Tsawwassen to Turkey?

[Retrovision]

I was informed by a member of the Queen of Tsawwassen's crew today that 'Hahn was aboard about a month ago and told them that the old gal is going to Turkey for scrap. In conversation there was mention of asking 'Hahn to give the venerable ferry atleast a decommissioning ceremony and his agreement with the idea. If things end up playing-out this way, she will be missed sorely.

[Mirrlees]

OMG , I thought that she was definitely going to be a training ship after her retirement. Is this happening before or after the new Intermediate goes into service?

Now, I really have to get another ride this fall-winter!

[Neil]

Can I play Devil's Advocate here, for a moment? And please, let's not have anyone hack into my computer and destroy my family photos....

What exactly will people 'miss' about the dear old 'Tsawwassen, or any of the Vs for that matter? Nobody's really enunciated that. We get lots of vague talk about history and tradition, but really, isn't it time these old warhorses were retired? Something's not historic just because it's old, and there sure isn't much to recommend these old ferries in terms of how they look on the inside (love all those exposed pipes and wires in the lounge ceilings), or their gnarly, rusted outside decks and their cramped, mini-car friendly car decks. Name me one feature, outside of some vaguely charming grubby ambience, that you get with these old girls that you'll miss when we have the spiffy new vessels. Come on, I dare ya.

Yes, they looked great (at least on the outside) when they were new, and they've served us very, very well. But these are not the old Princess ships, or the old Union boats. They're essentially floating car parks; seabuses on steroids. The public doesn't give a toss whether they get melted down into rebar, as long as they're replaced with something better. So let's get the crying over with and welcome the new. Or do you want to end up with a fleet full of Klickitats, where passengers are issued buckets and given discounts for helping to bail?

Bye, 'Tsawwassen. Bye, Vs. You've been great, but the blow torches are hungry.

(There. My tongue was getting stiff from being planted in my cheek. Sort of.)

[Low Light Mike]

hornbyguy said:

Name me one feature, outside of some vaguely charming grubby ambience, that you get with these old girls that you'll miss when we have the spiffy new vessels. Come on, I dare ya.

I was going to say the outside covered decks, on each side of the ship. But the new Coastals will have that.

I do enjoy being able to move the lounge chairs around a bit, for those Spauldings where they still have the old vinyl chairs. Yeah, that's just to bring the chair in-front closer, so that I can rest my feet on it. That's a pretty important feature, huh?

Yup, the draw for the Spauldings is mainly nostalgia. Sort of like riding a vintage Model-T. Would you want to drive it across the Port Mann bridge every day? No, but you'd enjoy a Sunday drive, every year or so.

So, for me, I make a distinction between regular car-travel on ferries, and the occasional "journey is the destination" footie trips. For regular car travel where the ferry trip is not the focus, then I won't miss the crammed car deck of a V, or the other characteristics. For those kind of trips, I would appreciate a Coastal or a Spirit, or a good old Cee.

But I will miss riding a Spaulding for my nerd-candy-cravings. Do I realise that the Province's ferry service does not exist mainly for my nostalgia-trips? Yes. So I'm trying to keep the remaining months or years of Spaulding trips in perspective.

[Mirrlees]

One thing i will miss about the Tsawwassen is on the roof of the cafeteria between the two ventilators a perfect place to fall asleep in the sun.

The vibrations of those old Mirrlees Twins are like MAGIC FINGERS!!! I've had many sunburns from being up there. LOL

About the V's I love how each one has a slightly different layout from the other Cookie Cutter ferries that we have now. How the cafeterias are laid out different on the Esquimalt and Saanich vs Vancouver. And yes, I could stare at those ceilings for hours in amazement about where all the wires and pipes go.

Ps: Don't forget those fantastic AirChimes!!!

As Flugel pointed above, those high backed vinyl seats God, I love those!!!

[Neil]

Flugel Horn, you put it perfectly. Those boats appeal to ferry fans. And ferry fans are a pretty exclusive group. Other people might have different terms to describe us, but I kind of like 'exclusive'.

[Low Light Mike]

hornbyguy said:

Flugel Horn, you put it perfectly. Those boats appeal to ferry fans. And ferry fans are a pretty exclusive group. Other people might have different terms to describe us, but I kind of like 'exclusive'.

But if the entire Province is paying for someone's fun at the 2010 Olympics, then why can't they also pay for our group's nerd-candy?

Are 'exclusive' and 'special' synonyms?

[Ferryman]

Well, I've always thought the V's have had alot of personal sentimental values. I grew up living on Vancouver Island, and would take these Ferries on a regular basis, and yes this included the long gone 'Victoria. Ok, they're not the most beautiful ships, but they've got character. I can remember being a toddler on the V's and being absolutely scared to death with the constant vibrations.

I haven't had alot of time on the Tsawwassen, so there's not alot of personal values besides the fact that she was the first of two that started BC Ferries.

But when it all comes down to it, yes, it's time for them to go. They passed their best before dates years ago.

mirrlees60 said:

Ps: Don't forget those fantastic AirChimes!!!

I agree!! ;D

[Mac Write]

The new ships are so stale so cookie cutter - all the same - no variety. The older ships have character, don't feel like a floating high-way or a floating mall or hospital (with those ugly blue vinyl floors), the T-junection at the top of the staircases, the layout of the cafeterial. They are so much better then the new cookie cutter same look on all new ferries. People get to know "Their routes ship" and the new ferries just don't have that personality. Look how the new Spirits look make them feel so lifeless and so stale compared to the unique look of the Spirits pre upgrade. The big stripe on the side in the old Expo colors. THere are countless reasons the old ships are better then the new ones.

[Balfour]

As much as we want to hold onto the past, all good things must come to an end. I like the V's for the lines and retro-look they have but the old ferries are tired and after a trip on the Esquimalt today and the times Dane almost tripped over uneven parts of the deck, it's pretty evident that the V Class' days are almost done. Unfortunately it's reality.

I'm looking forward to the new ships but in order to appreciate them you have to go beyond the design of the interior. Look at how everything is laid out and even how they lay out the sun-deck. Our fleet still has diversity and I don't believe it's all that cookie cutter. All the "coastalized" ships still have their differences from each other, including the C's

[Scott]

qsandwich said:

As much as we want to hold onto the past, all good things must come to an end.

I think someone should convince Victoria-girl Nelly Furtado to create a modified song to honour the Tsawwassen's retirement... "why do all good things come to an end..."

[Doug]

hornbyguy said:

Name me one feature, outside of some vaguely charming grubby ambience, that you get with these old girls that you'll miss when we have the spiffy new vessels. Come on, I dare ya.

What about the raised forward lounge on the Sidney and Tsawwassen?

[hwy19man]

admin said:

qsandwich said:

As much as we want to hold onto the past, all good things must come to an end.

I think someone should convince Victoria-girl Nelly Furtado to create a modified song to honour the Tsawwassen's retirement... "why do all good things come to an end..."

How about covering Gordon Lightfoot's Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald song?

[Northern Exploration]

Yeah Doug that would be my spot. You could lean on the front of the lounge below the windows and not worry you were blocking anyones view. The extra space at the front of the ferry was also nice. The later versions moved the bullwark further back separating the crew area from the passenger area. That is one feature of the sister Spaulding the Coho that is nice, you can go right up to the bow.

[Mill Bay]

macwrite said:

The new ships are so stale so cookie cutter - all the same - no variety. The older ships have character, don't feel like a floating high-way or a floating mall or hospital (with those ugly blue vinyl floors), the T-junction at the top of the staircases, the layout of the cafeterial. They are so much better then the new cookie cutter same look on all new ferries. ...and the new ferries just don't have that personality.

The old ships are just as much cookie cutters as the new ones... All the V's were originally built to the same plans... so were the Powell River class.

But just remember... these ships were considered state of the art in their day... the Tsawwassen with its narrow gangways and raw sewage discharge must still have mesmerized the first users of the ferry system. It's hard not for us to look down on them through eyes clouded by all this newfangled technology we have now on the ferries like toilets with infrared sensors that flush all on their own, or even before you want them too.

Yesterday at 9:27pm, Neil wrote: Name me one feature, outside of some vaguely charming grubby ambience, that you get with these old girls that you'll miss when we have the spiffy new vessels. Come on, I dare ya.

As for one feature... how about just seeing one of the old ships in full profile as it crosses the entrance to a bay in front of you... the clean and graceful lines, swept back funnels and graceful curves of the bow and stern that make them look just like old coastal steamships... I think they fit in a little better with the coast than the new computer age crazy angles and seemingly illogical curves of the Coastal class.

[Retrovision]

They are / were true workhorses, our ferries of the past, they were not necessarily cadillacs but they were built in British Columbia. W.A.C.'s fleet was as his nickname implies, just like the road between Sechelt and and Earl's Cove they are wyndy and whacky, though they built our province. Could he have allotted the same kind of funding that he did for the dams and roads, etc., sure, does the BC "Liberal" party put too heavy a weight on the gateway project side of the scale, yes, but those ferries were ours, and some still are.

[Mill Bay]

I also said yesterday that if David Hahn came down and told them to ship the Tsawwassen to Turkey, they should present him with a free ticket to Turkey along with the ship for being so ignorant of history ;D.

Or maybe it's me that's ignorant of history, because as much as I know the ship is a little bit of an anachronism, I'd really like to see them put it back on the Gulf islands route just for a little while just so I could get a couple trips on her.

Maybe I'll get lucky and there are some people in the engineering department is a little bit less hasty than Hahn, or one of the other vessels will break down and they'll need to put the Tsawwassen into emergency service one last time.

[Low Light Mike]

Name me one feature, outside of some vaguely charming grubby ambiance, that you get with these old girls that you'll miss when we have the spiffy new vessels

Neil's challenge is trickily written (much like the Alternative Service Provider parts of the Coastal Ferry Act) to have a narrow application, where failure is guaranteed.

I suspect that for many of our replies re what we like about the Spauldings, Neil could invoke the "vaguely charming grubby ambiance clause", and say that our comments somehow fit into that definition.

ie.
- raised forward lounge
- movable lounge chairs
- magic-fingers engine massage
- historical significance
- nice coastal lines

Yes, the man is forcing us to conclude that us folks prefer ambiance and history to convenience and efficiency.

I say that we start petitioning Ben & Jerry's now, to stop export of ice cream to Canada.......... ;D

[Curtis]

Personally, I feel we need to get some work done, we all don't want the Tsawwassen sent to be Scraped.
But if we act now, rather then wait till she's an inch from death we could save her.

Who Agrees with me that we should petition to save the Queen of Tsawwasen or one of our other scrap bound Ferries.
(Points at Queen of Vancouver)

[Retrovision]

This thread has been moved as hearsay should never be considered news. There should be no question that rumours, of whatever stripe, are just that and that facts come from history, not conjecture.

[Mirrlees]

millbay said:

I also said yesterday that if David Hahn came down and told them to ship the Tsawwassen to Turkey, they should present him with a free ticket to Turkey along with the ship for being so ignorant of history ;D.

Or maybe it's me that's ignorant of history, because as much as I know the ship is a little bit of an anachronism, I'd really like to see them put it back on the Gulf islands route just for a little while just so I could get a couple trips on her.

Maybe I'll get lucky and there are some people in the engineering department is a little bit less hasty than Hahn, or one of the other vessels will break down and they'll need to put the Tsawwassen into emergency service one last time.

Checked the RBI and the Tsawwassen is doing the Gulf Islands from Nov.25-Dec.11, 2007.

[Mill Bay]

mirrlees60 said:

Checked the RBI and the Tsawwassen is doing the Gulf Islands from Nov.25-Dec.11, 2007.

Mirrlees

That sounds perfect for an early Christmas present... what about any times before then?

[Mirrlees]

There's nothing else earlier, as I suspect that she will get a quick refit after her summer work on Jervis Inlet before replacing the Nanny.

[Mac Write]

According to the Service Notices, the Nanny is out Sept 4-6 for refit, so what's happening wiht her Nov 25 - Dec 11? I will do at least one full round trip on her.

[Mirrlees]

macwrite said:

According to the Service Notices, the Nanny is out Sept 4-6 for refit, so what's happening wiht her Nov 25 - Dec 11? I will do at least one full round trip on her.

For some reason BCFS has dragged out her last refit and this is to complete work on her. From Nov25-Dec 11 is the Nanny's annual refit. I wonder how long this one will take?