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Post by Dane on Aug 1, 2015 11:26:46 GMT -8
I think there has been several Rte 1 sailings quietly added this summer. Not sure if this is indicative of traffic being up, or the schedule having been parsed back too much. This summer I was on two "scheduled but not scheduled" sailings. By that I mean they appeared on the day's scheduled sailings but not the actual schedule page.
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Post by hwy19man on Aug 2, 2015 15:28:26 GMT -8
why is it that BC Ferries schedule says that there is no 8pm from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen Aug 2nd yet on the reservations page it does show that there is a 8pm sailing from Swartz Bay? There schedules are really confusing this year. That has to be an error. There is no 2000h sailing from SWB on Sunday, August 2.
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Aug 20, 2015 16:15:14 GMT -8
I was on the Burnaby on Sunday for a round trip on the 10:00am and 11:50am sailings and the online schedules say it's 1hr and 30 mins. The posted schedule by the chief stewards office said the crossing time is 1hr 20mins to 1hr 30mins! Is the 90 min sailings only certain sailings??? Cause both sailings I was on was barely even 1hr 20mins so I was just curious!
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Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 20, 2015 16:26:05 GMT -8
I was on the Burnaby on Sunday for a round trip on the 10:00am and 11:50am sailings and the online schedules say it's 1hr and 30 mins. The posted schedule by the chief stewards office said the crossing time is 1hr 20mins to 1hr 30mins! Is the 90 min sailings only certain sailings??? Cause both sailings I was on was barely even 1hr 20mins so I was just curious! I think the official schedule was adjusted to 90 minutes just to be a bit more conservative, to allow for the Burnaby to travel slower because of her old age or to save more fuel. But quite often, the trip takes less time. 3 items interacting: distance, speed, time. Distance and speed are both variables, depending on how much Seaspan barge traffic needs to be dodged in Malaspina Strait, and how peppy the ship is.
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Post by Dane on Sept 2, 2015 21:51:39 GMT -8
Which Northern vessel is in service for October's sale?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2015 9:28:58 GMT -8
Not to defer from Dane's question, but have a look at the Fulford-Swartz Bay schedule from November 21st-March 31st, 2016. On weekdays there are 9 sailings a day, and the mornings and evenings are done by a Bowen Class vessel.
It looks like the Cumberland is going for her MLU during this time, the Bowen Queen is swapping with the Skeena Queen during peak times on route 4/5. Also, the Burnaby is back on route 17 in time for this. So no Chilliwack unfortunately (fortunately, for some).
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Post by Starsteward on Sept 3, 2015 12:13:03 GMT -8
Which Northern vessel is in service for October's sale? Dane, from what I could piece together, looking at maybe doing the Northern route 'discount trip', looks like the 'Northern Expedition'. Just an F.Y.I. on trying to do a round trip, Port Hardy - Prince Rupert, it's possible although one is stuck in Prince Rupert for 5 nights between sailings.
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Sept 3, 2015 13:48:43 GMT -8
So that means the Skeena is doing the Cumberland sailings?? I hink they should just swap the Skeena for the Capilano and have the Capilano replace the Cumberland! Skeena is not a good ship to replace the Cumberland! They usually use the Bowen for that? It looks like the Bowen will be based out of Swartz Bay though! As far as the northern round trip I thought about doing a discounted trip too but you can't come right back as the only have a southbound trip Friday's which is stupid!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2015 16:04:20 GMT -8
So that means the Skeena is doing the Cumberland sailings?? I hink they should just swap the Skeena for the Capilano and have the Capilano replace the Cumberland! Skeena is not a good ship to replace the Cumberland! They usually use the Bowen for that? It looks like the Bowen will be based out of Swartz Bay though! As far as the northern round trip I thought about doing a discounted trip too but you can't come right back as the only have a southbound trip Friday's which is stupid! Ever heard of a flight to Sandspit? It's in fact on sale until tonight...
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Post by Dane on Sept 3, 2015 16:51:39 GMT -8
That's exactly what I'm looking at, ferry up and fly down.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Sept 3, 2015 21:58:22 GMT -8
So that means the Skeena is doing the Cumberland sailings?? I hink they should just swap the Skeena for the Capilano and have the Capilano replace the Cumberland! Skeena is not a good ship to replace the Cumberland! They usually use the Bowen for that? It looks like the Bowen will be based out of Swartz Bay though! As far as the northern round trip I thought about doing a discounted trip too but you can't come right back as the only have a southbound trip Friday's which is stupid! Why is it stupid, Karl? Are they supposed to design the schedule to suit the five or six hard core ferry fans in the province who want to go to Prince Rupert and come straight back, particularly in the off season?
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Post by Starsteward on Sept 4, 2015 6:23:10 GMT -8
Why is it stupid, Karl? Are they supposed to design the schedule to suit the five or six hard core ferry fans in the province who want to go to Prince Rupert and come straight back, particularly in the off season? If B.C. Ferries really wanted to make good use of their BC Ferry Vacations staff at that expensive downtown (almost) waterfront office, they could have really done a promotional number in boosting interest and revenue on Route 10 by being a bit more creative! How so you ask? Offering truly remarkably reduced fares in the month of October is hardly within the dead of the Winter schedule. Why do a promotion that is basically an impractical offering for not only those five or six hard core ferry fans but misses a huge target market in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere. Why not take a page out of yesteryear's schedule and do something like offering a sailing that starts at Tsawwassen, then pick up Vancouver Islanders at Departure Bay, then run North, making the usual stops as required, (gives new tourists an added experience as well), finishing the trip at Rupert where those that have brought vehicles with them can head for Alaska or highway 16 for a circle trip. October shouldn't present any serious winter driving conditions. The southbound trip would leave Prince Rupert one day later, (giving our avid new tourists one night to experience the local hospitality. (To say nothing of putting a few bucks in the pockets of inn-keepers during the low-occupancy season). Southbound trip would end at Port Hardy, then resume the regular sailing schedule. One trip a week in October on Route 10 is no way to grow business, but seems to fit the negative cost-saving model BC Ferries is hamstrung with.
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Post by Dane on Sept 16, 2015 22:59:42 GMT -8
Question for those more observant than I; I've been around Swartz Bay for work the last few days and there's been a lot of one and two sailing waits to Vancouver this week. Is it normal, historically speaking, for the service level to drop off so quickly from the summer period? I was kn the 3pm today as well and the 7pm was 50% as we were leaving!
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Post by WettCoast on Sept 16, 2015 23:22:17 GMT -8
Question for those more observant than I; I've been around Swartz Bay for work the last few days and there's been a lot of one and two sailing waits to Vancouver this week. Is it normal, historically speaking, for the service level to drop off so quickly from the summer period? I was kn the 3pm today as well and the 7pm was 50% as we were leaving! Historically (I believe) demand for service on route 1 in September is comparable to demand in the period between May 24th weekend & mid June. Today, route 1 had 10 sailings in each direction. I believe that the frequency ought to be at 12 sailings.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Sept 17, 2015 22:24:55 GMT -8
Question for those more observant than I; I've been around Swartz Bay for work the last few days and there's been a lot of one and two sailing waits to Vancouver this week. Is it normal, historically speaking, for the service level to drop off so quickly from the summer period? I was kn the 3pm today as well and the 7pm was 50% as we were leaving! Historically (I believe) demand for service on route 1 in September is comparable to demand in the period between May 24th weekend & mid June. Today, route 1 had 10 sailings in each direction. I believe that the frequency ought to be at 12 sailings. I think the scale back in service has been about the same for several years now. They seem to think that they only have to provide 'peak' service to coincide with elementary school summers... a far cry from the service we knew in the last century. And even at that, 'peak' service on route one is really only in August.
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Post by ferryfanyvr on Sept 21, 2015 7:55:45 GMT -8
There's a bit of an unusual route 1 schedule in place over the next 4 days. The SOVI is off today and tomorrow with the Coastal Celebration in her place and the New Westminster as number 2 out of Tsawwassen (including a 6AM sailing today). Then on Wednesday and Thursday, The New West is replacing the SOBC as number 1 out of Tsawwassen!. All looks back to normal on Friday.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 21, 2015 9:49:03 GMT -8
There's a bit of an unusual route 1 schedule in place over the next 4 days. The SOVI is off today and tomorrow with the Coastal Celebration in her place and the New Westminster as number 2 out of Tsawwassen (including a 6AM sailing today). Then on Wednesday and Thursday, The New West is replacing the SOBC as number 1 out of Tsawwassen!. All looks back to normal on Friday. SOVI is offline because she is doing demonstration sea-trials for people from the 3 shipyards which are competing for the Spirits MLU contract.
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Post by ferryfanyvr on Sept 21, 2015 11:50:07 GMT -8
There's a bit of an unusual route 1 schedule in place over the next 4 days. The SOVI is off today and tomorrow with the Coastal Celebration in her place and the New Westminster as number 2 out of Tsawwassen (including a 6AM sailing today). Then on Wednesday and Thursday, The New West is replacing the SOBC as number 1 out of Tsawwassen!. All looks back to normal on Friday. SOVI is offline because she is doing demonstration sea-trials for people from the 3 shipyards which are competing for the Spirits MLU contract. Thanks for the info...I had checked the service notices and didn't see anything, but I see now there's a news release.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Oct 6, 2015 21:55:31 GMT -8
Regarding the Nimpkish service, from Bella Coola and Ocean Falls through to Bella Bella...
Anyone have any insight on why this trip lays over at Shearwater for ten hours, and even fourteen on one trip? Why make people connecting through to Port Hardy sit in the middle of nowhere for ten hours? Why not just leave Bella Coola nine or ten hours later?
I could ask BC Ferries, but I suspect they're filtering out anyone emailing them from Denman or Hornby these days.
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Post by WettCoast on Oct 6, 2015 22:30:56 GMT -8
Regarding the Nimpkish service, from Bella Coola and Ocean Falls through to Bella Bella...
Anyone have any insight on why this trip lays over at Shearwater for ten hours, and even fourteen on one trip? Why make people connecting through to Port Hardy sit in the middle of nowhere for ten hours? Why not just leave Bella Coola nine or ten hours later?
I could ask BC Ferries, but I suspect they're filtering out anyone emailing them from Denman or Hornby these days. I believe that this is a crew required 'rest' issue. There is not enough crew to operate the vessel for a period of more than 12 hours. The larger northern vessels have for all intents & purposes two crews on board all the time, one working the other one sleeping/ resting.
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Post by Starsteward on Oct 7, 2015 8:01:41 GMT -8
Regarding the Nimpkish service, from Bella Coola and Ocean Falls through to Bella Bella...
Anyone have any insight on why this trip lays over at Shearwater for ten hours, and even fourteen on one trip? Why make people connecting through to Port Hardy sit in the middle of nowhere for ten hours? Why not just leave Bella Coola nine or ten hours later?
I could ask BC Ferries, but I suspect they're filtering out anyone emailing them from Denman or Hornby these days. I believe that this is a crew required 'rest' issue. There is not enough crew to operate the vessel for a period of more than 12 hours. The larger northern vessels have for all intents & purposes two crews on board all the time, one working the other one sleeping/ resting. I don't suppose a note to Minister Stone, regarding the layover/crewing situation you outline in your post would generate any improvements to this situation? Second thought.....what more could 'Nimpkish' passengers require, after all, no one has turned off the potable water taps have they? What an abysmal manner of treating folks who rely on that service.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Oct 7, 2015 18:36:59 GMT -8
Sometimes a ferry schedule has an hour layover for drills, but sometimes the ferry is so late that the previous sailing doesn't occur. What happens then? Does the layover break still happen (resulting in 2 hours of no sailings) or does management adjust on-the-fly and realize that now is not a good time for the layover break?
Here's what happened on Bowen Island recently:
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Post by hwy19man on Jan 4, 2016 21:08:30 GMT -8
For the final three weekends in January, the Queen of New Westminster will be the secondary vessel on route 1 and based at TSA. I have noticed that the schedule is unbalanced with three trips departing TSA and only two trips from SWB.
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Jan 4, 2016 21:29:02 GMT -8
And of course this coming weekend there is no extra sailings at all on route 1 which I dont get. It seems this way every year. Two coastal's on route 1 is gonna suck especially with the Coho and Sidney to Anacortes being out of service route 1 I assume will be more busier than normal. I think they should always have at least one Spirit on route 1 at all times.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jan 4, 2016 22:33:37 GMT -8
And of course this coming weekend there is no extra sailings at all on route 1 which I dont get. It seems this way every year. Two coastal's on route 1 is gonna suck especially with the Coho and Sidney to Anacortes being out of service route 1 I assume will be more busier than normal. I think they should always have at least one Spirit on route 1 at all times. I believe that, statistically, the weekend following the New Year is the lightest traffic weekend of the year. Everyone is back at work, and there are virtually no tourists. But you're probably right... if we monitor the sailings, I bet there will be overloads. Maybe just not enough that they can be shamed into changing things for next year.
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