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Post by ferryfan on Jul 13, 2009 22:16:56 GMT -8
i was talking to a few crew members over at tsawwassen the other day and they were saying that the SOBC was going to be tied up for the winter...according to them the SOBC is going into refit in october and once it's fixed up it's going to be tied up and the New West will sail...guess it makes sense to sail the New West at full capacity, than the sobc at half the capacity...anyone out there confirm or deny this, or is it just another rumor? Thanks!
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Post by Ferryman on Jul 13, 2009 22:25:40 GMT -8
So far no evidence on the BC Ferries RBI showing that will be the case this winter yet. Typically though, the SOBC would go in for refit for the month of January, then followed by the SOVI in February. Those months are typically the slowest months of the year for BCF, which is why they normally choose to pull the Spooks at that time. I'd be really surprised to see the New West running in the SOBC's spot all winter.
Also, re: New West.
I can't see her doing any real service all winter. She'll probably fill in for the Alberni and SOBC when they go for their month long annual refit. Other than that and at Christmas, and maybe Thanksgiving, the New West will be the one tied up all winter.
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Post by lmtengs on Jul 13, 2009 22:30:08 GMT -8
Never heard of this before! Sounds interesting. I don't think would be a good idea though. The QoNW is a fair bit smaller, so I don't believe she would handle all the traffic that goes through there very well. MY opinion is that they should do a shuffle:Put the SoBC into refit mode, Take the Coastal inspiration off of the Duke-tsa route and put it on route 1, while putting the QoNW on the Duke Pt. run. The two coastals would be better suited than one Coastal and a New West. Actually, they should do that switch permanently. The New West is smaller and would better suit that route than the Inspirite, who's lower passenger deck (5) has almost never seen a passenger! Other than that and at Christmas, and maybe Thanksgiving, the New West will be the one tied up all winter. Don't forget May long weekend and Easter! |
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Mill Bay
Voyager 
Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,886 
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Post by Mill Bay on Jul 13, 2009 22:33:18 GMT -8
Never heard of this before! Sounds interesting. I don't think would be a good idea though. The QoNW is a fair bit smaller, so I don't believe she would handle all the traffic that goes through there very well. MY opinion is that they should do a shuffle:Put the SoBC into refit mode, Take the Coastal inspiration off of the Duke-tsa route and put it on route 1, while putting the QoNW on the Duke Pt. run. The two coastals would be better suited than one Coastal and a New West. Actually, they should do that switch permanently. The New West is smaller and would better suit that route than the Inspirite, who's lower passenger deck (5) has almost never seen a passenger! That raises a good point. What will the Celebration be doing all winter? Even if one of the Spooks goes in for an extended refit, they should probably still have enough capacity with the Coastal and the other Spook, so why would the New West be running in a #1 spot? |
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Post by Curtis on Jul 14, 2009 11:11:07 GMT -8
Unless they can turn the Buffet into a Sitka Coffee Place, the only work I see the CC doing is running as a replacement for the Spirits. Unless they decide to use her as the CI's replacement and not use the Buffet. Hey, they don't use the SeaWest Lounge (at the same end) either, why not add another thing to the list of Coastal Class amenities not used on Route 30. She could also do Route 2, they'd just have to ready to open Deck 5 at any time. That's one of the things I found kind of flawed about the three Coastals, one has a feature that the other two don't have. Personally I'm kind of surprised that they didn't attempt to expand Buffet service to Route 2.
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Post by Nickfro on Jul 14, 2009 11:45:52 GMT -8
i was talking to a few crew members over at tsawwassen the other day and they were saying that the SOBC was going to be tied up for the winter...according to them the SOBC is going into refit in october and once it's fixed up it's going to be tied up and the New West will sail...guess it makes sense to sail the New West at full capacity, than the sobc at half the capacity...anyone out there confirm or deny this, or is it just another rumor? Thanks! Just add this one to the ever-so-growing list of BCF rumors. . .  There is no way Route 1 will handle traffic levels well if the New West is their No.1 out of Tsawwassen. This sounds rather similar to pulling the CR off Route 2 in quiet periods, but Route 1 gets much more traffic volumes on low season weekends, increasing the need for S or Super C class boats. CC appears to have the exact same role the Saanich did. . .acting as the 2nd Route 1 vessel out of Swartz Bay. It would sure make sense to reposition the SoVI over to Tsawwassen while the SoBC goes in for refit, but pigs will probably fly before it actually is a reality. People will just have to accept the fact that the CC will only do 2-3 round trips per week in the slow season, outside of filling in for the SoVI while its in refit. Bottom Line: The New West will always be based out of Tsawwassen, and the CC will always be based out of Swartz Bay. BCF doesn't seem prepared to train their crews for ferries not based out of their home terminal. |
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Post by ferryfanyvr on Jul 15, 2009 21:05:26 GMT -8
As we all know, in past years the Spirits have had their refits between the beginning of January and mid-March, with both back in service for spring break. This is the slowest time of the year so having less capacity on the route doesn't have too much negative impact. However my contact at BCF tells me that BOTH Spirits are slated to have their refits in the fall this year....the SOBC then the SOVI. So when January rolls around, it may not actually be much of a stretch to say the SOBC might be tied up since they usually have only one Spirit in service at that time of the year anyway. My friend can't confirm that specifically, but since the Spooks' refit schedules seem to be a bit different this coming season, who knows what could happen?
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Quatchi
Voyager
Engineering Officer - CCG
Posts: 930
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Post by Quatchi on Jul 15, 2009 23:48:50 GMT -8
I can confirm that the SOBC and the SOVI will be receiving refits in the fall before the Christmas break. The SOBC is even getting dry docked for a month, at no time will both vessels be in refit at the same time.
Information taken from official fleet refit schedule as received from Fort street.
Cheers,
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CFG
Deckhand
I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.
Posts: 64
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Post by CFG on Jul 16, 2009 7:09:22 GMT -8
It would make sense to me to have the Spirits in for refit before the christmas break so that they are all cleaned up are ready to go for the olympics after christmas. BCFerries says that they are not adding many extra sailings during the olympics but, it makes sense that they want the two ships with the largest capacity running during that time, not one of them in esquimalt out of the water...
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Post by ferryfanyvr on Jul 16, 2009 18:06:54 GMT -8
Information taken from official fleet refit schedule as received from Fort street. I, too, have access to the fleet refit schedule but have been unsure if I should post any of the info on a public forum. I'm a bit paranoid about disclosing any "official" information |
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Post by Kahloke on Jul 16, 2009 18:11:36 GMT -8
Why doesn't BCF just post it to their website? Is it some big secret? WSF posts their maintenance schedule for all to see.
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Quatchi
Voyager
Engineering Officer - CCG
Posts: 930
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Post by Quatchi on Jul 16, 2009 19:20:19 GMT -8
Information taken from official fleet refit schedule as received from Fort street. I, too, have access to the fleet refit schedule but have been unsure if I should post any of the info on a public forum. I'm a bit paranoid about disclosing any "official" information They just gave it to me and said I can do whatever I want with it as long as I don't make the document readily available. So, I'll just confirm some small points as they come up. Cheers, |
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Post by ferryfan on Jul 18, 2009 22:13:05 GMT -8
not sure about the sovi, but the sobc is going into refit in october for some cosmetic upgrades...they are going to complete any work that was scheduled last refit which had to be postponed due to the problems the sobc had with its engines...
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,177
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Post by Neil on Jul 18, 2009 22:21:38 GMT -8
not sure about the sovi, but the sobc is going into refit in october for some cosmetic upgrades...they are going to complete any work that was scheduled last refit which had to be postponed due to the problems the sobc had with its engines... More than cosmetic... the Spirit of British Columbia is scheduled to have its bow thruster replaced, as per BC Ferries' business plan. |
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Post by gordon on Oct 20, 2009 14:12:40 GMT -8
B.C. Ferries lists the SoBC's maximu, speed at 19.5 kn marinetraffic.com has her with a max speed of 21.1kn(this seems a bit high) avg speed 18kn
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Nick
Voyager
Chief Engineer - Queen of Richmond
Posts: 2,078
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Post by Nick on Oct 20, 2009 14:57:27 GMT -8
Keep in mind that the marinetraffic.com maximum speed is the max over ground. This would include the effect tidal currents have on her speed. It would be easy for a tide to add 1.6kts to a ship's speed.
Also, bear in mind that BCF's service speeds are ESTIMATES. That is the speed the ship was designed for, and has been observed to achieve on a regular basis. BCF lists the Coastals as 21kts, but we observed 24kts on the last bit of the CR's delivery voyage.
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Post by gordon on Oct 20, 2009 15:11:55 GMT -8
Thanks. B.C. Vessel Tracking had the Nor Ad going 23.7kn at 1 point on her northbound voyage this weekend.
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