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Post by Dane on Jun 14, 2019 14:46:42 GMT -8
Coat of Arms. Money order please 😝😂
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Post by Kahloke on Jun 14, 2019 15:01:38 GMT -8
Ok kids, here's your 'riddle of the week' to solve. Jim your photo of the 'Spirit of Vancouver Island' and the picture of the 'Spirit of British Columbia' in the box below have something affixed to their exteriors that are different. What is it and the item should be mounted in the same place on both vessels? Whoever comes up with the correct answer may be eligible for a one-way ticket TSW-SB on the bus for the old price of $4.25. [img class="smile" alt="  " Well, SOBC has a coat of arms, as Dane said, and SOVI does not. As for that blue thing on the front of SOVI above the upper car deck: I don't know what it is, but it doesn't appear to be a coat of arms, and the one on SOBC is painted white, not blue. See Jim's photo: www.flickr.com/photos/41465870@N04/46333940905/ |
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Post by Starsteward on Jun 14, 2019 15:07:41 GMT -8
Coat of Arms. Money order please 😝😂 Well done 'Dane'! You do have a keen eye, accountants beware! I was going to add in the question, where should the plaque be mounted as you've discovered that they are mounted in 2 different places on the ships? My choice would be were the coat of arms is mounted on the 'SOBC' right under the bridge. It used to be cool to see the round coat of arms mounted above and in the middle of the superstructure at the bow doors. Everyone could see the plaque so easily. The 'money order' ? Ugh...workin' on it.  |
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Post by paulvanb on Jul 7, 2019 17:36:54 GMT -8
More from yesterday.   |
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Post by hullnumbers on Aug 11, 2019 16:41:31 GMT -8
Well, seems the SoVI got into a small situation yesterday. Vehicles on the upper deck had to reverse off the ferry due to the gull wing doors did not go up.
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Aug 11, 2019 17:24:05 GMT -8
Well, seems the SoVI got into a small situation yesterday. Vehicles on the upper deck had to reverse off the ferry due to the gull wing doors did not go up. This incident is the one he is talking about. |
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Post by hullnumbers on Aug 11, 2019 22:43:47 GMT -8
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Post by WettCoast on Aug 26, 2019 20:34:23 GMT -8
SoVI, 16 & a half years ago ... Just a few months ahead of the slug attack. |
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Post by Starsteward on Aug 27, 2019 9:04:11 GMT -8
The current BCFS logo does nothing to identify or promote one of the largest and best ferry systems in the world.
The 'Dogwood' symbol was a definitive 'identifier' of the Province of British Columbia. The 'Dogwood' adorned the vessels' funnels, house flag, uniforms,
menus and nearly every piece of written advertising.
One knew it was 'British Columbia' through and through!
The Slugs? What do they really represent? What do two wavy lines really represent? Hmm.?
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Neil
Voyager 
Posts: 7,307
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Post by Neil on Aug 29, 2019 20:15:28 GMT -8
Forgive me for being really late to the party. I had meant to check out the refit to the Spirit vessels when the SOVI returned last year, but I never did.
Haven't been aboard a Spirit for a few years. Being a (now -ex) Hornby Islander, I was all too familiar with the Coastals, and the Queen of Alberni, on route 30.
I really enjoyed a round trip on the Spirit of Vancouver Island this afternoon. Not a huge horde of foot passengers, so both sailings were comfortable in terms of crowding. It struck me how much more I enjoyed the SOVI than the Coastals. The Spirits seem like proper ships, as opposed to marine transit vessels. I realize that the Coastals might appeal to commuters as much as the Spirits do, in terms of amenities, but the Spirits, to me, offer more to someone who appreciates actual ships. Hope that doesn't sound elitist. Most obvious, of course, is a bow and stern... but that's not everything. There's something about the layout that's more appealing. One big thing is the outside deck at the back of the Spirits, on the main passenger deck. Protected to a certain extent from the wind by the windows, the rounded curve of the Seawest lounge also makes the area feel like a proper stern of a ship. My only complaint is that there should be more seating- there certainly is room for more.
I also like little quirks on vessels, and there is an odd little nook of a lounge on the SOVI, on the upper passenger deck. I'm assuming that this is where they previously tried a pedicure/manicure salon, but I could be wrong. I also like the narrow passageway to the exterior viewing area on the bow; not terribly efficient or obvious, and the space at the front is limited, but again, it's a bit quirky. As to efficiency... the SOVI's cafeteria is huge, as is the Passages gift shop. General cabin layout maximizes seating space and facilitates passenger flow as much as it can be on such a busy route. These vessels have an abundance of windows for viewing in any weather, and both open and protected outside decks for fair conditions.
The Spirits will unquestionably be the last single ended vessels on the south coast, long after the NIP, Tachek, Quadra Queen II, and 'New Westminster are gone. Maybe we'll even come to appreciate those foghorn 'whistles'. And... at the risk of flogging a very dead horse... we built them here, which adds it's own appeal, however dated.
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Post by Dane on Aug 29, 2019 20:56:08 GMT -8
Great post to read, and some insight I have lost as a regular commuter on the Route.
Contrasting the above experience, I will do about fifty round trips on Route 1 in a year, slightly less lately as busy ferries have, on occasion, allowed me to fly and in a couple cases at partly my expense use the V2V with its shoulder season schedule only.
Anyways...
All things being equal, and adding that I generally sail at peak times, the Coastal class would be my choice from a purely utilitarian stand point. They seem to, in my opinion, take the large foot passenger loads in a better, significantly quieter manner, splitting people into far more divided sections. There's significantly more open deck space for the nice days, and delays less frequent with an ability to make up schedule time. That said I think the Spirits are "faster" now as those chronic building delays seem to be far less frequent post-MLU. Basically if the Spirits are full there's is no, or perhaps was no, ability to make up time which compounded as more delays through the day.
Ultimately both classes are great to sail on. I was just on the Queen of New West two days ago for the first time in a couple years. What a step down that thing is, even with it's lipstick on a pig interior improvements of a decade ago.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,307
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Post by Neil on Aug 29, 2019 21:56:20 GMT -8
Great post to read, and some insight I have lost as a regular commuter on the Route. Contrasting the above experience, I will do about fifty round trips on Route 1 in a year, slightly less lately as busy ferries have, on occasion, allowed me to fly and in a couple cases at partly my expense use the V2V with its shoulder season schedule only. Anyways... All things being equal, and adding that I generally sail at peak times, the Coastal class would be my choice from a purely utilitarian stand point. They seem to, in my opinion, take the large foot passenger loads in a better, significantly quieter manner, splitting people into far more divided sections. There's significantly more open deck space for the nice days, and delays less frequent with an ability to make up schedule time. That said I think the Spirits are "faster" now as those chronic building delays seem to be far less frequent post-MLU. Basically if the Spirits are full there's is no, or perhaps was no, ability to make up time which compounded as more delays through the day. Ultimately both classes are great to sail on. I was just on the Queen of New West two days ago for the first time in a couple years. What a step down that thing is, even with it's lipstick on a pig interior improvements of a decade ago. Ooh... "lipstick on a pig"... Dane, you're voicing unforgiveable heresy against a 'Spaulding'. I love what was done to make the ' New West as functional as she could be, but I agree... on a crazy busy route like that, she's not up to snuff. And those narrow car lanes are dreadful. |
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Sept 19, 2019 18:31:32 GMT -8
I was on the 3 pm sailing from Swartz Bay today. I notice that when we leaving Swartz Bay and docking at Tsawwassen with bow thrusters going the vessel is noise and has a lot vibration. Also the Captain decide to take different routing doing a 180 turn out of the berth and going the Coastal vessels departing route.
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Post by bigcountry on Sept 20, 2019 12:22:38 GMT -8
I was on the 3 pm sailing from Swartz Bay today. I notice that when we leaving Swartz Bay and docking at Tsawwassen with bow thrusters going the vessel is noise and has a lot vibration. Also the Captain decide to take different routing doing a 360 turn out of the berth and going the Coastal vessels departing route. You mean a 180 degree turn? And during extreme low tides the Queen of New West can not arrive her normal route into Berth 2 and approaches via the Spirit out bound route, therefore the out bound Spirit must departe the opposite direction |
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Sept 20, 2019 18:22:27 GMT -8
I was on the 3 pm sailing from Swartz Bay today. I notice that when we leaving Swartz Bay and docking at Tsawwassen with bow thrusters going the vessel is noise and has a lot vibration. Also the Captain decide to take different routing doing a 360 turn out of the berth and going the Coastal vessels departing route. You mean a 180 degree turn? And during extreme low tides the Queen of New West can not arrive her normal route into Berth 2 and approaches via the Spirit out bound route, therefore the out bound Spirit must departe the opposite direction Yeah, I meant to put to that. |
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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 21, 2019 10:37:44 GMT -8
When I left on my vacation two weeks ago I was on the 9am SOBC and we departed the same way. We made the hard right turn out of Swartz Bay then sailed out the way the Spirit's usually arrive at Swartz Bay. I have seen them do that a few times lately. Is it tides or traffic that causes them to do this?? I would assume. Also on the Celebration a few times I have been on her where she leaves Swartz Bay then makes a left turn and sails between Piers and Portland Islands I guess to maybe avoid an inbound Spirit? And on one rare day I was actually on the Celebration when she departed Swartz Bay and took the Spirit's outbound route around Piers Island. I think that was about a year ago and 10am sailing I think.
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Post by Mike on Sept 30, 2019 18:19:46 GMT -8
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Post by Jessica on Oct 15, 2019 16:01:39 GMT -8
I finally got to go back on the Spirit of Vancouver Island after its Mid-Line upgrade and AS I thought, it got the exact same upgrades as the Spirit of British Columbia. I do miss it before its Mid-Life upgrade though because in my opinion it looked a lot better then compared to now. I miss the Video Zone the most. I do like the charging ports and the new TV's though.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,307
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Post by Neil on Nov 3, 2019 21:54:50 GMT -8
I'm not all that familiar with the Spirits, so maybe someone can answer this for me. That odd little portside lounge, toward the front, on I think the upper passenger deck... was that originally the space that I think BC Ferries leased out to some sort of spa operators? I seem to remember reading about a manicure/pedicure operation in the earlier years. I wouldn't think it would have started as a teeny lounge; can't see the point.
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Post by pacificcat99 on Nov 3, 2019 22:45:34 GMT -8
I'm not all that familiar with the Spirits, so maybe someone can answer this for me. That odd little portside lounge, toward the front, on I think the upper passenger deck... was that originally the space that I think BC Ferries leased out to some sort of spa operators? I seem to remember reading about a manicure/pedicure operation in the earlier years. I wouldn't think it would have started as a teeny lounge; can't see the point. To the best of my knowledge, where that little room currently is located used to be state rooms that they could rent out to passengers who were interested. Not sure who would have rented one for an hour voyage (unless you are stuck overnight as you cannot dock) but maybe others on here have done so or know some who have. The link below has a deck layout showing where the state rooms used to be (in 2006) on the upper deck) www.hhvferry.com//canada06/spiritofvancisland_dp.jpgHope this helps to answer your question. |
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Post by WettCoast on Nov 24, 2019 17:38:48 GMT -8
Spirit of Vancouver Island approaches Active Pass with the 5 PM sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay on the 22nd of May, 2019.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,307
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Post by Neil on Nov 24, 2019 21:43:58 GMT -8
Spirit of Vancouver Island approaches Active Pass with the 5 PM sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay on the 22nd of May, 2019.
One thing I've always noticed about the Spirits is that bow wave they kick up, that extends almost to the car deck. I'm not nearly enough of a mariner to know what that says about efficiency and hull design, but I wonder every time I see it. |
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Post by Starsteward on Nov 25, 2019 8:08:58 GMT -8
I've often wondered about the bow wave 'Neil' is referring to. It does appear rather pronounced, maybe there is an 'engineering' type aboard our membership that could shed some light on the matter.
Something else I'm seeing under the BC Ferries logo, and under the rubbing strake are what looks like seven 'holes' in the hull. Have these always been there or are they something to do with the LNG upgrade or ?
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Thor's Echo
Oiler (New Member)
Please, please, do not Pugmark me.
Posts: 42
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Post by Thor's Echo on Dec 2, 2019 14:59:47 GMT -8
 I will post this here, the Spirit of Vancouver Island is operating as the #1 vessel out of TSAWWASSEN not Swartz Bay today replacing her older sister. Coastal Celebration is #1 out of Swartz Bay. SBC tied up at Tsawwassen either berth 1 or 2. |
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Dec 2, 2019 15:47:05 GMT -8
will post this here, the Spirit of Vancouver Island is operating as the #1 vessel out of TSAWWASSEN not Swartz Bay today replacing her older sister. Coastal Celebration is #1 out of Swartz Bay. I wonder why it is only happening this until Thursday? |
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