Where would you be and in what year

[Curtis]

(For BC Ferries, Washington State Ferries, Harbourlynx, and all others).
Where would you want to be in what year what place and what event Could it be at the launching of the MV Sidney, or the first run of the Inside Passage, or a Spirt on Tsawassen-Swartz Bay, or even on the Alberni running aground in Active Pass. for me it would be on the Inaugural run of a Pacificat in 1998-1999 ive never been on one so I wish I could of been on one

[Doug]

For me, it would probably be either on the Queen of Prince Rupert when she first operated on Kelsey Bay-Prince Rupert, or when she first operated on Skidegate-Prince Rupert. I may have also enjoyed being on one of the "C" Class vessels just after launch...anyone of them. I think I would want to be aboard when the freightor collided with Queen of Victoria. ;D

[Doug]

I think I would enjoy a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island on the Queen of Tsawwassen, if she was ever transformed into a "coastal cruiser." Even if you do hit the swells off the west side of the Island, I'd love that.

[Low Light Mike]

On the Queen of the North, in May 1986, on the special cruise from Naniamo to Vancouver Harbour, with Prince/Princess of Wales, on their expo-opening tour.

If you like watching couples bicker & fight, or like to see what really goes on behind the scenes. I think Diana was very unhealthy at that time.....she was so skinny, and she fainted at Expo.....must have been the eating disorder the the royal pressure.

I suppose that Charles would have spent his time on Deck 6 forward (hey, that would be the "Prince of Wales lounge"). Diana probably stayed as far away from him as possible.

That would have been an interesting trip.

[Ferryman]

I would want to be around each day a C-Class's hull hit the salt water for the first time especially Oak Bay and Surey back in 1981 and i would also want to be there when the First Fast Cat was introduced as well but by that time I lived on the Island and was still farely little and didn't really understand what a Fastcat was and of course the day BCF was first introduced by W.A.C. Bennet to BC with the Sidney ;D

[Koastal Karl]

Well if I could go back in time I would go back to the year 1960 on the first run on the Queen of Sidney, seeing I wasent around then it would of been neat to see what the ferries were like back then. Also the Kelsey Bay to Prince Rupert run would of been interesting to take back then too. The Queen of Victoria when she got hit by that frieghter, some of you would want to be on her when that happened?? Well I guess it would of been interesting to see along with the Alberni running aground in active that one other year.

[BrianWilliams]

As a ferry fan, I want to be right here and right now.

I was 10 when WAC Bennett created his navy from two blue-and-white boats, running from one obscure terminal to another. I was younger, even, when I rode Lady Alexandria to Bowen Island with my parents and squabbling sisters.

I was pretty small when we had a tour of CPR's elegant, new Princess of Vancouver at Pier A-1; it was maybe two years later when we rode the pocket liner to Nanaimo.

But -- this is the time, right now, to be a ferry fan. To be a BC Ferry fan.

Enjoy the bumbling old Q of Nanaimo on her milk run thru the islands. Take pleasure in the trendy decor of Coquitlam and Cowichan (I did) .. and then be surprised by the hospitality of Q of Surrey's crew.

Q of Capilano is always a treat, but never more than last July. On a busy Sunday afternoon, Cap's crew held back a dozen cars to hold deck space for a couple hundred walk-ons and dogs.

This was the end of annual Dog Days Festival at Snug Cove, but BCF regs say: no mutts above the car deck.

Too bad -- but the BCF folks boarded all the dogs and people they could take on the foredeck, then boarded as many cars as would fit behind us.

Ya! That's nearly my best BC Ferries day.

Darn close second to that is on Q of Chilliwack's bridge. (July 2004) I had enjoyed a chat with the 2nd officer, and she helped me with some charts as we approached Cape Caution .. but the sea was moderate, and nothin' was happening.

"Whale! Whale! I saw a whale!" A 9-yr kid, another bridge visitor called out .. then all our professional seamen clamped binoculars on a big humpback breaching and blowing a mile away.

They are marvellous, our BC Ferries' boats. And the people who run them, sling hash on board, or direct cars in the lanes are the ones we usually see.

I have never had a bad BC Ferries experience -- yet. Where do I want to be? On any BC Ferry, today.

Oh yeah.

[mvQueenofnewwestminster]

For me, it would be the summer of '74, on the New West. I was only something like 5 then & it was my first trip on her. It was fantastic! she was barely a year out of her stretching, so she was, for all purposes a new ship. For a little boy, it was a marvelous place to be! Remember, back then there weren't even HALF as many people living in BC as there are today, so you could actually get up, walk around the ship, comfortably & sit down again, in almost any seat! Hard to imagine today, I know but it really was the case back then. A trip to Nanaimo on any Burnaby class ship, really was like a cruise. A little boy could buy a chocolate bar in the newsstand, then wander around the whole ship, then catch up with his parents for dinner in the cafeteria. It really was a special place & time. I really wish I could go back there now, when I'm old enough to appreciate it!

[NMcKay]

i would love to hang with my dad if possible back in the early 80's when the BCF served alcohal on the ships. that would be fun. cause they recount all of thier expieriences.

[kylefossett]

harbourlynx, i don't think alcohol has been served on any of the runs down here. maybe the inside passage but not down here. i know not on route 9

[Political Incorrectness]

On the Spirits on rte 1

[NMcKay]

alcohal has been served on the BCF, but it was a long time ago.

[Fenklebaum]

Several instances come to my mind.

- The inaugural sailing of MV Sidney

-The impromptu race that took place between the MV Kalakala and the MV City of Sacremento during the forties. Now THAT would've been an interesting trip! The only thing I can't make up my mind about is which ferry I'd choose to be on

- Any sailing aboard the MV Langdale Queen or MV Chinook II... come to think of it, any sailing aboard ANY of Blackball's old Canadian fleet... hee hee... Smokwa...

- Aboard the MV Catherine Graham's last run to Denman island...

- Aboard one of the CP princesses during a rough crossing to Victoria in the early fifties

What can I say? I'm a sucker for the oldies

[Balfour]

PR said:

(For BC Ferries, Washington State Ferries, Harbourlynx, and all others).
Where would you want to be in what year what place and what event Could it be at the launching of the MV Sidney, or the first run of the Inside Passage, or a Spirt on Tsawassen-Swartz Bay, or even on the Alberni running aground in Active Pass. for me it would be on the Inaugural run of a Pacificat in 1998-1999 ive never been on one so I wish I could of been on one

You didn't miss much on a fast cat. You would go up onto the passenger deck thinking it is a really nice ship, but as you sit down you would start to notice how cramped it was, and there was no outside deck space.

[Ferryman]

Yeah and to go out on the outside deck you had to be 13 and at the time I was 12 and had to go with my dad cause the ship was going "fast"

[Koastal Karl]

Yeah, I agree you werent missing much on the fast cats. I only been on them once and that was an open house they had here in Victoria when the Pacificat Explorer docked in the inner harbour. Never been on them when they have been in service mainly because I figured they would to crowded, so whenever I took the Horseshoe Bay route I avoided those sailings.

Isent it age 12 you have to be to travel alone on BC Ferries??? So the fast cats you werent allowed to go out on deck unless you were 13? But you can travel at 12 but just cant go out on deck on the fast ferries. That's interesting.

[Curtis]

Which deck??

[NMcKay]

Its the same with the Harbourlynx. Its the same reason why there is a mandatory lifevest training session at the beginning of every sailing.

[Ferryman]

Anybody could travel on them at any age but there was a small outer deck on the top of the ferry that was in the middle of the ship that was really small I would say it would be out the size of the two decks that stick out on both ends of Cow and Coq and one of those decks would be equivalent to hald of the outside deck on a fastcat. But if you were under 13 you had to go out on the deck with an adult so in other words if you were old enough to travel on the ferry by yourself you could go on the outerdeck by yourself. But other than that I thought they were really attractive on the inside, I think it was even better than the mid life on the C's with all of the neon lights and stuff but the seats were small and hard which has been said many times before by people and then cardeck was really interesting to drive on to being surrounded by really shiny aluminun.

[Ferryman]

Oh wait missread your post yeah its 12 to go on the outer deck so I must of 11.