Koastal Karl
Voyager 
Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
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Post by Koastal Karl on Jul 1, 2007 17:36:13 GMT -8
They cant use the Esquimalt as she is up at Langdale for the summer and I dont think they would anyways. They probably could but I dont think it would be practical. There has been a V class at Village Bay before, so they could dock there as they are pretty much the same as the Naniamo!
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Post by Ferryman on Jul 1, 2007 18:33:33 GMT -8
I guess this is the most appropriate spot to post this, but.....
I spotted the Howe Sound Queen sitting in North Vancouver, rafted along side the Pacificat Voyager at the smaller WMG Drydocking facilities. She was sitting in the water, so it's not like they have her hull all ripped apart or anything.
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Post by Hardy on Jul 1, 2007 19:25:04 GMT -8
They cant use the Esquimalt as she is up at Langdale for the summer and I dont think they would anyways. They probably could but I dont think it would be practical. There has been a V class at Village Bay before, so they could dock there as they are pretty much the same as the Naniamo! I see (and know) that she provides summer assistance on the HSB-Langdale run. First sailing out is after 1pm. Perhaps (just throwing this out there), if they had a boat starting EARLY out of Tsawwassen heading to the SGI doing 1 return trip ..... instead of the Nanaimo starting early out of SGI heading to Tsa and having her first trip West at 10-something. Again, I agree and don't think that there is the volume to justify this ALL THE TIME or even just summers, but right now when they are already down a boat and having to play with teenie tiny boats to TRY to make do, sometimes an "out of the box" solution may work too ...  Guess we'll have to see how long the refit/reassignment is delayed -- if it extends past another long weekend, they will have to give consideration to doing something. [or then again, following the CAPTIVE MARKET theory, maybe they will just do nothing as they are so prone to do] |
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,307
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Post by Neil on Jul 1, 2007 21:13:38 GMT -8
I think they did well to even put the Tachek on the run; it was a real help, certainly for the Galiano customers.
The Gulf Islands are really problematic to serve. Small populations (except for Saltspring), particularly Saturna, which also presents the problem of being a considerable jog off the relatively straight path between Tsawassen and Swartz Bay. There are definitely busy times, with real spikes in traffic, but also an awful lot of periods where ferries are sailing around nearly empty, as I saw on Saturday afternoon at Village Bay, where three ferries left within a few minutes of each other after loading maybe six or eight cars in total. I compare that to the island I'm most familiar with, Hornby, which on any summer Saturday afternoon would be busy to the point of overloads, and where there are over 300 extra round trips every year. Over the years BC Ferries has fine tuned the Gulf Islands service for each day; there would probably be very little demand for an early morning departure from Tsawwassen, or if there was, that boat would probably sail back empty. It's expensive to service a route where even if one direction is busy, the opposite is usually quiet.
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Post by Retrovision on Jul 1, 2007 22:11:23 GMT -8
I think they did well to even put the Tachek on the run; it was a real help, certainly for the Galiano customers. Yes, sometimes the obvious does need to be stated  |
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Post by Hardy on Jul 2, 2007 7:00:15 GMT -8
I think they did well to even put the Tachek on the run; it was a real help, certainly for the Galiano customers. Yes, sometimes the obvious does need to be stated I agree that even a small-boat solution direct to the "outer" islands is better than no-boat at all. This is the nice thing about having options when you have a spare non-committed boat or two sitting around in "mission-ready" status. |
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Mill Bay
Voyager
Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,887 
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Post by Mill Bay on Jul 2, 2007 13:17:10 GMT -8
The pics of the Tachek are good for a preview...
But I'd prefer a full 360-degree trip.
Anyone know how much longer the Tachek will be on this route?
One of the Powell River guys also had a Tachek tour album at some point...
I breezed through it once, but it seems to have disappeared now.
It was fairly thorough in offering a visual overview of the ship and its structure though.
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Post by Shane on Jul 2, 2007 13:27:46 GMT -8
That was a fun trip..
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jul 2, 2007 15:08:05 GMT -8
Or, how long is the Tachek gonna be on route 9A?? I talked to someone at BCFS today, while making a ferry reservation. The reservation-clerk said that the Bowen Queen was supposed to be back-in-service for her next sailing (which the schedule says is "Thursday"). I'm more skeptical, and took that skepticism into my travel plans for a trip that I'm doing this week. ie for my own travel plans, I'm not counting on the Bowen Queen being in-service this week. But I guess that we won't know, until we see her. What I'm wondering is whether BowenQueen will be needed again soon on Crofton-Vesuvius, say in the next 2 weeks. Why? Well recent refit history shows that there are sometimes problems with a returning vessel. I wouldn't be at all surprised if HoweSoundQueen returned for a few days, and then needed to go back to the shop for a couple of days. Think about it: How smooth do you expect the HoweSoundQueen's return to be, after a 9-week refit, which was rushed at the end?? |
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Post by kylefossett on Jul 2, 2007 15:48:55 GMT -8
anyone remember the last time the Tachek even operated to the Southern Gulf Islands. I saw her in the early 1990's, operating out of Swartz Bay...much like Mayne Queen does now. labour day weekend 2005. problems with the RADS on the Cumberland had her running behind schedule so the Tachek was brought in to help keep on time wrote this before reading all the other posts. didn't realize somebody had already made pretty much the same comment. that sailing from long harbour to saturna and then on to tsawwassen was to help out with the people on saturna for the canada day barbeque. there was still a sailing from saturna to tsawwassen using the tachek, just not coming from long harbour as was originally planned |
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Post by Ferryman on Jul 2, 2007 18:33:03 GMT -8
Yesterday I reported the Howe Sound Queen to be in North Vancouver, while looking across the Burrard Inlet from Canada Place.
This afternoon I noticed that the Howe Sound Queen has disappeared, from what I could see at the top of Grouse Mountain.
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Post by kylefossett on Jul 2, 2007 18:45:20 GMT -8
Yesterday I reported the Howe Sound Queen to be in North Vancouver, while looking across the Burrard Inlet from Canada Place. This afternoon I noticed that the Howe Sound Queen has disappeared, from what I could see at the top of Grouse Mountain. 10 am this morning it was still the bowen queen running to crofton |
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Nick
Voyager
Chief Engineer - Queen of Richmond
Posts: 2,080
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Post by Nick on Jul 2, 2007 21:25:50 GMT -8
a) I saw the Tachek leave Sturdies Bay at 2 something this afternoon, bound for Village Bay and bobbing like a cork on the wake left by a Spirit going through Active Pass. She took on a full load and departed quickly. Oh, and she was in dock stern to. The people on board looked a little green after crossing the straight though.
b) For interest's sake, the Tachek used to do the Swartz to Fulford run in the summer to keep the Bowen Queen on track before the Skeena was built. It was also a relief vessel for the rest of the gulf islands from Swartz.
I know from experience that the Tachek is a wonderful little ship. She can sail safely in fairly rough seas, although anyone with an even remotely queasy stomach might want to stay on hard ground. It's one of the few vessels in the fleet with a deck that slopes up at the bow and stern.
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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 Jul 2, 2007 21:37:59 GMT -8
It was so nice on the Tachek Sat afternoon from TSA to Sturdies Bay. She was packed and people were just stretched out sitting and laying on the car deck at the bow of the ship were there was a bit space to sit and relax as the whole uppper lounge was taken up by foot passengers, lol! She was bobbing up and down too from the waves which was kinda cool! She dosent bob around too much. She is a neat little ship!
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jul 2, 2007 21:56:03 GMT -8
It's one of the few vessels in the fleet with a deck that slopes up at the bow and stern. Other current-BCFS vessels being: - North Island Princess - Tenaka - Quadra Queen II - Nimpkish |
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Post by kylefossett on Jul 3, 2007 15:19:29 GMT -8
a) I saw the Tachek leave Sturdies Bay at 2 something this afternoon, bound for Village Bay and bobbing like a cork on the wake left by a Spirit going through Active Pass. She took on a full load and departed quickly. Oh, and she was in dock stern to. The people on board looked a little green after crossing the straight though.. she was at tsawwassen at 230 pm sunday afternoon loading for the islands |
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Nick
Voyager
Chief Engineer - Queen of Richmond
Posts: 2,080
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Post by Nick on Jul 3, 2007 17:15:49 GMT -8
a) I saw the Tachek leave Sturdies Bay at 2 something this afternoon, bound for Village Bay and bobbing like a cork on the wake left by a Spirit going through Active Pass. She took on a full load and departed quickly. Oh, and she was in dock stern to. The people on board looked a little green after crossing the straight though.. she was at tsawwassen at 230 pm sunday afternoon loading for the islands Whoops, sorry folks, it was the nanaimo I saw at 2 something. The Tachek came in around 4. Found this out looking at the time stamp on my pictures. (still uploading.) |
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Post by Scott on Jul 4, 2007 19:44:36 GMT -8
So the Bowen Queen sailings are cancelled tomorrow because she's still on the Vesuvius route. The service notice doesn't say anything about the Tachek though. Does anyone know if the little boat is still at Tsawwassen? I was planning a little Gulf Island cruise this Saturday and wouldn't mind arranging my plans to take a trip on her.
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Post by Scott (Former Account) on Jul 4, 2007 19:55:25 GMT -8
So the Bowen Queen sailings are cancelled tomorrow because she's still on the Vesuvius route. The service notice doesn't say anything about the Tachek though. Does anyone know if the little boat is still at Tsawwassen? I was planning a little Gulf Island cruise this Saturday and wouldn't mind arranging my plans to take a trip on her. She is no longer at Tsawwassen... As to where she is now, I am unsure... |
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Post by blackshadow on Jul 4, 2007 21:38:49 GMT -8
Last word Tachek was going to Texada for tie up (her normal summer lay up). BCFS managers are hoping for Bowen Queen to take over route by this weekend.
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Post by Retrovision on Jul 5, 2007 9:12:28 GMT -8
I saw her in the early 1990's, operating out of Swartz Bay...much like Mayne Queen does now. labour day weekend 2005. problems with the RADS on the Cumberland had her running behind schedule so the Tachek was brought in to help keep on time Just slight problems... A CBC reporter was actually aboard as she lost use of her rads when coming into Sturdies Bay, Galiano Island. It's one of the few vessels in the fleet with a deck that slopes up at the bow and stern. Other current-BCFS vessels being: - North Island Princess - Tenaka - Quadra Queen II - Nimpkish In other and more commonly used terms, single-enders, etc.  |
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Post by NMcKay on Jul 5, 2007 11:56:48 GMT -8
Kwuna?
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Post by Curtis on Jul 5, 2007 17:12:05 GMT -8
Last word Tachek was going to Texada for tie up (her normal summer lay up). BCFS managers are hoping for Bowen Queen to take over route by this weekend. Just thought I'd confirm this. This picture was taken a few hours ago.  |
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Post by Ferryman on Jul 5, 2007 18:48:10 GMT -8
Thanks for the pic, Curtis. I can see the notch on the bow that Flugel Horn was telling us about last week when he was on the Tachek, with him being under the impression that she was rushed out of refit with some steel work that needed to be completed still. But in the above picture, it almost looks like they've cut a notch in the bow for a possible installment of some sort of bow ramp, with a similar configuration that you see on the K-Class.  |
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Post by Retrovision on Jul 5, 2007 19:16:37 GMT -8
Thanks for the pic, Curtis. I can see the notch on the bow that Flugel Horn was telling us about last week when he was on the Tachek, with him being under the impression that she was rushed out of refit with some steel work that needed to be completed still. But in the above picture, it almost looks like they've cut a notch in the bow for a possible installment of some sort of bow ramp, with a similar configuration that you see on the K-Class. Chris makes a good point, and the cut is deep too; though I'd guess this is closer to something like the Nimpkish uses up north these days for her ramps, especially based on how long the section of deck needing plywood to cover it for regular service is.   |
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