FastFerry

[Dane]

One went out for a sail today... Where did it go? Why?

[Ferryman]

Interesting...! Why do the Ferries in North Van get moved around the day after I'm there!
I guess they moved the Voyager back to the other Seaspan facility, so Mr. Washington can park his yaught there.

[Dane]

BCTV made it sound like it actually went somewhere? Maybe not, they get it wrong a lot.

[Ferryman]

Hmm, I'm watching BCTV right now, I guess I was too distracted when they mention it!

[Ferryman]

I'm really suprised how much people are uneducated about those 3 cats. I was discussing with one of my friends the other day about them, and he thought they were in the Mediterranean working as a fleet of floating casinos!
He wouldn't believe me when I told him all three of them are sitting in North Vancouver collecting dust, along with huge city of sea life on the hull.

[Dane]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha that actually made me laugh. I told some one they were being used as floating hospitals for the gulf islands.

[Retrovision]

And, when my bbs (direct-dial chat forum - not internet based), STS-13 (in the early '90s), hooked up with our sister-bbs down in Florida, I was actually able to carry on a conversation about how I had to get a new sled, or that I might upgrade to a ski-doo.
================================================================

are you guys talking about BC-CTV or Global-BC? The latter is no longer known as BCTV; all ties to the name (I don't know about station ident, though) were officially cut earlier this year.

Quite frankly, to make reference to CTV being anything like Global would be taken in the same way a Kiwi might take being referred to as an Australian (or is it the other way around? ); I don't know if any of you have noticed, but there's just a *slight* difference in the reporting-style of the two stations.

[Retrovision]

cascade said:

...some old trade press magazine - there was a number of reports - storied done on them - even to the point that trade people here though the BC Government would have to bid - or pay for them to be scraped.

This would never be done by our current provincial government. The only reason that the BC SoCred.. err umm, "Liberal" party set up an auction to sell them for pennies on the dollar was to drive the final proverbial nail into the NDP party's coffin.

...Or so they thought they had, until our last election when the BC NDP party rebounded by 1,550% in the Legislature, going from 2 seats to 33.

I understand that those are old trade press magazines that you were talking about, so I can imagine that the idea of pulling those already driven nails out would be out of the question now.

[WettCoast]

A few weeks ago I heard a so-called marine expert on CBC Radio saying that one of the fast-cats would be suitable for service on the North Coast to assist the Queen of Prince Rupert over the summer months. If that is true why don't they do it. Perhaps the marine expert was mis-informed?

[Mike C]

Because Washington Marine Group is working on the Cats. They can't all-of-a-sudden take a competing corperation's ferries, and put them on open water, when they're not even ready to sail in the first place! However, they are very desperate, and trying to get whatever they can grasp. I think the Cat's are just beyond thier reach. They're the ones who auctioned them off in the first place!!

[Retrovision]

I wouldn't be surprised to see this happen, considering that many big BC companies (including BCFS) are in the pocket of the BC SoCred... err umm "Liberal" party; or is that the other way around

[NMcKay]

Chinese may put 'patient' cash into foot ferry
The Daily News (Nanaimo)
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Page: A4
Section: News
Byline: Robert Barron
Source: Daily News

It may not be over for Nanaimo's passenger ferry service to downtown Vancouver.

Nanaimo-Parksville MLA Ron Cantelon said Chinese entrepreneurs have expressed an interest in the defunct HarbourLynx ferry service, owned by the Nanaimo Harbour Link Corporation.

"Richard Lee, the secretary for Asia-Pacific initiatives under Colin Hansen (minister of economic development) took a trip to China over the Easter weekend and brought the ferry's passenger numbers with him to look for investment opportunities," he said.

"Lee had some possible leads as passenger ferries are common in China, with many making the crossing from Hong Kong to Macau, and he was successful in attaining some interest from the business community there."

The HarbourLynx service shut down in February, citing financial problems after suffering engine troubles.

Cantelon said the Chinese entrepreneurs have "patient capital" to invest -- long-running financing that expects no return until the business has developed -- if they choose to invest in HarbourLynx.

"They're definitely interested and we're quite hopeful, so now we're going to try and persuade them to come to Nanaimo and take a look," he said. "We're hoping this will be within weeks. They have also expressed an interest in real estate opportunities in this area as well."

Bill McKay, HarbourLynx's former operations manager, said the notion that any new investors would be prepared to put financing into the foot ferry and only look for a return when the business has developed would be good.

"That's not the way things usually operate in Canada where investors are looking for instant gratification," he said.

"However, this is a difficult business and I find it interesting that the province would be promoting it when they gave significant advantages to our competitors, B.C. Ferries, when we were in operation."

McKay said if the government is prepared to bring the investors from China and forego some of their old rules that would allow the foot ferry to operate on an even playing field, it would have a good chance to succeed.

[e-mail]

[NMcKay]

How about how the asian nations that are supporting the US. when will that stop?

[Retrovision]

cascade said:

Re-cap. If the go ahead is given in May 2006 - then....maybe...just maybe, we could see the Cats back in Q4 - 2007 or more likely in Q1 2008. When they had been out of action for over ten years. We are back to having an old "Fleet" again on the Coast. Is this what we want???

A little off topic, but pertinent nonetheless
...I will soon be posting on this subject in the Non-Ferries section of the forum
As the ferries of the Lower Strait of Georgia are an integral cog in the machine of the Lower Mainland's Mass Transportation System



This ETA is, interestingly enough, within the same few-year window of the completion of 2 mass/vehicle-transportation projects already under, or about to begin construction:


One project that just might be the most integral when it comes to future sustainability of our region is the Canada Line, a new rapid transit line now being constructed between Downtown Vancouver and Richmond's City Centre:






Preparing to dig, in the heart of Yaletown, near Downtown Vancouver





(find the gallery here: www.canadaline.ca/galleryFront.asp)

See:

www.canadaline.ca/
www.canadaline.ca/files/docs/CanadaLineOverview.pdf



The Nuts & Bolts:


Technology: Automated Light Metro System

Length of line: approx. 19 km

No. of Stations (2009): 16

Estimated Daily Riders (2010):

Water crossings: 2 bridges; 1 tunnel

Equivalent road capacity: 10 Major lanes

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Project Partner:
- Fixed-price, date-certain contract awarded to InTransitBC for the design, construction, operations, maintenance and partial financing of the Line.

Journey Time:
- From Downtown Vancouver to Vancouver International Airport – 25 minutes*
- From Downtown Vancouver to Richmond City Centre – 25 minutes*

*Times are subject to change

*@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@*


The other major transportation project, with 'pre-construction' activities taking place starting in the next few weeks, is Translink's new bridge linking East-of-the Pitt River and North-of-the Fraser River regions (From Pitt Meadows to northern Surrey

See:
www.translink.bc.ca/goldenearsbridge/







And Now Back To Re: FastFerry...

[Dane]

cascade said:

Where are the Chinese in all of this?

What?

Paperwork on the FastCats would take a few weeks, not a few months. They are fired up to ensure functionality, no doubt they'll need work though.

[Dane]

cascade said:

As for the paper work - you seem to know how Transport Canada works, therefore must have an inside view, but getting a vessel fully licensed and ticketed crew on-board - plus Class Society clearance, P&I Club, Insurance, ect....I think..but... hey could be totally wrong...take months not weeks.

Crew takes time. Vessel does not.

[Dane]

3 to 6 weeks is a lot different than what you were saying earlier.

I agree, 3 to 6 weeks.