Alaska ferry questions

[Scott]

Are there any good spots in BC (or Washington) to get a good close look at AMHS ferries operating between Bellingham and Alaska? From what I can tell, they always leave at 6PM on Fridays (sometimes Tuesdays) and always arrive at 8AM on Fridays (sometimes Tuesdays). That schedule means that except in the early summer, they're sailing through our waters at night-time.

In my opinion, most of the AMHS ships have beautiful lines and look very nice. Unfortunately, I've never had the chance to see or photograph any of them. And after checking out their fares, I don't know if I'll ever be able to afford to travel on them! Does it really cost over $300US for one person to travel between Bellingham and Juneau in the summer? I guess for the amount of time you're on a ship, it's not too bad. But I could probably do a 7 night all-inclusive Alaska cruise for three or four times that much:) Too bad they don't have something like BC Ferries SailPass - or do they? I don't particularly like the AMHS website either. Seems like everything is on Acrobat Reader, which is annoying.

Back to the topic of spotting an AMHS ship in BC waters. Has anyone been on the Bellingham - Alaska trip? I'd be interested in the timing of the ferry as it passes certain points. Do they always pass Campbell River in the middle of the night?

I notice that the Taku makes one northbound trip from Bellingham on June 30th (a Saturday) and leaves at 8 in the morning. That's the only one I could find that is a possible day-time viewing. Of course, it's also my daughter's birthday, so I'm sure I'll be busy:)

And one more question. If someone was going to Alaska and wanted to see as many of the ferries as possible, which port would be the "hub", where the most variety of vessels come and go?

[Northern Exploration]

When I took the Queen of the North on the northbound summer day cruise, it often passed the northbound ferry but usually after dark when it was difficult to see. This would have been in the "shoulder season". It may have been lighter and easier to see in June when the days are longer. I don't know how many times in the season their schedules co-ordinated like that. I never was in Prince Rupert when the Alaska Ferry docked. It could have happened though when I was asleep on the ferry. Plus I was usually on the port side.

[Low Light Mike]

In late May 2005, I tried to ship-spot MV Columbia, on a friday night in North Nanaimo, from a subdivision viewpoint.

I waited until 10:00 pm or so, and didn't see her.

I remember JCA-Christian saying that they pass by Parksville later, around 11 or so.


If you take BC Ferries Route-30 from Duke Point on a friday night at 5:45pm....you might sail past Columbia/Malaspina , as you get close to Tsawwassen. I'm pretty sure that I saw her in the dark, last February. But a summer night would be much better.

Fred Gingell Park would be good, on a May-July Friday evening.


When I did the Queen of the North repositioning cruise in Oct.2005, we passed MV Columbia as she was going northbound, in Queen Charlotte Strait, about 45 minutes south of Port Hardy, just off Cormorant / Malcolm Island.


But if you really want to see MV Columbia, your best bet is likely the Ketchikan shipyard, when she's being repaired from her annual fire.

[northwesterner]

admin said:

And one more question. If someone was going to Alaska and wanted to see as many of the ferries as possible, which port would be the "hub", where the most variety of vessels come and go?

Last summer Juneau saw the following:

Malaspina
Matanuska
LeConte
Fairweather
Columbia
Taku
Kennicott

That being said - the ferry terminal is inconviently located and at most, only three trips depart per day. The Columbia came and went from Juneau in the middle of the night - stealth ferry - so I never actually saw her.

[SS Shasta]

MV Colunbia is (finally) back in service on the Bellingham run. The June voyage of MV Taku from Bellingham to SE Alaska is the vessel's return from several months of yard work in Seattle. The work was delayed to some degree because of the long layup and repairs to MV Columbia at the Ketchikan shipyards.

Yes, travel on AMHS vessels is expensive with much of the cost going for staterooms. If you like to "rough it" you can and go without a cabin; some folks like to "camp out" in their tents in the sunroom on the top deck. The food service is good aboard the vessels and moderately priced considering Alaska prices. I usually travel RT between Bellingham and Ketchikan about 5 times a year. It's a lovely trip and I never get tired of it, even in the winter. You can also enjoy visits with the ship's crew; they do a fine job of keeping the vessel in tip-top shape for the voyage.

My favorite vessel is MV Malaspina, the "first lady of the AMHS fleet." She was the 1st of the "Blue Canoes" to be built; she was scheduled for retirement in 1997, but is still going strong as the 2nd vessel on the Bellingham run during the summer months. She is currently undergoing a major overhaul at Todds Shipyard in Seattle and will return to service in late spring.


Although Ketchikan is now the headquarters for the AMHS, Juneau, Haines, and Skagway are likely the best places to photograph most of the fleet serving SE Alaska. Those ports have service from the "fast ferries" as well as the mainline vessels. When running, the "fast ferry" provides day service from Juneau to Haines, Skagway, and sometimes Sitka. If you are interested in traveling AMHS, I would recommend requesting that the new 2007 Summer Schedule be posted to you.

[SS San Mateo]

shasta said:

My favorite vessel is MV Malaspina, the "first lady of the AMHS fleet." She was the 1st of the "Blue Canoes" to be built; she was scheduled for retirement in 1997, but is still going strong as the 2nd vessel on the Bellingham run during the summer months. She is currently undergoing a major overhaul at Todds Shipyard in Seattle and will return to service in late spring.

How did she escape retirement? Were there plans for a vessel to replace her, but ended up never being built?

[SS Shasta]

vashondude said:

shasta said:

My favorite vessel is MV Malaspina, the "first lady of the AMHS fleet." She was the 1st of the "Blue Canoes" to be built; she was scheduled for retirement in 1997, but is still going strong as the 2nd vessel on the Bellingham run during the summer months. She is currently undergoing a major overhaul at Todds Shipyard in Seattle and will return to service in late spring.

How did she escape retirement? Were there plans for a vessel to replace her, but ended up never being built?

The replacement vessel, MV Kennicott, entered service in October 1997 and MV Malaspina went into layup status. Rumors circulated that she would soon be sold for scrap, but several state legislators recommended that she be retained for possible use as a summer "day-boat" for service between Juneau, Haines, and Skagway. She entered this service on a trial basis during June, July, and August 1998 and again in 1999. Then, with a frequent breakdown of MV Columbia, she served as a emergency replacement vessel between Bellingham and SE Alaska. In 2002 she received a major overhaul at the Ketchikan Shipyards and was placed in regular service during the summers as a second vessel on the Bellingham run.

As this service is a rare money maker for AMHS, MV Malaspina now has a long term role in the system as the running mate of MV Columbia on the Bellingham run. She is currently undergoing a $6.5million overhaul at Todds and will return to service in late April 2007. Like our revered MV Evergreen State, the old girl is the personal favorite of many of us in SE Alaska.

[Scott]

In BC our northern vessels have to be replaced by a certain year because they don't meet the modern safety standards. Does anyone know if this is a Canada regulation that affects BC Ferries, or is it something that Alaska ferries will be impacted by as well?

[Low Light Mike]

Here's a link to a 2005 thread about shipspotting the MV Columbia in Georgia Strait:

ferriesbc.proboards20.com/index.cgi?board=nwf&action=display&thread=1117299804

[SS Shasta]

admin said:

In BC our northern vessels have to be replaced by a certain year because they don't meet the modern safety standards. Does anyone know if this is a Canada regulation that affects BC Ferries, or is it something that Alaska ferries will be impacted by as well?

AMHS apparently prefers to upgrade existing vessels over new construction in most cases. Like WSFs, vessels that call at international ports have different standards than those that do not. The original "Blue Canoes" built in 1962 are the oldest ferries in the fleet; they have also been the most "trouble free" and have experienced few breakdowns. The newer MV Columbia has experienced frequent mechanical problems as have the new "fast-ferries."

MV Columbia and MV Malaspina are assigned to the Bellingham run and operate under different standards than vessels calling at Prince Rupert, BC.

[northwesterner]

shasta said:

The replacement vessel, MV Kennicott, entered service in October 1997 and MV Malaspina went into layup status. Rumors circulated that she would soon be sold for scrap, but several state legislators recommended that she be retained for possible use as a summer "day-boat" for service between Juneau, Haines, and Skagway. She entered this service on a trial basis during June, July, and August 1998 and again in 1999. Then, with a frequent breakdown of MV Columbia, she served as a emergency replacement vessel between Bellingham and SE Alaska. In 2002 she received a major overhaul at the Ketchikan Shipyards and was placed in regular service during the summers as a second vessel on the Bellingham run.

I think you mentioned some time ago on this board that Malaspina has been the winter boat on the SE Alaska-Bellingham run as well the last few winters. I see this is not the case this winter... Any reason for that? Does she just need some TLC this winter, allowing the Columbia to run winters for the first time in a few years?

[SS Shasta]

northwesterner said:

shasta said:

I think you mentioned some time ago on this board that Malaspina has been the winter boat on the SE Alaska-Bellingham run as well the last few winters. I see this is not the case this winter... Any reason for that? Does she just need some TLC this winter, allowing the Columbia to run winters for the first time in a few years?

Actually MV Columbia experienced a generator fire at Haines, Ak in late September 2006 and has been idle at Ketchikan Shipyards until about two weeks ago. MV Malaspina did replace the MV Columbia on the Bellingham run during the early fall; she was scheduled for a major overhaul and modernization at Todds, Seattle this winter so she was replaced by MV Matanuska on the Bellingham run in November 2006. I believe that MV Kennicott also made a couple of runs to Bellingham as the replacement vessel. Work on MV Malaspina is scheduled to be completed by April 2007 and she will return to service on the Bellingham run.

I understand that the delay in returning MV Columbia to service has resulted in a delay in major maintenance for MV Taku which is also being done at Todds, Seattle. As a result, MV Taku will not resume regular service on the Prince Rupert run until July 2007.

From my recent travels on MV Malaspina and MV Matanuska, I must say these vessels are very clean, almost spotless, and actually look to be in much better condition than when I began riding on them over 30 years ago. We will see what MV Columbia looks like on my next trip to Puget Sound in March 2007. I usually try to avoid MV Columbia and ride on the revered MV Malaspina (when I have a choice).

[Scott]

SS Shasta,

What was the public/media reaction in Alaska to the sinking of the Queen of the North? Some of your ferries run through the same Inside Passage, and your ships are even older. Was there any concern raised up there?

[Northern Exploration]

Shasta:

Don't they refer to the Columbia as the Queen of the fleet. Why do you prefer the other ferries Malaspina and Matanuska? I have always wanted to do this trip.

[SS Shasta]

admin said:

SS Shasta,

What was the public/media reaction in Alaska to the sinking of the Queen of the North? Some of your ferries run through the same Inside Passage, and your ships are even older. Was there any concern raised up there?

The sinking was the top news story for several days here in SE Alaska. The Alaska ferries have had their share of trouble too. MV Taku hit the rocks and ran aground several years ago in northern BC. MV LeConte hit some rocks near Sitka a couple of years ago and almost sank. I don't think the age of the vessel was considered to be a factor. The LeConte incident was blamed on human error.

[SS Shasta]

pnwtraveler said:

Shasta:

Don't they refer to the Columbia as the Queen of the fleet. Why do you prefer the other ferries Malaspina and Matanuska? I have always wanted to do this trip.

I think the term "Queen of the Fleet" was used to describe MV Columbia for several years when she was new. I haven't been on her in almost 20 years, but when she was new she suffered from considerable engine vibration and noise, especially in turns. This problem likely has been corrected or reduced and I will see how she rides during my voyage south in March. I have always favored the MV Malaspina, MV Taku, or MV Matanuska because they seem to "ride the waves" better. This is just my opinion .

MV Columbia has also been a "bad luck" ship. She has suffered many engine failures and breakdowns. Last September she suffered a generator fire (not the first time) that put her out of service for several months.