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Post by Hardy on May 16, 2007 16:45:14 GMT -8
This just serves to exascerbate an already bad situation mentioned above with one ship running behind mechanically. I can barely wait to see the end of the day "roster" of actual departure/arrival times. Looks like these crews are going to be burning some midnight (bunker) oil ...... Service Notices - Departure Bay-Horseshoe Bay Sailing Delay - Medical Emergency Updated at 4:55 pm Please be advised the Queen of Cowichan had to return to Departure Bay due to a medical emergency and is now operating approximately 2 hours behind schedule. As a result of this, the Queen of Coquitlam's 5 pm departure was also delayed leaving Departure Bay and the vessel will be operating approximately 30 minutes behind schedule. We would like to apologize for any inconvenience experienced as a result of the delays this evening. link at: www.bcferries.com/print/schedules/notices/notice05160701.html
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Post by Hardy on May 16, 2007 16:48:16 GMT -8
Finally some GOOD news for the long weekend. The Oaky is riding back to the rescue so to speak .... <fingers crossed that it will NOT have any post-refit problems, but also prepared to post service announcements regarding delayed sailings due to mechanical problems......> Service Notices - Departure Bay-Horseshoe Bay Extra Sailings Monday, May 21 With the return to service of the Queen of Oak Bay on the Horseshoe Bay – Departure Bay route from refit, the Queen of Coquitlam will provide supplemental service on the holiday Monday, May 21, at the following times: Leave Horseshoe Bay: Leave Departure Bay: 1:00 pm 3:30 pm 5:45 pm 8:15 pm The Queen of Coquitlam will also provide extra sailings on May 21 on the Horseshoe Bay – Langdale route at the following times: Leave Horseshoe Bay: Leave Langdale: 10:00 am 11:30 am These sailings provided by the Queen of Coquitlam will be in addition to the regular schedule on these routes. Please note the extra sailings scheduled for May 18 and 19 only between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay will not operate as published in the schedule brochure. For full schedule details, visit www.bcferries.com---- This means that there will be additional sailings to help folks get back, but looking carefully at the release, you can see that there is no assistance in the beginning of the weekend .... oh well, life on the coast is an adventure, or so BCFS likes to tell us!! link at: www.bcferries.com/print/schedules/notices/notice05160703.html
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Post by Hardy on May 16, 2007 16:56:40 GMT -8
Wow ... this is a bad day for BCFerries ... Cappy is on her usual crutches limping behind until her make up break, Cow and Coq are having a tough time between medical emergencies and mechanical "gremlins".
Thank goodness the Oaky is coming back soon, but as per my previous post, we all know that a post-refit ship is going to break. Let's hope that it is nothing too major when the Oaky comes back/breaks.
Man, I am glad that I don't have to answer for BCFS "quality of service"
Speaking of this .... back in the telephone industry, Telus-BC had their bad quality of service issues a few years back and the CRTC ruled that they had to give back rebates to all their subscribers. I understand that BCFS is a different set up and that there are travellers rather than subscribers ... but with this appalling level and quality of service that we are all being forced to suffer through (North Coast, Island/Mainland, Bowen etc), I think it is time to hold BCFS feet to the fire!
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Post by Ferryman on May 16, 2007 19:33:04 GMT -8
Heh, wow....Things sure took a turn for the worst this afternoon! I'm happy that they're able to pull the Oak Bay out of refit on time. But it's going to be interesting to see what happens, especially seeming how they were anticipating keeping her in refit for another week or so. Hopefully any important work wasn't cut off, to be held off until next year. Also, even better news that 3 C-Classes will be running Route 2, with a couple of extra sailings provided by the Coquitlam on Route 3. So, traditionally on a long weekend, (especially Victoria Day weekend) a Ferry breaks down. Who wants to predict what ferry will break down, causing hours of delays? I think the Ferry gods are starting to point at the Queen of Cowichan.....but I'm sure we'll see.....I'm starting to see a similar, or even worse situation, like May 2003 (2002??). Except, the Queen of Tsawwassen or Queen of Burnaby wouldn't be able to come to the rescue this time. Hopefully nothing happens to the Queen of Oak Bay and Cowichan, otherwise the Surrey might need to be pulled from Route 3, which would get replaced by a V-Class. Oh! One more thing.......If traffic gets busy at Horseshoe Bay, expect to see cars backed all the up to the Cypress Mountain turnoff, as the holding lanes outside of the terminal are all blocked off and dugup, for the new entrance/overpass for the Sea to Sky Highway. www.globalairphotos.com/large/BC/West_Vancouver/Horseshoe_Bay/2007/038/2
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Post by Political Incorrectness on May 16, 2007 19:38:12 GMT -8
That spirit of the queen of the north sure is not happy with the name "northern adventure", now we have a curse going through the fleet.
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Post by Hardy on May 16, 2007 20:47:50 GMT -8
What a bunch of bloody optimists <wink>
I am expecting that the Oaky will have been rushed and that something will not be right. She'll limp along. Whatever is ailing the Cow might rear up too. Almost guaranteed that one of the V-class is going to get dodgy on us too. It will remain to see which one it is. Whoa be us if it is Esquimalt on Rte 30, as that would throw the largest wrench into things in terms of needing vessel repositioning.
Maybe we should draft up a new thread "Worst case scenarios for the May Long Weekend 2007 Edition" ......
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Post by Political Incorrectness on May 17, 2007 19:40:01 GMT -8
Sailing Delay - Medical Emergency Posted May 17, 2007
Updated 5:35pm
Please be advised the Queen of Coquitlam's 5 pm sailing from Departure Bay was delayed due to a medical emergency. As a result, the vessel is expected to sail approximately 30 minutes behind schedule for the remainder of the evening.
For up-to-date sailing times for this route tonight, please check the current conditions page on our website.
We apologize for any inconvenience and thank our customers for their patience this evening.
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Post by Hardy on May 17, 2007 21:30:02 GMT -8
Service Notices - Queen Charlotte Islands Sailing Delays (Prince Rupert-Skidegate) Updated at 9:20 pm on May 17th Please be advised the Queen of Prince Rupert was delayed leaving Prince Rupert for Skidegate due to an operational issue. The revised schedule is now as follows, with check-in times remaining at 1 1/2 hours (90 minutes) prior to the estimated sailing times: Leave Prince Rupert Thursday 6:24 pm (actual) Arrive Skidegate Friday 1:00 am (estimated) Leave Skidegate Friday 4:30 am (estimated) Arrive Prince Rupert Friday 11:00 am (estimated) Leave Prince Rupert (southbound) Friday 2:00 pm (estimated) The next update will be provided later on Friday morning. If you require up-to-date information, please call toll free 1-888-BC-FERRY (1-888-223-3779) and press 3 for current conditions. We would like to apologize for any inconvenience experienced as a result of these delays. link at: www.bcferries.com/print/schedules/notices/notice05170704.html
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Post by Coastal Canuck on May 19, 2007 12:30:05 GMT -8
seeing as its a long weekend,,, ... guess what a ferry is off schedule Sailing Delay - Operational Posted May 19, 2007 Updated at 11:25 am Please be advised that the Queen of Cumberland is currently running 40 minutes behind schedule due to an operational issue. She is expected to be back on schedule in time for the 2:30 pm departure from Swartz Bay. We apologize for any inconvenience experienced as a result of this delay.
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Post by Retrovision on May 19, 2007 15:21:11 GMT -8
40 minutes? That practically doesn't even warrant a service notice outside of a long weekend.
It's looking like smooth sailing for now, especially considering the lack of the 'Alberni and Oaky, but we're only halfway through the weekend so I've still got my fingers crossed.
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Post by Political Incorrectness on May 19, 2007 15:32:43 GMT -8
Someone is either bored or we just had our wishes granted, again.
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Post by Retrovision on May 19, 2007 19:39:34 GMT -8
Too bad the Queen of Burnaby isn't finished yet, though. Taken this afternoon passing by Deas
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Post by Curtis on May 20, 2007 10:21:00 GMT -8
Guess Who's back in Service!! Elevator Out of Service Posted May 20, 2007Please be advised that until further notice, there is no elevator service on the Comox to Powell River route. BC Ferries have staff on hand to assist those passengers requiring assistance with the stairs or food services. Regular elevator service will be restored as quickly as possible. BC Ferries apologies for any inconvenience this disruption may cause.
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Post by Coastal Canuck on May 20, 2007 15:54:10 GMT -8
well seeing as it's a long weekend...
Sailing Delay - Operational Posted May 20, 2007
Updated at 3:10 pm
Please be advised that the Quadra Queen II sailing between Alert Bay, Sointula and Port McNeill is currently running 35 minutes behind schedule. She is expected to be back on schedule in time for the 5:00 pm departure from Port McNeill.
We apologize for any inconvenience experienced as a result of this delay.
For updated information, you can also call toll free 1-888-BC FERRY (1-888-223-3779).
;D
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Post by Coastal Canuck on May 20, 2007 19:13:42 GMT -8
guess what!!! the Wack has taken it's turn to fall behind
Sailing Delay - Operational Posted May 20, 2007
Updated at 5:30 pm
Please be advised that the Queen of Chilliwack sailing between Saltery Bay (Powell River) and Earls Cove (Sunshine Coast) is currently running 30 minutes behind schedule. She is not expected to make up time by the end of the evening.
For updated information, you can also call toll free 1-888-BC FERRY (1-888-223-3779).
We would like to apologize for any inconvenience experienced as a result of this delay.
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Post by Retrovision on May 21, 2007 0:00:18 GMT -8
Guess Who's back in Service!! Elevator Out of Service Posted May 20, 2007Please be advised that until further notice, there is no elevator service on the Comox to Powell River route. BC Ferries have staff on hand to assist those passengers requiring assistance with the stairs or food services. Regular elevator service will be restored as quickly as possible. BC Ferries apologies for any inconvenience this disruption may cause. In service? who?
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Post by Curtis on May 21, 2007 8:57:17 GMT -8
Guess Who's back in Service!! Elevator Out of Service Posted May 20, 2007Please be advised that until further notice, there is no elevator service on the Comox to Powell River route. BC Ferries have staff on hand to assist those passengers requiring assistance with the stairs or food services. Regular elevator service will be restored as quickly as possible. BC Ferries apologies for any inconvenience this disruption may cause. In service? who? Which Ship has elevator issues this frequent? The PR-Comox Route is the Hint above.
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Post by Ferryman on May 21, 2007 9:06:12 GMT -8
The Burnaby is back, and they forgot to put the elevator back together?
One of the setbacks, of a ship being rushed into service out of maintenance.
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Post by Ferryman on May 21, 2007 9:15:36 GMT -8
Watching the Major routes this morning, and it looks like the Queen of Coquitlam provided one more sailing, as a primary vessel on Route 2, with the 6:30am sailing, seeming the Oak Bay was stored at Departure Bay for the night. The Oak Bay left with a bang at 8:36am, and they're already saying it's having mechanical difficulties. Also, BCF quietly cancelled the 11:30am sailing, Queen of Coquitlam, out of Langdale this morning. Instead, it will leave at 11:31am. orca.bcferries.com:8080/cc/conditions/actualDepartures.asp##LNG03EDIT: Looking just a little bit closer............ Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay Vessel : Queen of Coquitlam Scheduled Departure : 6:30 AM Actual Departure: 6:33 AMETA: 6:44 AM Status: On Time THEN....at Departure Bay..... Vessel: Queen of Coquitlam Scheduled Departure: 7:45 AM Actual Departure: 7:51 AM ETA or Arrival Time: 9:29 AM Status: On Time So what really happened?
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Post by Hardy on May 21, 2007 14:48:41 GMT -8
Watching the Major routes this morning, and it looks like the Queen of Coquitlam provided one more sailing, as a primary vessel on Route 2, with the 6:30am sailing, seeming the Oak Bay was stored at Departure Bay for the night. The Oak Bay left with a bang at 8:36am, and they're already saying it's having mechanical difficulties. Musta had a Deas truck or two on board, as they seem to have resolved their issues with the Oakie and maintained their schedule so far.... <fingers crossed> Looks like most of the other routes are doing okay too, although looking at 'orca' it seems that the extra sailings on Rte2 haven't been filling up very much. This is where I wish that they would have historical load out figures so that us interested ferry-nerds (I think I saw that term somewhere.... ) could tell if these not very well promoted extra sailings are cost effective. oh well, that will never happen, as it would contain too much proprietary information. A startup competitor, such as KosovaSealines could steal such information and launch competing service .... ;D ;D
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Post by Hardy on May 21, 2007 14:52:55 GMT -8
Saw that too! Looks like someone in the Communications Department must have read some of our posts and made our apocalyptic foreshadowing come true ..... So what really happened? I don't think that without an insider we will ever know these details .... sadly enough ....
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Post by Scott (Former Account) on May 21, 2007 15:35:44 GMT -8
The Oak Bay left with a bang at 8:36am, and they're already saying it's having mechanical difficulties. The issue was with the No. 1 end doors not opening... After a bit of fiddling they got them to open...
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Koastal Karl
Voyager
Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
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Post by Koastal Karl on May 22, 2007 11:22:57 GMT -8
SOBC: Temporary Vessel Replacement May 28th - 30th Posted May 22, 2007
The Spirit of British Columbia will be temporarily removed from service on the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route from Monday, May 28th to Wednesday, May 30th for a maintenance period.
Beginning with the 7:00 a.m. sailing on May 28th from Tsawwassen, the Queen of Vancouver will be the temporary replacement for the Spirit vessel.
The Spirit of British Columbia will provide 1 roundtrip on May 28th at 8:00 a.m. departing from Tsawwassen before being removed from operation. Since the Queen of Vancouver is a smaller vessel than the Spirit of British Columbia, the Queen of Saanich will also provide two additional roundtrips departing from Swartz Bay at 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Monday May 28th, Tuesday May 29th and Wednesday May 30th.
The Spirit of British Columbia will return to service for the 7:00 a.m. sailing on Thursday, May 31st departing from Tsawwassen.
For reservations or additional sailing information visit our website
Interesting she is doing one roundtrip a 8am then going out of service. lol!
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Post by Retrovision on May 22, 2007 12:05:53 GMT -8
The ' Burnaby isn't the only vessel with elevator troubles... Queen of Capilano last Wednesday
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Post by Hardy on May 22, 2007 22:13:17 GMT -8
Service Notices - Nanaimo - Departure Bay
Additional Sailing Tonight
Issued May 22, 2007
Updated at 8:57 pm
Please be advised that the Queen of Cowichan will be adding a sailing to her schedule tonight at 11:30 pm from Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay. ---------------------
This is interesting ......
At the time of this posting, Duke is showing a 1 sailing wait for commercial vehicles - 56% total space allocated, 100% main deck, 13% upper .... this means trucks are left behind. This was a 1 sailing delay by about 2130 already and may have lead to the additional sailing added out of Departure. Now then ....
Departure for this 2330 sailing is showing a 1 sailing wait for commercial vehicles too ... deck space allocated is 100% main, 1% upper!!! (27% overall, BTW) Hmmmm ..... looks like a trucker's only sailing if I ever saw one .... also looks like there are going to be a fair number of trucks left behind on the island tonight!
This brings up an interesting positioning issue. We're ending up with a boat out of position tonight at Horseshoe Bay -- the Cow.
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