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Post by roeco on Jan 4, 2016 8:48:27 GMT -8
I wonder why they don't just run the Inside Passage as a Day Cruise Year Round? would attract more people....and can the Inside Passage ships not stop at Bella Coola, that way u can do a circle tour like old ROute 40 on the main ship and would alleviate a lot of Discovery Coast issues on a year round bases or do they fit? Instead of Bella Bella. Then just have a connector ship Nimpkish would be fine to connect Ocean Falls, Klemtu, Bella Bella, Shearwater. Also In Summer, Also a cost saving measure and to improve overall service ...Why don't they just run 3 one way trips each way between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert taking one day a week off.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 4, 2016 14:37:19 GMT -8
I wonder why they don't just run the Inside Passage as a Day Cruise Year Round? would attract more people....and can the Inside Passage ships not stop at Bella Coola, that way u can do a circle tour like old ROute 40 on the main ship and would alleviate a lot of Discovery Coast issues on a year round bases or do they fit? Your two points are incompatible. I trust you know why. Please change how you do your posts (pre-research, consider and comment on constraints, and don't be so "comments-section" like), so that they can be productive for this forum. Thanks. |
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 4, 2016 18:42:12 GMT -8
The Northern Expedition at Bear Cove (Port Hardy) in the twilight, Saturday evening, January 2nd. Shot over the (damn) fence! See if you can spot the barbed wire.  Just prior to departure for Bella Bella, Klemtu & Prince Rupert - 2 January 2016.
© WCK/JST by Jim Thorne, on Flickr
In answer to roeco ... Daylight at this time of year is about 8 hours. A day cruise from 7 in the morning til 11 at night would be mostly a dark cruise at this time of year. Consider also that the Northern Expedition from late September through to spring is doing two routes (routes 10 & 11; Inside Passage & Haida Gwaii) and often must cope with weather delays which throw the schedule out the window. Bella Coola is a considerable distance 'inland' (just like Kitimat). If Bella Coola was added it would lengthen the required time to complete the Inside Passage journey by at least 4 hours (probably longer), meaning a 'Day Cruise' of 20+ hours. That is not really workable. I think, though, that we all agree that the little Nimpkish is inadequate in pretty much every respect as the mid coast feeder vessel. It is supposed to be replaced by 2018 but I have seen no specs at all for the replacement. |
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Post by roeco on Jan 4, 2016 22:31:36 GMT -8
thank you wett coast that was an answer I was looking for...I wasn't aware it was so far inland to Bella Coola kinda hard to tell by maps. And I didn't realize that part of BC only got 8 hours of daylight...! I have looked and researched but kinda hard to tell sometimes..!
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 5, 2016 8:04:11 GMT -8
thank you wett coast that was an answer I was looking for...I wasn't aware it was so far inland to Bella Coola kinda hard to tell by maps. And I didn't realize that part of BC only got 8 hours of daylight...! I have looked and researched but kinda hard to tell sometimes..! Bella Coola: really? A few tools to help in understanding schedule/route issues: - Google Maps is your friend. A great tool, to quickly move around and zoom in & out - BC Ferries schedules on their webpage give an idea of the time taken for each route leg. re the issue of daylight hours, the current summer schedule is stretched for daylight as it is. The 11:30pm arrival time is dark for most of the summer, other than near the solstice. So you were suggesting that adding 4 or 5 hours, to make it 3:30am is ok for a day cruise? - And in the winter time, assuming you're in Canada, you likely know that there is less daylight during the winter season. Perhaps a Port Hardy to Grande Prairie route would be a better idea? LOL.  |
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 5, 2016 10:23:24 GMT -8
thank you wett coast that was an answer I was looking for...I wasn't aware it was so far inland to Bella Coola kinda hard to tell by maps. And I didn't realize that part of BC only got 8 hours of daylight...! I have looked and researched but kinda hard to tell sometimes..! Daylight in Vancouver/ Victoria at this time of year is barely 8 hours. The further north you go, the shorter it gets. Vice versa in summer. A quick glance at a half-ways detailed map of BC's coast will show that Bella Coola is a long ways 'inland'. Bella Bella, in contrast, is right on the main Inside Passage ferry route between Prince Rupert & Port Hardy. BC has a very convoluted coast line. |
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 10, 2016 18:52:09 GMT -8
Northern Expedition, lit up by the late afternoon sun @ Bear Cove Terminal, Port Hardy - 2 January 2016.  © WCK-JST by Jim Thorne, on Flickr
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Post by Cable Cassidy on Jan 10, 2016 20:52:58 GMT -8
Looks like you need a Geiger counter when going near those mossy rocks. Has Bear Cove ever experienced any nuclear activity in the past?
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Kam
Voyager 
Posts: 926
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Post by Kam on Jan 10, 2016 20:59:40 GMT -8
Looks like you need a Geiger counter when going near those mossy rocks. Has Bear Cove ever experienced any nuclear activity in the past? lol.. I was thinking the same thing. Very nice pic, but so much chroma my eyes are bleeding  |
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Post by WettCoast on Feb 21, 2016 20:28:32 GMT -8
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Post by Mike on Mar 6, 2016 18:11:36 GMT -8
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Post by Low Light Mike on Mar 6, 2016 18:35:34 GMT -8
Today, the Northern Expediton came south to begin it's refit, which includes a drydocking. Here are some views of her coming under the Lions Gate Bridge: Big Thanks for you and any others who braved the rain & winds to get those significant photos. Mucho Appreciato |
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Ferryman
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Post by Ferryman on Mar 6, 2016 19:50:25 GMT -8
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Post by Low Light Mike on Mar 6, 2016 20:05:40 GMT -8
"It's morning again in America" - Marco Rubio for the Republican nomination. |
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Koastal Karl
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Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
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Post by Koastal Karl on Mar 6, 2016 21:42:05 GMT -8
awesome photos Chris. I really liked your second and third photo especially the close up. That looked like an awesome spot to be and Prospect Point. I really should of went today as it looked like a fun time. Maybe I can get over when she sails down the Fraser into Deas on the 22nd although it looks like that date is weekday so i'll have to see.
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Post by Scott (Former Account) on Mar 7, 2016 0:06:05 GMT -8
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2016 8:42:06 GMT -8
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Post by Mike on Mar 26, 2016 19:54:25 GMT -8
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Post by Scott (Former Account) on Mar 29, 2016 20:38:41 GMT -8
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Post by WettCoast on Nov 4, 2016 17:18:31 GMT -8
From the journey home, last weekend ... Checking tickets @ Bear Cove Terminal prior to boarding the Northern Expedition @ Port Hardy - 29 October 2016  A view from the Northern Expedition in Grenville Channel (Inside Passage) just north of Hartley Bay - 30 October 2016 
Both photos © WCK-JST by Jim Thorne, on Flickr |
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Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 4, 2016 19:34:24 GMT -8
The passenger seating in the blue-zone on deck-7 is new to me. I'm assuming it was installed prior to the 2016 summer season. From the journey home, last weekend ... A view from the Northern Expedition in Grenville Channel (Inside Passage) just north of Hartley Bay - 30 October 2016
Both photos © WCK-JST by Jim Thorne, on Flickr |
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Post by WettCoast on Nov 4, 2016 21:56:54 GMT -8
The passenger seating in the blue-zone on deck-7 is new to me. I'm assuming it was installed prior to the 2016 summer season. Yes, I have not seen these before and I assume too that they were added earlier this year. The same type of plastic benches have also been installed in a few other areas. The material used in the 'boards' on these benches looks a bit cheap, but they will be 'low maintenance', and may be made with recycled plastics |
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Post by Mike on Apr 2, 2017 18:26:27 GMT -8
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Post by WettCoast on Jun 19, 2017 17:08:27 GMT -8
The Northern Expedition is back in service, this being Day One of this year's summer 'day cruise' Inside Passage season.
I believe this is the latest start date since 'service' began in 1966.
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Post by Starsteward on Jun 20, 2017 9:17:33 GMT -8
The Northern Expedition is back in service, this being Day One of this year's summer 'day cruise' Inside Passage season. I believe this is the latest start date since 'service' began in 1966. You are correct in your noting of the late start date of the Inside Passage's Summer sailing schedule. The summer sailings commenced mid-May. Can't speak to 1966 as I was still toiling away on route 2, however if memory serves correct I believe the summer schedules for routes one and two also commenced mid-May. Joining the Queen of Prince Rupert in 1967, the actual start date of the summer season was Thursday, May 18. Crew change-over days for crew that lived in Metro Vancouver was a long one, as one had to get the 6:00 A M. sailing out of H.S. Bay and rendezvous with the crew busses that had come up from Victoria. The long ride up the old Island Highway to Kelsey Bay, (with a brief stop in Courtenay), arriving at K.B. about noon, if all went well along the way. That left crew less than an hour to scramble aboard, get semi-unpacked, uniformed, head to their respective department locations and get passengers, vehicles, baggage carts etc. loaded before the gong struck 1300 hours, time to get underway for the, at the time, non-stop 20 hour voyage to Prince Rupert, with a usual ETA of 09:00. Unfortunately, the summer season was cut a bit short in 1967, ....something about a reef and lots of stinky oil and seaweed.  |
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