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Post by WettCoast on Nov 24, 2011 22:25:29 GMT -8
It is interesting to compare the response of members here to the complaints of Powell River residents re the Wack, and compare that to the complaints of Haida Gwaii residents (& others on the North Coast) re the NoRad. There is a bit of a difference here in that the NoRad is/was the regular boat, versus the Wack being a temporary replacement vessel. But why would we call the Powell Riverites whiners, but not the North Coasters?
When BCFS made the decision to retire the Queen of Tsawwassen they left the fleet without a 'good' intermediate-sized relief vessel that could cover for the Queens of Nanaimo & Burnaby. Last year when the Nanaimo was out for an extended refit, BCFS 'borrowed' the Burnaby for a couple of months leaving Comox - Powell River with the Wack. Route 9 patrons were not asked to accept the Wack (and a very modified schedule) as their relief ship. I can understand why the Powell Riverites feel like they have been shafted.
On the other hand, I think the assertions that the Wack is not a 'safe' choice for this route are somewhat over blown. If she can handle Queen Charlotte Sound in the summer, I expect she is okay for Georgia Strait in the fall & winter.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 25, 2011 7:23:08 GMT -8
I was in almost one meter seas on the friggin SeaBus today and it barely shook the frame. 1.6? Pfft, I navigated aboard the 'Wack in worse than that. And it was snowing to boot. No offense intended, Powell Riverites, but go find something else to complain about like your lack of a bridge to Comox, or even better, grow up. That's just my personal opinion. Shoot me down if you may, but voicing our opinions is allowed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in Canada, so I'm using my liberty to speak here and now.  Write ironically much? (this is ironic in a couple of different instances, both hilariously ironic). Thanks for the laugh.  I think this might be one of my all-time favourite funny posts. - You could have held back on the final Charter-of-Rights joke, but by including it you increased the absurdity level thus greatly increasing the overall satirical effect. Well done, bravo! |
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Post by Mike C on Nov 25, 2011 9:26:59 GMT -8
It is interesting to compare the response of members here to the complaints of Powell River residents re the Wack, and compare that to the complaints of Haida Gwaii residents (& others on the North Coast) re the NoRad. There is a bit of a difference here in that the NoRad is/was the regular boat, versus the Wack being a temporary replacement vessel. But why would we call the Powell Riverites whiners, but not the North Coasters? I think the key difference between this case and the example of the North Coasters is that it was found that the NorAd was in violation of several Transport Canada safety regulations when the ferry was in it's first few years of service for BC Ferries, and that there would have to be some serious consideration regarding the vessel's safety and capabilities in an emergency situation. These issues have since been reviewed and rectified. I think what they really want is the NorEx, and will continue whining until they are privileged to have her on their route. Until the next big, nice ferry comes into service, then they'll want a slice from that pie instead. The Wack, on the other hand, is a safe vessel, as we have reiterated over and over again in this thread, and is found to be beating or exceeding these same Transport Canada regulations, and comes down to ignorant people failing to do their research. |
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Neil
Voyager 
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Post by Neil on Nov 25, 2011 14:08:09 GMT -8
The scene: The passenger lounge onboard the Queen of Chilliwack, as the ship pitches and rolls like a dead whale on a storm course down the meagre lee of Texada Island, struggling unsuccessfully to keep a steady head in the face of 1.2 metre swells. A pair of teens head to the front of the lounge, and turn to face the distressed passengers. “Good morning ladies and gentlemen; allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Photo… Mileage Photo, and this is my associate Mr Canadian Viking. We are ferry EXPERTS, with many years of experience as fans as well, and we have to tell you that we are APPALLED by your antics this morning. We want you all to stop BARFING, and stop staggering around holding on to walls like drunks, stop complaining to the crew- they’re not feeling great themselves- and most of all, stop that infernal RACKET from your wretched infants. If you were better informed you would know that this magnificent vessel has been cleared to sail by Transport Canada…” (A woman looks up from her vomit bag. “So was the Queen of The North!” blleeccchh!) Mr Photo continues. “But they didn’t have the latest MCGREGOR DOORS, dummy!” He looks disdainfully at Mr Viking. “Sheesh. Can you believe these cretins?” Mr Viking rolls his eyes. “I know. NONE of them are ‘voyager’ material. They’re not even photographing their barf bags!” Mr Photo puts his hands on his hips. “We want you all to appreciate the fact that Mr Hahn put this boat at your service to get you to all your dumb medical appointments and whatever other lame excuses you have for hanging around this lounge getting in the way of our photo op. So, man up, folks, including you ladies, and don’t let us hear of you whining to the media or government about a few waves. Think of it as a six hour roller coaster ride. Now, please excuse us, but we’d like you to vacate the lounge for ten minutes so we can take some shots with our state of the art cameras. Please clean up your chunks before you go. Thank you, have a nice day, and smarten up!” |
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Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 25, 2011 14:16:04 GMT -8
The scene: You forgot the part where the puking passengers were reminded that their puking infringes upon the ferry-enthusiasts' Charter rights. ;D ========== point of fact: - both the Queen of the North and the Queen of the Chilliwack have MacGregor doors. The only 2 ferries in BCF history to have them. |
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,302
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Post by Neil on Nov 25, 2011 14:46:01 GMT -8
point of fact: - both the Queen of the North and the Queen of the Chilliwack have MacGregor doors. The only 2 ferries in BCF history to have them. Oops. This playwright fell down on his research. (Previous post now altered slightly.) |
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Post by lmtengs on Nov 25, 2011 18:28:23 GMT -8
I was in almost one meter seas on the friggin SeaBus today and it barely shook the frame. 1.6? Pfft, I navigated aboard the 'Wack in worse than that. And it was snowing to boot. No offense intended, Powell Riverites, but go find something else to complain about like your lack of a bridge to Comox, or even better, grow up. That's just my personal opinion. Shoot me down if you may, but voicing our opinions is allowed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in Canada, so I'm using my liberty to speak here and now. Write ironically much? (this is ironic in a couple of different instances, both hilariously ironic). Thanks for the laugh. I think this might be one of my all-time favourite funny posts. - You could have held back on the final Charter-of-Rights joke, but by including it you increased the absurdity level thus greatly increasing the overall satirical effect. Well done, bravo! Hey, I'm just using my rights to try to get them to stop using theirs! Not hypocritical in the least. ;D |
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Post by Mike C on Nov 25, 2011 18:55:15 GMT -8
The scene: The passenger lounge onboard the Queen of Chilliwack, as the ship pitches and rolls like a dead whale on a storm course down the meagre lee of Texada Island, struggling unsuccessfully to keep a steady head in the face of 1.2 metre swells. A pair of teens head to the front of the lounge, and turn to face the distressed passengers. “Good morning ladies and gentlemen; allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Photo… Mileage Photo, and this is my associate Mr Canadian Viking. We are ferry EXPERTS, with many years of experience as fans as well, and we have to tell you that we are APPALLED by your antics this morning. We want you all to stop BARFING, and stop staggering around holding on to walls like drunks, stop complaining to the crew- they’re not feeling great themselves- and most of all, stop that infernal RACKET from your wretched infants. If you were better informed you would know that this magnificent vessel has been cleared to sail by Transport Canada…” (A woman looks up from her vomit bag. “So was the Queen of The North!” blleeccchh!) Mr Photo continues. “But they didn’t have the latest MCGREGOR DOORS, dummy!” He looks disdainfully at Mr Viking. “Sheesh. Can you believe these cretins?” Mr Viking rolls his eyes. “I know. NONE of them are ‘voyager’ material. They’re not even photographing their barf bags!” Mr Photo puts his hands on his hips. “We want you all to appreciate the fact that Mr Hahn put this boat at your service to get you to all your dumb medical appointments and whatever other lame excuses you have for hanging around this lounge getting in the way of our photo op. So, man up, folks, including you ladies, and don’t let us hear of you whining to the media or government about a few waves. Think of it as a six hour roller coaster ride. Now, please excuse us, but we’d like you to vacate the lounge for ten minutes so we can take some shots with our state of the art cameras. Please clean up your chunks before you go. Thank you, have a nice day, and smarten up!” Each of these individuals will then be provided with a voyager business card, with the URL to this thread in which I will further criticize them with my associate. They better man up, or they'll be reading about it in the GuideBook |
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,302
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Post by Neil on Nov 25, 2011 21:01:57 GMT -8
Hey, I'm just using my rights to try to get them to stop using theirs! Not hypocritical in the least. ;D Good one. Nice to see we don't all take ourselves too seriously. ;D |
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Post by lmtengs on Dec 14, 2011 20:03:24 GMT -8
"How many blondes ferry workers does it take to ready a platform deck for unloading?
A funny picture of what's likely day-to-day life aboard the Chilliwack.
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Post by Curtis on Dec 15, 2011 20:54:01 GMT -8
If anybody was wondering or perhaps, looking to add it to their collection of announcements Here's a recording of the recording of the Chilliwack's announcements from about 2 weeks ago. For your Viewing (Or Perhaps Listening) Pleasure.  There you go Sean! Hopefully you shouldn't have a problem downloading it. |
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Post by Queen of Nanaimo Teen on Dec 15, 2011 21:15:31 GMT -8
Thanks so much Curtis! My collection of Karen announcements is now complete! (Never got the Queen of Esquimalt's. Something I kick myself for every day!)
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Post by Dane on Dec 16, 2011 22:02:10 GMT -8
Sean I think I might have the Esquimalt's. Cannot check until I am back in Manitoba (30 Dec).
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Post by WettCoast on Dec 17, 2011 18:26:03 GMT -8
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Post by princessofvanfan on Dec 17, 2011 21:58:48 GMT -8
IMHO the 'Wack has never "looked good". She's undoubtedly the ugliest boat BCF has ever operated, and I have sailed on her a couple of times.
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mrdot
Voyager
Mr. DOT
Posts: 1,252
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Post by mrdot on Dec 17, 2011 22:33:16 GMT -8
:)while the wack is no beauty, she has been a much more successful acquirement than many of the other purchaces over the years! :)mrdot.
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Post by glasseye on Dec 17, 2011 22:50:16 GMT -8
IMHO the 'Wack has never "looked good". She's undoubtedly the ugliest boat BCF has ever operated, and I have sailed on her a couple of times. Ugliest major vessel, certainly. But the title of ugliest vessel in the fleet belongs with the NIP. The 'Wack looks brutally utilitarian, but the NIP looks like a worn-out clown shoe. |
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Post by lmtengs on Dec 17, 2011 23:17:27 GMT -8
IMHO the 'Wack has never "looked good". She's undoubtedly the ugliest boat BCF has ever operated, and I have sailed on her a couple of times. Ugliest major vessel, certainly. But the title of ugliest vessel in the fleet belongs with the NIP. The 'Wack looks brutally utilitarian, but the NIP looks like a worn-out clown shoe. HEY.  The Queen of Chilliwack is a beautiful vessel. Everyone's problem is that they compare her to all the other ferries in the fleet when they judge her. That's just like comparing a Honda Civic to a Dodge Ram or Grand Caravan: You can't really do it fairly. And to determine the ugliest vessel in the fleet, I'd say something along the lines of NorAd, NIP, Kwuna, or Surrey/Oak Bay. |
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Post by Mike C on Dec 18, 2011 1:19:19 GMT -8
IMHO the 'Wack has never "looked good". She's undoubtedly the ugliest boat BCF has ever operated, and I have sailed on her a couple of times. Ugliest major vessel, certainly. But the title of ugliest vessel in the fleet belongs with the NIP. The 'Wack looks brutally utilitarian, but the NIP looks like a worn-out clown shoe. HEY. The Queen of Chilliwack is a beautiful vessel. Everyone's problem is that they compare her to all the other ferries in the fleet when they judge her. That's just like comparing a Honda Civic to a Dodge Ram or Grand Caravan: You can't really do it fairly. And to determine the ugliest vessel in the fleet, I'd say something along the lines of NorAd, NIP, Kwuna, or Surrey/Oak Bay. This is most certainly a debate we could have until we're all blue in the face, and definitely a reoccurring topic with the Chilliwack, maybe for a reason, who knows Each ferry reflects the characteristics of the communities it serves, and the Chilliwack is meant for Northern service, so it has open-water capabilities, which contribute significantly to the looks of the ferry. With the way she is designed today, she is by no means decked out for south coast service. As for the NIP et al, same thing applies - all suited for the routes they're on. I personally don't find the K-barges particularly attractive, but they work (to an extent). I also don't find the Surrey easy on the eyes, but she is by far my favourite C. Looks are not really important in the ferry world. |
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mrdot
Voyager
Mr. DOT
Posts: 1,252
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Post by mrdot on Dec 18, 2011 16:32:04 GMT -8
:)while it is true that neither the wack nor the nip, are beauties, they both have done many years of good hard service, and probably deserve a better fate than many of our retired vessels have met!  mrdot. |
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Post by lmtengs on Dec 18, 2011 18:47:46 GMT -8
HEY. The Queen of Chilliwack is a beautiful vessel. Everyone's problem is that they compare her to all the other ferries in the fleet when they judge her. That's just like comparing a Honda Civic to a Dodge Ram or Grand Caravan: You can't really do it fairly. And to determine the ugliest vessel in the fleet, I'd say something along the lines of NorAd, NIP, Kwuna, or Surrey/Oak Bay. This is most certainly a debate we could have until we're all blue in the face, and definitely a reoccurring topic with the Chilliwack, maybe for a reason, who knows Each ferry reflects the characteristics of the communities it serves, and the Chilliwack is meant for Northern service, so it has open-water capabilities, which contribute significantly to the looks of the ferry. With the way she is designed today, she is by no means decked out for south coast service. As for the NIP et al, same thing applies - all suited for the routes they're on. I personally don't find the K-barges particularly attractive, but they work (to an extent). I also don't find the Surrey easy on the eyes, but she is by far my favourite C. Looks are not really important in the ferry world. Can we settle this argument once and for all? I think these will do to sway your opinion on the 'Wack. I posted them once before, and I'll post them again. The Pride of Al Salaam 95, formerly the Free Enterprise VI: www.simplonpc.co.uk/TownsendTheresen/PO_Al_Salam_95_1972_01.jpgwww.simplonpc.co.uk/TownsendTheresen/PO_Al_Salam_95_1972_02.jpg |
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Post by Low Light Mike on Dec 18, 2011 18:55:48 GMT -8
Can we settle this argument once and for all? Never get into a debate over something this subjective. ;D (same concept as "never argue with a 13 year old"). There's no chance of anything productive coming from it, haha. |
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Post by Esquimalt Queen on Dec 18, 2011 21:19:30 GMT -8
A Girlie-Girl's Point of View: How it Makes Me Feel, as Opposed to it's Function  Well, I've never really judged The Queen of Chilliwack based on her superficial appearance. For me, it's what she offers and what's on the inside that counts. Here are a couple examples of what I enjoy: - Amazing camaraderie amongst the crew and "regular" passengers
- Brings a welcoming warmth to the ship's atmosphere
- Cozy nooks
- For daytime catnaps, or for creating forts to sleep in at night ;D
- A lot of brass embellishments
- Regularly polished, this ship is kindly cared for, and it feels like it too
- Separate and completely enclosed solarium
- Provides a warm shelter to fall asleep in while enjoying a view of the stars and for waking up with the sun.
- Equipped for the occasional wet launch
- Lounge chairs on the outside deck to enjoy sunny periods
For people who are claustrophobic, I can understand them not liking this ship. Personally, I think she's a whole lot o' cozy.  It's a nice place to relax and enjoy late night conversations with interesting passengers.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Dec 18, 2011 21:31:47 GMT -8
[/li][li]Cozy nooks - For daytime catnaps, or for creating forts to sleep in at night ;D [/li][li]A lot of brass embellishments - Regularly polished, this ship is kindly cared for, and it feels like it too [/li][li]Solarium for setting up camp - Provides a warm shelter to fall asleep in while enjoying a view of the stars and for waking up with the sun. [/quote] According to Carl the Quartermaster (and race car driver), the solarium may be removed in the upcoming refit, to make room for more crew accommodations. - that would greatly reduce the summer charm of this odd ship. |
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piglet
Chief Steward
Posts: 138
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Post by piglet on Dec 18, 2011 21:50:51 GMT -8
Come now, functional fittings on a passenger ship that add to the enjoyment of passengers? Too expensive, delete them. Unfortunatly this seems to be the attitude with the refits lately, removing things that make the trip just a little better at no real cost.
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I think this might be one of my all-time favourite funny posts.
mrdot.
