Best city for ferry buffs

[ruddernut]

All things considered, which of the above three cities is best for ferry buffs to live in?

Vancouver has the Seabus and the ferries out of Horseshoe Bay and Tsawassen to Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, Bowen Island and the Gulf Islands.

Victoria has the Coho to Port Angeles, the BCF's out of Swartz Bay to Vancouver and the Gulf Islands, and the WSF out of Sidney to Anacortes and the San Juans.

Seattle has the cross-Sound ferries to places like Bainbridge Is., Bremerton, Vashon Island, the Water Taxi to West Seattle, and the Clipper to Victoria.

[Nick]

Well, given the choices above, I would say Vancouver. Access the the Sunshine Coast, and 3 routes to Vancouver Island plus the routes to the southern Gulf Islands.

However, I would say that Nanaimo is one of the best because you have the 2 major routes to Vancouver, and can get to the sunshine coast easily. Also, there are smaller runs around like Buckley Bay-Denman to the North, Chemainus-Thetis/Kuper and Crofton-Vesuvius to the South. I think that Nanaimo is one of the best for diversity in the type of ships, which is what I typically look for. Vancouver and Victoria have mostly large, major vessels.

As far as Seattle goes, I can't really say for sure because I haven't been there for many years and I don't know the WSF system very well at all.

[ruddernut]

I'm inclined to believe that whatever Nanaimo has, Victoria has and then some. The scenery through the Southern Gulf Islands and the San Juans beat anything coming out of Nanaimo.

So no love for Seattle, even with all those cruises out of downtown and the picture perfect skyline scenery? Not enough Washingtonians lurk around this section?

[Political Incorrectness]

Well Vancouver and Victoria you really can't see ferries. Seattle, you can see ferries out of going to and from downtown and not a location that is connected by road to it. You can also get a good view of the islands and such from the Space Needle (big zoom required though). In fact, one picture of mine was a flagship featuring the Space Needle with one of the mark 2's.

[Nickfro]

I'm putting my vote in for Victoria. I know about the vast amounts of ferries that serve the Puget Sound Area but haven't spent enough time observing the ferry sights down there. In Victoria you have the Coho and the Clipper that enter directly into the Inner Harbour to their respective berths. I have always been impressed with how the Coho comes into dock at the heart of the Harbour. I'm still wondering when that land will get so valuable to push the Black Ball Coho run out to have to use the old Princess Margurite terminal land by Ogden Point. Furthermore, you don't have to travel very far to see many other ferries and their routes serving Vancouver Island.

[ruddernut]

^ They'll have to move to a site with a front-loading dock when they retire the Coho, won't they? They don't make side loaders anymore, do they?

[Nickfro]

Yeah, I know there isn't a side-loading dock out at Ogden Point which would make that move less realistic. However, whenever the Coho is retired from service I would expect the terminal move to happen. They'll probably hang on to the Coho for as long as possible just for that reason. . .it's a huge tourist perk being able to cruise right into the Inner Harbour.

[Kahloke]

My vote is for Victoria. With the Coho and Victoria Clipper sailing right into the Inner Harbour, plus the WSF vessel out of Sidney, the Mill Bay-Brentwood Bay ferry, and finally the Swartz Bay mega-terminal, that's a lot of ferry activity on that peninsula!

However, I would like to defend Seattle a little bit, seeing as how I take the Seattle-Bainbridge ferry every day. There's not too many views more impressive than the one leaving downtown Seattle on a ferry, especially on a cold, clear night, with the moon rising behind the city. That's just golden, right there! ;D

[Scott]

I don't have much of an attatchment to Washington State Ferries but I would say Seattle is more of a ferry city than Vancouver or Victoria. For the most part, Vancouver and Victoria have pushed their ferries out to the suburbs, for various reasons, and have become somewhat "removed" from the ferries that serve them. Seattle IS a ferry city. It depends on ferries for it's everyday operation; its ferries are at the very core of its downtown as well as outskirts. Every half hour drive north or south and you come across another route with two more ferries. You look at the postcards of Seattle and 40-50% of them have ferries on them.

That said, I do prefer the location and diversity of our BC Ferries. But I would give Seattle the nod as "ferry buff central". I've probably read a little too much into this question - but that's my reasoning for picking Seattle.

[ruddernut]

What Vancouver needs is a ship that sails under the Lions Gate Bridge. It doesn't have to be a jumbo car ferry, but a local passenger ferry between Downtown and Ambleside/Bowen Island will do.

[WettCoast]

All three cities were without doubt more interesting places 60 years ago when the CPR and others were operating pocket liners in and out of each harbour numerous times daily. By contrast, today in Vancouver, you have to go way out in the burbs to see a ferry, unless you count the Seabuses. Victoria is better off, with the Coho still making daily visits into the Inner Harbour. Of the three cities Seattle is easily the best off today.

BTW, if you want to see a really interesting harbour with dozens of passenger only ferries scurrying about go take a look at the harbour in Sydney, Australia.

[ruddernut]

What's missing on the Seabus is an outside deck. Kind of takes away from the ferry cruising experience.

[Curtis]

Vancouver, Two Major Ferry Terminals, 6 Routes to Choose, Burrard Drydock, Allied Shipyard, Sea Bus, Albion Ferry, The List Could Go On For Quite Awhile.

[kylefossett]

prqueenkid16 said:

Vancouver, Two Major Ferry Terminals, 6 Routes to Choose, Burrard Drydock, Allied Shipyard, Sea Bus, Albion Ferry, The List Could Go On For Quite Awhile.

would be good if there was one place you could sit and watch all of this. instead you have a few hours of driving around to see it all in one day.

[ruddernut]

Which matters more? View from the ferries or view of the ferries?

I'd say they're meant to be ridden moreso than watched.

[ruddernut]

kylefossett said:

would be good if there was one place you could sit and watch all of this. instead you have a few hours of driving around to see it all in one day.

By the way, if you want a place in Vancouver to sit and watch ferries pass, go to where the rose garden is in UBC facing north. You get a beautiful view of the rose garden, Burrard Inlet, Howe Sound, Bowen Island, the North Shore and the Coast Mountain Range, and a view of the passing ferries (albeit at a distance) all in one spot. What a deal, eh?

[Neil]

ruddernut's original post indicated that we're talking metropolitan here, so I don't see how Victoria or Seattle can beat Vancouver. You've got three ferry routes from Horseshoe Bay, three from Tsawwassen, two from Tilbury Island, the Seabus, Barnston Island, and the Fort Langley-Albion route. Eleven. That's also a tremendous variety of boats. Victoria/Saanich Peninsula can't beat that, I don't think, and as for Seattle, isn't it all WSF, except for Clipper, and don't all the WSF boats look pretty much alike? (said he, ducking...)

[Low Light Mike]

ruddernut said:

Which matters more? View from the ferries or view of the ferries?

....well those are 2 separate issues. So I think you'd get different answers for different issues.

For me, a Route-2 C-Class leaving HSB on a clear, warm late-august night gives a beautiful view of the lions gate bridge lit-up, and night-time downtown, etc. That's just one "for instance" re "from the ship".

From land, looking at ships: I've never been on Seattle waterfront, but from what I've seen in pics, that would be the place to see lots of ferries from 1 vantage point.

Did I give the right answer, R-Nut?

[Low Light Mike]

ruddernut said:

By the way, if you want a place in Vancouver to sit and watch ferries pass, go to where the rose garden is in UBC facing north. You get a beautiful view of the rose garden, Burrard Inlet, Howe Sound, Bowen Island, the North Shore and the Coast Mountain Range, and a view of the passing ferries (albeit at a distance) all in one spot. What a deal, eh?

I experienced something similar from a high-up floor of the "Walter Gage Residence Tower" at UBC, in the mid-nineties during some summer courses. Great view of the Route-2 ships as they exit Queen Charlotte Channel and round Bowen Island.

[ruddernut]

flugelhorn said:

ruddernut said:

Which matters more? View from the ferries or view of the ferries?

....well those are 2 separate issues. So I think you'd get different answers for different issues.

For me, a Route-2 C-Class leaving HSB on a clear, warm late-august night gives a beautiful view of the lions gate bridge lit-up, and night-time downtown, etc. That's just one "for instance" re "from the ship".

From land, looking at ships: I've never been on Seattle waterfront, but from what I've seen in pics, that would be the place to see lots of ferries from 1 vantage point.

Did I give the right answer, R-Nut?

It really was a question of opinion, so there really was no right answer.

Just trying to get some insight into the minds of ferryspotters.

[Mill Bay]

I just can't pass up the opportunity to play on this thread's title.

Given the amount of larks we go on on this forum, we might consider which city is more popular for 'ferry bluffs'.

(For example, which ferry operator, in which city, do we all bluff the most about in terms of us ferry buffs discussing their ferry operations to death in our often high-stakes discussion here ;D.)

[BreannaF]

Anacortes, Washington.

• 130 km to Seattle, the best ferry city in the US.
  
• 130 km to Vancouver, one of the best 2 ferry cities in Canada.
  
• Ferry access to the Victoria Area, one of the 2 best ferry cities in Canada.
  
• An active international ferry terminal within the city limits, providing some of the best scenery south of BC.
  

So I believe that all of the above poll choices are incorrect.

[EGfleet]

bryank said:

Anacortes, Washington.

• 130 km to Seattle, the best ferry city in the US.
  
• 130 km to Vancouver, one of the best 2 ferry cities in Canada.
  
• Ferry access to the Victoria Area, one of the 2 best ferry cities in Canada.
  
• An active international ferry terminal within the city limits, providing some of the best scenery south of BC.
  

So I believe that all of the above poll choices are incorrect.

Er...as a resident of said city, I suppose I should have come up with this.
*hangs head in shame, wanders away*

[Barnacle]

*sigh* And being within earshot of EvergreenFleet--and an employee of said ferry system--I should've been on the bandwagon as well.

[zman]

I like Seattle the most (I live here). Where else do you find a ferry system that exists to make people's life more difficult?
WSF has not been good about being pro-active when it comes to vessel replacement, and now WE are paying for that mistake.