queen of chilliwack

[shane]

i think the chilliwack is probably one of the best ferries in the fleet.
it has a good design and its a perfect ferry for freight
runs like the mid coast run
what do you guys think of it

[BrianWilliams]

I'll tell you what we think of the Queen of Chilliwack at the end of July. We're off to Bella Coola in a couple of days, coming back to Vancouver by road.

We expect a great trip, with Chilliwack's cruise the highlight of our vacation.

PS: I was surprised to find that none of Chilliwack's express trips are sold out this summer. Even though I booked only a week before our date (15 July), BCF res said that all trips have open space. Jeez, this beautiful run should have a year-long waiting list.

[BrianWilliams]

Here's a report of our trip on Q of Chilliwack, 15th of July 2004. There are many good things, and only a few complaints:

At first sight in Port Hardy, I was disappointed. Chilliwack (ex-Basto I) is much smaller than most mainline BC Ferries, and more spartan. The car deck is the first thing you'll notice. The deck plates are badly warped. I've never seen such a mess on a BC boat. Norway may be a nation with a 1,000-yr shipbuilding tradition, but this deck would shame the Vikings.

The four narrow stairwells leading topside are substandard. I wouldn't want to be stuck below in an emergency. The dimly-lit cardeck is fully enclosed, so the only exit is up these cramped gangways.

Chilliwack's noise and vibration is also pronounced down below, much worse than our older BC-builts.

Topside, Chilliwack has an odd layout on the boat deck, the one above the main passenger deck. Passengers can't get past the bridge wings from forward to aft, except by descending one deck, and re-ascending a gangway - and there are only two. It takes a while to learn the layout of the ship.

The boat deck interior is completely devoted to crew accommodation. They have to carry three shifts of crew on Chilliwack's lengthy turns, so that's not surprising. It was not contemplated when Basto I was built, I guess.

These are about all the complaints I have, except for Chilliwack's blazing 11.5 knot cruising speed. Hmmph. Drifting logs outran us in Johnstone Strait ...

In Part 2, the good news - and there is plenty.

[BrianWilliams]

Q of Chilliwack Part 2:

Never, ever have I sailed with a happier, more helpful crew than the Chilliwack's people.

An unexpected treat: the bridge is open to passengers for the entire voyage. 20 minutes out of Port Hardy, our skipper invited all to visit on the PA. Everyone crowded up for a few minutes, then most passengers drifted away. After the early crush, I saw this:

Our skipper explained LORAN to a 9-yr old girl who was fascinated by the big colour monitor showing the coast and our course. Her mom and dad watched (and told me they NO idea what was going on), while the skipper flipped the display to show a compass card imposed on the coast image, then added our heading, and the next two waypoints -course changes- and invited the kid to "steer" the boat by helm orders to him.

Brilliant! This sharp kid, with a bit of coaching, ordered:

"Steer 020"
-020, aye!
"Umm, 035"
-035, aye!

.. and so on, 'til the skipper led her out to the nearby bridge wing to observe our twisting wake (having put Chilliwack back on her programmed course).

What a great education for an Oregon kid.

Approaching Cape Caution, I scrambled up to the wheelhouse to watch this famous place pass -- and just then, our First Mate spotted a humpback whale. All stop, reverse and spin the boat.

Chilliwack's propulsion is four independent propellor legs. At moderate speed, she can turn in her own length. Happily, QC Sound's swells were less than 3 feet, so we spun quickly and approached the whale.

The radio came alive. MV Mercury, a southbound Alaska cruise ship was just hull-up on the NW horizon. Earlier, Alert Bay Coast Guard had told us to expect Mercury (she was easily seen on Chilliwack's radar).

Mercury's Canadian pilot spoke to us directly, and demanded 3 miles of sea room. Our skipper, bless him, told Mercury to get stuffed. Coast Guard intervened after a brief, salty exchange. Essentially, CG said "steer your own boat, Mercury, and do not harrass coastal traffic".

More in Part 3

[BrianWilliams]

Part 3:

Although I promised to stop complaining, Chilliwack's passenger spaces are cramped and far below usual BCF standards. That is outweighed by the crew's gracious attitude, and their creativity.

Chilliwack's tiny buffet, supported by an even tinier galley, produces some amazing meals. Red Snapper Vindaloo was my favourite. At lunch earlier, we had a fine salmon salad -- too late, Jeannie remembered she had forgotten her favourite tomato-clam chowder. A table-wiping person overheard .. seconds later, the food manager bustled out with a steaming bowl.

"There's a bit left, luv, and still hot -- no charge."

Many members of Chilliwack's crew wear blue ballcaps with "Queen of Chilliwack - Route 40" embroidered in gold. We learned, days later in Hagensborg that Route 40 is highly-desired by ferry workers. The trips are long, and there are unpaid layovers far from from home .. but it is BC Ferries' best assignment.

Our experience supports that. I have never met a ferry worker in 40+ years who was unfriendly or unprofessional -- but the Route 40 people are exceptional.

There is a Part 4, next --

[BrianWilliams]

Late in the voyage, our long run up Dean Channel encountered dolphins. Again, I was in the wheelhouse.

Our First Mate had the conn. She fielded some radio traffic from outbound towboats, reporting a mob of Pacific Whitesides off Gaarden Point, King Island.

Queen of Chilliwack has many friends on the coast, I learned. Towboats, fishermen, lightkeepers: they all keep Chilliwack informed of passing hazards "look out for a BIG deadhead off Namu, going south"

Chilliwack, for all my gripes above, is accepted as a coastal working boat. She is a stubby, unsinkable tub.

She is not pretty, she's barely comfortable -- but Chill

[BrianWilliams]

Whoops, broke off in mid-thought above.

The last few hours of our 13-hr express trip were magical. Bella Coola had a music festival starting the next day .. and four bands were on our sailing.

La Raquette a Claquette kicked off with a "rehearsal" in the tiny forward lounge at 1 pm; by 3 o'clock, the Anglo-Scottish, Anglo-Irish and zydeco bands joined for a roof-raising jam.

Passengers and crew members danced the pattern off the Norwegian carpet. The party went on 'til 9 pm -- then nature upstaged us.

A few minutes out of Bella Coola, we sailed into a white squall. Thunder shook the sturdy Chilliwack; lightning bolts cracked.

Everyone ran on deck. Players abandoned ther instruments -- we all stood in awe as purple bolts raked the 7,000' mountains. I have never seen this before: orange fireballs at the earth end of the lightning strikes

[Flugelhorn]

Brian: thanks for your report. It brought back many memories of my trip on the 'Wack in 1999 on the same day-run between Port Hardy & BCBC.

The thing that I remember most, was that most of the passengers seemed to be fellow BC Ferries employees & families, taking a reduced-fare passenger-only return trip between the ports. I suspect that BC Ferries Corp offered reduced fares to employees, to bump-up the ridership of the route. They boarded first (as foot passengers), and grabbed the best seats, before the regular-fare customers could.

We rolled quite a bit in Queen Charlotte Sound, and we also passed the Celebrity-Mercury at the north end of the sound.


Fast forward to present-day, and I'm ready to board the Queen of the North next week, for my first trip on the Prince Rupert run. I sailed on her as the "Surrey" in '74, but I was only a kid, and I only remember the funny-looking bow door cover that opened upwards.

[Ferry Guy]

It sounds like you enjoyed the Queen of Chilliwack, In your opinion how long will it stay in service because i heard something about it's retirement, It looks like a good little ship.

[BrianWilliams]

Building ridership on Route 40 is a real problem, I guess.

Our express trip should be the most popular leg - so here we are in mid-July, and a crew member gave me that day's numbers: Vehicles: 30 underheight, 10 overheight and 4 motorcycles (capacity is 115); Passengers 116 (cap 389); crew on board: 28.

He told me that was a bit low, but not too unusual.

[Harbourlynx Kid]

they tell me that route 40 is the most heavily subsidized route in the whole fleet, even thought the route is highly coveted by BCFC employees. i think it ahs to do with a family of 3 with thier car costs close to 500$ return

[BrianWilliams]

Peak season fare to Bella Coola is actually more than that: ONE WAY for 2 adults, and underheight car = $425.00. For riders starting on the mainland, add another 50+ dollars each way for the Island crossing.

The much longer Port Hardy-Prince Rupert trip is just $446.50 for 2 adults + car.

Though I don't think Route 40 is too costly, it may be deterring some people used to the really low fares on most BCF trips. Compare our fares with those charged on UK-Ireland-Europe crossings. BC Ferries is a bargain.

Another Route 40 problem must be its perceived remoteness. I described our trip on another (non-ferry) board, with some nice photos. Several Americans responded enthusiastically; but none knew where Bella Coola is, and especially, assumed there were no roads to continue the trip.

Highway 20 is a great drive; the only unpaved bit is the 60km from Atnarko to Anahim Lake, and even that is a good, safe road.

[shane]

the first part that brian talked about is true, being a weird design.
most of the norweigien ferries are like that.
i travel on the chilliwack alot because i live in powell river and i go to vancouver alot and she is one if my favourite ships.
here is a website in norwegien that has many pics of the norweigen ferries.
www.fjordfaehren.de/no/fjord.htm

[shane]

whem you go on to the website go down to the bottom right and click the arrow bellow weiter
and the ships are listed alphabeticly from a to Æ,
Ø and Å
to veiw the pictures click on them

[shane]

here are some translations for the site:
BRZ/GT: net/gross tons
m lang: meters in length
m breit: meters in width
m Tiefg: meters in depth
Passagiere: passenger capacity
PKW: car capacity
Knoten: speed in knots
Baujahr: year built
Werft: yard that ship was built in
Namen: names
Reedereien: operators
Einsatzort: routes

[Ian]

Here is the exact location site of the queen of chilliwack, aka basto I, www.faktaomfartyg.com/basto_I_1978.htm

[shaner]

ill be sailing on the chilliwack today

[Curtis]

Last time I was on the Chilliwack she had engine trouble so she was late getting into Earls Cove and even more late getting to Saltery Bay and also that site Royal Caribbean posted is great if it wasn't in a different language.I would have posted that page earlier if I had known how to do it how do you set up a link to another page?

[clay]

The Queen of Chilliwack is a floating disaster. Who designed this thing, and what planet were they on when they did it? It is absolutely the most hideous thing afloat in our waters. I remember when I went on it, I was waiting for the engines to open up, so I could see what she could do. It took me about 15 minutes to realize...not much. It looks like something I would have built with my Lego's when I was 7, or built out of random parts from about 6 different ships. And the view from the forward lounge windows is lousy. And that car deck. Where did the steel for that come from, Latvia? In a word, LAME!!

[Balfour]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Queen of Chilliwack is BCF's ugly boat. It's really just metal boxes piled on top of a giant tin boat.

[Ian]

Lego is what it looks like exactly, she is the ugly sh*t in the fleet, opps ship.

Guest-clay said:

The Queen of Chilliwack is a floating disaster. Who designed this thing, and what planet were they on when they did it? It is absolutely the most hideous thing afloat in our waters. I remember when I went on it, I was waiting for the engines to open up, so I could see what she could do. It took me about 15 minutes to realize...not much. It looks like something I would have built with my Lego's when I was 7, or built out of random parts from about 6 different ships. And the view from the forward lounge windows is lousy. And that car deck. Where did the steel for that come from, Latvia? In a word, LAME!!

[Curtis]

Heres what looks like the Chilliwack's(Basto) sister shipwww.faktaomfartyg.com/basto_II_1979.htm

[Ferryman]

Jeez never knew there was more than one of Queen of Chilliwack back in Norway or Germany wherever they got her from in Europe

[Ian]

The norwiegans have a thing about making wierd ships.

[EivindM]

Like this home.online.no/~joeolavl/viking/gokstadskipet.htm