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Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 9, 2005 11:10:17 GMT -8
Who here has travelled on the Princess of Vancouver when she did the Nanaimo to Vancouver harbour-to-harbour run?
I remember taking it a few times, only because BC Ferries were on strike.
I remember that we needed to make a reservation. The side-loading was pretty neat. I remember that she would come in at Nanaimo alongside the pier, toss the rope to shore, and then back up and turn 90-degrees into the dock. Lots of ships probably dock like that, but it was neat to see as a kid.
The drive-around-in-a-circle car deck was pretty neat too. I think we entered from the port-side door in Nanaimo and exited from a starboard-side door in Vancouver.
The Vancouver dock at the rail yards was pretty interesting, with all the train track.
I think the trip was 3 hours long, maybe a bit longer.
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Post by Ferryman on Nov 9, 2005 14:45:05 GMT -8
My mom said she went on the Princess of Vancouver when she was really young as well. But I'm not sure how much she remembers about it though. She lived in Vancouver, and caught that ferry, and then got on a bus from Nanaimo to Parksville to go to a Summer Camp.
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Post by Quinsam on Nov 9, 2005 16:07:12 GMT -8
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Post by Ferryman on Nov 9, 2005 16:17:16 GMT -8
That's the one.
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Post by Shane on Nov 10, 2005 11:36:46 GMT -8
She used to run on the Powell River-Comox route in the 80's.
She was owned by BCF for like 2 years.
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Post by Curtis on Nov 10, 2005 16:20:20 GMT -8
Yeah she was renamed Vancouver Island Princess in that period then after she was given her original name and sold by BC Ferries she went to Stena Lines then to where she is now in Asia
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Post by QTeen on Nov 17, 2005 20:08:50 GMT -8
Oh...
Any pics of her in BCF?
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Post by Qsaanich on Nov 17, 2005 20:16:53 GMT -8
i started a thread on this a long time ago harry and i have seen the Princess of Vancouver in BCF colors
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Post by SS San Mateo on Nov 18, 2005 11:30:18 GMT -8
I remember seeing a pic of her in the BC Ferries colors somewhere, but I haven't been able to find the site. The pictures were taken when her bow was being modified.
-- LB
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Post by Curtis on Nov 18, 2005 17:23:43 GMT -8
Biff had found some but he deleted the album they were in when that video outrage came along when he lied
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Post by Balfour on Nov 18, 2005 17:59:00 GMT -8
He had some good photos of it in Drydock with a new bow getting installed.
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Post by Retrovision on Nov 26, 2005 18:18:41 GMT -8
"...with a new bow getting installed."
Yeah, interesting how the bow was modified for the Comox-PR route, and re-built not long after.
As I mentioned in the "Retired Ferries" section, "...Cy Peck" subject line, I recently took out the long awaited second edition of Robert D. Turner's "Pacific Princesses" (originally published in 1977) from the library. The new edition features a "SECOND EDITION POSTSCRIPT", where the fate of some ships mentioned in the book is updated to 2004.
Here is the update given for the Princess of Vancouver in the second edition (2004) of Robert D. Turner's "Pacific Princessess", on page 246:
"Retired by CPR in 1981 and sold to BC Ministry of Transportation and Highways for Powell River-Comox service on June 24, 1981, bow doors installed and refitted at Burrard Yarrows, North Vancouver, registered with tonnage changed to 8835 gross, 5808 net, dimensions were 388.1' x 63.1' x 16.9'; sold Feb. 24, 1987 to BC Ferry Corp.; then sold on Mar. 14, 1987 to BC Steamship Co. (1975) Ltd., renamed "Vancouver Island Princess" for Victoria-Seattle service; refitted, modified for port side loading, and bow replaced by Versatile Pacific Shipyards, Esquimalt, tonnage changed to 8909 gross and 5882 net; sold on Nov. 10, 1988 to BC Stena and retired Nov. 1990. Sold Dec. 21, 1992 to Stephanie Shipping; sold to Kang Dai Shipping Company, China, and operated as the "Nan Hai Ming Zhu"; reported sold June 2001 to Haveton Shipping of Hong Kong and renamed "Princess of the South China Sea", but laid up since at least early 2003 at Xingang Shipyard, Tianjin, China, as "Nan Hai Ming Zui"."
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Post by Ferryman on Nov 26, 2005 22:44:02 GMT -8
That ferry sure gets around alot!
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Post by Retrovision on Nov 27, 2005 18:21:46 GMT -8
Chris wrote:
"That ferry sure gets around alot!"
Sure did! Sounds like she's been sitting around for the last few years, though.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qteen wrote:
"I started a thread on this a long time ago harry and i have seen the Princess of Vancouver in BCF colors"
It's amazing that they painted her in BCF colours for *less than a month's* service! something unexpected must have happened; maybe a change in gov't?
Take a look at this line from my last post:
"...sold Feb. 24, 1987 to BC Ferry Corp.; then sold on Mar. 14, 1987 to BC Steamship Co. (1975) Ltd....""
P.S. I thought that I was mistaken about the years mentioned in that last quote, but I just checked, and indeed that is the quote from Robert D. Turner's "Pacific Princesses" 2nd edition (2004) on page 246.
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SHipbuilders daughterwife
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Post by SHipbuilders daughterwife on Apr 11, 2006 20:06:27 GMT -8
How long was The Princess of Vancouver on the Naniamo-Vancouver run? I did ride on that route in the 50's. As I recall the dock was near the mall that was at the bottom of the big hill when one would drive into Naniamo.
I do remember the CP boats that ran from Vancouver to Victoria and Seattle in the 50's. The Marguerite and the Patricia, and was there one called the Kathleen or Katherine?
We had various relatives that we would go to see on the mainland and they would come to see us. The terminal was the building where the wax museum is now and beside that building was the work shop. My dad worked in that shop when he wasn't working on the ship. I think the ride to Vancouver was a little over five hours and was very rough, as I got sea sick a lot. Sometimes we would get a state room so we could sleep, when we were travelling aat night.
A lot of times we would get on the ship and there would be rail cars on the ship. I do not think that they were loaded or unloaded at the main terminal here in Victoria, as there were no tracks. Would they have been loaded or unloaded elsewhere in the harbor area?
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Neil
Voyager 
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Post by Neil on Apr 11, 2006 21:31:21 GMT -8
The route took 2 hours, 15 minutes. I have a CP schedule for the fall of '61 which shows eight sailings each way, Vancouver to Nanaimo, using the Princess of Vancouver, Princess of Nanaimo, and the Princess Marguerite. First sailing from downtown Vancouver 5:00am, last 11:59pm. It was $5.00 for a car, $2.00 for a passenger- the same as BC Ferries at the time. Don't believe the Princess of Vancouver actually ever sailed in BC Ferries colours- I took it when it was on the Powell River- Comox run for Dept. of Highways. Only ferry I've ever been on that had windows in the bathroom.
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Post by WettCoast on Apr 11, 2006 22:39:55 GMT -8
Queen of the North had windows in the bathroom.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,095
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Post by Neil on Apr 12, 2006 8:57:33 GMT -8
Correction to my earlier post: sailing time, Vancouver-Nanaimo on CP was 2hrs,30mins. to 2hrs,45mins.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Apr 12, 2006 17:29:43 GMT -8
Yeah, I remember the sailing time being close to 3 hrs....so 2:45 sounds correct.
I liked the side-loading car deck. I also remember that you had to walk thru the car-deck to get to the forward lounge.
We only ever sailed her during BC Ferry strikes.
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Post by WettCoast on Apr 12, 2006 17:39:13 GMT -8
CP's Princess of Vancouver off Stanley Park shoreline, inbound into Vancouver harbour near First Narrows - 21 June 1980. This photo was taken from the 'Royal Hudson' steam excursion train. I travelled on her a couple of times on her Vancouver - Nanaimo run many years ago. 
© WCK-JST by Wett Coast, on Flickr |
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Post by Curtis on Apr 12, 2006 19:09:31 GMT -8
Once Again Very Nice Photo
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,095
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Post by Neil on Apr 13, 2006 22:10:54 GMT -8
CP may be gone from the coast ferry business, but the remnant of the fleet lives on in the Carrier Princess and the Princess Superior, sailing for Seaspan. One thing I've noticed when I've stopped by their Tilbury terminal to check out the comings and goings is how nicely Seaspan keeps their boats looking. The Carrier Princess looks like it was just launched, and all their boats look a lot cleaner than you would expect freight ferries to look.
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Post by Shane on Apr 14, 2006 6:28:37 GMT -8
Don't believe the Princess of Vancouver actually ever sailed in BC Ferries colours She sailed in the Expo colours during the two years she was in the BCF fleet. |
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,095
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Post by Neil on Apr 14, 2006 9:18:03 GMT -8
Okay, I guess my memory has failed me. What years did she actually wear BC Ferries colours, and on what route?
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Post by Shane on Apr 14, 2006 11:09:43 GMT -8
1985-86/Comox-Powell River
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