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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 26, 2019 12:18:45 GMT -8
The Salt Spring Island community felt the pain of Quinitsa during busy 2019 season. Bowen Queen will serve this route during busy 2020: From Salt Spring Exchange website: from HERE
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Post by WettCoast on Sept 26, 2019 13:17:44 GMT -8
The Salt Spring Island community felt the pain of Quinitsa during busy 2019 season. Bowen Queen will serve this route during busy 2020: From Salt Spring Exchange website: from HEREGee, who could have predicted that?
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Sept 26, 2019 19:32:15 GMT -8
The Salt Spring Island community felt the pain of Quinitsa during busy 2019 season. Bowen Queen will serve this route during busy 2020: From Salt Spring Exchange website: from HEREGee, who could have predicted that? Indeed. Their re-jigged AEQ calculations and hopeful projections of increased heavy vehicle capacity over the HSQ couldn't disguise the fact that Quinitsa was a significant step back. Too bad the 'Hound Dog' couldn't be kept around until the new boats arrive, but I guess TC requirements would just have involved too much investment, if it could be done at all. I wonder if ears are perking up on Hornby. Quinitsa will be available next summer, and she's too slow for Alert Bay and Sointula, without a schedule frequency downgrade. A radical and expensive thought for next summer, which I only mention since BC Ferries has changed their plans for Vesuvius: Quinitsa to Shingle Spit, with Quadra Queen II based at Alert Bay, and slowpoke Kahloke serving the shorter Sointula run. This Bowen Queen re-assignment is bad news for those communities, and BC Ferries is moving to two boat service on other traditional one boat runs elsewhere, so there's a precedent.
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Post by Ferryman on Sept 26, 2019 20:24:26 GMT -8
A radical and expensive thought for next summer, which I only mention since BC Ferries has changed their plans for Vesuvius: Quinitsa to Shingle Spit, with Quadra Queen II based at Alert Bay, and slowpoke Kahloke serving the shorter Sointula run. This Bowen Queen re-assignment is bad news for those communities, and BC Ferries is moving to two boat service on other traditional one boat runs elsewhere, so there's a precedent. Neil, just a gentle reminder that the Island Class should be in service next summer, based on my own guesstimate. The first of Island Class was on sea trials about a month ago, with the second one following very closely behind as far as timeline is concerned. When they arrive and get put into service, the first two displaces the Quadra Queen II into relief/standby, and the North Island Princess to retirement as well. It will be interesting to see where the Quinitsa ends up next summer though.
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Sept 26, 2019 20:53:28 GMT -8
A radical and expensive thought for next summer, which I only mention since BC Ferries has changed their plans for Vesuvius: Quinitsa to Shingle Spit, with Quadra Queen II based at Alert Bay, and slowpoke Kahloke serving the shorter Sointula run. This Bowen Queen re-assignment is bad news for those communities, and BC Ferries is moving to two boat service on other traditional one boat runs elsewhere, so there's a precedent. Neil, just a gentle reminder that the Island Class should be in service next summer, based on my own guesstimate. The first of Island Class was on sea trials about a month ago, with the second one following very closely behind as far as timeline is concerned. When they arrive and get put into service, the first two displaces the Quadra Queen II into relief/standby, and the North Island Princess to retirement as well. It will be interesting to see where the Quinitsa ends up next summer though. But I don’t think those two Island Class vessels have started delivered to British Columbia yet. So the delivery could delay these vessel entering service.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Sept 26, 2019 21:05:04 GMT -8
A radical and expensive thought for next summer, which I only mention since BC Ferries has changed their plans for Vesuvius: Quinitsa to Shingle Spit, with Quadra Queen II based at Alert Bay, and slowpoke Kahloke serving the shorter Sointula run. This Bowen Queen re-assignment is bad news for those communities, and BC Ferries is moving to two boat service on other traditional one boat runs elsewhere, so there's a precedent. Neil, just a gentle reminder that the Island Class should be in service next summer, based on my own guesstimate. The first of Island Class was on sea trials about a month ago, with the second one following very closely behind as far as timeline is concerned. When they arrive and get put into service, the first two displaces the Quadra Queen II into relief/standby, and the North Island Princess to retirement as well. It will be interesting to see where the Quinitsa ends up next summer though. If your timeline pans out, it's hard to see how the Quinitsa wouldn't be available for Hornby, if they choose to do so.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Oct 20, 2019 19:57:12 GMT -8
Spending a week on Hornby right now. Coming back from Buckley Bay yesterday afternoon, I was thankful for the signboard information that the vessel on the route was the Baynes Sound Connector, that the next departure was indeed 5pm, and that the port of arrival would be Denman Island West, at 5:10. Not to mention the handy info on where the vessel was at the moment. Mainly because it's so hard to see. Don't know how much it cost to put that equipment in. I just know that when the barge is waylaid, say by prawn traps or a malfunctioning cable sheave, the signboard is of little help. But at least everyone knows that when it finally starts operating, it will indeed be going to Denman West, where the cable ends.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Nov 25, 2021 12:13:28 GMT -8
I see a service notice about the Queen of Capilano overnighting at Snug Cove a couple of times while work is done at Horseshoe Bay. Bowen remains, I think, the only island in the BC Ferries system where the vessel doesn't reside there, at least on the point to point routes. I guess there are two factors, one being that Horseshoe Bay is one of the major crew bases, and the other perhaps being the cost and availability of housing on Bowen. It's been that way for as long as I can remember, and I recall an article in the old Dolphin magazine that quoted a Howe Sound Queen crewman saying he'd been on the route for many years but had never set foot on Bowen soil.
Not all of the ferries crewmembers actually live on the islands where the boats are based. Some come over for their shifts and some stay on the islands for a work period, I'm guessing in accommodation the company rents. This will most likely get even more common on Quadra and Gabriola, as I think one of their Island class vessels will be based on Vancouver Island.
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Post by Mike C on Mar 2, 2022 12:01:48 GMT -8
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jun 16, 2022 19:53:50 GMT -8
Not wanting to get too preachy or political, but I can't help remarking on a story I saw yesterday, which very credibly linked ferry sailing cancellations on the Sunshine Coast to the increasingly unaffordable cost of living there. BC Ferries staff, in particular younger people not making so much money, simply can't afford to live where their jobs might be.
Seems to me that we just can't ignore the fact that our economic system increasingly commodifies everything. The cost of housing is basically tied to what the most affluent can bear. Where do we think this inevitably leads? Not just with ferries, either. Places like Whistler and Tofino, which exist to serve tourism, don't pay enough to allow the necessary workers to actually live there, so people try living in their cars, or give up, and surprise, surprise, tourism businesses can't function.
Letting the 'free market' determine the cost of food, housing, fuel, and everything else has its attraction, particularly if you're a disciple of Milton Friedman, but there is a limit to the value of knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing, as the saying goes. Something as mundane as ferry sailing cancellations should make us think about that, I'd say.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Sept 6, 2022 17:44:44 GMT -8
Wasn't quite sure where to put this, and it may have been reported elsewhere... if so, my apologies for duplicating.
The Denman-Hornby FAC has reported big changes for next summer; something many islanders have been looking for, for many years. For summer, Quinitsa is being placed on the Hornby route, and the Kahloke is going to run alongside the cable ferry to Denman. Assuming they continue with shuttling, it means an almost 50% increase in capacity on route 21, and basically doubling capacity on route 22. Again, if shuttling continues, this should eliminate eastbound waits at Gravelly Bay, and ensure that cars are never backed up down the highway from Buckley Bay.
The community aspect is that some people feel this will further burden Hornby with summer visitors. I don't think it will. Island accommodation is full to bursting in summer; there is no more room. And I doubt that daytrippers will increase. Hornby's beaches just aren't worth the money or time spent to get there in summer, even with better service. No. what it means is that island residents will be able to get on and off the islands in a sane time frame. Shopping in Courtenay won't involve up to seven hours waiting for four ten minutes ferry rides from Hornby and back. As a former islander and a ferry fan, this would have been a fun development to experience, but I'm not there anymore. But maybe next summer I'll have to do a day trip to Hornby just for the novelty of not waiting a crazy amount of time to go a few miles.
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Post by WettCoast on Nov 19, 2022 20:23:41 GMT -8
The above is, of course, tongue-in-cheek. That is the pulp mill on the left and the still diesel-powered Quinitsa on the right.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Nov 19, 2022 21:11:59 GMT -8
The above is, of course, tongue-in-cheek. That is the pulp mill on the left and the still diesel-powered Quinitsa on the right.
There have been a lot of ferry fan type questions asked on this Forum over the years... one I don't recall, but maybe my memory is just failing me, is... what is the least scenic BC Ferries terminal location? I'm thinking that Crofton, or maybe Blubber Bay might be contenders.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Apr 10, 2023 10:41:38 GMT -8
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Post by paulvanb on Apr 10, 2023 11:51:57 GMT -8
I read that and was shocked to read that. I to, doubt that , but nothing surprises me. Along with the other issues that plague BC Ferries, unfortunately, now they will have this to deal with.
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Post by WettCoast on Apr 10, 2023 12:40:51 GMT -8
I too am dubious about that claim. In fact I think it absolutely incorrect. I know that back in the steamship days (CPR, Union, etc) this was true but not under BCF. “Vancouverisawesome” absolutely needs to provide documentation to backup their claim.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Apr 10, 2023 12:55:11 GMT -8
I too am dubious about that claim. In fact I try think it absolutely incorrect. I know that back in the steamship days (CPR, Union, etc) this was true but not under BCF. “Vancouverisawesome” absolutely needs to provide documentation to backup their claim. In that 'Vancouver Is Awesome' story, there's a link to another article in which a First Nations elder says that his grandfather told him of a time when his people were kept below deck. That certainly doesn't sound like the BC Ferries era. Sloppy writing in this article, perhaps.
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Post by paulvanb on Apr 10, 2023 14:57:14 GMT -8
I too am dubious about that claim. In fact I try think it absolutely incorrect. I know that back in the steamship days (CPR, Union, etc) this was true but not under BCF. “Vancouverisawesome” absolutely needs to provide documentation to backup their claim. In that 'Vancouver Is Awesome' story, there's a link to another article in which a First Nations elder says that his grandfather told him of a time when his people were kept below deck. That certainly doesn't sound like the BC Ferries era. Sloppy writing in this article, perhaps. The only ships I could think of would be the old CPR ships, especially with the mention of steerage. I believe steerage was reserved for 3rd class on ocean liners. That is how my in-laws, and probably my grandfather came to Canada.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Apr 10, 2023 17:26:34 GMT -8
In that 'Vancouver Is Awesome' story, there's a link to another article in which a First Nations elder says that his grandfather told him of a time when his people were kept below deck. That certainly doesn't sound like the BC Ferries era. Sloppy writing in this article, perhaps. The only ships I could think of would be the old CPR ships, especially with the mention of steerage. I believe steerage was reserved for 3rd class on ocean liners. That is how my in-laws, and probably my grandfather came to Canada. I could understand BC Ferries pushing back on this story, but perhaps they wouldn't, given our current spirit of reconciliation. Like a lot of other ferry fans and maritime history buffs, I've got a number of books on the CP and Union operations... apparently none of those authors chose to address how our First Nations people were treated by the companies that controlled getting from point A to B by ferry or steamship.
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Post by WettCoast on Apr 10, 2023 18:35:23 GMT -8
The only ships I could think of would be the old CPR ships, especially with the mention of steerage. I believe steerage was reserved for 3rd class on ocean liners. That is how my in-laws, and probably my grandfather came to Canada. I could understand BC Ferries pushing back on this story, but perhaps they wouldn't, given our current spirit of reconciliation. Like a lot of other ferry fans and maritime history buffs, I've got a number of books on the CP and Union operations... apparently none of those authors chose to address how our First Nations people were treated by the companies that controlled getting from point A to B by ferry or steamship. I don't think BC Ferries' history should be tarnished by a sloppily researched report done by some online 'news' service. I am hoping that Starsteward chimes in here. He was working in catering back in the day and would probably know.
BC Ferries gets tons of criticism, some of it justified. This, however, is to my long and fairly thorough knowledge of their history, not justified.
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Post by Starsteward on Apr 12, 2023 12:39:43 GMT -8
I could understand BC Ferries pushing back on this story, but perhaps they wouldn't, given our current spirit of reconciliation. Like a lot of other ferry fans and maritime history buffs, I've got a number of books on the CP and Union operations... apparently none of those authors chose to address how our First Nations people were treated by the companies that controlled getting from point A to B by ferry or steamship. I don't think BC Ferries' history should be tarnished by a sloppily researched report done by some online 'news' service. I am hoping that Starsteward chimes in here. He was working in catering back in the day and would probably know.
BC Ferries gets tons of criticism, some of it justified. This, however, is to my long and fairly thorough knowledge of their history, not justified. I spent several Summer and Fall/Winter seasons on the QPR, mostly on B watch, one Summer with A watch. "A" watch staff could at times be a little rough around the edges, not as refined and polished as B watch. In all my tenure on the QPR I never witnessed or heard of any discriminatory behaviour towards our indigenous people by either A or B watch crews. In times of maritime distress, it has always been First Nations people who have been the able first responders. The good folks of Alert Bay and surrounding area came on the double when the QPR's hull became impaled on Haddington Reef early one August morning. All passengers, adrift in life boats and inflatable rafts were gathered up and taken to the residential school where they were fed, clothed and able to connect via long distance telephone with family/friends south of the 49th. (Cell phones were not prevalent yet). At this time I, along with most of our crew were clueless as to the 'goings-on' within the walls of residential schools, that story would emerge some years later. I have heard stories of discriminatory behaviour taken toward our First Nations folks by some of the old steamship companies' crews but as stated above, finding written evidence of such actions in early books is hard to find. I suppose it was considered 'not good advertising' to write about Our Indigenous folks shone brightly when they came in droves to assist in rescuing passengers and crew from the 'Queen of the North' the fateful night she encountered Gill Island. Once again, it was our Indigenous folks who rose to the occasion, no questions asked. I will always be grateful for their assistance one foggy Summer morning, I 'owe' you one.
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Post by Starsteward on Apr 12, 2023 12:44:27 GMT -8
B.C. Ferries, or back in the day The BC Ferry and Toll Authority NEVER had such a policy! I go back as route 2 crew shortly after the inception of service using the 'Sechelt Queen'.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Apr 12, 2023 19:26:27 GMT -8
I don't think BC Ferries' history should be tarnished by a sloppily researched report done by some online 'news' service. I am hoping that Starsteward chimes in here. He was working in catering back in the day and would probably know.
BC Ferries gets tons of criticism, some of it justified. This, however, is to my long and fairly thorough knowledge of their history, not justified. I spent several Summer and Fall/Winter seasons on the QPR, mostly on B watch, one Summer with A watch. "A" watch staff could at times be a little rough around the edges, not as refined and polished as B watch. In all my tenure on the QPR I never witnessed or heard of any discriminatory behaviour towards our indigenous people by either A or B watch crews. In times of maritime distress, it has always been First Nations people who have been the able first responders. The good folks of Alert Bay and surrounding area came on the double when the QPR's hull became impaled on Haddington Reef early one August morning. All passengers, adrift in life boats and inflatable rafts were gathered up and taken to the residential school where they were fed, clothed and able to connect via long distance telephone with family/friends south of the 49th. (Cell phones were not prevalent yet). At this time I, along with most of our crew were clueless as to the 'goings-on' within the walls of residential schools, that story would emerge some years later. I have heard stories of discriminatory behaviour taken toward our First Nations folks by some of the old steamship companies' crews but as stated above, finding written evidence of such actions in early books is hard to find. I suppose it was considered 'not good advertising' to write about Our Indigenous folks shone brightly when they came in droves to assist in rescuing passengers and crew from the 'Queen of the North' the fateful night she encountered Gill Island. Once again, it was our Indigenous folks who rose to the occasion, no questions asked. I will always be grateful for their assistance one foggy Summer morning, I 'owe' you one. Starsteward: Very interesting detail about passengers being housed in a residential school... probably the only time that building was used for noble ends. Thanks for relaying that. I've never been clear on the exact meaning of irony, but maybe that qualifies. The notion of a First Nations family driving up to a BC Ferries toll booth in 1962 and being told that they had to stay in their car for the passage from the mainland to Vancouver Island strikes me as a stretch. Would it have been done by sight, or by the production of some ID card? Doesn't quite ring true. Still, the origin of that elder's allegation definitely invites some research.
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Post by Starsteward on Apr 12, 2023 21:50:53 GMT -8
I spent several Summer and Fall/Winter seasons on the QPR, mostly on B watch, one Summer with A watch. "A" watch staff could at times be a little rough around the edges, not as refined and polished as B watch. In all my tenure on the QPR I never witnessed or heard of any discriminatory behaviour towards our indigenous people by either A or B watch crews. In times of maritime distress, it has always been First Nations people who have been the able first responders. The good folks of Alert Bay and surrounding area came on the double when the QPR's hull became impaled on Haddington Reef early one August morning. All passengers, adrift in life boats and inflatable rafts were gathered up and taken to the residential school where they were fed, clothed and able to connect via long distance telephone with family/friends south of the 49th. (Cell phones were not prevalent yet). At this time I, along with most of our crew were clueless as to the 'goings-on' within the walls of residential schools, that story would emerge some years later. I have heard stories of discriminatory behaviour taken toward our First Nations folks by some of the old steamship companies' crews but as stated above, finding written evidence of such actions in early books is hard to find. I suppose it was considered 'not good advertising' to write about Our Indigenous folks shone brightly when they came in droves to assist in rescuing passengers and crew from the 'Queen of the North' the fateful night she encountered Gill Island. Once again, it was our Indigenous folks who rose to the occasion, no questions asked. I will always be grateful for their assistance one foggy Summer morning, I 'owe' you one. Starsteward: Very interesting detail about passengers being housed in a residential school... probably the only time that building was used for noble ends. Thanks for relaying that. I've never been clear on the exact meaning of irony, but maybe that qualifies. The notion of a First Nations family driving up to a BC Ferries toll booth in 1962 and being told that they had to stay in their car for the passage from the mainland to Vancouver Island strikes me as a stretch. Would it have been done by sight, or by the production of some ID card? Doesn't quite ring true. Still, the origin of that elder's allegation definitely invites some research.
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Post by Starsteward on Apr 12, 2023 21:58:28 GMT -8
Starsteward: Very interesting detail about passengers being housed in a residential school... probably the only time that building was used for noble ends. Thanks for relaying that. I've never been clear on the exact meaning of irony, but maybe that qualifies. The notion of a First Nations family driving up to a BC Ferries toll booth in 1962 and being told that they had to stay in their car for the passage from the mainland to Vancouver Island strikes me as a stretch. Would it have been done by sight, or by the production of some ID card? Doesn't quite ring true. Still, the origin of that elder's allegation definitely invites some research. Yes, more research is definitely needed. I was employed on route 2 during 1962 and never heard of such an "instruction" by a BC Ferry and Toll Authority staffer making such a statement that First Nations folks had to stay in their car during the passage. First of all, passengers were NOT allowed to remain on the car deck during a crossing. I used to hear disgruntled passengers with cars wanting to catch a nap in their cars but were shooed upstairs by deckhands that patrolled the car decks during crossings. I'd like someone to spend some time and get to the bottom of this allegation but too much time may have sadly passed in the interim.
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