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Post by cosmicray on Jan 20, 2008 18:52:08 GMT -8
When I was on tour of the Coastal Renaissance today (Sunday January 20th) I asked a number of crew about the future of the Tsawwassen. She will return to service on the Saltery Bay-Earls Cove route, likely on the week of March 17th and will be there until early June when the new Island Sky takes over. She will send a few weeks at Deas Dock to workout any problems that she may get between now and then. On the last week in June she will fill the spot of the weekend and holiday vessel out of Tsawwassen on the Tsawwassen-Gulf Island route. Freeing the Bowen Queen to take over from the North Island Princess (That is due for engine rebuild that would keep her out of service from 7 to 10 weeks.) on the Powell River-Texada Island route. With this piece of news, is anyone here want to take her last round trip from Tsawwassen to Long Harbour on September 1st, to hold her Wake? Cosmic Ray  |
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Post by Mac Write on Jan 20, 2008 19:18:50 GMT -8
Of course I absolutely will be there along with doing a Saltery Bay round trips for exterior shots.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 20, 2008 19:43:43 GMT -8
Hey Cool / Cosmic Ray:
Are you saying that the North Island Princess will be out of service all summer??: Your post suggests that she's out of service for 7-10 weeks, starting at the end of June.
And are you also saying that the Q-Tsawwassen is the Route-9A ship for the entire summer too?
Your post made quite a leap from "end of June" to "Sept 1st", so I'm assuming that the Bowen is up at Texada for the entire summer?
Does it make sense for the NIP to have a engine rebuild done during the July-August period?
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Post by Taxman on Jan 20, 2008 19:56:37 GMT -8
Flugel,
If there is no capacity issues and they have a surplus boat (Tsawwassen) then it would be one of the best times in the next couple of years to do it...
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Post by cosmicray on Jan 20, 2008 21:22:29 GMT -8
Flugel's Right. The NIP got two new engines in the fall of 2002. As many of us know BC Ferries gets their ship's engines rebuild every five years in order to keep them in good condition (The first year they where under "Warranty" from G.M.). With the Island Sky entering service and the Tsawwassen being available for route 9A, the summer of 2008 will be the right time to get this important work done on the NIP. Cosmic Ray |
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Post by kylefossett on Jan 20, 2008 21:34:43 GMT -8
That extra capacity that will be on route 9a will make a lot of people happy. that is as long as they keep the schedule close to what it has been the last few summers with a dinner time departure from tsawwassen to long harbour with a stop at sturdies on fridays.
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 20, 2008 21:37:29 GMT -8
Will the old girl provide service on the Comox - Powell River run at any time before summer?
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Post by Curtis on Jan 20, 2008 21:49:00 GMT -8
With the Tsawwassen Replacing the Bowen on Tsawwassen- SGI and the Bowen Replacing The NIP for it to go for refit in July/August is a Win-Win Situation, Both Routes Get an Upgrade in Car Capacity in the Busy Summer Season.
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Post by Nickfro on Jan 20, 2008 22:26:30 GMT -8
Very interesting findings. . .good work 'cosmicray'. You will now be held liable for these 'plans' to come true. (haha, just kidding!) I like those ideas, they will definitely help on both routes for the busy sunner season, especially having the Tsawwassen on 9A instead of the Bowen Queen, even for foot passenger capacity. I have been rejected on the Bowen Queen in the summertime due to that very reason. . .not fun since the next sailing isn't simply an hour or two afterwards!
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jan 20, 2008 22:38:36 GMT -8
Three unlikely scenarios:
Texada Island, one of the less overloaded routes in the system, getting a 50% increase in capacity for a whole summer.
An engine rebuild being done in the summer, extra boat or no.
The Gulf Islands, which already hemorrhage money on the BC Ferries balance books, getting a much more expensive to run vessel for a whole summer.
Rumours are fun, but I'll believe it when I see the official announcements.
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Mill Bay
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Post by Mill Bay on Jan 20, 2008 23:06:03 GMT -8
Rumours are fun, but I'll believe it when I see the official announcements. Indeed. I know I may be the most recent and most ardent fan of the Tsawwassen, but I thought I'd already said my good-byes too her. If this is true, we'll need to think about doing some more big group expeditions on the Tsawwassen because the last one was most memorable. As far as holding a wake, I dunno if I may even be in B.C. by Sept 1st if life or schooling take me where they will. I'd love to be able to make a last voyage, but we'll have to see what happens. To date, I was on board for her current last day of service, so maybe I can hold on to that distinction a little longer, and I'm glad I did what I did in the end anyway. |
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Post by cosmicray on Jan 21, 2008 0:09:34 GMT -8
Texada Island, one of the less overloaded routes in the system, getting a 50% increase in capacity for a whole summer. An engine rebuild being done in the summer, extra boat or no. Tachek operated in the past on the Texada run whenever the NIP went in for refit. However, the Tachek is now too small for the run, especially on pension check days (Now, you try to fit 40 cars onto a 30 car ferry. And To make matter worst hunting season starts around September 15th, so the last thing the captain on the Taxada ferry want to deal is a ferry load of p*ssed off pensioners at Blubber Bay or a ferry load of p*ssed off hunter armed with high powered rifles at Westview waiting to get on a boat that can't handle all there vehicles at once.) It would be nice if BC Ferries had more then two 50 car ferries (the NIP and Quinitsa.) but, until they get other one, a 70 cars ferries will need to take there place. With the Tsawwassen available for route 9A, doing the engine rebuild work on the NIP in the summer of 2008 maybe one of the few times they can do this work without getting a Island with 65% pensioners living on it p*ssed off at them. Cosmic Ray |
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Jan 21, 2008 4:33:06 GMT -8
Well, it would make the Sandcastle organizers very happy to see a larger vessel. That weekend pretty much trumps all others for overloads on the Texada run.
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Nick
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Post by Nick on Jan 21, 2008 15:24:20 GMT -8
Remember also, the Nimpkish had a complete refit, including an engine rebuild last summer. Also, the Klitsa had a refit last summer, complete with new generators.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jan 21, 2008 17:28:28 GMT -8
Difference being, that those vessels were not in use over the summer, and so caused no assignment disruptions.
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Nick
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Post by Nick on Jan 21, 2008 21:47:15 GMT -8
And by having an extra ship, such as the Tsawwassen laying around, the NIP can be done as well.
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Post by kylefossett on Jan 21, 2008 21:55:56 GMT -8
Difference being, that those vessels were not in use over the summer, and so caused no assignment disruptions. so if the NIP was not going in to refit and the bowen queen was left on route 9a, where would the tsawwassen be this summer? not in use. so lets use it on a route that is under serviced in the summer and move the bowen queen to another route that is under serviced in the summer and make everybody happy. i know from ridning the bowen queen on the 620pm sailing to long harbour almost every friday last summer that they could have done with a bigger vessel on that route. |
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Post by Fenklebaum on Jan 22, 2008 1:58:16 GMT -8
Last voyage? Wake? There.
Fenk, here
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Post by ferryking on Jan 25, 2008 10:03:15 GMT -8
Tsawwassen is on the move, she transited from earls cove/saltery bay to tsawwassen last night and today she's on her way through active pass and didn't stop in sturdies bay...hmmm i wonder what she's up to  |
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Post by coastalcody on Jan 25, 2008 10:10:27 GMT -8
Seeing im a newbie.
How do you know that
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Jan 25, 2008 10:16:06 GMT -8
There's a great site called siitech www.siitech.com. It allows you to track vessels by their AIS. |
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Post by ferryking on Jan 25, 2008 10:17:21 GMT -8
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Mill Bay
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Post by Mill Bay on Jan 25, 2008 10:32:47 GMT -8
There's a great site called siitech www.siitech.com. It allows you to track vessels by their AIS. I still wish that they had some sort of real time satellite tracking attached to this, so you could get an actual visual capture of the ship instead of just a little blue arrow. If she's on the move, I hope it means she's going into service, but why Swarts Bay. (Siitech actually lists her destination as Saltery Bay) |
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Post by coastalcody on Jan 25, 2008 10:35:21 GMT -8
Yeah i was just going to say that her destination was saltery bay.
Thats cool never knew about it thanks ferryking
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Jan 25, 2008 10:50:15 GMT -8
There's a great site called siitech www.siitech.com. It allows you to track vessels by their AIS. I still wish that they had some sort of real time satellite tracking attached to this, so you could get an actual visual capture of the ship instead of just a little blue arrow. If she's on the move, I hope it means she's going into service, but why Swarts Bay. (Siitech actually lists her destination as Saltery Bay) "The name is Bond, James Bond"... unfortunately, I don't think many companies could afford the fuel and numerous satellites this would require.  |
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