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Post by SS San Mateo on Oct 18, 2008 19:46:02 GMT -8
Orcas Island ferry terminal time-lapse...
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Post by SS Shasta on Jul 20, 2009 6:56:31 GMT -8
I was reading several articles describing the backlog of traffic in the Islands during the recent holiday week end. One surprise was the very long backlog that developed at Lopez Island. Was there some extra special event taking place or was this routine?
One more question: Considering the heavy backlog at almost all ports in the Islands, has WSF considered extending the inner island (Sealth/Evergreen State) run to Anacortes after it's stop at Lopez during these busy weekends? Another alternative might be to assign MV Hiyu to the inner island run on week ends and run the regular vessel (Sealth/Evergreen) to Anacortes??
It was also suggested in another post that the International Route might be reduced or eliminated during these extra busy times. My thought was that the International Route vessel was also running full as a result of the Canadian holiday as well as the 4th? Was it?
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Post by Kahloke on Jul 20, 2009 7:38:18 GMT -8
I was reading several articles describing the backlog of traffic in the Islands during the recent holiday week end. One surprise was the very long backlog that developed at Lopez Island. Was there some extra special event taking place or was this routine? Lopez has a large fireworks display on the 4th which draws in a lot of folks from the mainland, so it is always extra heavy on the days around this holiday, although this year seemed to be even more crowded than I remember recent years being, as was evident in the 4 mile long ferry backup in Anacortes on the days just prior to the 4th. One more question: Considering the heavy backlog at almost all ports in the Islands, has WSF considered extending the inner island (Sealth/Evergreen State) run to Anacortes after it's stop at Lopez during these busy weekends? Another alternative might be to assign MV Hiyu to the inner island run on week ends and run the regular vessel (Sealth/Evergreen) to Anacortes? I'll let Barnacle and/or EGFleet fill you in on why things happen the way they do at WSF, but I can tell you they did provide extra service on Tuesday, the 2nd, and also on Monday, the 6th (if I remember correctly). There were so many people on the islands this year, the backlogs waiting to get off extended into Tuesday and even Wednesday, following the 4th. That was a bit unusual from what we have seen in recent years. The inter-island ferry provided a late night service on Thursday, the 2nd, as it does every Thursday. Hiyu is too small to be of any value in the San Juan Islands anymore. I know WSF has been forced to use her recently as the inter-island ferry, but that is only because there are no other reserve vessels right now. It was also suggested in another post that the International Route might be reduced or eliminated during these extra busy times. My thought was that the International Route vessel was also running full as a result of the Canadian holiday as well as the 4th? Was it? I don't know how the international run did over the holiday. I suspect it was pretty full. Once again, EGFleet or Barnacle can probably answer that one. Personally, I think the international run should be eliminated completely. |
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Post by EGfleet on Jul 20, 2009 7:50:15 GMT -8
I asked about the traffic on the Anacortes-Sidney run this year...it has noticeably dropped way down this year. Not surprisingly, this happened not long after the passport requirement started in June.
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Post by Barnacle on Jul 20, 2009 9:27:22 GMT -8
I was reading several articles describing the backlog of traffic in the Islands during the recent holiday week end. One surprise was the very long backlog that developed at Lopez Island. Was there some extra special event taking place or was this routine? Fourth of July weekend is always busy; this year's traffic was much larger than anyone on staff ever remembered. ...inTer... It's been done on occasion in the past, but the interisland boat does carry traffic to Friday Harbor after its last stop at Lopez. If the interisland boat doesn't make the stop, another boat does. This time of year I don't know if there's another boat going that way in a timely fashion that can accomodate... the 8:25 direct to FH from Anacortes could theoretically stop, but often times that sailing is full. It certainly would have been on the holiday weekend. 1: the interisland carries as much traffic during the weekend as it does during the week; it's just more car and less commercial. 2: And park the sixth boat where? 3: Only one relief boat--MV Hiyu--available, fleet-wide. That would be a frivolous allocation of extrememly limited resources, and would also put the last-ditch emergency boat out of practical response time for most of the fleet. 4: No money available for extra service. We've covered this ad nauseam. (Besides, from reading the other threads on this board, it would seem that many would prefer any extra money get spent on paint.) I don't know how full the international run was this year (the passport requirement has temporarily interfered with the numbers) but on the whole, San Juan and International traffic tend to spike across the board on holiday weekends. And what you're suggesting isn't tremendously practical. I can't explain, but I can provide an example: would you steal a boat from Bremerton-Seattle because it's only 80% full just to send it to Kingston to clear away a round trip or two of overloads? Other than getting the day wrong (Thursday, not Tuesday  ) Orcasnative is correct... extra service was run when the boats were available; i.e., Thursday and Monday afternoon, during the Kaleetan's usual mid-day tie-up. No extra service beyond that was planned because NOBODY saw the huge crowds coming until it was much too late to do anything about it; usually the extra sailing on the "saddle" days of the weekend is adequate. The line-up for the ferry dock was over four miles long at its zenith on Thursday. On the whole, WSF is still broke. No money + no boats = no extra service. |
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Post by SS Shasta on Jul 24, 2009 17:52:40 GMT -8
Had my annual pilgrimage to the San Juans yesterday. On the return, MV Elwha made a stop at Lopez. I was wondering if the vessel is full of vehicles on departure from Friday Harbor (or in some cases Orcas/Shaw, does the Lopez traffic get bumped?
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Post by Kahloke on Jul 24, 2009 19:22:55 GMT -8
No. The islands have vehicle quotas for any sailing that has multiple stops. Each island is allowed a certain number of vehicle spaces per sailing.
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Post by Barnacle on Jul 24, 2009 21:28:44 GMT -8
...on the eastbound (Anacortes-bound) sailings. Westbound (island-bound), it's the first (insert vehicle capacity here) vehicles in line for the destinations listed, with the exception of Fall and Spring schedules for the Sidney boat--Sidney has priority and Friday Harbor at least used to get whatever space Sidney traffic didn't use, saving space for Orcas. There's an algebraic equation that explains it all somewhere, but it's not strictly relevant to this conversation. ;D
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Post by SS Shasta on Sept 23, 2009 18:17:22 GMT -8
Just wondering how traffic was on the international route this summer?
Did the talk about eliminating the route have a negative impact or did it attract more interest?
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Post by Barnacle on Sept 24, 2009 5:55:11 GMT -8
Traffic was, according to my friend who works in the Duty Free aboard, "way down" this year, but it's more likely that the new passport requirement at the border that affected the numbers than any talk about eliminating the run.
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Post by EGfleet on Sept 24, 2009 7:42:48 GMT -8
Traffic was, according to my friend who works in the Duty Free aboard, "way down" this year, but it's more likely that the new passport requirement at the border that affected the numbers than any talk about eliminating the run. I have heard the same thing, and the passport requirement was given as the reason too. You'll note that not once did a bulletin go out about the Sidney run being sold out this summer. That happened at least twice last year. |
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Post by Kahloke on Sept 24, 2009 7:56:32 GMT -8
Kind of bad timing - reduced traffic volumes during the busiest season doesn't bode well for a run which may still be on the chopping block (assuming, of course, that WSF is still considering dropping Sidney). Maybe it will do better next year if more folks have acquired passports by then.
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Nick
Voyager 
Chief Engineer - Queen of Richmond
Posts: 2,080 
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Post by Nick on Sept 24, 2009 10:05:15 GMT -8
I wonder if Black Ball is experiencing fewer numbers these days? That might give an indication as to whether it really is passport requirements that are keeping people home.
I realize that statistically, significantly more Canadians hold passports than do Americans, but I would think that the availability of the enhanced drivers license would limit the impact of the passport requirement.
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Post by hergfest on Sept 24, 2009 12:59:02 GMT -8
Except that not that many people are getting the enhanced licenses either. People just don't want the hassle, you have to make an appointment to get an enhanced license. I got a passport a couple of years ago when I heard about the new law, I go up to Canada a couple of times a year for car shows.
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Post by SS San Mateo on Sept 24, 2009 13:07:11 GMT -8
Except that not that many people are getting the enhanced licenses either. People just don't want the hassle, you have to make an appointment to get an enhanced license. And it doesn't exactly help that several licensing offices have closed down this year |
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Post by BreannaF on Sept 24, 2009 18:28:50 GMT -8
Except that not that many people are getting the enhanced licenses either. People just don't want the hassle, you have to make an appointment to get an enhanced license. And it doesn't exactly help that several licensing offices have closed down this year Of course, most of the US visitors would be from Washington State, but just to introduce another issue, it might be difficult to be a spontaneous visitor from another state. Last week, our (grown-and-out-of-the-house) daughter announced that "I ought to tag along on your next trip up to BC." The only issue is that, while my wife and I just use our passports, she never bothered to get one, and only a few states have such a thing as an enhanced driver's license. Oregon does not, so she will have to get a passport to come along. Fewer locals visiting their neighbours to the North or South, but also fewer out-of-stater's who might have spent a day or two of their Seattle trip in Victoria not going because of the hassle and need to plan far ahead. |
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Post by Kahloke on Sept 24, 2009 18:59:26 GMT -8
Personally, I think the enhanced driver's license is a waste of time. If you're going to expend the time and energy to get one of those, you might as well go all the way and get a passport. Yes, I know the enhanced driver's license is cheaper, but a passport will let you travel further than Canada or Mexico, if one so desires.
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Post by WettCoast on Sept 24, 2009 19:13:55 GMT -8
Enhanced driver's licenses are available in BC, but a bit of a hassle to obtain, especially if you live in the middle of nowhere. Passports are not that much more trouble, and are much more valuable. Having one over the past year allowed me to take two largely hassle free trips into the US this summer (Washington State & Alaska), and to Costa Rica last Christmas.
My advice - bite the bullet and get yourself a passport and be free to travel more or less as you please.
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Post by Barnacle on Sept 24, 2009 21:09:50 GMT -8
My advice - bite the bullet and get yourself a passport and be free to travel more or less as you please. I concur. |
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Post by EGfleet on Sept 25, 2009 9:04:19 GMT -8
My advice - bite the bullet and get yourself a passport and be free to travel more or less as you please. I concur. Not to mention that the passport in the US is good for ten years and the driver's license only for five. |
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Koastal Karl
Voyager
Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
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Post by Koastal Karl on Sept 8, 2010 22:26:20 GMT -8
There is a 2:15pm sailing Sundays with the Evergreen State from Friday Harbour to Anacortes but there is no return sailing for her listed. What does she do after she arrives at Anacortes cause I see she does sailings from Lopez??? Is that right?? Would like to do a day trip down to Anacortes I am thinking maybe I should do it on Sunday so I can take the Evergreen back to Anacortes!
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Post by Barnacle on Sept 9, 2010 15:57:17 GMT -8
She either deadheads from Anacortes or picks up traffic for Friday Harbor, I forget which. I think they take traffic for Friday Harbor because what's the point of deadheading mid-day?
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Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 4, 2010 19:52:03 GMT -8
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Post by Kahloke on Dec 17, 2010 18:50:56 GMT -8
Some historical photos of Orcas Landing: Postcard of Orcas Village - 1908  MV Vashon at Orcas Island - 1940's  Orcas Landing - 1940's   Orcas Landing - 1960  Orcas Landing - 1981  |
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Post by Kahloke on Dec 17, 2010 18:59:34 GMT -8
Some newer photos of Orcas Landing: MV Illahee at Orcas - Aug, 2004  Departing Orcas - Aug, 2004  A very full holding compound on a busy Sunday afternoon - May, 2008   Orcas Dock - May, 2008  Peek-a-boo view of MV Kaleetan at Orcas - Jul, 2009  |
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) Orcasnative is correct... extra service was run when the boats were available; i.e., Thursday and Monday afternoon, during the Kaleetan's usual mid-day tie-up. No extra service beyond that was planned because NOBODY saw the huge crowds coming until it was much too late to do anything about it; usually the extra sailing on the "saddle" days of the weekend is adequate. The line-up for the ferry dock was over four miles long at its zenith on Thursday.
