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Post by yak on Nov 15, 2023 20:01:13 GMT -8
Rough sailing for Hullo this weekend.
Minor weather damage? Lots of logs out there the last week. If I were to speculate that's the first culprit I'd be looking at. I haven't followed Hullo closely but has anyone seen how these vessels handle beam seas (which they will see a lot of for 6 months of the year)? I spent a year relieving on a catamaran (the venerable North Island Princess) and they are special animals when it comes to swell... I have no horse in this race but the word "reliability" is being thrown around a lot on this forum and on the street - even among "normies". I love the basic idea of harbour to harbour transit but if customers are having plans scuttled routinely then the business model begins to fall apart. I'm reminded of off-season flights from Comox to Vancouver Harbour with Harbour Air when I was a Cadet at BCIT - I tried to take advantage of this on multiple occasions but only made it to my intended destination 1/4 of the time. I don't think they bother in the winter anymore. Anyway, if these guys are going to survive they'll need to crack that code, regardless of how deep their pockets are. In regards to the drydocking of the other vessel - I have some sympathy as a Master of several Damen built Island Class vessels over the last three years. Part of the deal from the shipyard is customer support when the ships enter service. The shipping company, whether it be BCF or Hullo will want to take full advantage of that while the ships are under warranty. October/November for an out of service period actually makes sense... until your single other vessel is sidelined.
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Post by yak on Nov 15, 2023 19:25:09 GMT -8
I'd say keep an eye open for changes coming in the near future. Refit is a good time to make some updates.
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Post by yak on Nov 14, 2023 16:27:40 GMT -8
Looks like this will get underway in earnest in the new year. One benefit behind the scenes will be a meeting space in the new building.
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Post by yak on Oct 13, 2023 19:53:15 GMT -8
Lots of ship shuffling planned in the coming 2-3 weeks. The SoVI now needs to head to drydock earlier than expected www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6981378Here's an interesting clarification to a previous story: Clarifications A previous version of this story stated the Coastal Renaissance was getting repaired in Indiana. In fact, the vessel's rotor is the only part being repaired in Indiana. 1696100731892 Can a big ferry like this get to Indiana? It would take a few weeks for such a voyage to happen. Not that a ferry would actually make this journey but for trivia junkies, "Seaway Max" (the largest vessel that can transit the locks in the St Lawrence Seaway) is 740ft long and 78ft wide with a draught of 26 1/2ft. A Coastal Class ferry easily fits within the length and draught requirements but with a beam of 92 1/2ft she's a little too girthy. Interestingly the Sunshine Coast Queen (ex-Vacationland) would have had to do this journey in reverse - coming from Michigan. At 75ft wide she would have locked thru with "acres of space"...
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Post by yak on Jul 13, 2023 22:10:33 GMT -8
Salish Orca departing Little River en route across the Salish Sea to Powell River. Did this vessel not get any TLC during the 22-23 refit season. She's looking a bit 'rough' especially considering that she has only been five years in service. Vessels are in pretty good shape in every way that counts out of refit; though I agree with the assessment on the roughness of the rust (s***) stains that form in short order. Island Class have similar 'bleeding' due to different metals being used as fasteners for certain components. Ugly but not critical as far as being functional. Again, no disagreement that it doesn't "look" great but it also isn't indicative of the "TLC" put into the boat and it's structure during periods out of service - refits are pretty intense given the time constraints.
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Post by yak on Jun 11, 2023 1:18:20 GMT -8
Island Nagalis, one of six Island class vessels now in BCF fleet, seen here en route from Quadra Island to Campbell River. Viewed from her running mate & twin sister, the I K'ulut'a.
This was the first time I have been aboard any one of the Island class vessels.
Question for those in the know: which vessel is designated 'IC-1'?
I think maybe BCFS could have built something like the Skeena Queen for this route and ended up saving a bunch of money. On the other hand Quadra residents have a much enhanced ferry service over what they had previously.
30 May 2023
IC 1 = Discovery IC 2 = Aurora IC 3 = Nagalis IC 4 = K'ulut'a IC 5/6 = Gwawis/Kwigwis but I can't remember which is which... Keep in mind that the strategy of building a standardized minor class vessel vs. "something like a Skeena Queen" is meant to simplify interoperability overall. Besides other benefits with hardware and spares it is quicker/cheaper to train "staffing pool" crew familiar with these boats with a route rather than a vessel and a route at the same time. As a ferry nerd I am a big fan of the character and individuality of the last generation of ships. As someone who has to keep the highway open, I get why the trend has been to create a standardized platform. Also, as an aside - one issue with a Skeena Queen type vessel on Route 23 is that the space occupied by the terminals is smaller than what is available on a Century class vessel. Moving more traffic per hour with two "minor" vessels vs. one "intermediate" vessel makes sense given the space constraints on land.
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Post by yak on Jun 11, 2023 0:56:33 GMT -8
To be clear, it wasn't oversized vehicles but vehicles with long overhangs over the rear axle such as Class A motorhomes.
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Post by yak on Jun 11, 2023 0:52:56 GMT -8
A car stopper is a modern term for the steel barrier that folds up vertically at either end of the car deck, preventing cars from rolling off the deck. The Salish have this as well, but just slightly inside of the visor. Older vessels such as the Skeena, Quinsam, or QQ2 have/had something similar to this. It's typically called a bow gate there Okay... I get it. What an odd term, though. All I could think of was the wooden blocks that deck crew shove under a wheel of the rear or front vehicles. Sounds like a small thing but functional car stoppers are actually a requirement for continued sailings on the Island Class. "Car blocks", the orange things chocking tires onboard are also good to have...
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Post by yak on Apr 16, 2023 0:11:06 GMT -8
Odd she didn't drop anchor as I saw some reports that there were 5 minutes between the blackout and touching bottom. Also curious about why her evacuation systems were deployed when there was no obvious risk of sinking. I'm sure there are explanations but those things stuck out to me.
EDIT: And yes, of course, it is good to see that no one was injured...
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Post by yak on Mar 25, 2023 23:32:09 GMT -8
The design was actually done by an old school friend of mine (Ian Adams of ROAM Media in the Comox Valley). Ironically we both had our "Dry Grad" in 2003 aboard the Queen of Burnaby. With Route 17 now serving beverages it would seem like a collaboration with Townsite could be a no-brainer
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Post by yak on Mar 24, 2023 23:02:34 GMT -8
Aha, the Westview - Gillies Bay - Little River route. Those storm courses are interesting to observe, and interesting in the simple geometry of angles. Thing I didn't quite get, though, was when I looked at Environment Canada, at 10pm they were reporting winds at Powell River and Comox at 15kph. I wonder if the high windage of those Salish class vessels presents a particular challenge. Windage isn't really a factor, at least not during the passage. I can't speak to that particular night but the weather courses are purely related to how the vessel handles in the seas. The traditional weather route goes south of Favada Point until the lee of Texada is lost and then a well timed turn puts the predominant SE swell on or near the stern of the vessel. Other approaches have been tried over the years and sometimes a full weather course isn't require but as Mike says, "simple geometry".
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Post by yak on Feb 24, 2023 18:23:46 GMT -8
Ran into her (well, not literally) a few nights ago in Discovery Passage. Whenever we get visitors like this I am pretty sure the bridge crew smile and nod out of politeness as the Captain rambles on about Spaulding heritage in our own fleet...
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Post by yak on Feb 11, 2023 22:16:43 GMT -8
They do (or at least they did when I was there) but it isn't like they run on fumes. Depending on what they had left it could have meant an unscheduled re-fueling somewhere down the road or, just as possible, taking a little extra next Saturday.
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Post by yak on Jan 18, 2023 18:04:16 GMT -8
The Island Nagalis is once again headed for Discovery Passage this morning. Probably pretty wild out there considering the windstorm last night. Yup... Though it was wilder on the trip back to Buckley Bay last night. We had the wind and seas at our back for most of the trip this morning.
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Post by yak on Jan 18, 2023 18:01:22 GMT -8
Looks like someone forgot their overnight bag. On the app I'm using they struck out and turned back. The crew are probably waiting for Powell River Queen to leave Quathiaski Cove tie up berth. As much as I enjoy the theory that I forgot my overnight bag, we did get a change of orders due to us having nowhere to berth with the PRQ mechanical failure (Campbell River is too exposed). It was the right call as having the hobbled PRQ head south in that storm was a bigger risk than sending us back to Buckley Bay.
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Post by yak on Jan 17, 2023 20:59:49 GMT -8
Just to keep the historical record straight, as the above two posts don't exactly summarize it well, Island K'ulut'a was officially scheduled to take over service on route 23 as of the 7:00pm sailing from Quathiaski Cove. Due to the breakdown of Powell River Queen a couple hours before the changeover was scheduled to occur, I'm not certain whether it got into service earlier than 7:00pm. Actually it was supposed to be the Nagalis at 1900 tonight with the K'ulut'a starting tomorrow but the Powell River Queen decided to have the last laugh...
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Post by yak on Dec 21, 2022 22:49:38 GMT -8
Without getting too deep into it, the technology sounds pretty interesting. An important aspect will be delivering sufficient power during relatively short layovers in the dock. This will mean storage of energy on shore so that it can be quickly "dumped" into the vessel's batteries on demand. Charging will be fully automated. Phase I and II Island Class vessels will need additional battery banks to take full advantage of the power management strategy.
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Post by yak on Dec 3, 2022 21:33:32 GMT -8
I considered putting this in "Scenes From a Ferry" but thought I'd give the PRQ a bump instead.
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Post by yak on Dec 3, 2022 21:24:24 GMT -8
Powell River Queen in Quathiaski Cove Link
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Post by yak on Nov 18, 2022 20:11:53 GMT -8
Island K'ULUT'A is now start of trial routes from Campbell river to Quathiaski Cove from Monday to Friday expect holiday. I believe started last Thursday until December 20, then two boat service starts on January 1 according to the website. Rotating various crews through 5-6 day training regimens. Some training days include running Q. Cove to Campbell River with or without passenger loads while other days will be spent alongside the layby berth or performing other maneuvers. First day on the run will not be January 1st but the last day of scheduled training is December 20th. Exact training dates are based on crew availability (PRQ still needs to stay staffed) rather than a M-F schedule.
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Post by yak on Nov 2, 2022 21:54:13 GMT -8
Wow bc ferries really does not want her Im guessing her interior assets were donated to the nanaimo and chilliwack when they went to fiji Some spares were taken when the Nanaimo left for Fiji but by that point the Burnaby was already too far gone to ever be used as a vessel again. I recall one of ther generators being Frankensteined into the Nanny as a powerplant for one of her bow thrusters after she (the Burnaby) was laid up at Deas back in the summer of (I want to say) 2017(?). That was pre-retirement of the Nanaimo just to keep her going for a few more months and that donor generator was already thousands of hours overdue for replacement or overhaul. Weirdly, my high school grad was on the Burnaby back in 2003 and even then I remember speculating with a friend about what uses she'd have once retired. Just goes to show that almost 20 years ago she was already showing signs that her end of life as a BC Ferry was apparent. (As a couple of teenage boys we figured she'd make a wicked paintball venue). I love my classic ferries but the Burnaby is done, done, done.
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Post by yak on Oct 13, 2022 20:50:03 GMT -8
I took windy sailing on board Island Gwawis, I was amazed that how she handled it. The Island Class are like major vessels in handling wind conditions hopefully this can lead to less weather cancellation in future for the Island Class vessels. A lot depends on the wind direction and fetch (distance swell has to form) vs. the direction of travel. The Island Class have weather limitations similar to some of the larger vessels in the fleet but some of the strengths and weaknesses are still being felt out. With the NW winds you're likely referencing (what we saw earlier this week) a lot of the vessels don't see too much fetch, including those on Route 19. As a passenger this can feel very rock solid even with the wind blowing. From experience I can say that beam seas with a large swell aren't very comfortable on any vessel - and that is a limiting factor when the SE winds pick up through the winter. Another limiting factor is how much power is required to offset the wind and maintain control while docking. Even if it doesn't feel rough because the seas aren't up a strong wind can create hazardous conditions on approach.
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Post by yak on Oct 13, 2022 20:32:57 GMT -8
Oh, thanks, CHEK 6. You've just informed banned miscreants how to beat security; get a better wig, and practice your accent. I always wondered, with 22 million passengers a year, how BC Ferries could possibly keep track of the few who weren't allowed to sail. Turns out that even at a smaller terminal like Campbell River, they're on the ball. Also reinforces my decision to never try to cover up my shiny dome with a rug. They're ridiculous. Smaller terminals are in some ways easier - everybody knows everybody, wig or no wig...
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Post by yak on Oct 7, 2022 20:21:24 GMT -8
In Island Class news... Most vessels are now in their home regions. One of the last puzzle pieces is a swap between the K'ulut'a and Aurora. On October 17th the Aurora will leave Quathiaski Cove bound for her home port of Alert Bay. She'll overnight at the government dock before returning to service on the 18th. K'ulut'a will depart Alert Bay before the first scheduled sailing on the 18th and proceed down to the Quathiaski Cove layby berth to serve as the training vessel for Route 23 crews in November and December. Island Nagalis, in the meantime, is penciled in to remain in Buckley Bay until required for Route 23 service.
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Post by yak on Sept 27, 2022 21:24:02 GMT -8
Not exactly on the 1st but soon after (post holiday break).
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