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Post by WettCoast on Apr 24, 2014 19:46:17 GMT -8
The (formerly) floating AMHS dock at Skagway has sunk. News story (with 3 photos) HEREI was going to press the 'Like' button but then I thought, well, No, I don't 'like' that this happened. I hope they get it fixed. I am planning another AMHS trip from Skagway in August. PS: I assume most (maybe all) modern floating concrete ferry berthing structures are of similar design to this one?
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Post by WettCoast on Sept 11, 2014 13:05:21 GMT -8
Under the categories: 1 - Sign, sign, everywhere a sign 2 - Sesame Street's 'One of these signs is not like the others; one of these signs just doesn't belong' 3 - There are strange things done ... 4 - Was there actually one or more incidents which prompted the need for this sign? Solarium, M/V Taku
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Post by Name Omitted on Sept 15, 2014 5:41:59 GMT -8
4 - Was there actually one or more incidents which prompted the need for this sign? Yes. The cooking is done with cook-stoves, open flame tends to come from sterno or camp burners. People look around them at all of the metal, and the cost of going to the cafeteria, and... well... people are sometimes stupid.
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Post by Name Omitted on Sept 15, 2014 6:02:46 GMT -8
The (formerly) floating AMHS dock at Skagway has sunk. News story (with 3 photos) HEREI should have posted a followup to this. I can find a link if anyone needs it- but not this morning. The short reason for the sinking is that several years ago (perhaps a decade?) a water main was installed to provide fresh water to boats pulled up to the dock (it is a municipal dock, used by craft other than the ferry). They ran the pipe through the waterproof cells. putting two holes in each. This was fine for several years. Last fall, the pipe was not drained, and so froze and broke. This spring, the ice thawed, and no longer blocked the pipe, which was then able to flood several of the cells that made up the dock. The damage has been repaired, and the pipe re-located to the outside of the dock.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 24, 2014 14:00:16 GMT -8
Newspaper travel story of someone who tented on Columbia's outside deck. An interesting read. HERE
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Post by WettCoast on Sept 24, 2014 15:27:14 GMT -8
Newspaper travel story of someone who tented on Columbia's outside deck. An interesting read. HERENo mention of her firing up a camp stove on the deck so as to make tea...
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KE7JFF
Chief Steward
Posts: 106
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Post by KE7JFF on Nov 25, 2014 17:14:53 GMT -8
See, I'm tempted to do the tent on the deck thing as many of my friends have said its worth it, but however, I have also heard from other travellers that the staterooms you can rent pay for themselves pretty well.
I do have to ask though does everyone have access to showers on board the ship or is it stateroom passengers only?
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Post by WettCoast on Nov 25, 2014 17:32:31 GMT -8
See, I'm tempted to do the tent on the deck thing as many of my friends have said its worth it, but however, I have also heard from other travellers that the staterooms you can rent pay for themselves pretty well. I do have to ask though does everyone have access to showers on board the ship or is it stateroom passengers only? I am fairly sure that any passenger can access the showers on board the AMHS vessels, not just those holding state rooms. On the Columbia there is also a laundromat available for passenger use. I think that that is the only vessel with that offering.
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KE7JFF
Chief Steward
Posts: 106
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Post by KE7JFF on Nov 25, 2014 19:59:31 GMT -8
See, I'm tempted to do the tent on the deck thing as many of my friends have said its worth it, but however, I have also heard from other travellers that the staterooms you can rent pay for themselves pretty well. I do have to ask though does everyone have access to showers on board the ship or is it stateroom passengers only? I am fairly sure that any passenger can access the showers on board the AMHS vessels, not just those holding state rooms. On the Columbia there is also a laundromat available for passenger use. I think that that is the only vessel with that offering. Hmmm....good to know! All the information I could find just said "public showers" which can go either way. That could be the game changer if I want to go the route of tenting it. I'm looking at doing a trip within the next 2 years Bellingham to Skagway as part of a trip to Whitehorse.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2014 20:41:19 GMT -8
I took a trip on board the Columbia this past August from Juneau to Bellingham. I can confirm that everyone has access to the showers that are available. If I remember correctly all the AMHS ferries have public showers the same as the Columbia does? I did "the tent on the deck thing" and it was fun. I think I met more people to talk to because of that. By the last night though the deck was getting pretty hard though. If you do that I would recommend bringing an air mattress to put under your sleeping bag. I am enjoyed it so much I would like to go back and take another route this coming Summer.
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KE7JFF
Chief Steward
Posts: 106
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Post by KE7JFF on Nov 25, 2014 21:46:28 GMT -8
I took a trip on board the Columbia this past August from Juneau to Bellingham. I can confirm that everyone has access to the showers that are available. If I remember correctly all the AMHS ferries have public showers the same as the Columbia does? I did "the tent on the deck thing" and it was fun. I think I met more people to talk to because of that. By the last night though the deck was getting pretty hard though. If you do that I would recommend bringing an air mattress to put under your sleeping bag. I am enjoyed it so much I would like to go back and take another route this coming Summer. Good to know! I did actually get some advice from a co-worker who is from Alaska that it might be smarter to get a stateroom since I'm going far as Skagway to go into Whitehorse, however, he mentioned that I could experience both worlds by doing Bellingham-Ketchikan and then getting a stateroom between Ketchikan and Skagway, which he said would be smart as thats only 100 dollars.
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Post by Mike C on Jan 22, 2015 20:18:18 GMT -8
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Post by Name Omitted on Jan 27, 2015 19:44:55 GMT -8
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Nick
Voyager
Chief Engineer - Queen of Richmond
Posts: 2,078
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Post by Nick on Jan 28, 2015 9:38:13 GMT -8
How is that possible? I always thought it was pretty much impossible to lose money with a bar, especially with a captive audience.
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Post by Name Omitted on Jan 29, 2015 0:18:00 GMT -8
I'm going to post this story again, mostly for the picture of the Mal that could be right out of a tourism brochure. I mean, seriously, framed right under a glacier? Alaska state ferries to cut bar service this summerThis is from the CBC. I guess a ferry system restricting access to beer strikes a chord.
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M/V LeConte
Chief Steward
~ I believe in Ferries! ~
Posts: 147
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Post by M/V LeConte on Apr 11, 2015 1:09:56 GMT -8
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Post by northwesterner on Apr 23, 2015 23:20:29 GMT -8
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Post by Low Light Mike on May 30, 2015 20:27:39 GMT -8
A wonderful video I found of a mast-camera view of Matanuska transiting Wrangell Narrows to Petersburg.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jun 2, 2015 15:44:51 GMT -8
Sometimes having a ferry system as part of a Government department isn't a good thing. It depends on how functional (or disfunctional) the Government is. This situation could get really bad for AMHS and its local users and the tourism economy. Good on AMHS for taking this measure to show everyone how unreasonable this government funding issue has become, and to clearly show the impact of the government on the ferries. ie. no funding = no sailings. from Alaska Public Media HERE========================== There is an undated news release on the AMHS website that might make the above story moot, or might not, depending on the unknown release date. undated press release hereSo whether the issue got fixed or not, it sure was stupid. And look out for 2016.
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Post by Name Omitted on Jun 11, 2015 14:45:18 GMT -8
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Post by Starsteward on Jun 12, 2015 5:07:14 GMT -8
Thanks for the budget update 'Kevin'. Good to hear AMHS will continue to operate its full sailing schedules.
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Post by Starsteward on Jun 12, 2015 6:45:00 GMT -8
Sometimes having a ferry system as part of a Government department isn't a good thing. It depends on how functional (or disfunctional) the Government is. This situation could get really bad for AMHS and its local users and the tourism economy. Good on AMHS for taking this measure to show everyone how unreasonable this government funding issue has become, and to clearly show the impact of the government on the ferries. ie. no funding = no sailings. from Alaska Public Media HERE========================== There is an undated news release on the AMHS website that might make the above story moot, or might not, depending on the unknown release date. undated press release hereSo whether the issue got fixed or not, it sure was stupid. And look out for 2016. Whether or not AMHS operations ground to a halt or not ultimately rested squarely on the shoulders of the State's "Elected Legislators" who serve at the pleasure of the good folks of Alaska! Thus, they are Accountable! British Columbians are served a pathetic gruel of accountability by comparison.
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Post by Name Omitted on Jul 6, 2015 18:09:35 GMT -8
Well.... Budget Cuts Sideline 3 of Alaska’s 11 Ferries- MV Taku is out for the entirety of the fiscal year.
- Communities too small to be served by the other mainliners will not have service at all for a month (presumably when Le Conte is up for service)
- The Taku will be probably first to go of the Three Sisters. This puts her retirement at 2018, when the second Alaska Class Ferry is delivered.
Moderators, should this be cross-posted to Taku's thread?
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jul 6, 2015 18:22:23 GMT -8
Moderators, should this be cross-posted to Taku's thread? Yes please. Thanks.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,185
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Post by Neil on Jul 6, 2015 22:18:07 GMT -8
Well.... Budget Cuts Sideline 3 of Alaska’s 11 Ferries- MV Taku is out for the entirety of the fiscal year.
- Communities too small to be served by the other mainliners will not have service at all for a month (presumably when Le Conte is up for service)
- The Taku will be probably first to go of the Three Sisters. This puts her retirement at 2018, when the second Alaska Class Ferry is delivered.
Moderators, should this be cross-posted to Taku's thread? Kevin, for some perspective, I'd be interested to know if the state is also proposing to cut a lot of highways maintenance budgets... in particular, roads to isolated communities. I ask this because it seems to me that Alaska is joining BC in targeting communities served by marine transit, because the 'losses' incurred by ferry operations are so easy to highlight.
In BC, there is a silly notion that people living in ferry dependent communities are, to a certain extent, self entitled contrarians who demand an unreasonable amount of publicly supported services. Is there a similar mindset in Alaska?
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