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Post by whalebreath on Sept 14, 2017 18:42:48 GMT -8
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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 14, 2017 18:57:03 GMT -8
Try as it might google could not find Lasquitea Island for me. Lasqueti
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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 22, 2017 5:31:43 GMT -8
Another suspension of operations for Pacific Ferries: from HERE
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,175
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Post by Neil on Nov 30, 2017 12:43:41 GMT -8
Another suspension of operations for Pacific Ferries: from HERE... so it's now rather surprising to read in the December Western Mariner that the company's Coastal Runner is at Fraser Shipyard in Richmond for a major refit, including a new engine and rebuilt wheelhouse. Their website has been inactive since the post previous to this one. I would have thought they were done... somehow they came up with the funds for a very expensive job on a strange little craft.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,175
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Post by Neil on May 14, 2018 10:33:26 GMT -8
The 'Q to Q' Queensborough ferry is back for another season, with some changes. The smelly, noisy Hollyburn is being replaced with two smaller vessels. www.newwestcity.ca/qtoqferry
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Post by Dane on May 14, 2018 18:45:09 GMT -8
Open to debate whether this is a 'ferry', but a new service from Lonsdale Quay to Granville Island. The Vancouver Sun had an article on it today. Could tourist ferries from Vancouver to North Shore pave way for commuters?A new ferry service offering a scenic ride from Lonsdale Quay to Granville Island is expecting to launch this summer and the operator hopes one day to grow it into a commuting option for locals. But the $20 one-way or $30 return ticket is targeting adventurous tourists or locals. “If the demand is there, with potential for new locations, we could possibly offer commuting,” said Sabina Smirnow, general manager of Pacific Ferries. “We haven’t crunched those (commuting ticket) numbers yet,” she said. The plan is for two routes, connecting the North Shore and Vancouver — Granville Island to the St. Roch dock at Shipyard Park next to Lonsdale Quay and Westin Bayshore Hotel dock to St. Roch. The two boats, with room for 12 passengers, will be scheduled to leave hourly from each location, she said. The service is offering a “soft launch” this week, with full regular service expected by the beginning of June. The service is being offered as a “hop off” daylong tour for passengers who buy a $75 daily pass for unlimited travel. Smirnow said the company expects locals who want to save time and “avoid sitting in traffic” on the two bridges will take the 25-minute Granville Island-Lonsdale Quay trip. The other crossing is expected to take 15 minutes. It competes with TransLink’s SeaBus, which costs a quarter of the one-way price and departs from downtown Vancouver. Pacific Ferries, which also operates boats between Gibson’s Landing on the Sunshine Coast, Bowen Island and Granville Island, has leases with the operators of each of the docks and the permission of Transport Canada and the various municipalities for the service. “People we’ve talked to are super excited,” said Smirnow. Granville Island’s manager, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., last year launched a transportation strategy designed to reduce the number of vehicles at the popular tourist attraction. This month, it implemented a hefty fee for tour buses who drive on to the island to drop off passengers and eliminated the parking lot for the buses. The new service is a “welcome alternative” for residents and tourists from the North Shore and downtown Vancouver to visit Granville Island “without driving,” said spokeswoman Lisa Ono in an email. She said it adds to the service offered by False Creek Ferries and by Aquabus on False Creek. vancouversun.com/news/local-news/could-tourist-ferries-from-vancouver-to-north-shore-pave-way-for-commuters
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Post by Dane on May 14, 2018 18:46:38 GMT -8
The 'Q to Q' Queensborough ferry is back for another season, with some changes. The smelly, noisy Hollyburn is being replaced with two smaller vessels. www.newwestcity.ca/qtoqferryI'm staying at New West Quay for a couple weeks very soon. Will be nice to try out this ferry service in person and enjoy these smaller boats. Nice to see the continued diversity developing in transportation options in Metro Vancouver.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,175
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Post by Neil on May 14, 2018 19:50:29 GMT -8
Open to debate whether this is a 'ferry', but a new service from Lonsdale Quay to Granville Island. The Vancouver Sun had an article on it today. Could tourist ferries from Vancouver to North Shore pave way for commuters?A new ferry service offering a scenic ride from Lonsdale Quay to Granville Island is expecting to launch this summer and the operator hopes one day to grow it into a commuting option for locals. But the $20 one-way or $30 return ticket is targeting adventurous tourists or locals. “If the demand is there, with potential for new locations, we could possibly offer commuting,” said Sabina Smirnow, general manager of Pacific Ferries. “We haven’t crunched those (commuting ticket) numbers yet,” she said. The plan is for two routes, connecting the North Shore and Vancouver — Granville Island to the St. Roch dock at Shipyard Park next to Lonsdale Quay and Westin Bayshore Hotel dock to St. Roch. The two boats, with room for 12 passengers, will be scheduled to leave hourly from each location, she said. The service is offering a “soft launch” this week, with full regular service expected by the beginning of June. The service is being offered as a “hop off” daylong tour for passengers who buy a $75 daily pass for unlimited travel. Smirnow said the company expects locals who want to save time and “avoid sitting in traffic” on the two bridges will take the 25-minute Granville Island-Lonsdale Quay trip. The other crossing is expected to take 15 minutes. It competes with TransLink’s SeaBus, which costs a quarter of the one-way price and departs from downtown Vancouver. Pacific Ferries, which also operates boats between Gibson’s Landing on the Sunshine Coast, Bowen Island and Granville Island, has leases with the operators of each of the docks and the permission of Transport Canada and the various municipalities for the service. “People we’ve talked to are super excited,” said Smirnow. Granville Island’s manager, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., last year launched a transportation strategy designed to reduce the number of vehicles at the popular tourist attraction. This month, it implemented a hefty fee for tour buses who drive on to the island to drop off passengers and eliminated the parking lot for the buses. The new service is a “welcome alternative” for residents and tourists from the North Shore and downtown Vancouver to visit Granville Island “without driving,” said spokeswoman Lisa Ono in an email. She said it adds to the service offered by False Creek Ferries and by Aquabus on False Creek. vancouversun.com/news/local-news/could-tourist-ferries-from-vancouver-to-north-shore-pave-way-for-commutersAs someone who's long thought that our local waterways, particularly the Fraser River, are vastly under utilized for passenger transportation, I've pondered a lot of likely routes. Can't say that Lonsdale Quay to Granville Island ever jumped out as a crying need. Are North Van people going to pay $30 round trip to shop for fresh salmon on Granville Island? And Bayshore Inn to Lonsdale? Who would be paying to do that? According to their website, this company is starting up their Gibsons service tomorrow after a long hiatus. We'll see where things lead.
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Post by whalebreath on May 15, 2018 14:31:59 GMT -8
Not as long as there's a fish market at Lonsdale Quay (!)
Anyway I understand it's a rhetorical question everything a person needs can be found around Lower Lonsdale and I can see this service appealing to visitors and people entertaining visitors but residents not so much.
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Post by whalebreath on Jun 22, 2018 12:36:13 GMT -8
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Post by Kahloke on Aug 13, 2019 18:30:46 GMT -8
synchronized pickle boats in Victoria's Inner Harbour
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,175
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Post by Neil on Aug 31, 2019 20:16:52 GMT -8
I was playing tourist this afternoon. Parked at Scott Road Station, and figured out, eventually, how to buy the 'compass' ticket that I needed, all the while breathing in the inviting aroma of pee around the machine. Ahh, the joys of urban transit that I usually miss out on.
Rode the train to New Westminster station, transferred, riding to Lougheed, and transferred again to ride the new section to Lafarge Lake. A pleasant walk around the lake, then back onboard for a full Millenium experience to VCC Clark, something I hadn't done before. Then back to New Westminster. Transit is always a fun experience for me, since I do it so seldom, and sitting at the engineer's seat on the Millenium section made it even more enjoyable.
Then, the second part of my transit tourist afternoon; the Q to Q ferry from Westminster Quay to Queensborough. You can't just wander down the gangplank any more and drop your money in a jar... you have to buy tickets, from one of two vendors in the market. Last time I rode, two years ago, the vessel was the Hollyburn, a fairly large but very noisy and stinky vessel. Western Mariner tells us that the Hollyburn has been re-engined, but the current vessels are the former Bowen Island passenger ferries operated by Bowen Sea and Land Taxi, although I don't know if that is actually the operator of the Q to Q. Small, but powerful boats; I can understand why the neighbour company operating the small paddlewheeler Native has scrawled a sign on pilings asking for minimum wash. Queensborough residents must be happy about the quieter nature of the current vessels; the racket from the Hollyburn was awful.
One thing I'm thinking they might do to market this venture; slow down the crossing. It's only about three minutes, and the ferries really open up once they get out on the river. Speed isn't of the essence. They sit for a fair while at dock, and I'm thinking that passengers might enjoy three more minutes on the river. Nothing wrong with eight or nine knots.
Looks like the Q to Q ferry is now a permanent fixture on the river. I'm wondering if this might not be the start of a much needed development of the Fraser as a link in our transit network... how could we ever have lost it in the first place?
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Post by Mike on Feb 24, 2020 19:44:55 GMT -8
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Post by WettCoast on Jul 26, 2021 22:25:56 GMT -8
Water taxi that stops at five Southern Gulf Islands to set sail later this year
For the most part people can make day trips between the SGI's, and can do it fairly cheaply as footies via BCF. So would there be enough demand for the proposed service to make it viable?
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Post by northwesterner on Jul 27, 2021 11:54:22 GMT -8
Water taxi that stops at five Southern Gulf Islands to set sail later this year
For the most part people can make day trips between the SGI's, and can do it fairly cheaply as footies via BCF. So would there be enough demand for the proposed service to make it viable?
I'd say no, however, if it calls in the main towns rather than where the BCF terminals are, then it's a maybe. Ganges and Montague Harbor are a long ways from the BCF terminals if you don't have a car.
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Post by Mike on Jul 27, 2021 13:05:46 GMT -8
Water taxi that stops at five Southern Gulf Islands to set sail later this year
For the most part people can make day trips between the SGI's, and can do it fairly cheaply as footies via BCF. So would there be enough demand for the proposed service to make it viable?
I'd say no, however, if it calls in the main towns rather than where the BCF terminals are, then it's a maybe. Ganges and Montague Harbor are a long ways from the BCF terminals if you don't have a car. That was my thought as well. They might do pretty well serving the smaller ports of call that are far from BC Ferries terminals.
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Post by WettCoast on Jul 27, 2021 17:24:33 GMT -8
I'd say no, however, if it calls in the main towns rather than where the BCF terminals are, then it's a maybe. Ganges and Montague Harbor are a long ways from the BCF terminals if you don't have a car. That was my thought as well. They might do pretty well serving the smaller ports of call that are far from BC Ferries terminals. The proposed fares for this new service look to be about three times what it costs to make connections with BC Ferries. I have serious doubt that the proposal is any more viable than similar schemes that have come along previously. But if price is closer to the BC Ferry fare then survival is more likely.
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Post by Victoriaclass on Jul 28, 2021 21:31:41 GMT -8
I'd say no, however, if it calls in the main towns rather than where the BCF terminals are, then it's a maybe. Ganges and Montague Harbor are a long ways from the BCF terminals if you don't have a car. That was my thought as well. They might do pretty well serving the smaller ports of call that are far from BC Ferries terminals. Might be a bit more practical as a gulf islands to Victoria service, however a ferry ticket and bus pass would probably still be cheaper.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,175
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Post by Neil on Jul 28, 2021 21:41:13 GMT -8
That was my thought as well. They might do pretty well serving the smaller ports of call that are far from BC Ferries terminals. The proposed fares for this new service look to be about three times what it costs to make connections with BC Ferries. I have serious doubt that the proposal is any more viable than similar schemes that have come along previously. But if price is closer to the BC Ferry fare then survival is more likely. Couple of years ago I read about a proposal for a passenger only ferry to connect the islands to Sidney... I guess that petered out before it ever started. This is a fairly expensive fare structure. Good that they're using Ganges. Looks like they're docking on Pender near the main commercial center, and I wonder if on Mayne it's Miners Bay, which would make sense. Somehow I doubt that many tourists would use this service, since only Saltspring has transit once you get there. I'd be interested to know the difference in inter-island traffic and why people travel between various points compared to the San Juans, given that the American side has its own dedicated car ferry for the purpose.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,175
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Post by Neil on Jun 24, 2023 21:39:09 GMT -8
20230622_170902 by neophytef9, on Flickr Most likely, there are photos of the Newcastle Island ferry on here already, but if not, or if the vessel has changed, this is the boat currently on the run. I can't count the number of times I've gone into Departure Bay over the last fifty years and looked at the land on the south side, at first not even knowing it was an island. This week, my daughters and I went over for the afternoon. What a gorgeous place, and how generous of the Snuneymuxw people to share it with us all as a provincial park. We want to go back. I was intrigued to see that Newcastle is also joined to Protection at a very low tide. It's about a two hour walk around the whole island, and there's another trail through the center. The boat pictured is the Grey Selkie, and there is another smaller vessel tied up at the Nanaimo dock, I guess for when they're expecting fewer passengers. The Grey Selkie carries forty passengers, though I think that would be a tight fit. About a five minute crossing.
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Post by whalebreath on Jun 28, 2023 21:11:40 GMT -8
Anyone done any of the newly reopened Aqualink runs yet? aqualink.ca/
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Post by WettCoast on Dec 23, 2023 10:10:04 GMT -8
Merry Christmas to all the good folks on the WCFF and on Protection Island & the people who run the Protection Connection. They really know how to dress up a boat for the holidays ... Island Mist, a 'Protection Connection' ferry, all dressed up for the Christmas season. I believe this boat was once one of the original Queen of Surrey's eight life boats.
22 December 2023
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Post by paulvanb on Dec 25, 2023 15:57:31 GMT -8
Merry Christmas to all the good folks on the WCFF and on Protection Island & the people who run the Protection Connection. They really know how to dress up a boat for the holidays ... Island Mist, a 'Protection Connection' ferry, all dressed up for the Christmas season. I believe this boat was once one of the original Queen of Surrey's eight life boats.
22 December 2023
Merry Christmas, Jim!
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