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Post by DENelson83 on Jan 20, 2012 23:37:28 GMT -8
Well, guess what... For the first time in over three years, I'm goin' on a ferry. On March 1, I will be taking the ferry to Horseshoe Bay, as I'm going to be attending a Scrabble tournament in Richmond the following weekend. And, for the first time ever, I will actually drive onto the vessel.
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Post by lmtengs on Jan 20, 2012 23:49:13 GMT -8
Well, guess what... For the first time in over three years, I'm goin' on a ferry. On March 1, I will be taking the ferry to Horseshoe Bay, as I'm going to be attending a Scrabble tournament in Richmond the following weekend. And, for the first time ever, I will actually drive onto the vessel. Why so long between sailings? Seeing as you're right in Courtenay, one would think you'd want to get a quick fix out of the Queen of Burnaby every now and again, no? |
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Post by DENelson83 on Jan 20, 2012 23:53:53 GMT -8
Well, guess what... For the first time in over three years, I'm goin' on a ferry. On March 1, I will be taking the ferry to Horseshoe Bay, as I'm going to be attending a Scrabble tournament in Richmond the following weekend. And, for the first time ever, I will actually drive onto the vessel. Why so long between sailings? Seeing as you're right in Courtenay, one would think you'd want to get a quick fix out of the Queen of Burnaby every now and again, no? Unfortunately, I don't know anyone in Powell River, and my family has advised me that if I want to take a long-distance trip, there has to be something for me to actually do at my intended destination. |
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 21, 2012 9:41:20 GMT -8
Well, guess what... For the first time in over three years, I'm goin' on a ferry. On March 1, I will be taking the ferry to Horseshoe Bay, as I'm going to be attending a Scrabble tournament in Richmond the following weekend. And, for the first time ever, I will actually drive onto the vessel. Woo Hoo ! - good news. I hope you enjoy the experience. |
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Post by Low Light Mike on Feb 4, 2012 15:16:51 GMT -8
I had a fun day of ferry watching and riding today:
- saw the ex AMHS ship Chilkat, at Deep Bay marina.
- saw Quinitsa from the Fanny Bay gov't wharf
- rode Quinitsa to Denman
- Viewed Kahloke from a few different spots on the east-side of Denman Island.
Photos to come, likely in a few days....
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Post by Coastal Canuck on Feb 17, 2012 17:27:35 GMT -8
For the first time in close to 3 years I took a ferry trip just for the sake of taking a ferry trip. woke up nice and early and took the 7:45 Coastal Inspiration to Departure Bay... while boarding around 7:30 I noticed the Spirit of BC was in Berth 4 and had all her engines fired up (2.5 hours before her first sailing). Arrived at Departure Bay in Berth 2, disembarked, watched the Cowichan arrive from Horseshoe Bay in Berth 3, watched the Inspiration leave, watched the Cowichan leave. Sat around for a couple hours, then the Coquitlam arrived in Berth 2, followed shortly after by the Alberni in Berth 3 (opposite than the other vessels on the route 2 hours earlier), boarded the Alberni, watched the Coquitlam leave, then sailed back to Tsawwassen on the Alberni... my first trip on the Alberni, leaving only the Island Sky, Klista, Kuper, Kwuna, Northern Adventure and Northern Expedition as current ships I haven't been on
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Post by DENelson83 on Feb 18, 2012 19:59:40 GMT -8
Got a reservation for my sailing out of Departure Bay, as given the possibility of heavy traffic there due to the Tsawwassen run temporarily landing there, I thought a reservation would be prudent. I will be taking sailing 207 at 3pm on March 1.
I also learned that you can pay a reservation fee for any sailing on any route in cash just by going to any terminal and talking to a ticket agent. But you need to make sure you bring a cell phone with you, as you still have to phone the reservation in first.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Feb 18, 2012 20:12:15 GMT -8
Got a reservation for my sailing out of Departure Bay, as given the possibility of heavy traffic there due to the Tsawwassen run temporarily landing there, I thought a reservation would be prudent. I will be taking sailing 207 at 3pm on March 1. Before anyone else asks, I've learned that Mr. Nelson has a unique system of numbering the various daily sailings on each route. - 2 is for route-2 - "07" is the seventh sailing of the day, but that would be the 7:00pm sailing, so my theory is a bit off. I'll let him explain, even if he thinks that we all follow that system, haha. |
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Post by DENelson83 on Feb 18, 2012 20:55:02 GMT -8
- "07" is the seventh sailing of the day, but that would be the 7:00pm sailing, so my theory is a bit off. Not quite. The "07" refers to the fourth sailing of the day out of a Vancouver Island terminal. Eastbound sailings on the Vancouver-Vancouver Island routes get odd numbers starting with 01, while westbound sailings get even numbers starting with 02. These "sailing numbers" are just like airline flight numbers. I'll let him explain, even if he thinks that we all follow that system, haha. Nobody else has to, but I always follow it. That's why I always tell you which sailing a number refers to. |
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Post by lmtengs on Feb 18, 2012 23:20:17 GMT -8
Do I have permission to be a little bit rude, just this once?
Thanks.
That system is, in my opinion, weird. That's all.
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Post by DENelson83 on Feb 18, 2012 23:30:50 GMT -8
Well, I don't know how airlines assign flight numbers either. They each use their own system, I bet.
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Post by lmtengs on Feb 19, 2012 0:05:09 GMT -8
Well, I don't know how airlines assign flight numbers either. They each use their own system, I bet. Just use one of the systems that people actually use... the 8pm sailing... the 8:00 sailing... the 2000 sailing... or go snazzy and french: 20h00. ;D It's like measurements... the World is standardizing to Metric for a reason. |
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Post by DENelson83 on Feb 19, 2012 13:16:33 GMT -8
I occaisionally listen to marine radio and BC Ferries and have never heard any reference to sailing numbers when a vessel approaches a terminal. That's because they haven't had need for a number system like that. They use simply what comes naturally to them. I just use these "sailing numbers" because it makes it easier for me to think about them. It's faster for me to say "207" than "3:00 out of Departure Bay". They float my boat, but they don't have to float anyone else's. But it seems I've encountered a rule of thumb: If you have to spend too much time explaining a system that you and only you use, maybe it's better not to use it.  |
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Post by lmtengs on Feb 19, 2012 13:52:33 GMT -8
But it seems I've encountered a rule of thumb: If you have to spend too much time explaining a system that you and only you use, maybe it's better not to use it. Epiphany! ;D |
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Post by Northern Exploration on Feb 20, 2012 9:49:49 GMT -8
Airlines all have their own systems for assigning flight numbers. There isn't any industry standard. On Air Canada for example flights are grouped by geography. 800 series of flights are international flights. 700 are Canada/US. 400 are domestic. Once the numbers are used they add 4 digit flights. So AC1024 could be Toronto to Vancouver. Special flights are also assigned a 4 digit flight number including AC Jetz the sports and charter division. Air Canada Jazz has their own group as does the other various regional services. United has their own system. So even on cross border flights that are code shared, a single flight has an AC flight number and a United flight number, and there is no common system.
Given the thousands of flights a day, a system is helpful. The relatively few "sailings" of BC Ferries makes a system less necessary. The Coast Guard and harbour traffic always identify a ship by name rather than a number. In contrast individual aircraft numbers (Fin Number) or even in the case the aircraft is named (City of Hamburg for example), are never used by air traffic control.
In addition aircraft don't necessarily fly back and forth on the same route all day. The 777 that flies from London Heathrow to Toronto, also does a Toronto to Montreal return trip, before loading again and flying overnight back to London. So it has two 400 series and two 800 series flight numbers in the same day. So you couldn't track it by the Fin Number or name, it would be too confusing. Of course the airline always knows the fin number but often the flight attendants don't unless a particular aircraft has something unique or notorious. Many often knew when they were on the 767 that was the Gimli Glider.
Ships don't tend to bounce around routes so much with the exception of Nanny.
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Post by DENelson83 on Mar 5, 2012 11:07:28 GMT -8
Oh boy, was that a trip. I finally got to take my car over to Metro Vancouver. The weather was good on Thursday, and I was the second car to board the Queen of Cowichan at Departure Bay for the 3pm sailing to Horseshoe Bay, going on the upper car deck, and I got to operate my ham radio maritime mobile for the first time. I got a good scare on the eastbound Upper Levels Highway when the lane I was in suddenly ended on me, but I got through that unscathed, and now I have some experience driving in Metro Vancouver, and a small bit of confidence came with that. The trip back to the Island was uneventful, and I ended up on a night sailing in the rain, with my car on the lower deck of the Queen of Cowichan. I also had a digital voice recorder with me, and I used that to record the new BCF chimes. Pics and audio to come later.
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Post by Scott on Aug 17, 2012 19:39:36 GMT -8
I've just completed 3 weeks of frequent ferry travel with my family. It started with a morning/afternoon round trip on the QUEEN OF ALBERNI to drop off 3 of the kids at Duke Point with the in-laws. It was fairly uneventful... the strangest thing was noticing 3 ferry crew members smoking up in the non-smoking section, which I already mentioned in another thread. The next week, the wife, baby, and I headed over to Vancouver Island via the Sunshine Coast. We went on a Thursday, hoping to avoid the Friday rush, but it was a Thursday before a long weekend, so it was busier than I was expecting. We showed up about 40 minutes early for the Langdale ferry and made it, but there was a sailing wait not long after we arrived. We were near the last off, so it was following the moving traffic jam up to Sechelt where we stopped for lunch. I lost track of time a bit, and underestimated how long it would get to Earl's Cove, forgetting how windy and slow that road is... and we made it just in time, only to be parked up the hill, out of the holding area. We were worried we wouldn't make it, but they squeezed us on, third from the last car. We just left one semi-truck behind. We stopped at Saltery Bay wharf for some pictures and to let the traffic get way ahead of us. Then it was a liesurely drive up to Powell River through some beautiful coastal communities. That extra ferry ride seems to keep it a little more laid back and undeveloped than the lower Sunshine Coast or the eastern Island. There was no rush to catch the Comox ferry, but we got there fairly early just in case and walked around the waterfront. There's a new building there by the ferry terminal, but I couldn't determine whether it was a ferry building or something else. The redeveloped wharf is nice though, and a good place to watch the ferries come in. The QUEEN OF BURNABY kind of takes you back a few years, although it's unfortunate that the interior of the whole upper deck was off limits. The Monday after, we headed over to Cortes Island for a week of camping, catching the 1:30 from Campbell River with no problems and getting to Heriot Bay with plenty of time for the 3:05. The TACHEK took every car waiting, which was perfect because there wasn't room for any more. When we were loading, we were about 4th or 5th in line, right behind my father towing a trailer. As we loaded, the officer on the deck stopped my father-in-law, and got me to go around him to the very front:) Nice place to be parked for a ferry ride - I'm assuming they'd rather have a vehicle with a trailer a bit further from the front to make it easier to maneuver when unloading. On Tuesday, my sister came over from Cortes. The only reason I mention this is because when I dropped her off for the last ferry of the day (5:50 PM) I drove over to the Whaletown pier and watched the ferry come and go. They left two cars behind. I wondered if they would make another run for them... so I went back at around 7:45 and saw the cars still parked there, but the ferry tied up for the night. I guess they were allowed to stay there for night. Cortes is a beautiful island with a lot of history. I would have loved to see and explore more, but when you're camping with kids and have to go swimming every day, it doesn't leave much time for much else! And I should mention that swimming on Cortes is awesome  Hague Lake is not too cold and has a beautiful long sandy beach with a perfect grade into deep water. It was busy in the afternoons, but worth the stop. Had a good swim at Smelt Bay too, although that was a bit colder! That too, is a beautiful park. The campground looks cramped, but the day use area by the beach is expansive and uncrowded most of the time. Manson's Landing Provincial Park (the beach on Hague Lake is part of this park) is a neat place to watch boats and seaplanes and looks like a great place to swim as well. We camped at Gorge Harbour Marina, which is a nice place, but not my idea of camping. The place is obviously geared toward the millionares in their yachts, and secondly the people in their RVs. The campers are put way up in the woods (which is fine), but you're not allowed to bring your car very close and you have to walk almost to the marina to go to the bathroom. The campsites were very small and close together, but all together we had two, so it wasn't too bad. On the way back, we visited my sister who has a garden at the southern point of Quadra Island, and easily made the 4:00 from Quathiaski Cove, arriving 10 minutes early and driving straight on the ferry. The following week we drove down to Port Renfrew via Cowichan Lake. I'd never been on that road before, and it was a nice drive. We weren't in a rush so we took it easy and enjoyed the scenery. There were hardly any cars on the road. Logging is evident all along the route with many clearcuts on the mountains and right beside the road. We camped a couple nights at China Beach campground in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, which is a little more like my idea of camping:) We spent a day in Victoria and a day on Saltspring. One of the things I noticed when coming off the SKEENA QUEEN was how small the holding area at the Fulford Harbour terminal seems. It seems so crowded and cramped when it's full and I'm guessing the SKEENA QUEEN can hold quite a few more than what fits in the compound, but I could be wrong. We tried to catch the 4:25 PM from Long Harbour. We arrived an hour early... and I thought it would be a quiet sailing, especially with the QUEEN OF NANAIMO leaving only an hour earlier - was I wrong! It was fully reserved and we were told to turn around and park in the standby lane with a good chance to make it. We waited, and when the BOWEN QUEEN was almost loaded, were instructed to come and pay our fare. We were first in the standby lane, and they thought they would get us on, so they got us to come down the ramp - but they didn't have room. They had a hard enough time getting all the reserved on - it was very close. I'm surprised they reserved that many cars on the trip. After we backed off, they did manage to fit the BC Ferries van on, but I'm guessing they had to keep a spot open for it, for some reason. We had to get our fare refunded, and were told by the apologetic BC Ferries attendant that we would have no problem getting the 8:10 PM. So we spent a few hours in Ganges - a town which is a bit over rated in my opinion (crowded, overpriced, poor signage) - and returned to Long Harbour with plenty of time for the 8:10. Our car stands out in a crowd (an old Buick wagon) so everyone remembered us. One of the officers on the BOWEN QUEEN brought down some snacks for the kids. It was a beautiful warm evening sailing across to Tsawwassen on a little ferry boat, which is a different experience than being on a large ferry. Nice to be down so close to the water. The ferry was only about 1/3 full too, so it wasn't too crowded. I can just imagine that the 4:25 would have been packed and hot... so I'm kind of glad we missed it, even if it meant the kids were up past their bed time! So I managed a trip to the Island and back without using any of the 3 major routes - the largest ferry we travelled on was the QUEEN OF SURREY. It costs a bit more, but what else am I going to use my Save-On-More reward points for? However, that's probably about it for ferry trips this year - hopefully at Christmas I'll get a trip in, we'll see. |
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Post by Queen of Nanaimo Teen on Aug 28, 2012 20:24:30 GMT -8
As much as I would love to post my pictures into each of the individual ship threads, I do not have the time, nor motivation to do this. Yesterday I returned home from a 5 day Sailpass trip having travelled on most of the routes. I will post some of the highlights of my trip here. Of the 5 times that I have bought a sailpass, this time has caused me the most trouble. People writing in the wrong slot, adding a '0' to 3 because she didn't see the 30, and the list simply goes on and on. As you can see by the sailpass, I covered a good chunk of BC Ferries' routes. Before I even started with the sailpass, I ventured out to Deas to see the Nicola and the Nimpkish. As I had never seen the Nimpkish before, I was more than willing to accept poor photos like these. My trip now started at Tsawwassen, with the Queen of New Westminster. I then hopped over to route 5 to ride the Mayne Queen and the Queen of Cumberland. (I believe, that after the Tachek has her refit, the Mayne Queen will be the last ship in the fleet to have wooden benches. Someone correct me if I'm wrong) I then raced down to Victoria to meet up with Scott, and catch the Coho leaving the Harbor. This was my first time seeing her. Day 2 started off with riding the Klitsa. Because it was so early, and I was tired and cold, I did not take any photos. I then drove up to Chemainus to ride the Kuper. I ended up doing the whole triangle - something I don't recommend. Interesting how the locals seem to still call it Kuper Island, and not Penelakut. After arriving back in Chemainus, I raced down to Crofton to catch the Howe Sound Queen. Because I almost missed the ferry, I did not get any photos of the HSQ either. I then drove across Saltspring Island to Fulford Harbor, in hopes of beating the Queen of Nanaimo. I did, and was able to get some nice photos of her coming in. We then chased the New West back to Tsawwassen. (Re. the interior photo - It's all the stuff on the ceiling that brings a smile to my face, and brings back memories of the ship pre MLU) Once at Tsawwassen, I took a Coastal on RT 30 back to Nanaimo. A sailing which I slept on the whole time. Day 3 started with early rising, and making my way down to Departure Bay to catch the Queen of Oak Bay. Once at Horseshoe Bay, I did the grand turnaround, and got in line for Route 3. I ended up on the Queen of Coquitlam (not that I would have cared any more or less if it were the Surrey), and got some nice shots of the Surrey passing. Because I got on an earlier sailing than planned, I had some extra time to kill. I was in Sechelt, and thought a hunt for the AJ would be fun, as she was the last of the 4 I had yet to see. It ended up being a 4 minute drive out of Sechelt. I didn't realize it was so close! I thought it was pretty neat that on this trip I ended up seeing the 3 triplets out of 4! Following this I rode the Island Sky, and made my way up to Powell River (no photos. unnecessary in my opinion). Upon reaching the outer limits of the city, the Queen of Burnaby came in to view, and I got photos of her coming into Westview. I also rode the North Island Princess this day, and was happy to see how little was changed in the passenger deck! Other than the dogwood carpet, and the 'Who makes it run?' poster dissapearing, nothing in the passenger cabin appeared to be altered! The next day I headed over to Comox on the first sailing of the Queen of Burnaby. The new public dock is sure great to get photos from! Once on the Queen of Burnaby, I recorded my much needed Welcome Aboard announcement, and went scouting for signs of the dogwood days on the main passenger deck. I was very surprised to find one of the old chairs from the Royal Victorian sitting outside. Spaulding 'curves'  Once arriving in Comox, I made my way up to Campbell River to catch the PRQ. I drove up about 3 minutes before the ship left, but was still able to get my throughfare ticket. No exterior shots, but I did take a peek at her new passenger lounge. (The doors half way up the stairs which were wooden were simply painted over, much to my surprise?). I then raced over to Heriot Bay to catch the Tachek, and enjoy a nice sailing with loud children as a footie over to Whaletown. I enjoyed the semi - dogwood interior onboard. I wish she wouldn't have that refit! I told one of the crew members this, and he laughed. I told him how great I think the old teak doors are/were, and he replied with "I'm going to by one for my garden shed at the auction". Perhaps BC Ferries auctions some of the older maritime things off to the crews? I also noticed that the Tachek has a much higher ceiling at the front of the passenger lounge than the QQII. Is there a reason for this? I then headed down to Buckley Bay to meet up with Scott and ride the Quinitsa and the Kahloke. I then drove down to Nanaimo, arriving at 7:45pm, and got told outside the terminal they were only taking 10 more cars for the 930pm (There was also a 9:05). The ticket booths were shut down at 8pm, and I had to wait to catch the Oak Bay, which ended up leaving at 1010pm due to traffic delays. It wasn't a great way to end the trip, but all in all, it was pretty fun. |
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Post by Dane on Aug 28, 2012 20:36:41 GMT -8
Thanks for your report - I assume you bought the SailPass before they got rid of them? I guess they're good until the end of the year??
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Post by Queen of Nanaimo Teen on Aug 29, 2012 20:18:25 GMT -8
Dane - yes, I purchased the sailpass on the last day they were available. They are valid for one year following purchase. I was most likely the last customer that ever used a sailpass!
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Post by lmtengs on Aug 29, 2012 20:24:10 GMT -8
Thanks for the photo essay! I had fun times on many of those ships |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2012 20:46:01 GMT -8
Very neat photos and u are a lot better photographer than me.
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Post by lmtengs on Aug 29, 2012 20:53:49 GMT -8
Very neat photos and u are a lot better photographer than me. Practice makes perfect! Just stick at 'er and you can be great in no time. |
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Post by Queen of Nanaimo Teen on Aug 29, 2012 20:55:24 GMT -8
Cheese - A lot of your photos look great too! Simply, try to get the horizon straight, and have as little as possible under the ferry (water, land, etc.) Many of my ferry photos from my first year of phototaking look very similar to yours. Scott is my model, and it's always my goal to make my photos look as good as his! ;D Note to Scott - feel free to put my photos into their respective ship threads whenever you please |
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Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 29, 2012 21:00:16 GMT -8
Note to Scott - feel free to put my photos into their respective ship threads whenever you please I'll do it for half of whatever you're paying Scott. ;D |
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Hague Lake is not too cold and has a beautiful long sandy beach with a perfect grade into deep water. It was busy in the afternoons, but worth the stop. Had a good swim at Smelt Bay too, although that was a bit colder! That too, is a beautiful park. The campground looks cramped, but the day use area by the beach is expansive and uncrowded most of the time. Manson's Landing Provincial Park (the beach on Hague Lake is part of this park) is a neat place to watch boats and seaplanes and looks like a great place to swim as well.
