|
Post by Chris City on May 6, 2018 9:50:25 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by Dane on May 6, 2018 9:52:39 GMT -8
Wow what an awesome photograph of two rare events and two rare boats to see concurrently!
|
|
|
Post by Mike on May 6, 2018 10:04:38 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by WettCoast on May 7, 2018 12:38:09 GMT -8
Chris, this photo would fit right in with the theme for the current 'flagship contest'. You have not one but two BCF's vessels well away from their routine service areas. You just need to crop to a 60x17 aspect ratio.
|
|
|
Post by Chris City on May 7, 2018 17:05:13 GMT -8
Chris, this photo would fit right in with the theme for the current 'flagship contest'. You have not one but two BCF's vessels well away from their routine service areas. You just need to crop to a 60x17 aspect ratio. Thanks Jim, I'll see what I can do!
|
|
|
Post by Mike on May 16, 2018 8:48:35 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by futureferrydriver on May 16, 2018 14:26:15 GMT -8
Its too bad they couldn’t have waited until after the long weekend to move her out of Deas. I imagine she’ll spend the majority of the next few weeks at Tsawwassen doing sea trials and crew training. From past experience we know that the general public tends to be very angry when they see a not in service ferry circling around the straight or tied up “doing nothing” while they’re stuck in a 3 sailing wait.
|
|
|
Post by arrrrmatey on May 16, 2018 17:42:23 GMT -8
Its too bad they couldn’t have waited until after the long weekend to move her out of Deas. I imagine she’ll spend the majority of the next few weeks at Tsawwassen doing sea trials and crew training. From past experience we know that the general public tends to be very angry when they see a not in service ferry circling around the straight or tied up “doing nothing” while they’re stuck in a 3 sailing wait. A couple of Thanksgivings ago the Coquitlam was tied up at Langdale, out of service. They had strung up a banner across the bow that said "vessel in refit". They also made some announcements saying that she was out of service.
|
|
|
Post by Dane on May 17, 2018 13:50:23 GMT -8
Did the BC go to Deas or Tsawwassen after that sailing!?
|
|
|
Post by Mike on May 17, 2018 14:50:32 GMT -8
Did the BC go to Deas or Tsawwassen after that sailing!? Tsawwassen.
|
|
|
Post by penderdiver on Jun 5, 2018 9:49:53 GMT -8
Spirit of BC returns to service tomorrow with the 0700 TSA departure. She’s been going back and forth to Swartz once a day for the past week or so.
|
|
|
Post by Brandon S on Jun 5, 2018 13:12:38 GMT -8
Spirit of BC returns to service tomorrow with the 0700 TSA departure. She’s been going back and forth to Swartz once a day for the past week or so. Hoping to be on that sailing!
|
|
|
Post by penderdiver on Jun 5, 2018 15:16:22 GMT -8
With the SOBC now being in TSA Berth 4 (as opposed to 1) it makes me wonder if they are going to use her for a soft revenue sailing launch tonight. It doesn't make much sense to have her in a operational berth for an extended stay.
|
|
|
Post by futureferrydriver on Jun 5, 2018 19:29:57 GMT -8
With the SOBC now being in TSA Berth 4 (as opposed to 1) it makes me wonder if they are going to use her for a soft revenue sailing launch tonight. It doesn't make much sense to have her in a operational berth for an extended stay. I was wondering the same thing, alas it looks like we will have to wait until tomorrow. I’m on the wrong side of route 1 to be on the 0700 sailing, but I’m thinking a little adventure from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen via the Gulf Islands and then taking the ‘BC back home could be a fun adventure if I end up having the day off tomorrow!
|
|
|
Post by Starsteward on Jun 6, 2018 5:42:01 GMT -8
With the SOBC now being in TSA Berth 4 (as opposed to 1) it makes me wonder if they are going to use her for a soft revenue sailing launch tonight. It doesn't make much sense to have her in a operational berth for an extended stay. I was wondering the same thing, alas it looks like we will have to wait until tomorrow. I’m on the wrong side of route 1 to be on the 0700 sailing, but I’m thinking a little adventure from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen via the Gulf Islands and then taking the ‘BC back home could be a fun adventure if I end up having the day off tomorrow! I should know better than to have to ask this question but...has the 'Spirit of B.C.' always been based out of Tsawwassen? Must admit with the exodus of the old 'sisters', I've lost track of who is where.
|
|
|
Post by Dane on Jun 6, 2018 6:02:44 GMT -8
Essentially always based out of Tsawwassen. Save the very beginning of her life was at Swartz Bay until the SoVI came online.
|
|
|
Post by WettCoast on Jun 6, 2018 7:24:42 GMT -8
Essentially always based out of Tsawwassen. Save the very beginning of her life was at Swartz Bay until the SoVI came online. The SoBC was Swartz Bay based for a little less than a year, from the time she entered service in 1993 until she was transferred to Tsawwassen in early 1994 so that crews there could be trained & familiarized to the new vessel. Swartz Bay crews were not long without a 'Spirit' as they they soon got the second one, the SoVI.
|
|
|
Post by Brandon S on Jun 6, 2018 16:36:12 GMT -8
Upgraded 3 tone whistles on the SOBC. I wanted to get a better recording, but when I asked I got a sour look and a stern "No." from one of the crew on the bridge. Major improvement from the old horns. They sound like one of the WSF vessels. Now for a few photos from today! Welcome Back@SOBC 6Jun18 by Brandon Siska, on Flickr Outside Deck@SOBC 6Jun18 by Brandon Siska, on Flickr Gift Shop@SOBC 6Jun18 by Brandon Siska, on Flickr Bridge4@SOBC 6Jun18 by Brandon Siska, on Flickr Bridge3@SOBC 6Jun18 by Brandon Siska, on Flickr Bridge2@SOBC 6Jun18 by Brandon Siska, on Flickr Bridge1@SOBC 6Jun18 by Brandon Siska, on Flickr LNG@SOBC 6Jun18 by Brandon Siska, on Flickr Engine Room 2@SOBC 6Jun18 by Brandon Siska, on Flickr Engine Room 1@SOBC 6Jun18 by Brandon Siska, on Flickr
|
|
|
Post by Dane on Jun 6, 2018 18:17:52 GMT -8
TL;DR - it's nice from a passenger perspective. No radical changes, really.
--
So took a round trip on the SoBC after work today.
It's a nice refresh job, the changes aren't really that big in the grand scheme of things. Everything is familiar more or less, and it isn't the stark contrast we experienced 15 years ago when the fleet started going through significant interior remodelling.
I'm only speaking to the passenger experience in this post.
The Buffet
The buffet, while not fundamentally changed, is a nice refresh. The serving lines are unchanged (as is the quite worn floor around them unchanged). Two stations have been added for cart storage to more quickly remove used dishes. The island where utensils and condiments were kept is removed and replaced with a new counter to open the space up. Nothing too exciting. There is more seating. The washrooms were enlargened and placed on the opposite side (near the cashier) presumably to improve kitchen access. The newspaper sales rack is gone. Presumably a sign of the times.
There's a new logo for the Pacific Buffet. It looks fine and boring.
The Arbutus Coffee Bar
So this wasn't what I expected. It's nice. It's mid-deck, Deck 6. The menu includes several new hot food items; quiche, flatbread, sandwiches and a new selection of baked goods. Prices, on the ferry scale, seemed reasonable. At first I thought this took up a lot of seating space but in retrospect I don't think it has; I believe most of it was previously a crew space. There's some table seating, both high and lown, with electronic charging ports. The space is dark. I'm curious to see how it ages insofar as style is concerned. Also contrasts the really brightened nature of the rest of the boat.
I thought the coffee bar was an added thing to the onboard services, but it in fact replaces the snack bar. It does make the snack bar look old!
The Cafeteria
Other than two charging ports and four new "west coast" photos that BCFS borrowed from White Spot a decade ago I don't see any change to the cafeteria other than digital screens and refreshed seating appliances duplicate to the rest of the fleet.
The SeaWest Lounge
I don't think a single thing changed here? Oh, new carpet.
New Seating Area
On Deck 6, where I think the staterooms were, there is now a seating lounge with 36 seats and some squared windows, smaller than the rest of the boat. Nonetheless a nice addition.
Announcements
As I'm writing this they hadn't actually played the standard BC Ferries announcements. But when they play announcements from a PA somewhere there's a nice two-tone sound, that while a bit different, is nicely reminiscent of the BC Ferries pre-announcement tone of the 1990s. Tone nostalgia. The sign of ferry-nerding.
The volume of announcements was really low, but I'd assume that's a crew controlled thing?
Signage
Car deck signage for stairways now has marine themes like the C class. Display cases about the vessel and services have been consolidated where the tourist info rack previously was; the Chief Steward's office is now in that location as well. The tourist info rack switched sides of the vessel, nothing exciting.
The Gift Shop
I think the Gift Shop has the same square footage as PEI. It's huge. It takes the full space or the original, consumes the previous snack bar space and the hallway between them. Oh and that arcade thing too! Ironically I'm not sure it's actually stocked with much more? Anyways it's nice.
Replacing the former table seating around the old gift shop / snack bar is "conventional seating" as found on the rest of the fleet. The old retained seats with the curved back are retained in the forward passenger lounge and Deck 6 midship lounge. New seats are the squared off style we first saw with the roll out of the West Coast interior style circa 2003ish.
Toilets
In another nod to the past there seemed to be a lot of toilet issues. You think that would come out on the trip over from Europe. (The nod to the past being the SoBC missing almost a month of service when new for plumbing issues). Seriously though, this is a significant issue. There were very long lines to use the washroom, and by the end of my first sailing the buffet ones were out of service.
The Whistle
No new whistle sounding for me. We used the distraught cow tone of old.
Lighting
The return-to-service Press Release mentioned LED lighting being added throughout the vessel. I didn't care much. However, it truly is bright and I like it. I think the whole passenger deck space has been done. Not the stairwells to the cardeck, though, that with new black flooring look dark.
More Thoughts on Seating
I have no interest in actually doing a compare and contrast job with the SoVI, however, I think there is about 90ish seats added to the boat, excluding new buffet seating. This comes from the modified (and improved) seating around the gift shop, the Arbutus Coffee Bar, and new Deck 6 seating area.
Outer Decks
Some fabric backed seating has been added to the aft deck, Deck 6, which seems nice albeit unlikely to last the test of durability. There are three new life saving stations on Deck 6 which take up some previous open space, but, it was previously roomie and continues to be so in my opinion. The cat walk around the bridge, while understandably pragmatic, takes a way the aesthetic of being at the front of the boat a bit. Deck 7 appears unchanged from a passenger perspective.
Faster?
There's a joke in the Microsoft Windows Community that everytime MS posts an update for something the first comment is always, "seems faster."
On the 5pm we left 15 minutes late and arrived 3 minutes late (medical emergency on the Victoria end). I don't think there were any overwhelming currents, winds, or anything.
Historically the S-Class don't make up time on Route 1. They depend on a faster turn around in terminal or trod along with delays all day. This isn't the first sailing I've been on with time made up on a Spirit, but it's probably the most significant in recent memory.
I'll be curious to see if this is a trend that keeps up or just random. We did dock very slowly. Very very very slowly.
Misc - I wanted to see the ship's license but it wasn't posted. I'd imagine crew count hasn't changed, but I would have liked to confirm. - the published AEQ on the info board is 358. - the 5pm from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen today was one of the busiest sailings I have ever been on. Overwhelmingly busy, people standing all over the place. Obviously there isn't any really substantial changes to the passenger spaces and the Coastal Class still are superior in my mind for heavy pax load sailings. - there's random areas where flooring wasn't replaced. Doesn't sound that interesting but it really stands out and looks old and ragged already. Also one portion (Deck 6 mid-ship lounge) has random linoleum that doesn't match anything on the rest of the boat that I think is from the 2001ish refresh the ship got. - the bow doors now make an obnoxious electronic toning sound when opening.
|
|
|
Post by Dane on Jun 6, 2018 18:38:41 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by Starsteward on Jun 7, 2018 6:22:01 GMT -8
Unless my eyes are deceiving me, the big mural picture of the 'Spirit of British Columbia' is a PRE-MLU version??? Or did I miss something?
|
|
|
Post by Brandon S on Jun 7, 2018 9:43:29 GMT -8
Unless my eyes are deceiving me, the big mural picture of the 'Spirit of British Columbia' is a PRE-MLU version??? Or did I miss something? No that is Pre-MLU. That and the one that Deborah Marshall always is standing by on TV will need to be changed
|
|
|
Post by PNW_ferrynerd on Jun 7, 2018 9:48:14 GMT -8
Upgraded 3 tone whistles on the SOBC. I wanted to get a better recording, but when I asked I got a sour look and a stern "No." from one of the crew on the bridge. Major improvement from the old horns. They sound like one of the WSF vessels. It now sounds like the WSF Walla Walla
|
|
|
Post by PNW_ferrynerd on Jun 7, 2018 10:02:03 GMT -8
Are they going to do the same exact thing to SOVI, or different things?
|
|
|
Post by WettCoast on Jun 7, 2018 11:15:24 GMT -8
Are they going to do the same exact thing to SOVI, or different things? As far as I know the SoVI will get exactly the same modifications/ upgrades ... She will depart for Poland in about three months.
|
|