Bringing you home for 50 years. 50th Anniversary

[Dane]

BC Ferries just published their paper schedule for the period of 8 Sep 09 - 29 Jun 10. This schedule takes them company through their 50th anniversary, and the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Games.

A small "50th Anniversary - June 15th, 2010 - Bringing you home for 50 years" logo has been designed and is on the cover of the schedule, as well as a photo of the CI with the same slogan in larger lettering through the near centre of the photo. At top it's "stamped" as a special anniversary edition.

Inside, at the centre, there is a two page "photo special" which is quite well done, in my opinion, given the cost that's probably associated with extra space like that. The most historical ships, except 'the North are included in all the major variations of paint the vessels have carried.

Small format adjustments, aesthetic only, were also made to the schedule layout and it's quite classy.

Well done to BC Ferries for a meaningful recognition of their upcoming 50th!

Hopefully there will be more anniversary activities and information that can be posted here!

[Curtis]

Adding to the rarity of that Schedule. There is an error on page 32 of it.

Service Notice - Saltery Bay - Earls Cove (New Fall/Winter/Spring Schedule Error)
Posted Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Note: This Service Notice applies to the following route(s):
- Sechelt (Earls Cove) - Powell River (Saltery Bay)

---

SCHEDULE ERROR FALL/WINTER/SPRING
Saltery Bay – Earls Cove

Please be advised there is an error on page 32 of BC Ferries’ Schedule brochure for September 8, 2009 to June 29, 2010.
The scheduled departures from Saltery Bay – Earls Cove should read:

Leave Saltery Bay 5:35 am (except Sundays & Dec 25)

Leave Earls Cove 6:30 am (except Sundays & Dec 25)

More schedule details are available by:
· Visiting our website at www.bcferries.com
· Calling our toll-free customer information line at 1-888-223-3779

---

Better pick one up if they decide fix it...

[QSaanich]

At least there celebrating there anniversary in a decent way. 50 years is a milestone.

[Blisswood]

But is anything public in the works? I recently spent some time on the Queen of Cumberland and the snack bar crew said there were "staff events" planned, but they hadn't heard a word about public events. I sent a letter to BCF with an idea, but got no reply (will follow up today!).
With less than a month to go, I wonder if there'll be anything besides a cake on certain ships at certain times. I even checked Canada Post - there will not be a commemorative stamp (pity for us sometime stamp collectors).

[Scott (Former Account)]

Welcome, blisswood.

BC Ferries' is doing a few things internally to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

In terms of public celebrations, I have heard nothing. All the public currently sees are 50th anniversary banners at terminals and a little blip about it in the centre of the current schedule.

Whether BC Ferries' plans to announce something publically or not, I am not sure. However, I know I will be planning to do a roundtrip or two that day just for the occassion. There is a lot of dedicated people here that would likely do the same too.

[Blisswood]

I'll be one of the riders, too. Haven't decided which route yet, due to time and finances - hoping for Route 1, on New Westminster (I'll check RBI). Apart from Sidney (never had a chance for that one), NW is the only one of the original 9 I haven't travelled on yet.

[hullnumbers]

What time are you guys thinking of riding the ferries for its 50'th anniversary. I may try going on the Swartz Bay route. that reminds me do I pay for a trip one way or can I stay on the ship back to the Island???

[Mirrlees]

You can buy a return fare in the gift shop. Just remember to go to the Chief Steward to let them know that you're staying onboard for the return.

[Scott (Former Account)]

May 25, 2010 12:47:36 GMT -8 hullnumbers said:

What time are you guys thinking of riding the ferries for its 50'th anniversary.

We have not planned anything definite yet. However, trip planning on this forum is done away from the general public, and is only accessible to our Voyager members.

May 25, 2010 12:47:36 GMT -8 hullnumbers said:

...that reminds me do I pay for a trip one way or can I stay on the ship back to the Island???

And yes, as Mirrlees mentioned, you can purchase a return trip in the Passages Gift Shop during the voyage.

[hullnumbers]

I see, thanks

[Deleted]

I would just like to comment on the "Bringing you home for 50 years" theme. I've been traveling to and from the Sunshine Coast for 40 + years. True enough, they've been bringing me home that whole time. The problem is that it takes longer and longer to do so. I can remember waiting on the side of the road as far away as Grantham's Landing and still not waiting as long as I did last weekend. Last Monday, we arrived at Langdale just after five expecting to miss at least one sailing. We were "stored" in the overflow lot outside the terminal. On checking the BCF website current conditions I noted that the 6:30 ferry was full and the 8:30 was 40 % full. While waiting, a steady stream of First Class Passengers ( reserved ) in their vehicles ( reserved) continued to fill up the inside lot. Some time after the 6:30 sailing departed, we were shifted to the inside lot. The website now indicated the 8:20 was full and we should have made it. At the gate, a very thoughtful attendant suggested 'keep your fingers crossed' in the hope that we would make the 8:20. It was not to be. We finally boarded the 10:10 and got home after midnight. All the ferry workers that I dealt with that day were professional and courteous in spite of having a long and busy shift with some passengers not really happy with the system and letting them know about it. It appears that after 50 years, technology has not caught up with reality. My guess is that when the cur con indicated 40% full that was a measure of reserved space and there was no input about the hundreds of cars waiting that were not reserved. There's not much point checking the website when the information is false or misleading."Special People" and those with extra money to throw around get treated differently than those who were not able to reserve for whatever reason and in my opinion, it is a lousy way to run a necessary service. If anyone from BCF upper management reads this, it would be nice if you would get down off your lofty perches and get back to the business of running a ferry system. On board spas and fancy malls in terminals and spending hundreds of millions on terminal upgrades to fit monster ships while neglecting basic service to the people of the coast is not the way to "Bring them home" in the next 50 years.

[Kahloke]

When you travel on one of the busiest, if not the busiest, day of the year during peak traveling times, you should expect long waits. It goes with the territory. Last year I did what you did, and came down the Sunshine Coast on Victoria Day. I did my trip earlier in the day, but I made reservations on the ferry I wanted to catch, and that was the best decision I ever made because everything went smoothly. Yes, it's more expensive, but on a major holiday, it is so worth the extra expense to avoid the headache of waiting hours on end. I wouldn't be able to afford to make reservations very often, but on that one day, oh yeah. It's a must-do.

At least you have the ability, with BC Ferries, to reserve a space on major-route vessels. Our ferry system, WSF, only has two routes that take reservations: Port Townsend, and Sidney. I guess a reservation system is planned to be rolled out to other routes, starting with Anacortes and the San Juan Islands. But, until then, I usually avoid heading to the San Juans on Memorial Day Weekend, which just happens to be this coming weekend. Or, if I do go, I travel at non-peak times, such as Saturday afternoon, and come back on Sunday or Tuesday. Much like Langdale, you do not want to be leaving the islands on the holiday Monday.

[lmtengs]

As ferry enthusiasts, i'd think we wouldn't mind sitting at the terminal for awhile! More time to explore the terminal, socialize with the employees, and take pictures of stuff!

[WettCoast]

Does anyone know just what percentage of a ship's vehicle space is reservable? My feeling is that the percentage is probably higher than it ought to be, but without knowing the actual number I can't say for sure.

I do use the reservation 'service' from time to time, particularly when needing to travel at busy times. In effect, for $15 or $17.50 you get to jump the queue. At the Thanksgiving weekend in 2008 the reservation service came in very handy for my family and I, saving us I am sure waits of several hours in both directions.

I can also understand peoples' feelings that this service is sort of like re-establishing a class system on our ferries, just like back in the good old days of travel on Canadian Pacific's BC Coast Steamship Service. Reserved seating lounges (e.g. Aurora & Seawest) are more evidence of the same trend.

[Nickfro]

Well, things have sure changed over the course of 50 years. Sailing frequency and the ability to make reservations are two prominent items.

As for the Victoria Day gong show in Langdale, it's expected to be busy. However, I too would be upset if I showed up when online it says the 820pm is half full, only to miss it. If BCFS is to post wait volumes on the internet, they should be aware of approximately how many cars are waiting outside the gate. I'm guessing the online number was only for reserved cars and ones inside the terminal.

May 26, 2010 20:53:03 GMT -8 @lmtengs said:

As ferry enthusiasts, i'd think we wouldn't mind sitting at the terminal for awhile! More time to explore the terminal, socialize with the employees, and take pictures of stuff!

Try spending multiple hours at Langdale. There's nothing there. On top of that, when you're outside the terminal waiting to move and finally get your car inside the terminal, it's even worse because you can't walk around in case you have to move your car. I like the ferries, but I'm not fond of waiting around in boring terminals, especially when there are no ferries to see.

May 26, 2010 22:05:24 GMT -8 WettCoast said:

Does anyone know just what percentage of a ship's vehicle space is reservable? My feeling is that the percentage is probably higher than it ought to be, but without knowing the actual number I can't say for sure.

Judging by numbers that I see on their current conditions page, I think the number of allocated spaces varies by route. It looks like Route 1 allows half the boat to reserve, where the Nanaimo routes look to cap it off around one third. Langdale was originally only 40 spaces when reservations first came to that route, but it's surely higher now, and I'm guessing it's in the one quorter to one third range.

[Koastal Karl]

By far the best terminal for waiting around for hours would have to be Horseshoe Bay as you can go to the Village. Every other terminal sucks for waiting hours for a ferry!

[fargowolf]

I thought they were going to put an end to that for security reasons. I guess you can still head to the pub and have a brew while you wait.

[Blisswood]

I live in Victoria, so Swartz Bay or Brentwood are my only options. I was hoping for New Westminster on the big day, but RBI says it won't be active that Tuesday. I'll probably take one of the older ships - Mayne Queen or Mill Bay - because they are older vessels.
Of interest to reply #14, I flew over Langdale around noon on Victoria Day and got a picture of Queen of Coquitlam approaching the berth. I'm not a pilot, but I love a chance to get overhead shots of the fleet: Burnaby, Howe Sound, Skeena, Mayne, etc. (I see another forum member does this, too).

[Nick]

A number of years ago they allowed 30% of the space on board to be reserved. Numbers are not available for that anymore though. I have observed situations on route 1 very similar to excapg2's experience at Langdale. I have a suspicion that BCF views the cap (if one even exists anymore) as a suggestion, and on busy long weekends the cap gets thrown out the window. The reason I say this is because I have heard of times where people with reservations have been bumped from a sailing due to the number of ALT's being used. I really can't see a boat filling 70% with ALT's, so something's up somewhere.

[Blisswood]

In May, I left a note at the head office, asking about any public celebrations for June 15. I got a phone message yesterday: they "will be handing out chocolates to the customers".
Co-incidentally, today's Times-Colonist (June 10) has a photo: custom-made by Rogers' Chocolates, a local chocolatier founded in 1885. Also, the T-C's next Sunday edition (June 13) will have something about the company's history in its "Monitor" section.

[Scott (Former Account)]

Thanks, blisswood.

[lmtengs]

That's not a very big celebration for everyone! When BC Ferries hosted their one millionth customer, they got a giant ferry-shaped cake! Now we get chocolate?? Some people can't even eat chocolate! Pick it up, I say.

[WettCoast]

Arguably the 50th anniversary celebrations ought to be the biggest event to date in the history of BC Ferries. So why is BCFS actually observing this in such a low key manner?

Perhaps because in the eyes of the 'privatised' company their history goes back only seven years and everything before that was in the Stone Age.

[lmtengs]

In my opinion, BC Ferries 50th anniversary should have incorporated the following:
They should hold three parades; one in downtown Vancouver, one in Victoria, and one in Nanaimo, along with four smaller ones; one in Prince Rupert, one in Comox, one in Powell River, and one in Gibsons. Each parade should have floats of ferries in it, and in the Major parades, they should have open-houses on ferries where you can tour the whole ferry from top to bottom, and they'd have heritage displays scattered around the ships. They should have plaque dedications at all the major terminals, and they should put a plaque on the 5 oldest vessels in the fleet. BC Ferrries should've repainted the logos on all the major vessels with a special "BC FERRIES 50 YEARS" logo on it, and they should've done the same to their website.

[Mill Bay]

Jun 10, 2010 18:52:40 GMT -8 WettCoast said:

Arguably the 50th anniversary celebrations ought to be the biggest event to date in the history of BC Ferries. So why is BCFS actually observing this in such a low key manner?

Perhaps because in the eyes of the 'privatized' company their history goes back only seven years and everything before that was in the Stone Age.

It's not just the ferry company. The province of BC itself just does not have a long enough, established, unified history to have developed the kind of cultural identity that would bring us out to celebrate developmental milestones in provincial history.

I suppose we may have been close to seeing something of the sort during the Olympics, although that may have been more mere hype and exuberance from the crowd mentality mega events propagate.

In order for something like this to really be recognized as a milestone to celebrate, we would first need a much longer history to reference ourselves to in terms of a cultural body and community. Such a cultural identity would also need to be unified, and BC is not exactly what you could call united.

Once you get outside the Coastal regions, who really even thinks about the ferries? Or even outside of the Gulf Islands? The people in the interior of the province have different regional identities not linked to the ferries, so there is no need to celebrate the ferries.

Even the coastal communities mentioned that are tied to the ferries see themselves and their connections to or need for the ferries in different ways. Some of them could get around without ferries and aren't that intrinsically conscious of the services. Some couldn't survive without them, but merely see them as a necessity and something that is always there, but they have no real consciousness of the corporate identity of the company running the ferries, or its history.

Also, despite the fact that the services are continued, a lot of those communities have much bigger concerns than the anniversary of their ferry service, and are dealing with threats to their basic survival as communities. For some of them, the ferries are one of those threats, so they may feel more of a grievance than anything else and aren't too motivated to celebrate the thorn in their sides.

As already mentioned, the company is now privatized, has no real personal connection to the public it serves anymore and isn't really too conscious of its own history. They may have had special ceremonies for the decommissionings of certain ships, but that was because those ships were still around and were a part of the new company and still a tangible link for the current crews as well. The current entity of BCFerries had no real connection at all to fifty years ago, not even a physical one, now that the original ships are all gone, so they may not even recognize June 15th as their anniversary.

I would imagine that, if there are any celebrations, they will be at the local community level, in so far as each particular community feels motivated to celebrate. For the most part, they still probably see the ferries as just another service, or a transportation link, or an employer in the community, but the company itself is probably not something they feel a very personal connection too. Families of employees and former employees might feel more strongly connected, but for the majority of ferry users who drive on and then off again, the passage of fifty years of service is actually really hard to quantify.