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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2016 9:37:58 GMT -8
It appears they had a fair load for the Gibsons run this week, during the free days. I would expect this to drop. Also, it sounds like there were complaints of no morning service (thus making people bus to Langdale to pick up their car). Interestingly, the "Coastal Clipper" is the sister ship to the Leviathan II. "Pacific Ferries Launched January 27th" - Coast Reporter Article
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Post by whalebreath on Feb 25, 2016 20:34:55 GMT -8
Bowen Island continues to tempt operators noting the large number of foot passengers getting on the Queen of Capilano every day... particularly, I suppose, since Bowen has a fair number of wealthier residents who work in town.
The latest venture is from Cormorant Marine, who have for many years run a late night connection from Horseshoe Bay, Fridays and Saturdays. They're trying HSB departures at 4:30 and 5:30, using the 43', 38 passenger Apodaca, meeting a bus run by an island resident that started during the 'Cap's refit. I imagine they have corresponding runs from Bowen in the mornings. The captain told me the numbers are encouraging, but still not great given the potential market.
Watched the Apodaca load up a couple times this week so it's still in business 15-20 passengers each time.
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Post by westernflyer on Mar 24, 2016 20:12:45 GMT -8
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WettCoast
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Post by WettCoast on Oct 24, 2016 15:22:51 GMT -8
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Post by Low Light Mike on Dec 2, 2016 18:29:18 GMT -8
Pacific Ferries is shutting down until Spring, or..... Coast Reporter story: from HERE
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Dec 2, 2016 23:32:24 GMT -8
Unfortunate news, in Mr Horn's post, above... but another indication that very deep pockets are required for any unsubsidized ferry operation to even have a prayer of making it on our coast. That's why it's encouraging to see the amount of work that 'V2V' is putting into their boat before they go into operation between Vancouver and Victoria. They're obviously determined to do it right... time will tell if there's a market to make their effort worthwhile.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Mar 2, 2017 17:02:58 GMT -8
Regarding ferry service to Newcastle Island from Nanaimo: Old ship (Grey Selkie, formerly used by the old provider), new Provider (the SFN) from HERE
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wizard
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Post by wizard on Apr 2, 2017 12:16:52 GMT -8
Pacific ferry lies sails again?
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Apr 3, 2017 9:29:51 GMT -8
Pacific ferry lies sails again? What?
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Post by whalebreath on May 7, 2017 9:26:40 GMT -8
Pacific ferry lies sails again? Spotted leaving False Creek this AM about 9:30 hrs-charter maybe?
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Neil
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Post by Neil on May 7, 2017 11:53:20 GMT -8
Pacific ferry lies sails again? Spotted leaving False Creek this AM about 9:30 hrs-charter maybe? Looks like they're only going to be using one of their vessels when they re-start service on the 15th. Hope it isn't the Coastal Runner. They're doing an early run in from Gibsons to Coal Harbour, then a $129 per person excursion to Gibsons and Snug Cove, then a departure from Vancouver back to Gibsons.
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Post by Low Light Mike on May 18, 2017 17:41:46 GMT -8
News story about Pacific Ferries:
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jun 1, 2017 17:32:10 GMT -8
Coastal Runner runs aground on Bowen Island:
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jun 3, 2017 10:10:04 GMT -8
“He feels so bad. He feels so sorry,” Shaker said. “In his own words, he said ‘I wasn’t paying enough attention.’”
Nice of the boss to volunteer an admission of culpability on the part of his employee.
Amazingly, Ihab Shaker rides again. Didn't realize he was the principal behind this operation.
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Post by Mike C on Jul 28, 2017 11:04:49 GMT -8
Note that the City of New Westminster's "Q2Q" Ferry (Quayside to Queensborough) enters service tomorrow on a trial basis. According to their Facebook page, the ferry will begin operations tomorrow at 9 am. Fares are $2 a pop. Here's the deets: www.newwestcity.ca/qtoqferryThe little boat will operate weekends through the summer. Fingers crossed that this also becomes a weekday thing, it would make a great addition to the transit network, given proximity to SkyTrain on the Downtown side.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jul 28, 2017 11:24:49 GMT -8
Note that the City of New Westminster's "Q2Q" Ferry (Quayside to Queensborough) enters service tomorrow on a trial basis. According to their Facebook page, the ferry will begin operations tomorrow at 9 am. Fares are $2 a pop. Here's the deets: www.newwestcity.ca/qtoqferryThe little boat will operate weekends through the summer. Fingers crossed that this also becomes a weekday thing, it would make a great addition to the transit network, given proximity to SkyTrain on the Downtown side. Every time I've walked the New West waterfront, I've wondered why there isn't a service connecting it to Queensborough. Our river communities are indeed very poorly connected, and this is a great idea. I'll be checking it out this summer.
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Post by Starsteward on Jul 28, 2017 15:14:26 GMT -8
Many years ago there were many river connections on the lower Fraser River. Nice to see the 'Royal City' finally getting off it's duff and doing something that should have and could have been done ages ago. That said, whoever wrote up that wee ditty on the new ferry service wasn't very creative to say the least. 1. Would it have been too much to expect maybe a 'picture' of this new passenger ferry? "Sell the sizzle, not the steak"! 2. Perhaps a photo of the landings at the Quay and Port Royal, along with a shorter "notice to users". 3. Through extrapolation, one learns that the crossing time is approximately 10 minutes. 4. This service is obviously NOT meant to be seen as a 'daily commuter' service. Hmmm? Good old New West, not very dynamic at all, but I confess, I'll take a jaunt down to the Quay and have a go at it.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Aug 5, 2017 20:10:09 GMT -8
Did a return trip today from Queensborough on the new 'Q to Q' ferry run, on the first official day of operation. Took some photos, but Photobucket doesn't allow me to put them here, and I haven't figured out how to do it from Flickr... so I'll have to leave that to someone else.
Much food for thought, even on a five minute journey. The concept is brilliant, though there are clearly some issues that this trial period will hopefully sort out.
The Hollyburn leaves from a float in the Port Royal development at the tip of Queensborough, and docks in New Westminster right beside the Samson V, at a float that even smells new. Queensborough is rapidly densifying and gentrifying, and my wanders around the area further convinced me that this is an idea whose time has come, as I can see a large passenger base utilizing a really efficient link to New Westminster Station and all the shopping, as well as the Quay, both on foot and by bike. Compared to the time and distance involved by car, a four or five minute boat crossing is a slam dunk. The Fraser is so poorly utilized for transit purposes, and zipping along between two obvious destinations was both fun and unarguably sensible.
The runs I saw this afternoon were well patronized. A couple were at or near capacity (forty passengers), and while the boat can supposedly take four bikes, I saw about twelve get off one sailing... although a number of those were kids bikes. I suppose opening day on a long weekend is not really an indicator of how things will go, but the city had to be encouraged.
The negatives; and there are quite a few, although they're all operational, and hopefully can be addressed. The Hollyburn is not the boat for the long term. She doesn't have enough outdoor space, and she is very loud and smelly. I would hate to think about the amount of diesel fumes the deckhand is inhaling during a shift- it's awful when the boat is at dock, which is most of the time. The engine noise will really annoy residents at Port Royal, as well as the condo dwellers along the way in New West. Loading needs to be worked out, with a lot of users unsure about whether to wait at the top of the ramp, or to come down to the float, which slows down service. Safety might be a concern. When the boat docked at New West, it bumped the float heavily, and a couple of waiting passengers staggered; there are no railings to keep people from falling off if they're on the float.
I also did a tour of the Samson V, which I've never done before. A unique vessel, part of the Fraser's heritage, but she is slipping into the realm of being unrepairable if funds aren't found soon. Decay everywhere, and the paddlewheel falling apart. The attendant I talked to was concerned about the extra jostling the Hollyburn was causing, being so close to her. The New West terminal location is ideal in every other sense.
One slightly jarring note... the Sun Sea, the small freighter which brought 500 Sri Lankans illegally to BC in 2010, is rusting away at a dock across from the Port Royal float. Hard to understand how that vessel hasn't either been scrapped or rehabilitated in seven years, but I guess it's par for the course for derelict ships here.
A fun afternoon, in a number of ways... a new ferry concept, an historical boat tour, and having a look at a community, Queensborough, that is changing so much from what it used to be, with all the community questions that sort of thing entails, for those of us interested in urban planning. Oh... and really good gelato in the Quay market, because no expedition is complete without a sugar fix.
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Post by Starsteward on Aug 7, 2017 10:48:54 GMT -8
Great report there 'Neil', you are to be commended. No wonder the City of New Westminster didn't offer up a picture of the vessel they intended to use on the roll-out of the "Q to Q" service. The 'Hollyburn'?? Good grief, they must have got a heckuva deal from Harbour Ferries for that old barge as it has been around for 50 + years and is a stinky old tub. I remember smelling her diesel engine fumes back when I was in short pants on my way to Belcarra Park on a church outing. I'm absolutely gobsmacked the city of N.W. would offer up that relic to begin the 'Q to Q' service! The 'Hollyburn' should be tied up next to the 'Samson V. I had lost track of where the 'Sun Sea' had gotten to. Since the court case against several crew members has finally been settled, perhaps the local Member of Parliament, Peter Julien, could have a 'word' with the Prime Minister, (whilst he's out this way on vacation) about getting that piece of junk towed to a scrap heap a.s.a.p. B.T.W., the Gelato shop at The Quay IS superb, glad you found it.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Aug 7, 2017 17:48:45 GMT -8
Great report there 'Neil', you are to be commended. No wonder the City of New Westminster didn't offer up a picture of the vessel they intended to use on the roll-out of the "Q to Q" service. The 'Hollyburn'?? Good grief, they must have got a heckuva deal from Harbour Ferries for that old barge as it has been around for 50 + years and is a stinky old tub. I remember smelling her diesel engine fumes back when I was in short pants on my way to Belcarra Park on a church outing. I'm absolutely gobsmacked the city of N.W. would offer up that relic to begin the 'Q to Q' service! The 'Hollyburn' should be tied up next to the 'Samson V. I had lost track of where the 'Sun Sea' had gotten to. Since the court case against several crew members has finally been settled, perhaps the local Member of Parliament, Peter Julien, could have a 'word' with the Prime Minister, (whilst he's out this way on vacation) about getting that piece of junk towed to a scrap heap a.s.a.p. B.T.W., the Gelato shop at The Quay IS superb, glad you found it. That's the problem with me not posting photos. (Thanks, photobucket jerks... as if I'm going to give you $300 a year to stick a handful of shots here.) The Hollyburn you're thinking of is long gone, and was much bigger. This Hollyburn is only about 58' long, and was built in 1981.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Aug 15, 2017 11:35:36 GMT -8
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Aug 26, 2017 20:54:22 GMT -8
So... three weeks later, I took another trip, this time from the Quay to Queensborough and back. The Hollyburn still stinks, and the deckhand said the fumes gave him a headache. Hopefully he won't end up with anything else. The boat seemed well patronized, and this time I tried talking to some of the passengers about what they thought of the venture. One couple returning to Queensborough with groceries said they wouldn't make a habit of it, because it was quicker to drive, which I had a hard time understanding. Another young woman thought it was great, because she didn't have a car, and was planning on using it for essential shopping, which also surprised me, because I didn't think anyone would ever live in Queensborough without their own ride.... but after all, aren't we trying to make communities livable without cars? I got off with another fellow and walked with him to where he had parked in Port Royal; he found the service useful, but doubted people would use it in rainy weather, particularly when wind whipped the river up, and I could understand that, as the dock at Westminster Quay would simply be undo-able with any kind of waves. Docking and loading the Hollyburn would be hazardous.
A fair number of people are using the ferry for an outing. It's only two dollars, and with so few options to get out on the Fraser, even for five minutes each way, I can see this becoming a feature of New Westminster's waterfront. Kids seem to love it.
But this service is a trial, as the city tests the potential patronage, and the shape of the actual service. No way the Hollyburn would be the vessel going forward. Connecting Queensborough to the downtown seems to make too much sense to not settle on a solution, if it's financially feasible for New West. But maybe that's the problem- this may be a transit question that the city shouldn't have to deal with on its own. North Vancouver isn't on the hook for the cost of Sea Bus, although I realize we're not talking about the same scale of potential usage.
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Post by Starsteward on Aug 27, 2017 8:44:11 GMT -8
So... three weeks later, I took another trip, this time from the Quay to Queensborough and back. The Hollyburn still stinks, and the deckhand said the fumes gave him a headache. Hopefully he won't end up with anything else. The boat seemed well patronized, and this time I tried talking to some of the passengers about what they thought of the venture. One couple returning to Queensborough with groceries said they wouldn't make a habit of it, because it was quicker to drive, which I had a hard time understanding. Another young woman thought it was great, because she didn't have a car, and was planning on using it for essential shopping, which also surprised me, because I didn't think anyone would ever live in Queensborough without their own ride.... but after all, aren't we trying to make communities livable without cars? I got off with another fellow and walked with him to where he had parked in Port Royal; he found the service useful, but doubted people would use it in rainy weather, particularly when wind whipped the river up, and I could understand that, as the dock at Westminster Quay would simply be undo-able with any kind of waves. Docking and loading the Hollyburn would be hazardous. A fair number of people are using the ferry for an outing. It's only two dollars, and with so few options to get out on the Fraser, even for five minutes each way, I can see this becoming a feature of New Westminster's waterfront. Kids seem to love it. But this service is a trial, as the city tests the potential patronage, and the shape of the actual service. No way the Hollyburn would be the vessel going forward. Connecting Queensborough to the downtown seems to make too much sense to not settle on a solution, if it's financially feasible for New West. But maybe that's the problem- this may be a transit question that the city shouldn't have to deal with on its own. North Vancouver isn't on the hook for the cost of Sea Bus, although I realize we're not talking about the same scale of potential usage. If Neil's reporting gets any more interesting, we're going to have to give him the 'Q to Q' beat on a permanent basis. That couple who said it was quicker to drive from the Quay to the Port Royal end of Queensborough couldn't make that drive more quickly even if they did it at 3:00 A.M.! Most of the day Stewardson Way connecting to the Q' bridge is a disaster! I grew up in that part of the world and suffered through hours of delays. From Neil's report it would seem that there IS an interest in this 5 minute handy-dandy crossing where none previously existed. It does however boggle my aging noodle as to why on earth the City of New Westminster planning folks would do such a half-baked attempt at introducing this (possible) service! Let's start off with a crappy dock at the Quay, which appears to be anything but user-friendly at the best of times and worse when the mighty Fraser is not on its best behaviour. Then, let's roll out a very stinky boat that isn't even crew-friendly, which likely poses public health concerns as well! What the city planners will end up with from this 'experiment' in terms of usage, feedback, etc. will therefore be based on providing a less than optimum set of test factors. Maybe I'm just to 'anal' for my own good but surely if one was trying to test a potential positive transportation service, wouldn't it make logical sense to offer your test market a grade A, "this is what you're getting" scenario?
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Post by mybidness459 on Aug 29, 2017 15:58:35 GMT -8
Here is a video of the Hollyburn I took a few months ago when she was replacing Centurion VII on the Lasquitea Island run. Watch the dirty smoke coming from her stern as she sails out of French Creek. Cough! Cough😠!!!
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Post by whalebreath on Sept 14, 2017 18:34:24 GMT -8
Try as it might google could not find Lasquitea Island for me.
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