|
Post by Curtis on Sept 17, 2019 20:24:11 GMT -8
As many of us know, BC Ferries is planning to give the Horseshoe Bay terminal a major overhaul in the not too distant future. Public engagement started last year and earlier today, BC Ferries released a number of concept images of what they are planning to do and are seeking public input. Consultation lasts until October 13 and there will be a community engagement event in West Vancouver on October 7th. News Release: www.bcferries.com/bcferries/faces/attachments?id=1380303The survey with the concepts can be found by clicking "Engage Now" on the project page linked below. www.bcferries.com/about/hsbterminal/The first phase of the project is where most of the big changes will take place. It will deal with improving efficiency and upgrading existing infrastructure. A second exit road will be added along the east side of the terminal (Where vehicle traffic for Langdale traffic currently queues) and meet with the existing exit road at Keith Rd. (Where there will also be a new exit in/out of the village) The berths will also be rebuilt and realigned. Judging by the images, the berths will be aligned evenly and extend further out than the existing ones. The foot passenger waiting area will also be rebuilt over top of the existing two as a single large building with panoramic views of Horseshoe Bay. (Hopefully this improves the ferry spotting experience) The second phase will involve building a large new terminal building that will act as a transit hub and a public event space. Among the features mentioned are a new transit exchange, a public plaza for community events, and commercial space for shops and restaurants. Seems to me like they're trying to turn Horseshoe Bay into a Lonsdale Quay style experience.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Sept 12, 2019 19:01:42 GMT -8
Can someone please shed some light on this for me? I'm curious about what it really means. . . Link to Service Notice HERE. I will ask the same question: What is a "Capacity Tractor." - the simplest of worded-explanations will suffice. Thanks After putting "Capacity Tractor" into a search: It's the truck that BC Ferries uses for loading and unloading drop trailers. Capacity is the company that makes them. I recall they had one parked on the Nimpkish when I rode her last year and it appears that same practice is done on the Sea Wolf.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Aug 25, 2019 23:52:19 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Aug 4, 2019 13:32:30 GMT -8
Now for the final part of my Québec Ferry travels! Warning: VERY Photo Heavy! All Photos are © CS16 Photography and may only be used with Permission from the Owner.After a morning of walking around Old Quebec, I walked down to the ferry terminal and went for a round trip. Seems I spent a little too much time sightseeing though as I only had time for a ride on the Alphonse-Desjardins. The waiting room on the Québec side. Aboard we go! My second time aboard this vessel. Away from Québec.
Down on the vehicle deck. Coming into Lévis. The terminal building in Lévis, much like the one back in Sorel is new and very modern. The interior is quite impressive for a terminal building. The way it's designed, you could almost mistake it for a Skytrain station. Back onboard. Now some interior shots. How a ship's model should be displayed. The Island Sky ought to take note... Back on the Quebec Side. Back up at the foot of the Château Frontenac, I took a few shots of the ferries below. I probably would have rode the Lomer-Gouin had it not started raining. But I'll save that for another time, I'm sure I'll be back at some point. With this shot of the Alphonse-Desjardins, I officially ended my ferry travels and drove back to Montréal. That's all for now.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Jul 24, 2019 15:38:40 GMT -8
Now for part 2 of my Quebec Ferry travels! After arriving back in St-Ignace-De-Loyola, I hopped back in the car and drove north, crossing the St. Lawrence at Québec City, and finally reaching my next destination in Rivière-du-Loup. After making a quick stop to refuel and grabbing some St-Hubert chicken for lunch, I drove over to the Ferry terminal and got ready to board my third and final ferry of that day, the Trans-St-Laurent. Warning: VERY Photo Heavy! All Photos are © CS16 Photography and may only be used with Permission from the Owner.To start, here is the Trans-St-Laurent. Looks a bit like a certain former BC Ferry don't you think? While this route is part of the STQ system, it's one of the few routes that is operated by a separate company. Another interesting thing is that you pay onboard the vessel instead of in the terminal. An employee will walk up to your vehicle and hand you a ticket indicating your vehicle type and number of people which you have to take to the purser's office onboard and pay. You then hand your proof of payment to a crew member as you drive off the vessel. Now onboard we go. It was nice and sunny as we left Rivière-Du-Loup, but that wouldn't last long. Looking toward the terminal as we backed out. Unlike many BC Ferries vessels of a similar size, this ship has an elevator. It kind of has to though, you're not allowed on the car deck during the crossing unlike many of our open deck vessels. Not sure you'd want to in rough seas with water spraying over the bow though. Once out in the St. Lawrence, the weather started to turn grey. Not many vessels left on our coast with actual life boats like these. Now lets look at some of the interior amenities on this vessel. The restaurant with it's diner style seating gives the vessel even more of a retro feel. Her forward lounge looks a little more modern. While I can't say with 100% certainty that the Trans-St-Laurent was the vessel BC Ferries based the Queen of the Islands off, they were built in the same year and share many design elements so there is likely a connection between the two. A closer look at that name and logo. The ship's starboard corridor, the room on the right is the children's play room. You can also partially see a penny-press machine and an video arcade machine. ahead of it. I did get a pressed penny with a picture of the ferry on it. Since the person at the desk only spoke French though, it took me quite a few minutes to ask for a penny to put in the machine. We had to ask another passenger who knew both English and French to get the message across. Since this route is more of a seasonal tourist run, the ship has a bar onboard. Liquor service doesn't start until Mid-May though so the bar was more of a TV Lounge. Just so happened The Simpsons was on when I snapped the picture. Finally, here's the vessel's souvenir shop. They had a few souvenirs I considered buying such as playing cards and mugs with the Trans-St-Laurent on them, but I was busy wandering around the ferry so much that I ran out of time to buy one. So all I have was the previously mentioned pressed penny. Now we head down to the car deck. Was surprised to see this ship has platform decks. Don't know how often they get used though considering there's no way passengers can get to their vehicles once they've been raised. Must be pretty tedious loading and unloading them cause of this. This concludes my trip on the Trans-St-Laurent. In Saint-Siméon. Saint-Siméon has an interesting setup for vehicle staging. Cars get staged on the hill while trucks, trailers and commercial traffic get staged in the lot to the right. Finally we end on a shot of the waiting room and the berth. If you look through the deck of that house on the right, you can see the Trans-St-Laurent in the distance on her way back to Rivière-du-Loup. After this I got back in the car and drove south back to Québec City where I'd turn in for the night. So that's all for now, but I have one last report to make of my second time aboard the Québec-Lévis ferry.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Jul 23, 2019 15:35:37 GMT -8
So I am planning on taking a day trip up the Sunshine Coast this summer by taking the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale and then driving from Langdale to Earls Cove and then taking the ferry from Earls Cove to Saltery Bay and then driving from Saltery Bay to Westview in Powell River and taking that ferry to Comox. The question that I have is how busy does the Earls Cove-Saltery Bay run get and how busy does the Powell River-Comox get because I am just wondering if in case the ferry from Earls Cove-Saltery Bay gets full then I know what to expect and I want to know for Powell River to Comox so I know if I should make a reservation or not. The Earls Cove-Saltery Bay route to my knowledge does not overload too often during the Summer. As long as your vehicle is not outside the holding lot you should make the sailing. Even if there is an overload you should make it onto the following sailing. Whether you make your connection at Earls Cove is most dependent on the conditions of the Horseshoe Bay-Langdale route that day. A late ferry or an overload could make you miss your connection. The most likely reason for an overload at Earls Cove is if two sailings from Horseshoe Bay connect with one at Earls Cove. For example: the 2:25 and 3:15 from Horseshoe Bay connect with the 6:00/6:30 from Earls Cove. In this case, aim for the 2:25, at least if the ferry is late, you should still make the 6:00/6:30 connection. Whether you make a reservation for that earlier sailing is up to you, if not, try to get to Horseshoe Bay at least an hour early. As for Earls Cove make sure you get there before the vehicles from the 2nd connection get there. The drive between Langdale and Earls Cove usually takes 1 hour and 15 minutes. If there is no second connection, try not to waste too much time on your drive to Earls Cove.
As for Powell River-Comox, I haven't taken this route a lot during Summer recently, but since the Salish Class took over, there has been an increase in Summer overloads. I find that people tend to get in line early for sailings, though I'm sure most that do this are locals that want to guarantee they get on the sailing. Most of the overloads on this route usually depend on events going on around Powell River, on Texada Island or in Courtenay/Comox. The 8:05 is usually pretty busy for people heading out of town and going to appointments on the Island, the 11:50 can also be busy. Try to get to the terminal at least 50 minutes early. If you don't want to wait that long though, get a reservation.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Jul 12, 2019 12:58:02 GMT -8
Back in late April, I made my first trip to La Belle Province in over a decade. While most of my trip was spent in Montreal, I dedicated 2 days of it to drive north along the St. Lawrence and ride a couple ferries. Up first on this trip was the Howe Sound Queen's old stomping grounds of Sorel-Tracy and St-Ignace-De-Loyola. Warning: VERY Photo Heavy! All Photos are © CS16 Photography and may only be used with Permission from the Owner.We start on the St-Ignace side. The Catherine-Legardeur was in refit at the time so the Felix-Antoine-Savard was running in relief. The interior as one would expect is quite basic, though the greyhound style seating was kind of a surprise. Seeing as most of the STQ operated routes are 30 minutes or less, this is about all they need. I can only imagine what this vessel was like on the 2 hour Matane - Baie-Comeau - Godbout route as she was the most recent emergency vessel on that run before the Saaremaa I took over. Another interesting thing was that the crew had a radio station playing over the PA system. Didn't really have a problem with it, though whenever I get around to uploading the walkthrough it could be with YouTube the way it is. Now to the outer decks. Away from St-Ignace-De-Loyola. Lucien-L passing by. On the vehicle deck. On the Sorel-Tracy side. STQ appears to be investing in their terminal infrastructure, the terminal building is brand spanking new! So new in fact it wasn't even open yet. Since the new one wasn't in use yet, I had to settle for the old terminal building which you can see behind the new building in the photo above. I wouldn't be waiting long though. Next up was the Lucien-L. Now we board the younger sister of the Howe Sound Queen. The lounge is about what you'd expect from a ferry her age and size. Not that she needs much on a 10 minute crossing. Off we go again. Felix-Antoine waits patiently for us to clear the berth. And we return to St-Ignace-De-Loyola. That's all for now. There will be more soon though.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Jul 1, 2019 10:07:54 GMT -8
Thank you for voting!
Displayed for the months of July and August are these winning entries:
3 2 10 5 8 14
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Jun 28, 2019 23:11:30 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Jun 28, 2019 23:00:28 GMT -8
Thank you to everyone who submitted entries!
The poll will be set up shortly.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Jun 27, 2019 23:58:38 GMT -8
This is your friendly reminder that you have until 6:00 this evening to submit entries! That being said here's my entries. Full SizeFull Size
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on May 9, 2019 13:27:50 GMT -8
Greetings everyone! The flagship theme for the months of July and August, 2019 is "Ferries and Terminals."
Criteria: -Both the terminal and ferry/ferries must be present in the picture. -The perspective can be from aboard a ferry or inside/outside a terminal. -A feature of the ferry you are aboard must be visible with the terminal if there are no other ferries in the shot. (e.g. car deck, sun deck, fo'c'sle, bow visor, pickle forks etc.) -The ferry can be partially visible if it is covered by terminal structures/buildings. (e.g. you can only see the bridge or masts. As long as you can tell it's a ferry, it's good) -Ferries arriving and departing are acceptable as long as the terminal can be seen. (At the minimum, you should be able to see the dolphins or pads of the berth)
You may submit up to three (3) photos. Usual size restrictions apply. For further information, please see our Forum Flagship Rules. Nominations will be end on Friday, June 28, 2019 at 6:00 PM PDT. Voting will commence at 9:00 PM PDT.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Apr 14, 2019 18:01:14 GMT -8
North Island Princess in the snow back in Febaruary. All Photos are © CS16 Photography and may only be used with Permission from the Owner.We start were I left off in the Salish Raven thread. On the Sea Walk walking back to the terminal. Back at the terminal during loading.
In frame.
Back on the Wharf.
And away she goes. My camera battery died after this so I missed out on a few shots with the snow covered Texada as a backdrop. That's all for now.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Apr 14, 2019 17:45:27 GMT -8
Salish Raven from back in early February during the snow. All Photos are © CS16 Photography and may only be used with Permission from the Owner.
While loading in Westview.
We'd just received a fresh dusting of snow, it was lightly falling when I got there, but it was starting to turn to rain.
From the Sea Walk.
And from the side of the highway with the NIP in view.
Away from Westview.
Finally, the view towards Texada. Left of centre you can see Powell River's new Coast Guard Station nearing completion.
That's all for now.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Mar 14, 2019 15:08:16 GMT -8
One for now. Took this image and applied a filter to it to give it more of a painted look. Full Size
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Feb 27, 2019 15:34:58 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Feb 25, 2019 2:24:46 GMT -8
You may not have known it, but sometime during 2018, the North Island Princess hit what will likely be her last major milestone before retirement: 60 years in service! Now the actual day she entered service seems to have been lost to history along with some other early milestones like her launch, but back in December, a party was held onboard the NIP to celebrate her diamond anniversary. It started on the 12:15 departure from Westview. A few decorations had been strung up in the lounge and the refreshments included sandwiches, wraps, cupcakes, cookies, water, hot chocolate, coffee, and of course the cake which is pictured below. Once unloaded in Blubber Bay, more locals came onboard and the party began. A few speeches were made and the cake was cut by two of the NIP's masters and the chief engineer. They also held a draw for a couple of complimentary travel vouchers. Overall, it was a nice little gathering and good to see BC Ferries recognize the North Island Princess' 60 years of service!
A very special thanks to Jordan and the rest of the BC Ferries staff and crews who helped organize this event!
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Jan 7, 2019 14:44:37 GMT -8
The Queen of Oak Bay isn't at Departure Bay for her usual 8:25 am sailing this morning, so I had a look on Marine Traffic, and she seems to be in drydock at Esquimalt. Looks like she comes back on the schedule on January 25. The Queen of Oak Bay was docked at Langdale’s berth 2 this weekend. Made for a few unique photo opportunities with her ‘C’ Class twin, Queen of Surrey and her Route 2 counterpart, Queen of Cowichan. Judging by Marine Traffic, it looks like she departed Langdale around 0200 this morning and arrived in Esquimalt just before 0800.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Dec 29, 2018 0:35:42 GMT -8
My two! Full SizeFull SizeHonestly thought I'd have a Nimpkish shot in the running, but a lot of my best ones from that trip wouldn't have made good banners.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Nov 17, 2018 2:11:48 GMT -8
I seem to recall reading that photobucket had re-instated people's ability to share photos, even if you're not paying, and I see I was able to. I imagine it's limited, but I can't find information at first glance. Does anyone know how much they allow before you have to pay? After a bit of looking around on photobucket's website, I've found that their free plan gives you 2 GB of storage. The only catch of the free plan is that any images you host will have a "proudly hosted on photobucket" watermark attached to them. Hey, at least they aren't making you pay $400 for that privilege anymore right? Plus anyone browsing through the older posts and threads on our forum will be able to see all those old photos once again. Once you upgrade to a paid subscription, the watermark on your hosted images disappears, you get direct access to photobucket's tech support team, and you can browse photobucket ad free. With a basic plan, you're basically paying for those three features, your storage stays at a measly 2 GB. The intermediate plan bumps your storage up to 20 GB and the expert plan maxes out your storage at 2 TB. It's certainly an upgrade over the unbalanced pay model photobucket was using the last few years, but the prices are still nowhere near competitive. If anything, it makes Flickr's basic and pro accounts much more attractive.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Oct 10, 2018 0:08:34 GMT -8
Queen of Alberni Northern Adventure Howe Sound Queen
... Nah, just kidding!
Queen of Burnaby North Island Princess Tachek
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Oct 7, 2018 20:53:09 GMT -8
Just under a week ago, I contacted thomasmac about purchasing one of his prints and I received it right before the start of the weekend. I am very pleased with the print and it will be up on my wall as soon as I find a suitable frame for it. I've been asked by Thomas to upload a picture of the print as he has been unable to do so... "The Friendship Fleet"
While I know a number of members here already possess one of these prints, if you are considering purchasing one and have the funds to do so, I highly recommend you do! As he posted above, you can contact Thomas by text at 1 (250) 466-4014.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Jul 22, 2018 21:59:48 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Jun 26, 2018 12:16:17 GMT -8
Definitely an unexpected choice of class name. I guess they won’t be having a “Name the Minor-47” contest. It did seem strange that they abandoned the “Island” prefix after the Sky was built. I thought for the longest time during their conceptual stage that the “Salish” trio would carry on that name.
It does make sense for the minors to take the Island Class name considering they will regularly serve actual islands unlike our current Island vessel. One thing I wonder, will BC Ferries will start using “Island Class” for every minor vessel going forward? We haven’t heard much about the 100 car “Shuttle” ferries planned for Gabriola and Quadra, but perhaps if the 100s are based off the 47’s design they can split the class into 2 types: Island-47 and Island-100.
Wishful thinking? Maybe, but I wouldn’t put it past them. I recall part of BC Ferries’ standardization plan was to eventually have only 4 ship classes. Northern, Coastal, Salish and Island would fit that description nicely.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on May 30, 2018 23:15:59 GMT -8
The 2nd half of the terminals visited by Route 10s. All Photos are © CS16 Photography and may only be used with Permission from the Owner.Shearwater McLoughlin BayThat's all for now!
|
|