|
Post by Scott (Former Account) on Aug 27, 2007 22:04:34 GMT -8
Breaking news on CH stated that the Chilliwack had a hard landing at Bear Cove this evening. Apparently two people were injured in this incident.
More information hopefully will be available soon...
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Aug 27, 2007 23:14:32 GMT -8
That's unexpected, Wonder what happened? Rads Turned the Wrong Way??
|
|
Koastal Karl
Voyager
Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
|
Post by Koastal Karl on Aug 28, 2007 9:12:17 GMT -8
Sailing Delay - Operational Posted August 28, 2007 Updated at 6:25 am Please be advised that the Queen of Chilliwack, scheduled to sail from Port Hardy at 9:30 am August 28, 2007, is delayed until further notice due to an operational issue. An update will be provided as it becomes available. We apologize for any inconvenience experienced as a result of this delay. Gee really? ?? I wonder why! lol!
|
|
|
Post by stvfishy on Aug 28, 2007 13:29:00 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 28, 2007 18:43:41 GMT -8
As of 7:40 pm on Aug.28th (the day after the incident), there's no indication on the BCFS website of how long the Chilliwack will be out of service.
The current-conditions service-notice just says the same thing that it's said all day: "Operational delay".
The vessel-tracker shows the ship in Port Hardy.
The schedule calls for the 'Wack to be leaving Bella Coola on Wednesday morning, at 7:30am. For anyone traveling in the Bella Coola valley tonight and expecting to take that sailing tomorrow, there's nothing in the BCFS website to clearly indicate that the sailing will be canceled. That is, if people only rely on the BCFS website (which is what it's there for).
If they listened to CBC radio-1 Victoria this morning, they'd have been told that the sailing from "Port Hardy to Prince Rupert" on the 'Wack is delayed. So radio isn't much better for info.
So, with the 'Wack still in Port Hardy tonight, it's obvious that she won't be magically in Bella Coola in time for 7:30am tomorrow. The Thursday sailing from Port Hardy is in doubt too, as is the Friday sailing from Bella Coola. But no indication of these doubts is on the website.
I suppose they've phone-contacted people who had reservations. But again, why not post a more informative message on the website.
Who knows, the Chilliwack may be "detained" at Hardy right through the weekend. You'd think that this would be useful information for some folks?
So I'm critical of the website updating that BCFS is doing.
|
|
|
Post by WettCoast on Aug 28, 2007 19:54:27 GMT -8
Mr. Fluge, you are right to be critical of them. I believe that they have a duty to communicate with their customers. Or perhaps being a 'private entity' with a monopoly they believe that good communication is optional.
They still have yet to publish an Inside Passage schedule beyond the end of September (now five weeks away).
Isn't this all just AWESOME.
|
|
|
Post by Political Incorrectness on Aug 28, 2007 22:43:50 GMT -8
As of 11:43 p.m. the Queen of Chilliwak has fired its engines and is on her way out.
|
|
Mill Bay
Voyager
Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,886
|
Post by Mill Bay on Aug 29, 2007 10:15:06 GMT -8
Wednesday » August 29 » 2007 Five hurt as ferry hits Port Hardy dock Service suspended after Queen of Chilliwack loses power Times Colonist
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Five B.C. Ferry passengers suffered minor injuries and service between Port Hardy and Bella Bella has been suspended after the Queen of Chilliwalk made a "hard landing" last evening.
At about 8:45 p.m., the ferry was approaching the dock at Port Hardy at a speed of less than two knots when the ferry's propulsion system failed, said B.C. Ferries spokesman Mark Stefanson.
"(The ferry) hit the dock ... and knocked a number of passengers off their feet," said Stefanson.
Most of the injured were in the stairwell when the ferry hit the dock. Two were taken to hospital in Port Hardy where they were treated and released.
"One elderly gentleman fell and hurt his head but it doesn't sound like there were any major injuries sustained," said Stefanson.
Both the berth and the vessel are being checked for damage.
The cause of the incident is under investigation by B.C. Ferries, Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board.
Service will likely not resume until tomorrow [Aug 29th].
© Times Colonist (Victoria)
Copyright © 2007 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved.
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 30, 2007 18:30:14 GMT -8
Speaking of Port Hardy, here's a news article on BCFS meetings re improvements/changes to the Bear Cove terminal: ======================= www.northislandgazette.com:80/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=21&cat=23&id=1052681&more=0Ferries gather terminal input in HardyBy Bruce Winfield Gazette staff Aug 30 2007 PORT HARDY - A safer and more convenient BC Ferries terminal at Bear Cove was the goal of an open house held Aug. 21 at the community centre. “We have a proposed new concept plan, but it is simply to generate input from the public,” said Planning Analyst Dylan Petter. “We are seeking input and support from the community, first nations and stakeholders.” Just the same, BC Ferries has some definite thoughts about where improvements can be made. “We are suggesting a holding compound for truck trailers, and right now these take up spaces in our parking lot,” said Petter. “This would allow more parking.” According to a handout, 165 vehicles would fit. Safety at the terminal can be improved by separating the areas that serve foot passengers and vehicles, says Petter. “We are proposing a new building for ticketing passengers and handling baggage,” says Petter. “There will be a more convenient drop off point for passengers and a covered walkway taking them out to the ferry.” Vehicles coming into the terminal to drop off passengers will be able to do that more easily, as they will no longer have to drive around the main parking lot, says Petter. The current terminal has two ticket booths, but only one operates at a time because the other lane is required by those driving foot passengers to the current waiting room, says Petter. The plan is not yet finalized, and funding must still be approved, but construction could be completed by 2010. Before that happens, BC Ferries is due to welcome its new northern ferry, Northern Expedition, in May 2009. “Northern Exhibition is 150 meters long, that’s longer than Northern Adventure,” says Regional Director Parv Bal. “It’s a bigger vessel, faster than Northern Adventure, yet it uses less power," says Bal. “We will have a renewed fleet in the north,” he added. =======================
|
|
|
Post by stvfishy on Aug 30, 2007 19:13:01 GMT -8
...Northern " Exhibition" is 150 meters long, that’s longer than Northern Adventure,... -->The showoff ship ::)Sorry couldn't resist...
|
|
|
Post by WettCoast on Aug 30, 2007 19:18:00 GMT -8
...Northern " Exhibition" is 150 meters long, that’s longer than Northern Adventure,... -->The showoff ship ::)Sorry couldn't resist... Coming to an Inside Passage near you in the spring of 2009... The Northern ExhibitionistNo, I am not applying for a job...
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 30, 2007 19:23:00 GMT -8
...Northern " Exhibition" is 150 meters long, that’s longer than Northern Adventure,... -->The showoff ship ::)Sorry couldn't resist... I have a pet theory: That the People's Republic of China will pressure BC Ferries to change the name of the new northern ship, from "Northern Expedition" to something like the Gazette typo'd such as "Northern Exhibition". Expect more of those Chinese 20th-century history references from me re the NorEx, between now and the end of time, as I enjoy the obscure references...... oh yeah, to keep this here thread "legal", I should mention the Chilliwack's hard landing.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Aug 30, 2007 22:04:51 GMT -8
-->The showoff ship ::)Sorry couldn't resist... I have a pet theory: That the People's Republic of China will pressure BC Ferries to change the name of the new northern ship, from "Northern Expedition" to something like the Gazette typo'd such as "Northern Exhibition". Expect more of those Chinese 20th-century history references from me re the NorEx, between now and the end of time, as I enjoy the obscure references...... oh yeah, to keep this here thread "legal", I should mention the Chilliwack's hard landing. And What exactly is it you're mentioning about it?? Because All I see is "I should mention the Chilliwack's hard landing." and a white box with a red X inside it.
|
|
Mill Bay
Voyager
Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,886
|
Post by Mill Bay on Aug 30, 2007 22:41:53 GMT -8
And What exactly is it you're mentioning about it?? Because All I see is "I should mention the Chilliwack's hard landing." and a white box with a red X inside it. I'm with Curtis on this one... I'm also wondering how you relate the people of China to this.
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 31, 2007 5:58:31 GMT -8
And What exactly is it you're mentioning about it?? Because All I see is "I should mention the Chilliwack's hard landing." and a white box with a red X inside it. I'm with Curtis on this one... I'm also wondering how you relate the people of China to this. The China comment is about the name "Northern Expedition". Google it, for history. The red-box shows up on my screen, and is a picture of the "Cap'n Crunch" cereal logo...that's the Hardy hard-landing reference. I like obscurity....
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 6, 2007 17:05:57 GMT -8
Here's a local news story on the 'Wack's hard landing, that has some details that I hadn't seen before. Check out the last 2 paragraphs..... ============================== www.northislandgazette.com:80/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=21&cat=23&id=1057079&more=0Ferry has hard landingBy Bruce Winfield Gazette staff Sep 06 2007 PORT HARDY - A lumpy landing by the BC Ferries Queen of Chilliwack sent five people to hospital for routine checks on Aug. 27. “The vessel was coming in at about 8:45 p.m. on Aug. 27,” said BC Ferries spokesman Mark Stefanson. “But when the captain tried to slow it down, the propulsion failed. “They were only doing two knots, but they had a hard landing,” Stefanson continued. “Five people were knocked down by the hard landing, one gentlemen hit his head and some were taken to hospital as a precaution.” While the injuries and damage were minor, BC Ferries does consider the incident a serious one, says Stefanson. “Any time we have a hard landing we take it seriously,” he said. “When we hit a dock and a passenger is injured, it’s a serious matter.” Damage to the Bear Cove terminal and the ferry are minor, said Stefanson, and the Queen of Chilliwack and Northern Adventure were both able to unload without trouble. Queen of Chlliwack anchored out in Hardy Bay while Northern Adventure used the terminal the next morning, and a tug boat was on hand to help with the second docking. Roughly 12 hours after the hard landing, the Queen of Chilliwack was safely back at the Bear Cove terminal waiting for a close inspection by Transport Canada. “The vessel is being inspected by Transport Canada, who are being flown in,” said Stefanson at the time. “The crew and our engineers from Victoria are assessing the damage to the Chilliwack and we will be doing diving to see if there is underwater damage to the berth or vessel.” In the end, the Queen of Chilliwack left Wednesday morning, about 24 hours late. “Divers checked out the ferry and did not find any problem,” said BC Ferries media relations director Deborah Marshall. Transport Canada also inspected the vessel and approved it. “That’s what we were waiting for,” said Marshall. Reports in other media that the vessel rammed the dock at high speed are “clearly incorrect,” said Marshall. “They were only doing two knots.” The dock at Bear Cove terminal did sustain some damage, but it was inspected and declared operational, said Marshall, and terminal maintenance crews will make repairs shortly. The cause of the incident is still being investigated. “They suspect an electrical connection problem in the fuel monitoring system, which helps optimize fuel use,” said Marshall. “It is not a safety essential, so they disconnected it.” The system will be replaced when the Queen of Chilliwack goes in for its annual maintenance after the summer season, Marshall adds. ==============
|
|
|
Post by Scott on Feb 5, 2008 23:11:32 GMT -8
Here's an article I found tonight about the Queen of Chilliwack's trip from Oslo to Victoria via the Panama Canal. It's interesting to see the similarities between the trip and the recent Coastal Renaissance journey. I'm guessing that the Queen of Chilliwack's journey would have been slightly longer than the CR's? Ferry's 35-day trip reaches B.C. home: Latest addition to fleet - all the way from Norway.; [0* Edition] Barbara McLintock. The Province. Vancouver, B.C.: Jun 12, 1991. pg. 6
Abstract (Summary) Capt. Ian Mackinnon and two crews of 20 sailed the new "Queen of Chilliwack" from the frosty fjords to the hot waters of the Panama Canal and back up through storms off the California coast.
BC Ferries chairman Frank Rhodes, who was on hand to present champagne to Mackinnon and [Don Silman], said one of the best things about the trip was "how it brought the whole BC Ferries family together."
BRUCE STOTESBURY/ Capt. Ian Mackinnon piloted Queen of Chilliwack from Norway to join BC Ferries fleet. ;
Full Text (395 words) (Copyright The Province (Vancouver) 1991)
It was one of the longest-ever sailings for a B.C. ferry - 35 days.
And it took the newest addition to the BC Ferries fleet from her former port in Oslo, Norway, to the Point Hope Shipyards in Victoria.
The 1978 ship was bought for $11 million, and the corporation is now considering buying her sister ship as well.
Capt. Ian Mackinnon and two crews of 20 sailed the new "Queen of Chilliwack" from the frosty fjords to the hot waters of the Panama Canal and back up through storms off the California coast.
Mackinnon, a 25-year veteran of the BC Ferries fleet, said the trip brought back memories of his former days as a deep-sea captain.
"It was nice to see some of the old places, and do some of the old things," he told The Province.
Although the ship is only about the size of the original B.C. ferries, there wasn't a moment of serious trouble on the trip.
"It was basically routine," despite a series of storms in the last five days of the trip, he said.
"Nobody got much sleep for a couple of nights, it was so rough, but that was basically the worst."
Said senior chief engineer Don Silman: "It was basically smooth sailing all the way."
The heat also was hard on the second crew who joined the ship at Panama for the last run up the coast, he said.
"It was one of the things we knew about it. Built for the fjords, it has a hull for Class Two ice - but no air-conditioning," Silman said.
BC Ferries chairman Frank Rhodes, who was on hand to present champagne to Mackinnon and Silman, said one of the best things about the trip was "how it brought the whole BC Ferries family together."
He said more than 400 employees volunteered for the trip, even though only 40 could go.
The Queen of Chilliwack will undergo some refit work, and then will go into service on the Swartz Bay-Gulf Islands run.
Rhodes says it's a perfect vessel for that run because it will carry 130 cars but is still highlymanoeuvrable.
And if its sister ship is bought, there's already several dozen employees with their names on the list to sail her back.
[Illustration] BRUCE STOTESBURY/ Capt. Ian Mackinnon piloted Queen of Chilliwack from Norway to join BC Ferries fleet. ; Citation:Barbara McLintock (1991, June 12). Ferry's 35-day trip reaches B.C. home: Latest addition to fleet - all the way from Norway :[0* Edition]. The Province,p. 6. Retrieved February 6, 2008, from Canadian Newsstand Complete database. (Document ID: 237905521).
|
|
Quatchi
Voyager
Engineering Officer - CCG
Posts: 930
|
Post by Quatchi on Feb 5, 2008 23:24:52 GMT -8
Ahh, new stories of my favorite ship, warms the heart. Man, I would love to have been on that crew. Of course I was 2 at the time. but say I was 30 years older.
Cheers,
|
|
|
Post by DENelson83 on Feb 6, 2008 0:35:33 GMT -8
Well, that means the Queen of Chilliwack made the delivery trip in a shorter time than the CR. The CR's VET was 47 days, 15 hours 42 minutes.
|
|
|
Post by CN2972South on Feb 6, 2008 1:01:15 GMT -8
35 days? wow, I can't stand to be on her for the 50 or so minutes it takes to go from Earls Cove to Saltery Bay, I'd be going insane after 3 hours.
|
|
|
Post by Curtis on Feb 6, 2008 7:29:03 GMT -8
Awww, BC Ferries Missed out on Buying the Basto II. However It's Incredible she made it from Norway to BC in only 35 days, Must have stopped less on that voyage and must have just taken the storms like it was a nice day.
|
|
Quatchi
Voyager
Engineering Officer - CCG
Posts: 930
|
Post by Quatchi on Feb 6, 2008 11:24:13 GMT -8
Dude, the Queen of Chilliwack is a rock. That is one of the reasons she is so rough . She is a class 2 ice breaker and although she is shorter than the Tsawwassen she is almost twice as heavy . You could drive this ship into the CR and no-one on board her would notice (minus the view out the windows).(EXAGERATION ;D) Cheers,
|
|
Koastal Karl
Voyager
Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
|
Post by Koastal Karl on Feb 6, 2008 20:48:22 GMT -8
Dude, I was on her for 13 hours from Port Hardy to Bella Coola! I LOVED IT! Awesome day cruise, beautiful scenery. It was cool. I would not want to sleep overnight on some of the Chilliwack sailings up there but a day cruise is fine. She isent all that bad. As cadmunkey said she is a unique ship. BTW I dident go insane after all that time on her. It was awesome crossing the open water on her as she was rolling around and it wasent rough, lol! But it was cool! At least she aint coastalized!!
|
|
Quatchi
Voyager
Engineering Officer - CCG
Posts: 930
|
Post by Quatchi on Feb 6, 2008 23:21:13 GMT -8
At least she aint coastalized!! When I went to ride the Chilliwack, last year with my buddy, he was so exited when he found out she had old carpet and old chairs ;D. My buddy really likes old stuff, he spent the whole sailing siting in the reclining chairs and staring at the dogwood carpets. Of course I was on deck, siting on a life raft locker, Cheers,
|
|
|
Post by kerryssi on Feb 8, 2008 14:43:06 GMT -8
They picked the best time of year to bring it back. The bow doors were welded shut as a precaution. They went down to the Canaries and across to Panama. The chances of bad weather in those latitudes at that time was slim and they had smooth sailing. The crew that brought it to Panama had a large number of people from Saltspring. The Capt was Jan Andreassen who had worked on saltspring and knew the crews. The second crew took over at Panama city and brought it up the west coast. Their trip was not so smooth. They were going against the ocean currents, waves and wind.
|
|