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Post by Mike C on Oct 8, 2020 10:10:42 GMT -8
Walk on reservations? Is this an issue anywhere in the system? I have been subject to two walk on waits, both when the V class were on their way our and the pax capacity was dropped more than 50% to 600ish. Yeah, my two experiences with walk-on waits were when the North Island Princess was on Route 7 during the Queen of Burnaby's existential crisis and subsequent fleet moves, and way back on the Queen of Tsawwassen at Sturdies Bay. My understanding is they happen occasionally on Route 9, and on the odd C-class sailings on Route 2, like a few instances a year. Rather than an RBI system for foot pax (ugh), I would like to see some sort of mobile prepay option that just requires a barcode scan at the terminal, similar to how boarding passes / tickets are issued to your smartphone on long distance buses, rail, planes, and other modes of transport. Skip the booth / ticket counter. ---------- EDIT: Just a quick comment re. the goal of "seamless" transfer between ferries and transit: This is challenging to achieve without significant investments of contingency service hours, for extra buses to wait at terminals for late ferries. This may not be a big ask for TransLink, but certainly for those smaller systems like Saltspring Island, Sunshine Coast, Comox, and even Nanaimo. The province would have to allocate a percentage of service expansion hours to that purpose.
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Post by Mike C on Sept 30, 2020 14:14:03 GMT -8
Ok, two quick notes in response: First Mike C, once the border reopens next year it'd be tragic to add to the lost tourism base for the Saanich Peninsula and cost small businesses. It's also lost history. Tourism on the Saanich Peninsula does not depend on the existence of this service. It is already served by one of the busiest ferry routes in the country, has the second largest ferry terminal on the continent, and has an international airport with a few million travelers annually. It would not be a tragedy from an economic perspective. "Loss of history" does not constitute tragedy, either - historical precedence of a service like this does not guarantee its' longevity. Disappointment, not tragedy. So you would prefer not to chip in a few hundred thousand dollars to $500K as matching funds to WSF's to help keep small businesses on the Saanich Peninsula afloat? Wow. At least I now have a good read of the room. This I sincerely appreciate. Joe, I'm going to ask you to dial down the hyperbole here. I don't think anyone is suggesting that they want to see a complete economic collapse of the Saanich Peninsula, we're trying to evaluate the merits of the service based on the realities in BC. The communities of Sidney and North Saanich have not, and will not, shut their doors as a result of losing a once-daily seasonal ferry service. I admit that I haven't seen the data for myself, but I am additionally unconvinced that the economic benefit and dollars spent in Sidney equal the cool half million you propose BC commits. The economy of that community would collapse, however, if the provincial government decided to allocate those dollars to that WSF service instead of spending it on maintaining BC Ferries' existing service levels, which brings far more traffic (and economic benefit) into the area. A single Spirit-class sailing would likely be 3-4x traffic and economic benefit than an international route round trip on an Issaquah. I would tend to agree with others that a service like the Coho does provide substantive economic benefits to both downtown Victoria and Port Angeles. I just don't think that's the case with Sidney-Anacortes. While it certainly does have some tangential economic benefit in Sidney, this is a "nice-to-have" for BC.
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Post by Mike C on Sept 30, 2020 8:51:52 GMT -8
That may be the case, and it would be tragic if this run was terminated as a result. That said, WSF has a severe gulf between funding and domestic needs like a low income fare. Imagine if an island or a County decided to withhold their contribution to the State Ferry System and yet continue to receive service. That wouldn't go on for very long. I don't think our American neighbors have any obligation to consult with Canadian legislators about the international run. At the same time, BC certainly has no obligation- and I don't think there's a precedent- to contribute to the 'odd man out' of the WSF system. If WSF has to spend limited resources elsewhere, it's understandable. I think it's been somewhere near a hundred years that a ferry has run from Anacortes or the Bellingham area to Vancouver Island. It would be a shame to lose it, but the fact is, Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay provides almost the same link, and it wasn't there when the Anacortes/Bellingham connection was established. Just adding my voice to this conversation as someone who has some knowledge of the ongoing work around COVID-relief funding for transportation agencies in BC: There is currently zero desire to engage in additional subsidies for services that are not considered absolutely essential or don't have a significant tangible benefit BC. Given the relatively low number of trips made to Sidney, I'm going to say that the current provincial government would much sooner allocate any available money for ferry service behind ensuring the long term sustainability of BC Ferries' existing services, rather than contributing to WSF. Washington State generally is not going to get a sympathetic ear from BC around the woes of state transportation funding and expect BC to cover those shortfalls. As it's been stated elsewhere on the forum, the provincial government has pledged $1b for the ferries, TransLink, and BC Transit. This money is expected to cover revenue shortfalls and added operational costs related to COVID in the medium-term - at this time, there's been some expectation-setting, and no one is planning on any additional funding to come specifically for transportation beyond this. At BC Transit for example, all service hours have been deferred indefinitely, including all previously committed money for the 2020-21 Provincial FY. We don't know yet how that's going to pan out for future years. Regarding the engagement piece, as others have noted, I suspect this is a non-issue for Victoria-area politicians who have some larger issues on their hands. Right now, constituents are more worried about where their next paycheque will come from rather than a part-time infrequent ferry service to the San Juans. The loss of service would be disappointing, but I don't think it would be tragic.
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Post by Mike C on Sept 28, 2020 8:22:14 GMT -8
I’ve been enjoying the new site, especially the mobile-friendly format. That said, is there a way to display the schedules for the northern routes in a summarized format, the way it was displayed on the previous site? It used to show a full table of sailings, dates of operations, vessels, and stops. Now, you have to select your sailing dates and start-end points before viewing the schedule, as the seasonal schedule doesn’t seem to display these sailings properly.
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Post by Mike C on Sept 22, 2020 9:51:22 GMT -8
The new website for BC Ferries is now live. I haven't had time to look at it fully yet, but here it is H E R E PS: The ferry fans are at the bottom of the main page. Scott made the main page, but Curtis is relegated to the "Meet More" link. My 2 items of feedback on the new website: 1) The cover photo looks over-exposed to me. 2) I used to use the Reservations page to easily see when an upcoming sailing day was fully-reserved. I can't see that easily anymore. For example, if my spouse was going to be travelling to Westview next week on a Friday, I'd be looking at this week's reservation page for this Friday to see when and if the reservations would sell-out, to give me an idea of whether I need to book a reservation for her next week trip (you know, based on the prior week's actual experience). I can't do that anymore. ...but I'm hopeful that I'm just not finding the right option to look at, and that someone will understand what I'm trying to say, and point me to the right page. It displays a bit differently now. Sailings that are fully booked for reservations now display a “Not Available Online” message in red text and the button to “view fares” to book disappears. It would be nice to see it display the percentage of available reservation space that has been spoken for.
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Post by Mike C on Sept 17, 2020 6:10:30 GMT -8
Looks like she might have been sold. A post on the facebook BC Maritime site has a photo of her being towed, and on the sale site, it's listed as 'sale pending', as mentioned here a couple of posts back. Hopefully, more information to come. Following the tug’s AIS, she appears to have been towed to the wharf adjacent to the old mill north of Campbell River, alongside the Royal City Star.
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Post by Mike C on Aug 15, 2020 8:56:44 GMT -8
princessofvanfan: apologies for this coming off harsh, and i know you are just playing advocate, but if you arrive at the terminal :30 prior to departure and you do not get on, or if the boat does not depart on time, that is a breach of contract. under either of those circumstances, reservation holders should be entitled to a refund (the point about extracting maximum dollars from the traveling public is inconsequential). Blue Bus Fan: i was skeptical at the reason you provided, so i did some math Assumption: sail time 1:35 dwell time 0:25 - - - - - - - - - - - - - magical = 2:00 SBC avg td: 1:37 & 0:29 (overall: 0:51 late at end of day) SVI avg td: 1:28 & 0:32 (overall: 0:01 late at end of day) the reason you provided appears to hold weight. despite a longer dwell time, SVI is able to make it back in sail time. thank-you for revealing the reason. how did you come across this knowledge? i fully agree BCF should be more honest with the delays, but more importantly, i think BCF should be more ethical in how they collect reservation charges. There is no 'breach of contract', because there was never any contract signed. You simply reserved a vehicle space for a sailing scheduled to leave at a given time. It is understood that circumstances can cause a sailing to be late, or even cancelled. Good luck in finding a lawyer who would argue your point in court. Come on Neil, I can see the 3 AM class-action TV ads now. “Have you or a loved one been affected by a late BC ferry at some point between June 1960 and now? You may be entitled to financial compensation!”
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Post by Mike C on Jul 20, 2020 11:19:12 GMT -8
i've noticed a lot of you guys either have major irritations/serious issues with BCF's service notices. there's a lot of stuff which went on today that i'm sure will drive you guys bonkers. it took me a bit to piece it together, but with all the serious delays, i sense enough ppl got mad about it that it's going to be on the late news. if it's not, i'll put up some screenshots for you guys tm. I’d really prefer to not have this thread become an airing of grievances, so I’d request maybe refraining from posting screenshots, especially if they come from social media. I think saying “passengers are upset” pretty well summarizes it.
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Post by Mike C on Jul 16, 2020 14:15:05 GMT -8
Quadra Queen II is currently moored at Blubber Bay on Texada right now but will not be put into service today due to unknown reasons. Salish Eagle will be making stops at Texada today on it’s trips between Powell River and Little River. What a mess! www.bcferries.com/bcfservicenotice?id=7960 I think if I was the Minister of Transportation, responsible for the operations at BCFS, I would be 'requesting' some explanation as to why this new vessel is experiencing this sort of problem and whether or not we are likely to see this occur with the other new vessel? The constituents of the ridings involved with this "inconvenience" deserve an explanation as they had high hopes for their new vessel eh? Some teething issues are almost inevitable with a new ship. Based on my recollection I think some level of early-service mechanical issues have occurred on nearly every BC Ferry since the 90s (though admittedly not all being a full stoppage of service like this). It happens. I don’t think they’re owed an explanation of the breakdown itself, but rather why the newly designated minor route relief vessel is, well, unable to tend to relief duties when needed. This does seem to continue the longstanding tradition of Routes 17/18 feeling the bulk of mechanical issues... even with two new ships.
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Post by Mike C on Jul 11, 2020 10:41:41 GMT -8
Hello everyone, I wanted to make a quick note for those of us in BC. We’re now well into Phase 3 of the recovery plan, which has allowed for things like discretionary travel and small gatherings. COVID cases have been on a steady decline, and we are exceptionally lucky to live where we live. Dr. Henry, if you’re reading this, you’re doing a great job! I wanted to make some notes around discretionary and non-essential travel on BC Ferries: Before you go: Check the BCFS website for updates on traffic conditions and scheduling updates. Despite our low daily numbers, we are still in the pandemic, so consider traveling at non-peak times to give space for those who need it, such as island residents and essential travellers. Masks and Physical Distancing: BC Ferries has asked that we stay six feet apart on board. Transport Canada has requested that masks be carried with you at all times while traveling on the ferries, for times when physical distancing is not possible. COVID Information by Region: The province disseminates COVID-related numbers by health region (Vancouver-Coastal health, Island health, Fraser health, Interior health, and Northern health). While almost all ferries travel between the first three regions, consider the different figures and transmission numbers of each health authority and the risks of traveling between them. If numbers start to tick up in a certain area, that should weigh on a decision to travel. Several island communities have requested that non-residents avoid traveling there due to limited capacities of healthcare infrastructure - check for updated information on each island you plan to travel to. Local states of emergency and information are often found with a quick Google search. While these are often not strictly enforced, they should be followed out of respect for residents. In particular, avoid travel to Haida Gwaii.
We will allow for posting of discretionary travel on the ferries, in accordance with the advice of health authorities around non-essential travel. I am constantly impressed with the initiative this forum has taken for keeping everyone safe and healthy. I know sometimes we think we’re bleeding ourselves dry against the draw of Facebook groups with intense discourse, but I’m glad we’ve held steady and respectable during this time. This group is adaptable and resilient. I’m looking forward to late-summer ferry travels and seeing more photos in the months ahead. Thanks everyone.
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Post by Mike C on Jul 9, 2020 6:03:24 GMT -8
I have noticed on the Gulf Island schedules for Sunday nights after the Cumberland arrives at 9:30pm from Sturdies Bay she does another round trip to Pender at 9:40pm. I am wondering if this is a Covid related change?? Because usually the Sunday night sailing from Village Bay and Sturdies Bay on the Cumberland would usually stop at Otter Bay before finishing up the night at Swartz Bay. Anyone know the reason for this?? I have some family on Pender, and they’ve made note on Facebook about the issues of traveling between Otter Bay and Swartz Bay with the limited capacity. There have been lots of reports of overloads trying to get off the island. It wouldn’t surprise me, as Otter Bay is usually the last stop before Swartz. I’m guessing this is a shot at addressing that
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Post by Mike C on Jul 7, 2020 16:18:31 GMT -8
Regrettably this didn’t pan out - this is a thread from 2012, and unfortunately in that 8 years, we didn’t receive any flags. Sorry to disappoint
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Post by Mike C on Jun 30, 2020 12:51:52 GMT -8
oh... ok. sorry. mods: please delete this, plus the response plus my original Members are able to delete their own posts at their discretion, by clicking on the gear-icon in the top right corner, and selecting “Delete Post”.
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Post by Mike C on May 18, 2020 10:41:59 GMT -8
BC Ferries has issued a Service Notice advising of preliminary construction work into creating a lay-by berth in Quathiaski Cove, in preparation of the deployment of Island Class vessels on this route.
It appears that the lay-by bay will be constructed away from the current terminal location, which is a bit of a first for BC Ferries to my knowledge. I'm also a little surprised they're putting both vessels on the Quadra side, unlike further south where the second vessel will be stored at Nanaimo Harbour and not on Gabriola Island. Doing a lay-up berth off-site is definitely a first. There are some secondary lay-up berths such as those at Blubber Bay and Fulford Harbour, but those are directly adjacent to the in-service berth. It will be interesting to see how the operations in this new location impact local residences on an ongoing basis, if at all. Regarding the crewing, I’m going to guess it has something to do with there being an existing crewing base in Nanaimo, but not one in Campbell River, therefore it makes more sense to have both vessels based on the island side. I could be wrong though.
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Post by Mike C on May 4, 2020 17:58:47 GMT -8
Fares start on June 1 for all Systems. For context since I don’t see much above: Fare collection has been suspended since mid-March when rear door boarding was implemented, in order to physically distance drivers from passengers. There have been subsequent safety features installed throughout BC Transit, including a bright visible red line, a physical rope separating the driver from passengers, and signage on the bus. Capacities of the coaches have also been greatly reduced to allow for physical distancing on board. The loss in revenue has had a spectrum of financial impacts, Ranging from problematic to devastating. In Prince George, we’re currently losing a total of 1.3 million in revenue each month from all sources - of which transit makes up a small portion. BC Transit’s conventional system funding model makes our system more resilient in times like this (53% funded by local gov, 47% funded by province) - more resilient, anyway, than what you’re seeing at TransLink where almost all sources of funding have been greatly reduced. Since BC Transit’s position has rightly been frontline worker and operator safety first, they needed to develop a solution to eliminating risk as much as possible, and mitigating any remaining risks that might persist. Therefore, in order to allow for fare collection, they’ve developed a vinyl barrier that will be installed province-wide in the next month.
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Post by Mike C on May 4, 2020 12:53:30 GMT -8
That sounds like that would require non-essential travel on a ferry to capture. Not necessarily. I have seen photos like that in the forum before. I am sure some pf our intrepid folks here have some somewhere in their archives. I bet EG Fleet has some dandies! Sorry Paul, I’m going to put my buzzkill hat on. I’ll speak for myself, but I’d rather not have a header that is one additional reminder of COVID. We are all immersed in it in our personal and working lives, and I would prefer to have a rotating collection of images that makes me look forward to traveling again - not a consequence of our current awful circumstances. Fortunately as you say, many of us have a wealth of images to draw from for aesthetically pleasing scenes that include the ferries from months and years gone by!
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Post by Mike C on May 3, 2020 18:30:01 GMT -8
"Please be advised that the Baynes Sound Connector has added and cancelled sailings on May 3, 2020 due to required maintenance work taking place overnight to replace a guide cable. "
www.bcferries.com/bcfservicenotice?id=7480
Service will end at 1900h this evening. Is this guide cable replacement a result of media/resident pressure? I know there have been some media reports and some rather striking photos in the last year or so of the ongoing shedding of the plastic coating (well documented on this forum).
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Post by Mike C on Apr 30, 2020 19:56:52 GMT -8
All ferry fans such as myself,I have had a word with the project manager of the new Major vessel replacement, he has told me and I quote the Queen of New Westminister is going to be the kept a few years after the final major vessel replacement vessel is built for the reason that she is in excellent shape for a ship of her age, she has very reliable and relatively good engines with lower hours on them,she also during her huge MLU in 2007/2008 had her engines overhauled and had all asbestos lead paint and PCBs removed where as the Cowichan Coquitlam and Alberni still have some in certain areas, and aswell she can and will be a viable backup as the new major vessel replacements are being worn in and as crew members are slowly getting trained on the new ships, he also has said that if she is determined to be safe and well enough to work she may also be pushed to the Queen of Oak bays And Queen of surreys retirements. If you don't believe me once again my father is a engineer who I can and will trust over someone who does not have a 3rd engineering officers certification and someone who is in charge of the New major vessel replacement which includes the New Westminister. Cheers Jimmy. It’s worth keeping in mind that this is entirely speculative at this point, regardless of source. With the crystal ball foggier than ever, there are a significant number of variables that could impact which vessels are kept, and which are retired. Things like condition assessments, licensing, necessary capacity, fluctuations in traffic, and even politics shape a ferry fleet. Additionally, it’s hard to know what the lasting impact of COVID will have on worldwide shipbuilding - issues with the supply chain or the yard itself could be a factor in all of this, and delay the current newbuild program. It’s good to know, however, that BCFS feels they are getting their money’s worth... many may recall the rather daunting amount of cash and work put into the MLU a little over a decade ago.
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Post by Mike C on Apr 28, 2020 11:11:39 GMT -8
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Post by Mike C on Apr 12, 2020 12:39:51 GMT -8
Pre-Nimpkish deployment, I always felt the Tenaka was the better candidate for the North Coast service with nominally larger vehicle capacity, capability for basic food services (as opposed to a countertop and mini-fridge with the Nimpkish), and larger passenger space with a more panoramic view on Deck 4. Sections of one of the saddle lounges were already converted for crew use, and could be converted to a handful of cabins for crew and passengers.
This is a very minor thing, but one thing about the Nimpkish is that if you wish to stay inside, you must choose which side of the ship you’d like to look out of. Speaking from experience, it’s hard to choose!
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Post by Mike C on Apr 10, 2020 12:02:22 GMT -8
MV Arrow Park III will be first inland ferry to be fully electrified in 2021: I wonder what timeline will be to convert the whole fleet to fully electrified operations. Does anyone know what the timeline will be? I don’t believe there is a specified timeline for electrification of inland ferries. The next fleet replacement will be for the Balfour, which I believe will be either electric or electric-ready. After that, it will be the Needles, which is still a ways down the road.
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Post by Mike C on Apr 7, 2020 17:52:56 GMT -8
I do remember hearing she was placed on the Quadra Island route and if I recalled correctly, Powell River Queen went off the Saltery Bay route to replace her thereafter. The NIP was supposed to be the regular ferry on the route but she couldn't handle the tides. I am thinking 1987 sounds correct. I am now trying to recall what ferry replaced the PRQ at Saltery Bay? The Queen of Chilliwack wasn't around yet. There is a history of ferries being placed on the Campbell River-Quadra route being unable to navigate Discovery Channel with tides and currents. There was a time when the Quinsam was assigned to the route to provide refit relief, however only lasted a few days and ended up requiring tug assist to make the crossing, as she was too underpowered to fight the strong currents.
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Post by Mike C on Apr 4, 2020 19:10:45 GMT -8
Washington State Ferries doesn't appear to be cutting service quite as much as BCF did, though that could change the longer this lock-down drags on. I can potentially see Edmonds-Kingston and Mukilteo-Clinton dropping to a single vessel just like SEA-BRE and SEA-BAI. And, I wouldn't be surprised to see Anacortes-San Juans go down to 3 vessels by making the weekend winter schedule daily. I would hypothesize that WSF’s higher passenger loads and passenger demand overall make service cuts a bit trickier than BCF in order to maintain physical distancing on board. I know that this is something that we’ve been trying to figure out on the transit side - basically how to manage capacity in a way that allows for six feet of separation at any given time. Certainly a whole different set of challenges than anything any transportation agency has ever worked through.
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Post by Mike C on Apr 3, 2020 22:19:26 GMT -8
Hi everyone, as a result of some member feedback and the COVID-19 subject generating 28 new posts in the BCF Service Notices thread today alone, I’ve begun moving COVID-related discussions into this thread. Please use this thread for ongoing discussions on this topic, and we will reserve the general service notices thread for exactly that. Much appreciated, Mike. I hesitated to repeat my suggestion because I knew that I was asking Forum staff to offer their time when they have other stuff going on in their lives. But, wait a minute. That's what we pay you guys for, right? Well Scott, our boss, has us all working from home these days, and those TV streaming services aren’t going to pay for themselves... though it seems my WCF paycheque got lost in the mail again...
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Post by Mike C on Apr 3, 2020 22:07:18 GMT -8
Hi everyone, this will be the thread used for COVID-19 discussion at WSF.
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