Really Interesting Ferry Trips

[The Ferry Man]

Just to break the ice on nobody talking for a while...has anybody been on one of the ferries during a really interesting event like the fishing boat flipping over outside of the fraser river on the Queen of Newwestminster or on the Spirit of Vancouver Island when it ran over a boat in active pass. Or even the Queen of Surrey fire. I know I haven't been on a ferry with any interesting trips. But if anybody has, share it because would be interesting to see what the passenger view was or crew was like at the time! ;D

[Low Light Mike]

Nothing in recent memory, but as a kid in the 70's, I was on a V-class from HSB to DB, and there was a tug boat sinking in the middle of the straight.

We stopped for a while, but the CP Princess of Vancouver was already there, and then we saw the Hovercraft arive.


My wife once saw the actor who played the role of "Jessie" on "The Beachcombers" in the cafeteria on the Langdale run.


I read a newspaper story about a guy who was vomiting out the car deck window on a V-class near Tswwassen, and in the act of retching, he fell out the window and into the strait. He floated all night, and made landfall on a gulf island. This was maybe 15 years ago? That would have been an "interesting" trip for him.

[Doug]

I know that my uncle was on the Queen of Surrey during the engine fire...not only just on the vessel but he was the truck driver who opened the doors at then end of the vessel to drain excessive fire extinguishing water. I don't know much about it but I do know he was aboard.

[NMcKay]

the only interesting trips i can talk about are on the Harbourlynx,

1. One of the "Kid Runs" when you have over 150 Kids on board. those are hectic. and the crew goes nuts with kids running around. and the Bridge crew locks the door, cause it get freaky.

2. was aboard on a christmas run when we sucked a log into the water jets, we slowed down for about 10 minutes while they flushed the log out, and then went back to full speed for the rest of the trip

3. was aboard when the generators failed, the only thing that was interesting about that trip was that the fire alarms were going, and the crew was a little panicked.

4. was aboard during a rough trip, when the only thing we could do was keep our mouths around the air sickness bag.

[Balfour]

3 weeks ago I travelled on board the Queen of Esquimalt to Langdale, and I met Gordon Campbell during the trip. I invitied him to a camp that my Rover Crew was running at Camp Byng. Unfortunately he could show up.

[Curtis]

Wow Gordon Campbell thats really intresting

[kylefossett]

gordon campbell eh! what a brave soul riding bc ferries you would think after the contract being imposed he would avoid the ferries for fear an irrate employee may take him out

[Low Light Mike]

I spent many a trip on the Q-Sidney on Comox-Westview with my face in an accounting textbook, studying for my Chartered Accountant final exam. The upstairs aft lounge was my main haunt on frequent sailings during that part of my life (the travel was for love, and the studying needed to get done....so study on the Sidney became a regular routine).

That aft-upstairs lounge room on the Sidney (same as on the Q-Tsawwassen) was a little-known area by the general ridership....until they put a kids play area there a few years ago. Peace no more.

Accounting textbooks on a ferry trip: Now that's a really interesting ferry trip.

;D

[BrianWilliams]

Fluge, I can't imagine a better study hall than a BC Ferry on a quiet day. Blue water, green islands and hummin' diesels.

Eat yer hearts out, Harvard!

[NMcKay]

what about the vic clipper? it has 2 Gas Turbines. No Humm....its a Roar!

[Low Light Mike]

I just spent the weekend at Powell River. Sunday Nov.15th the ferries out of Westview were shut down all day, because of a windstorm. That was supposed to be my travel day home to Van.Island.....so I waited and phoned the BC Ferries 1-800 # many times:

12:10 cancelled, so maybe we can make the 5:00pm......5:00pm cancelled, so maybe we can make the 8:45pm........8:45pm cancelled......"Rats!" now I have to unload the car in the rain & wind and spend another night!

Up Monday morning at 6:00am, to Westwiew terminal by 7:00am, to line up for the 8:10am sailing. Loading lot was completely full by 7:30am. Q-Burnaby was over 1 hour late arriving from Comox on the first run of the day, as there was an overfull load from that side too.

Finally arrived home 11:45 am on Monday......almost 24 hours late.

RE the Burnaby, it was completely full. They even used the side-panel lanes on each platform deck (the ones that hang from cables). Nice ship, but I really wanted to go upstairs (outside or inside) and explore the unused space which is now marked "crew only". I enjoyed a non-white-spot burger on the trip over.....something that you can't do on the C or S class anymore.

It's good to me home.

[Curtis]

You were part of that I feel sorry for ya what a drag.
im glad we didn't stay in Nanimo for the long weekend and just went went for a day geez I saw 7 BC ferries Bowen Queen, Quinitsa, Quinsam, Queens of Burnaby, Esquimalt Oak Bay and Coquitlam. Also those side lanes on the ramps are intresting they aren't on other ships are they they probably were added when she was away from BCF as the Royal Victorian and Princess Margurite 3. Anyway I knew it would be full my older cousins had to stay an extra day till they could get back to Victoria. The Bowen Queen tried to make a round trip to Texada and back but they canceled it again after. anyway the Bowen Queen still hasn't left the Texada route and the NIP was supposed to come back on Sunday but probably didn't come back cause the Texada run was canceled but it would have come back today but still hasen't come back.

[Low Light Mike]

Bowen Queen was still on the Texada run, as of 9:30 am this morning. She was doing the slow-circle, idling around the Westview waterfront, while the Burnaby was in at the dock.

re the extra lanes on the Platform deck: the Q-Sidney used to have these, up until the mid 90's, when they were removed during refit. I think this was how the platforms were originally on some of the ships, and if they weren't used enough, then maybe the extra side lanes were removed? (someone, please jump in and help us out with this one).

It still bugs me that the Comox ferry is based out of Comox, and not out of Powell River. I guess the cost to buy-out or move the crews is too great.....but it would sure make sense to have it travelling in the opposite direction.....it would make ski trips to Mt. Washington easier for PR-residents.

[Ferryman]

Are you sure the ramps were taken out because I was going through the posts on the Yahoo forum and people were saying that there is a "new" Queen of Sidney page and it has pics of some people walking through it out on the Fraser somewhere and there is a picture of the car deck and it looks like the ramps in the middle are still there but underneath the ramps it looks like they were divided up into rooms for tools or something but I can't tell so I don't know if I can help you there

[Low Light Mike]

re the Sidney ramps:

- the main inside platform-deck on each side was left intact (1 lane only, on each side). But the extra side lane on each side (the one that sort of folded down into place, or could be folded up & out of the way) was removed in the mid 90's. These side-lanes, ran say 3/4 of the length of the main platform deck.

Sorry I can't draw a better picture. But picture 4 lanes of cars on the platform deck, compared with 2 lanes of cars on the platform deck (in total).

[Ferryman]

Oh right I forgot about how part of it folded back down because I was looking in one of my old ferries books with all the original ferries in and it showed the Sidney with folding ramps ;D

[Ferryman]

Just thought I would update this topic seeming it is new years and plus I have nothing better to do. Does anyone have any more interesting ferry trips to share?

[Koastal Karl]

Well I was in Vancouver today, New Years Eve Day. Went over on the Queen of Saanich and came back on the SOVI 9pm sailing. I tell you all ferries coming back tonight after 8pm are pretty much EMPTY! The 9pm sailing coming back tonight there was only 1 lane at Tsawwassen a few reserved cars and like two overheights, and that was it. Made up at total of 4 lanes and a few extra vehicles on the main car deck. They never used the upper vehicle deck. Same with the Queen of New West 8:15 departure from Tsawwassen, the upper vehicle deck was empty as far as I could see. The SOBC from Swartz Bay upper vehicle deck, EMPTY! Not alot of people travelling tonight. Nice quiet trip though. The SOVI has a nice little christmas tree in the Cafeteria area. Some lights around the bridge although only one side was lit. Queen of Saanich had a tree by the gift shop and decorations around the ship. Upper Deck resturant seating area was open. They still have the serving lines and all the other stuff in the upper deck resturant on the Saanich but when I was in there today it was all covered up with plastic. So it was another interesting trip today.

[Balfour]

I rember when I went over to Tofino and I took the Queen of Oak Bay over to DB, and there was only one blue van on the Upper Car deck.

[Curtis]

Amazing! what sailling was it Now that makes me remember one time I was waiting at Earls Cove we would guess how many cars were on the Queen of Tsawwassen there was one car on the whole ship

[Low Light Mike]

In fall-95 or 96, I was on a C-Class from Dep.Bay to HS-bay, with a church group, travelling to Vancouver to attend a "Promise Keepers" rally at Pacific Coliseum. It was a Saturday 6:30 am sailing.

(ok, take a few moments to chuckle). For those who aren't familar, this was a christian men's organization that generated a lot of negative media attention in the mid-90's.

The type of meeting was all the rage amongst the church folk back then, so it was going to be 15,000 guys at the Coliseum. Needless to say, the ferry was packed, with many Islanders heading to the rally. It was like the end of Expo again, with oodles of foot passengers.

The crossing was very rough. There was a snowstorm that morning, and apparantly the upper-levels highway was quite bad, so they wouldn't let the ferry unload at HS-Bay. We were instead diverted to Tsawwassen. An impromptu mid-island express of another kind. The trip was maybe 2.5hours long, and us happy promise-keepers were able to make the rally....but a bit late. The fact that we were diverted to Tsawwassen, and not turned around to return to Dep.Bay was seen as a bit of a "miracle" at the time.

[Ian]

I remember on a ride across the straight the ferry did a man over board drill. Took an extra twenty minutes to turn around the SOVI, launch a zodiac and retrieve the floaty ring thing.

[Koastal Karl]

I was on the NIP once back in 97 during the summer on an evening sailing back to Powell River and there was only three cars on her. No one up top, it was neat.

[clay]

I remember watching some old drunk puke all over himself on the Queen of Saanich, I think it was, back in the early 80's. Totally pissed myself laughing. Felt sorry for the crew who had to clean up the spew, however.

[Ferryman]

Yeah anyone who was part of the cleanup crew wouldn't be liking that, how could anyone get away with being drunk on the ferry. Does anyone know if there was any police events on the ferries at all? Just curious if anyone was dumb enough to try and commit any crimes on a ferry like stealing from the gift shop if they were dumb enough cause obviously they wouldn't get very far.