Koastal Karl
Voyager 
Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
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Post by Koastal Karl on Aug 11, 2015 19:24:13 GMT -8
is there even a toll booth at Bella Bella or do Nimpkish collect fares if your going from Bella Bella? Like how do they do it at Shearwater there is literally just a dock and ramp? If your going between port do crew collect fares
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Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 12, 2015 0:16:58 GMT -8
McLoughlin Bay terminal features prominently in the middle of this video. From onboard the NorEx, it shows an arrival, traffic disembarkation, loading, and departure at the mid-coast transfer point.
Shot on August 4, 2015 on a rainy day (just watch the rain when the ferry is in berth at Bella Bella)
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Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 17, 2015 9:51:08 GMT -8
Approaching Fairview terminal at Prince Rupert, BC. - 11:00pm on August 4, 2015, on NorEx The misty evening view of the container port - the experience is enhanced if you listen to Moody Blues music, while sailing by  120a by Mike Bonkowski, on Flickr The terminal area - the lit-up horizontal line is the covered passenger walkway (a long walk)  . by Mike Bonkowski, on Flickr |
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Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 19, 2015 22:26:02 GMT -8
Here's another video view of McLoughlin Bay, near Bella Bella.
This is from the NorEx's southbound trip on August 7, 2015, and shows just her approach and departure, from the deck-7 forward blue-zone.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 27, 2015 20:10:44 GMT -8
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Post by WettCoast on Dec 22, 2015 14:10:10 GMT -8
BC Ferries' Prince Rupert (Fairview) Terminal with Northern Expedition in the dock - 18 December 2015. Spot the eagle ...  © WCK-JST by Jim Thorne, on Flickr |
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Post by hullnumbers on Dec 30, 2015 23:19:33 GMT -8
Historical Question. The Prince Rupert Ferry terminal was built in 1963 for Alaska Marine Highway but BC Ferries started docking there in 1966. So did BC Ferries use the AMH dock in 1966 and if so when did BC Ferries build their own and start using their own dock?
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Post by hullnumbers on Dec 31, 2015 1:05:00 GMT -8
Just now, I thought of an answer with two pictures from the archives how the terminal was built. 1963 saw the Alaska Marine Highway Terminal and Dock built. 1966 saw BC Ferries build their own terminal beside AMH but they used the AMH Dock. By 1980 with the Queen of the North as the main ferry to Port Hardy and Queen of Prince Rupert to the Queen Charlottes, BC Ferries had modify their terminal and built a new dock. What do you guys think?
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Post by Starsteward on Dec 31, 2015 6:47:45 GMT -8
Just now, I thought of an answer with two pictures from the archives how the terminal was built. 1963 saw the Alaska Marine Highway Terminal and Dock built. 1966 saw BC Ferries build their own terminal beside AMH but they used the AMH Dock. By 1980 with the Queen of the North as the main ferry to Port Hardy and Queen of Prince Rupert to the Queen Charlottes, BC Ferries had modify their terminal and built a new dock. What do you guys think? On April 16, 1980, I, along with several mates did the last trip south on the 'Queen of Prince Rupert' when she was pulled off route 10 and sent to the paint shop to be re-incarnated as the 'Victoria Princess'. Master of B watch on the 'QPR' that trip was the affable 'milk -crate' Arnie Ryles. As of the date of that trip, I stand corrected but I'm fairly sure that the 'QPR' was still using the AMH Dock, however I think it was not long thereafter that BCF began building their own dock and terminal building. ( Thus bringing to an end the 'dosie-do-ing' around that damn AMH dock which was a real pain as often deliveries of stores for the ship were not brought on board before we chugged out into the harbour but after we got back in and were usually pushed for time to meet our 1300 hour departure for Kelsey Bay). Building the new BCF terminal/dock also alleviated any necessity for 'visiting' QPR crew onboard AMH vessels from having the need to do the 'jump and swim' back to 'Rupert' and their duties that awaited them.  |
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 1, 2016 20:58:31 GMT -8
BC Ferries built their own berth only after the QPR returned in the fall of 1980 from her short stint as the Victoria Princess. The new berth must have been constructed rather quickly because it was not there in the summer of 1980, but apparently was complete by the beginning of 1981. I somehow think that the actual in service date was probably more like the spring of 1981.
The original berth (now called the Alaska berth) was constructed by the government of Canada for the 1963 start of operations by the AMHS. Three years later it became a joint berth used both by AMHS & BCF. I believe that AMHS always had priority, however.
One other item of note in the history of BC Ferries' Rupert terminal was the fire that destroyed the original terminal building which happened (I believe) in about 1986. I have photos from the summer of 1985 showing the old building still in place. It was of the same or similar design to that at Kelsey Bay, and the the present structure at Saltery Bay. It was painted in (you guessed it) pastel blue.
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Post by hullnumbers on Jan 9, 2016 15:15:58 GMT -8
So the dock was built in the fall of 1980 but was completed and in service in Spring of 1981. Must have done lots of testing when it was done before it could go into service. As for the Alaska Marine Highway dock, it would have been busy dealing with three services: The Prince Rupert- Port Hardy route, Prince Rupert- Skidegate route and the Prince Rupert- Alaska route.
I would also think BC Ferries completed their modifications of the terminal in 1981 in order to separate the traffic between two destinations.
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 19, 2016 10:22:30 GMT -8
So the dock was built in the fall of 1980 but was completed and in service in Spring of 1981. Must have done lots of testing when it was done before it could go into service. As for the Alaska Marine Highway dock, it would have been busy dealing with three services: The Prince Rupert- Port Hardy route, Prince Rupert- Skidegate route and the Prince Rupert- Alaska route. I would also think BC Ferries completed their modifications of the terminal in 1981 in order to separate the traffic between two destinations. I don't know the precise date when BC Ferries started operating their own berth. But construction of it did not Begin until after the summer of 1980. I believe that it would have taken at least six months to construct. So I expect opening date for the new berth would have been around about April 1981.
Late edit: found this old Province newspaper article by Mark Wilson from 31 August 1980. This should answer your questions ...  |
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 19, 2016 16:18:59 GMT -8
Klemtu's new BCF terminal @ Wedge Rock, 2 km north of the village. Taken in the early hours of 3 January 2016.  © WCK-JST by Jim Thorne, on Flickr |
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Post by hullnumbers on Jan 23, 2016 15:06:37 GMT -8
So the dock was built in the fall of 1980 but was completed and in service in Spring of 1981. Must have done lots of testing when it was done before it could go into service. As for the Alaska Marine Highway dock, it would have been busy dealing with three services: The Prince Rupert- Port Hardy route, Prince Rupert- Skidegate route and the Prince Rupert- Alaska route. I would also think BC Ferries completed their modifications of the terminal in 1981 in order to separate the traffic between two destinations. I don't know the precise date when BC Ferries started operating their own berth. But construction of it did not Begin until after the summer of 1980. I believe that it would have taken at least six months to construct. So I expect opening date for the new berth would have been around about April 1981.
Late edit: found this old Province newspaper article by Mark Wilson from 31 August 1980. This should answer your questions ... That is impressive. This explains a lot, including the service to Tsawwassen and the Prince Rupert- Skidegate route. |
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Post by mirrlmak on Mar 14, 2017 10:03:06 GMT -8
I've read through this entire thread and it is very interesting and informative. I got the chance to visit Fairview, Skidigate, & Alliford Bay - it was neat to see such a departure from the traditional BC Ferries berth set-up (both the ramps on the Kwuna, as well as the new Ro-Ro standards). I have a few questions for the experts:
1. Given the ramp configurations for the Northern Adventure & the Northern Expedition (& Nimpkish), does this mean that there are no longer any positioning cruises anymore? (Given they cant berth at standard BCF setups at Tsawwassen etc).
2. I presume Deas has a berth reserved for the northern vessels now?
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Post by roeco on Mar 19, 2017 19:26:06 GMT -8
I know BC Ferries used to do a Tsawassen-Prince Rupert service was it discontinued due to not being popular?? You would think in the Summer it would have done quite well!
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Post by Low Light Mike on Mar 19, 2017 19:36:06 GMT -8
I know BC Ferries used to do a Tsawassen-Prince Rupert service was it discontinued due to not being popular?? You would think in the Summer it would have done quite well! In 2009 when they floated the idea, Prince Rupert tourism rallied against it because of what would have been fewer trips to Prince Rupert. But with a mostly empty ship, that lost tourism become less of an issue. |
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,309
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Post by Neil on Mar 19, 2017 21:46:36 GMT -8
I know BC Ferries used to do a Tsawassen-Prince Rupert service was it discontinued due to not being popular?? You would think in the Summer it would have done quite well! In 2009 when they floated the idea, Prince Rupert tourism rallied against it because of what would have been fewer trips to Prince Rupert. But with a mostly empty ship, that lost tourism become less of an issue. Also, these days with so many fuel efficient vehicles, how can an expensive ferry voyage compete with a highway? You can drive from Duke Point or Departure Bay to Port Hardy more quickly and much more cheaply than BC Ferries could get you there. Summer or winter, BC Ferries knows what the numbers are, and they've decided, quite rightly, it wouldn't work, for a number of good reasons. |
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Post by paulvanb on Jul 7, 2017 16:33:04 GMT -8
Found this by accident on YouTube today!
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,309
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Post by Neil on Feb 9, 2018 18:25:03 GMT -8
I didn't know where to put this question, since we have sections for ships and terminals, but not routes.
Does anybody know how crewing on the northern routes works? I'm guessing that the Nimpkish's long ten hour layover at Shearwater westbound is for crew rest. I always assumed that the long layovers at Skidegate were also for mandated rest, but I note that the stop can be much shorter. An upcoming round trip from Prince Rupert is nineteen hours, with a five hour layover at Skidegate. Do they carry more than one full crew on board? Likewise, a voyage on route ten can be as much as 20 1/2 hours, making for a shift of at least 22 hours... how is that covered?
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Post by Starsteward on Feb 9, 2018 19:17:34 GMT -8
I didn't know where to put this question, since we have sections for ships and terminals, but not routes. Does anybody know how crewing on the northern routes works? I'm guessing that the Nimpkish's long ten hour layover at Shearwater westbound is for crew rest. I always assumed that the long layovers at Skidegate were also for mandated rest, but I note that the stop can be much shorter. An upcoming round trip from Prince Rupert is nineteen hours, with a five hour layover at Skidegate. Do they carry more than one full crew on board? Likewise, a voyage on route ten can be as much as 20 1/2 hours, making for a shift of at least 22 hours... how is that covered? The route 10 crewing, still done out of Prince Rupert (?), is done having the entire crew live aboard for the 2 week duration of their watch rotation. This is the manner in which route 10 is crewed as far as I'm aware, unless BCFS has changed this crewing arrangement. As for the 'Nimpkish' I haven't got a clue as to how that vessel is crewed, as the vessel doesn't have accommodation(s) for a live-aboard crew. The 'Nimpkish' does raise the question of how is the 'Northern Sea Wolfe' going to be crewed and out of which port? This vessel will have some very weird voyage times throughout the Summer and I'm not sure that there is crew accommodation (cabins) available onboard.  |
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,309
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Post by Neil on Feb 9, 2018 20:01:58 GMT -8
I didn't know where to put this question, since we have sections for ships and terminals, but not routes. Does anybody know how crewing on the northern routes works? I'm guessing that the Nimpkish's long ten hour layover at Shearwater westbound is for crew rest. I always assumed that the long layovers at Skidegate were also for mandated rest, but I note that the stop can be much shorter. An upcoming round trip from Prince Rupert is nineteen hours, with a five hour layover at Skidegate. Do they carry more than one full crew on board? Likewise, a voyage on route ten can be as much as 20 1/2 hours, making for a shift of at least 22 hours... how is that covered? The route 10 crewing, still done out of Prince Rupert (?), is done having the entire crew live aboard for the 2 week duration of their watch rotation. This is the manner in which route 10 is crewed as far as I'm aware, unless BCFS has changed this crewing arrangement. As for the 'Nimpkish' I haven't got a clue as to how that vessel is crewed, as the vessel doesn't have accommodation(s) for a live-aboard crew. The 'Nimpkish' does raise the question of how is the 'Northern Sea Wolfe' going to be crewed and out of which port? This vessel will have some very weird voyage times throughout the Summer and I'm not sure that there is crew accommodation (cabins) available onboard. So... I take it that's two full crews, as well as perhaps spares? Are we talking twelve hour shifts? I guess that means the long layovers at Skidegate are just scheduling decisions. Actually, I should have known this. My ex's stepfather worked on the northern route, and I remember that he hated Prince Rupert so much that he would fly south at his own expense when he was off duty, for two weeks. The summer schedule for the new boat has it operating daytime only, with the longest sailing day being 10 1/2 hours. I guess they'll be crewed out of Port Hardy, and finding overnight accommodation in Bella Coola. |
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Post by Low Light Mike on Feb 9, 2018 20:25:20 GMT -8
The summer schedule for the new boat has it operating daytime only, with the longest sailing day being 10 1/2 hours. I guess they'll be crewed out of Port Hardy, and finding overnight accommodation in Bella Coola. I suspect that the crew accommodation will be on-board the Northern Sea Wolf. |
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Nick
Voyager
Chief Engineer - Queen of Richmond
Posts: 2,080 
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Post by Nick on Feb 9, 2018 21:04:52 GMT -8
I didn't know where to put this question, since we have sections for ships and terminals, but not routes. Does anybody know how crewing on the northern routes works? I'm guessing that the Nimpkish's long ten hour layover at Shearwater westbound is for crew rest. I always assumed that the long layovers at Skidegate were also for mandated rest, but I note that the stop can be much shorter. An upcoming round trip from Prince Rupert is nineteen hours, with a five hour layover at Skidegate. Do they carry more than one full crew on board? Likewise, a voyage on route ten can be as much as 20 1/2 hours, making for a shift of at least 22 hours... how is that covered? Don't know about the Nimpkish. I assume there are hours of rest built into the schedule. The route 10, 11 and old route 40 ships operated as "24 hour" vessels. While passenger amenities and the crew required for those still operate on semi-normal daytime hours, the operational, watchkeeping, crew will work 12 hour shifts, and there are enough personnel on board to cover 24 hour continuous operation. There may be fewer crew on duty during the "low" hours, but it will still be enough to ensure the safe operation of the vessel. For example: (and I'm making educated guesses on these numbers based on sources such as the QotN TSB report) At any given time there will be two navigational officers and two quartermasters (deckhand specifically tasked to bridge watchkeeping duties) covering bridge duties. They will relieve each other for meal breaks and, in the case of the quartermasters, conducting fire/security rounds. In the engine room will be at least one watchkeeping engineering officer and at least one ERA/oiler. Each of these positions will be duplicated so that one person is sleeping while the other is working. When loading/unloading is to happen in the off-hours, I would imagine this would be accomplished by paying overtime to the "off watch", or arranging split shifts. If I recall correctly, normal watches are 0600-1800 and 1800-0600. Hope this does something to answer your question... wish I had more specific information. |
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Post by Starsteward on Feb 10, 2018 0:17:52 GMT -8
The summer schedule for the new boat has it operating daytime only, with the longest sailing day being 10 1/2 hours. I guess they'll be crewed out of Port Hardy, and finding overnight accommodation in Bella Coola. I suspect that the crew accommodation will be on-board the Northern Sea Wolf. I would HOPE for the money they're spending on the 'Wolf's' MLU etc. that some forethought may have gone into planning for crew accommodation? |
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