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Post by allograph on Oct 15, 2016 18:19:11 GMT -8
What size of wave would it take to capsize the BSC? Or, swamp it and wash overboard the passengers standing on deck, and cars?
I ask because someone on Denman Island, about a year ago, predicted a disaster for the BSC at the end of 2016. It would be hit by a wave from the south, causing the death of 35 people.
Obviously a tsunami. As I understand it, because Baynes Sound is so sheltered, the max height of waves caused by wind is 4 ft - just less than that needed to create slippage of cars on board.
Therefore it seems that a wave large enough to cause this kind of disaster to the BSC would have to originate very close to the Sound, between south & east in the strait of Georgia, and be very large at point of origin - obviously an earthquake.
So I wondered if someone on this forum could figure out that wave size? And, when the size is known, could someone ask a seismologist of their acquaintance about the quake needed to produce such a wave: intensity (Richter scale) and distance to the south / east from the BSC /6 Chrome island?
Side interest: That tsunami / disaster prediction is supported by another, much more detailed and vivid prediction of an earthquake and tsunami, by a psychic medium who until a few months ago, also lived on Denman. *Both* gave the same date; Tuesday 13th December. Being a curious journalist, I asked both people for details of their (independent) dreams / visions. I'll be posting what they said on my blog soon - allograph.ca -and will post the link here.
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Nick
Voyager
Chief Engineer - Queen of Richmond
Posts: 2,078
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Post by Nick on Oct 15, 2016 20:20:23 GMT -8
^^ Are you freakin' kidding me?
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,172
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Post by Neil on Oct 15, 2016 21:20:32 GMT -8
^^ Are you freakin' kidding me? Listen, Nick, if Donald Trump can request that serious research be done into his uncertainty that Barack Obama is actually American, I see no reason why likewise serious research can't be done into the BSC's ability to withstand geological Armageddon, especially when the concerns partly stem from the dreams of a psychic medium.
(meant in good fun, allograph.)
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Post by westernflyer on Oct 15, 2016 22:44:37 GMT -8
There has been a drowning death in the Baynes Sound area due to seismic activity in modern history. On June 23 1946 an earthquake struck the mid island. A man was drowned when a wave generated by the quake swamped his rowboat off Deep Bay. The bottom of Deep Bay subsided up to 80 ft as a result of the quake and a tsunami over 6 feet in height struck the west coast of Texada Island.
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Post by allograph on Oct 21, 2016 19:09:00 GMT -8
I emailed this request to BCF today:
Can you please tell me whether BC Ferries has an earthquake response plan for people in the terminals, as well as on the vessels that might be affected by tsunamis?? Is it online? I searched but could not find.
As the Baynes Sound Connector is a cable ferry that depends on motive power from the shore, what special plans does BCF have for this route, regarding power outages of several days to several weeks, such as may be caused by a powerful earthquake nearby? In particular, how quickly could Denman and Hornby islands expect to have a substitute boat available, such as our previous ferry, the Quinitsa?
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Post by Dane on Oct 29, 2016 19:32:18 GMT -8
I don't have a clue about the plan for that specific route, but since ferries aren't essential following a major emergency if there's a very significant earthquake / disaster the ferries in the Capital Region will be emptied of their fuel almost immediately by the military for other first response functions.
Perhaps the cable could break, but not sure much else would be different for the BS Con?
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,172
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Post by Neil on Jun 16, 2017 18:49:41 GMT -8
A deckhand mentioned today that 57 is the record for vehicles on the BS Con, but 56 has been done a number of times. Definitely better than Quinitsa, which could take maybe 50 at best. They won't be happy to get that vessel at Vesuvius.
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Post by Curtis on Jun 22, 2017 16:35:18 GMT -8
Here's another whistle recording of the BS Con.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 19, 2017 18:43:50 GMT -8
I somehow survived two trips on the BSC barge today, on a day trip to Denman with Mrs. Horn. Sailing to Denman (early afternoon) was 3/4 full, and sailing back to Buckley was full (early evening). Here's how I saw it: The inviting lounge was available, but no one was interested. . by Mike Bonkowski, on Flickr Ready at Kanye Denman West: DSC07361 by Mike Bonkowski, on Flickr Underway: - I'm troubled that one cable is yellow and two are slimy blue. The odd looking line should be in the middle. DSC07369 by Mike Bonkowski, on Flickr Equipment Operator Shack: DSC07373 by Mike Bonkowski, on Flickr Full deck: . by Mike Bonkowski, on Flickr
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,172
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Post by Neil on Aug 19, 2017 21:12:56 GMT -8
Re: Mr Horn's cable photo, above...
When I left Hornby five weeks ago, both guide cables were yellow, with the drive cable being blue. Now there are two blue cables. It's an island controversy about how often they're being forced to change cables. I'm wondering if the new government, which isn't invested in justifying the whole project, might be a bit more forthcoming in the particulars of the operation.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,172
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Post by Neil on Aug 31, 2017 19:49:12 GMT -8
As has been pointed out recently on Hornby's facebook page by FAC chair Tony Law and persistent ferry critic Bernhard Weiss, the cable ferry operation has so far failed to save one penny, despite BC Ferries claiming it would be two million dollars cheaper per annum, compared to the Quinitsa.
Here are the operating costs for route 21, through the end of fiscal years (March 31), in millions, rounded to the nearest $100k.
2013, 5.2/ 2014 4.8/ 2015 4.8/ 2016 6.1/ 2017 5.8.
As Bernhard Weiss points out, BC Ferries did not caution anyone not to expect immediate savings. The technology was supposed to be so clear cut, and the personnel savings so apparent, that this operation was expected to save $2 million per year, from its implementation. It hasn't happened, and it would appear that cables are being swapped out more frequently than planned, engineering crews are being sent from Comox regularly... and while BC Ferries claimed to have found a permanent solution to hydraulic problems after an incident a couple of months back, another hydraulics issue caused a service disruption more recently.
I don't believe the new government will ditch this operation; it simply has to be made to work, given the money invested. But I think there is an excellent chance that the touted savings will turn out to be a complete fantasy. Whether anyone will be held to account is another matter.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 5, 2017 14:14:38 GMT -8
BCFS report to the Commissioner on reliability of the BSC barge: from HEREexcerpt:
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Post by WettCoast on Sept 24, 2017 19:48:14 GMT -8
The vessel positions page shows Quinitsa out for a spin in Baynes Sound the last few hours... she's been sitting for a fair while, and goes into service tomorrow while the cable thingy gets an engine replaced. Could having to replace an engine after a relatively short 'in service' period be considered 'normal'? Perhaps the replacement is warrantee work because the original is somehow defective. Does anyone have any details on this?
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,172
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Post by Neil on Sept 24, 2017 20:50:06 GMT -8
The vessel positions page shows Quinitsa out for a spin in Baynes Sound the last few hours... she's been sitting for a fair while, and goes into service tomorrow while the cable thingy gets an engine replaced. Could having to replace an engine after a relatively short 'in service' period be considered 'normal'? Perhaps the replacement is warrantee work because the original is somehow defective. Does anyone have any details on this? Details could get us into trouble if contested, so I'll just say that a usually fairly well informed source claims that the engine replacement is basically due to it being inadequate for what is being demanded of it.
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Oct 11, 2017 16:02:23 GMT -8
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Post by Low Light Mike on Oct 28, 2017 20:27:28 GMT -8
Video view of a crossing by the cable barge, seen from the hill at the highway rest stop. - afternoon on October 26, 2017
The video is sped-up as the trip progresses.
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Post by mybidness459 on Feb 5, 2018 15:55:21 GMT -8
Can someone tell me what the proper prefix is for this barge before her name.
Ie Queen of Alberni is mv Queen of Alberni (Motor Vessel)
Thanx in advance
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,172
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Post by Neil on Feb 5, 2018 16:26:43 GMT -8
Can someone tell me what the proper prefix is for this barge before her name. Ie Queen of Alberni is mv Queen of Alberni (Motor Vessel) Thanx in advance Never heard of or read a designation, but I suppose that, technically, it's still an MV. It's self propelled, the motor hauls the boat along a cable as opposed to driving props.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Feb 6, 2018 18:58:27 GMT -8
BSC car-deck shots from February 4, 2018, morning and afternoon: The dawn trip gave me a good opportunity to balance the ferry's artificial lights (including the mast cable-barge lights) with the natural light: . by Mike Bonkowski, on Flickr . by Mike Bonkowski, on Flickr Showing the Denman destination, with the red marine traffic stop lights . by Mike Bonkowski, on Flickr The warm inviting tones of the passenger lounge were not enough enticement for me. I stayed outside. . by Mike Bonkowski, on Flickr --------------- That afternoon, with the sun in my way . by Mike Bonkowski, on Flickr
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Post by Low Light Mike on Feb 11, 2018 13:05:36 GMT -8
I was leaving the west shore of Denman Island on a Sunday afternoon, and the sun was shining to light-up the Denman shore.
With this lovely lighting, I shot video of the cable-business on the "stern" of the barge as we pulled away to start the trip.
I shot from almost the start of the trip. It would have started earlier, but I forgot to remove my lens-cap and it took me a few seconds to comprehend why the lighting was so dark.
- Afternoon of February 4, 2018.
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Jul 20, 2018 20:01:27 GMT -8
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Neil
Voyager
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Post by Neil on Aug 14, 2018 14:58:56 GMT -8
After being out for repairs last week, the cable thing is non-operational again, and this time they don't have Quinitsa crewed, although she's sitting at Buckley Bay.
Sometime I think of posting on facebook to tell the gripers to accept the reality that this thing isn't going away, but really, the BSC is like Trump- it just keeps giving people fresh annoyance.
EDIT- No service notice as yet, even though it's going to be out for at least four hours.
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Post by WettCoast on Aug 14, 2018 16:47:39 GMT -8
Relax Neil, the BS Thingy is "Just holding to the dock" ...
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,172
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Post by Neil on Aug 14, 2018 17:14:50 GMT -8
Relax Neil, the BS Thingy is "Just holding to the dock" ... ...and it's back in service, two hours earlier than they'd warned it might be.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,172
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Post by Neil on Sept 20, 2018 21:49:45 GMT -8
Another cable swap for the BSC yesterday. Or maybe it was the day before. Whatever.
A seemingly reactive gripe on the Hornby facebook page actually got me thinking, once I contemplated it. We hear so much these days about the horrific effect of microplastics in our oceans. One of the selling points of the cable ferry project was the environmental aspect; the significant decrease in fuel consumption, and the accompanying decline in exhausts. But I don't know if BC Ferries ever produced figures on the amount of plastic the cable would be shedding into Baynes Sound.
I believe we were told that each cable was going to last three years. That has proven to be nowhere near accurate. I haven't tallied exactly how many changes there have been.
The cables are not 'coated', as is often mistakenly stated. The plastic is actually embedded throughout, and works as a dry lubricant. It seems to start shedding as soon as the cables hit the salt water, judging by the visible rusty metal. As the cables run through the sheaves on the ferry, more of the plastic wears off. Each cable is a mile long.
I wonder if BC Ferries has an educated guess on how much plastic this project has contributed to Baynes Sound. Along with the fact that TC has required them to have a crew of four as opposed to the three that they planned on when they told us how much money would be saved, and the occasional breakdowns which seem to be a result of intrinsic shortcomings in the vessel, the advantages overall seem to be somewhat tenuous.
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