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Post by WettCoast on Jun 6, 2014 20:40:50 GMT -8
New Arrow Lakes ferry Columbia seen on trials off Nakusp, BC - 6 June 2014. This shot is a crop from my max telephoto reach (450 mm in 35mm equiv). The boat was far out in the lake just north of Nakusp. I trust that others will bring back better photos once she is in service. Full size© WCK-JST by Wett Coast, on Flickr
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Post by WettCoast on Jun 6, 2014 20:48:59 GMT -8
New Arrow Lakes ferry Columbia seen on trials off Nakusp, BC - 6 June 2014. This shot is a crop from my max telephoto reach (450 mm in 35mm equiv). The boat was far out in the lake just north of Nakusp. I trust that others will bring back better photos once she is in service. Full size© WCK-JST by Wett Coast, on Flickr
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,150
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Post by Neil on Jun 6, 2014 22:44:37 GMT -8
Perfect name for an object void of any recognizable form. Just like a river. As the photo from WCK shows, it has a very 'recognizable form'... it's a car ferry, utilitarian, but probably very practical given its twenty minute route. Although I imagine its lounge is spartan with uncomfortable seats.
I'm not sure how much in public funds 'Mill Bay' is prepared to allocate to bring every new ferry up to his acceptable minimum aesthetic level. I think that those of us who live in communities dependent on these connections want resources channelled to actual service.
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Post by Wolf on Jun 7, 2014 9:05:43 GMT -8
The new ferry has a name, the Columbia. This is not to be confused with the AMHS vessel of the same name. WCK, Nakusp. Im curious to know how you found this out? I live in nakusp, lived here all my life and i never heard nothing about this? Waterbridge site doesnt have any update on photos or info and our local paper is mum on it.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jun 7, 2014 9:21:14 GMT -8
I am curious to know how you found this out? I'm guessing that the zoom lens of his camera told him.
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Post by WettCoast on Jun 7, 2014 13:09:03 GMT -8
I am curious to know how you found this out? I'm guessing that the zoom lens of his camera told him. And what I was told by two crew members aboard the Galena.
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Post by Wolf on Jun 8, 2014 11:10:31 GMT -8
I'm guessing that the zoom lens of his camera told him. And what I was told by two crew members aboard the Galena. Oh ok. I didnt realize you had made a trip through that way. Usually some of those guys on the deck arent (excuse me being straighforward) all that "bright". I know afew of them down at needles too. But anyways, the photo you posted i couldnt zoom in without making the words blurry, i could see the C but thats about it. If you hadnt mentioned the name i would never have known. Funny how i know less about these things and i live here lol
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Post by Wolf on Jun 8, 2014 11:34:44 GMT -8
If anyone has an hour to spare and is curious on the full building process, www.jbaimages.com/waterbridge/This Is a great place to look. The waterbridge steel site hasnt been updated but this site will deffinately help to give you an understanding on the parts and places youll never seen while its in service. One of the pictures is of the prop room, if anyone is interested to learn more about the props used, www.voith.com/ca-en/products-services/power-transmission/voith-schneider-propeller-10002.htmlYou can also find videos on youtube about it. And i know for a fact when i read the local newspaper, they built a mockup of the bridge out of wood, and the owner/operator explained this ferry will be operated by two joysticks (similar to an excavator). Now, any average joe can run this ferry (just need marine license) and ive run excavator lots so joysticks are nothing new to me, and i even got the opertunity to run the galena bay ferry abit while i visted the bridge. Sorry to brag lol
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jun 10, 2014 15:17:40 GMT -8
A brief news story on Columbia, include a few photos of her. HERE
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,150
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Post by Neil on Jun 10, 2014 16:21:26 GMT -8
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Post by WettCoast on Jun 10, 2014 18:35:31 GMT -8
I believe that the auto capacity of the Columbia & Osprey 2000 are both listed as 80. I am fairly sure that there is much more interior passenger space on the Osprey. So how do we conclude that it is the largest of the BC fresh water fleet? Certainly, in the 'beauty contest', the Osprey wins...
The photo in the Revelstoke paper that compares the size of the old and the new is showing the Shelter Bay, so the comparison really is not valid.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,150
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Post by Neil on Jun 10, 2014 20:47:57 GMT -8
I believe that the auto capacity of the Columbia & Osprey 2000 are both listed as 80. I am fairly sure that there is much more interior passenger space on the Osprey. So how do we conclude that it is the largest of the BC fresh water fleet? Certainly, in the 'beauty contest', the Osprey wins...
The photo in the Revelstoke paper that compares the size of the old and the new is showing the Shelter Bay, so the comparison really is not valid. The Columbia is 97.5 metres long, the Osprey 2000, 76.5. the Osprey' is beamier, but overall, the new vessel has more deck space. Tonnage wise, gross and net, the Osprey 2000 wins. I give the edge to the vessel that is 21 metres longer; I think that standing on the deck of either, the Columbia would seem a lot bigger.
The Osprey 2000 has always struck me as an odd looking craft. It certainly has more style than Columbia... that style, I guess, is a matter of taste.
Can't help but notice how much smaller Columbia's hull is than the car deck plunked on top of it.
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Post by WettCoast on Jun 10, 2014 20:56:40 GMT -8
I think that a significant portion of the Columbia's overall length is due to its ship based ramps which I gather are like those on the Kwuna, and on one end of the Francois Forester. I gather the shore based 'ramps' currently used on the Upper Arrow Lakes route will no longer be required.
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Post by Wolf on Jun 11, 2014 10:07:21 GMT -8
I think that a significant portion of the Columbia's overall length is due to its ship based ramps which I gather are like those on the Kwuna, and on one end of the Francois Forester. I gather the shore based 'ramps' currently used on the Upper Arrow Lakes route will no longer be required. They built two brand new shore ramps for it.
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Post by Wolf on Jun 11, 2014 10:13:48 GMT -8
I believe that the auto capacity of the Columbia & Osprey 2000 are both listed as 80. I am fairly sure that there is much more interior passenger space on the Osprey. So how do we conclude that it is the largest of the BC fresh water fleet? Certainly, in the 'beauty contest', the Osprey wins...
The photo in the Revelstoke paper that compares the size of the old and the new is showing the Shelter Bay, so the comparison really is not valid. The galena is not that much bigger than the shelter bay. The shelter bay is definately narrower but over all length there is not much difference. And imo the MV Columbia is a much nicer looking vessel than the osprey. Last year i wouldve said no way but now, because it is apart of my community, i have more admiration for it. If you noticed in the photos on the revelstoke paper, the ferry leans to one side abit. That can be balanced out by putting heavier vehicles on the opposite side, however, they shouldve built a centered bridge like the osprey but with more clearance. Nevertheless she is a fine ship and i look forward to riding on it soon.
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Koastal Karl
Voyager
Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
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Post by Koastal Karl on Jun 11, 2014 12:24:51 GMT -8
the osprey looks nicer than the Columbia! Columbia is just a barge ferry like we call our K class! Osprey is much nicer I think it's even nicer than the Skeena Queen! Just my opinion!
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SolDuc
Voyager
West Coast Cyclist
SolDuc and SOBC - Photo by Scott
Posts: 2,055
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Post by SolDuc on Jun 11, 2014 17:30:13 GMT -8
If you noticed in the photos on the revelstoke paper, the ferry leans to one side abit. That can be balanced out by putting heavier vehicles on the opposite side, however, they shouldve built a centered bridge like the osprey but with more clearance. Nevertheless she is a fine ship and i look forward to riding on it soon. That reminds me of a story on a particular class of vessels built for Washington State not long ago...
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Post by compdude787 on Jun 12, 2014 14:59:22 GMT -8
If you noticed in the photos on the revelstoke paper, the ferry leans to one side abit. That can be balanced out by putting heavier vehicles on the opposite side, however, they shouldve built a centered bridge like the osprey but with more clearance. Nevertheless she is a fine ship and i look forward to riding on it soon. That reminds me of a story on a particular class of vessels built for Washington State not long ago... Hmm...I wonder which class of ferries you might possibly be talking about.
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Post by Wolf on Jun 12, 2014 19:08:23 GMT -8
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Post by Wolf on Jun 18, 2014 7:52:30 GMT -8
There seems to be some activity going on at galena bay. I checked the terminal cam and i could clearly see a large crane set up which to me means they are installing the new ramps because the crane is set up right near the water. Hopefully the new boat is running by next week
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Post by Wolf on Jun 19, 2014 11:16:13 GMT -8
I would just like to bring this to everyone's attention: this ferry is not entirely finalized for this route between galena and shelter bay. If the government were to approve the construction of a bridge in place of a ferry (which could still happen regardless of this ferry being in service soon) they could very easily have enough support in this area to remove this ferry entirely and build a bridge. The bridge was estimated at $220 million vs the $25million the ferry costs.
Im not saying the govt would approve of a bridge here (and i hope they never do) but it is still on the table. Waterbridge constructed this ferry in a way that it could be cut into sections and hauled away to a new location (which again is a possibility one day)
I for one do not agree with a bridge, it would turn this peaceful valley into the okanagan with people rampaging through buying up all the land and building summer homes etc which is not what i want to see. In my opinion the way i see it, this ferry will in fact bring MORE tourists to this valley because 1. Its a free ferry, who would not want to come here just for that and 2. Its a beautiful route to take. A bridge would also be subject to tolls due to the cost to build it, and a bridge is ugly and boring.
I will not deny that the majority of my community pushed for the construction of a bridge, but im not one of them. Im a boat person, always loved fishing and boating. And besides, a ferry allows people to take a break and relax for awhile so people can enjoy the view instead of rumbling past on a bridge and not allowing yourself time to stop and enjoy the view. Im probably one of the lucky ones to live in a place like this in BC and i would hate to see all this gone in the name of "revenue" for the village. Im not usually that kind of person as i do support big projects in the energy sector etc as we do need the money and jobs but just not here.
The ferry is technically finalized but you need to be aware that the govt could very easily approve a bridge and cut up our new ferry.
Wolf
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jun 19, 2014 11:34:26 GMT -8
I would just like to bring this to everyone's attention: this ferry is not entirely finalized for this route between galena and shelter bay. If the government were to approve the construction of a bridge in place of a ferry (which could still happen regardless of this ferry being in service soon) they could very easily have enough support in this area to remove this ferry entirely and build a bridge. The bridge was estimated at $220 million vs the $25million the ferry costs. Thanks Wolf, for your opinions and insight. I appreciate the local input you give us. Question for you: - What do you think of DCT Chambers trucking company, and how practically every sailing on Galena-Shelter route, and Needles-Faquier route has 1 of their tandem trailer units on board. Do you think they unfairly take away space from other vehicles? Do you think they take advantage of the free-ride? I'm just curious, because of how regularly they use those ships. If this were the coast, that type of product would be transported by chip-barge, at the forest company's cost. Is there a lot of barge traffic on the Arrow Lakes, such as from the south end of Lower Arrow Lake? Thanks for any insight and opinions you have on this.
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Post by Wolf on Jun 19, 2014 12:36:34 GMT -8
I would just like to bring this to everyone's attention: this ferry is not entirely finalized for this route between galena and shelter bay. If the government were to approve the construction of a bridge in place of a ferry (which could still happen regardless of this ferry being in service soon) they could very easily have enough support in this area to remove this ferry entirely and build a bridge. The bridge was estimated at $220 million vs the $25million the ferry costs. Thanks Wolf, for your opinions and insight. I appreciate the local input you give us. Question for you: - What do you think of DCT Chambers trucking company, and how practically every sailing on Galena-Shelter route, and Needles-Faquier route has 1 of their tandem trailer units on board. Do you think they unfairly take away space from other vehicles? Do you think they take advantage of the free-ride? I'm just curious, because of how regularly they use those ships. If this were the coast, that type of product would be transported by chip-barge, at the forest company's cost. Is there a lot of barge traffic on the Arrow Lakes, such as from the south end of Lower Arrow Lake? Thanks for any insight and opinions you have on this. My opinion on DCT chambers is they have the right to use the ferry as much as anyone, and they have to use it because they transport chips from armstrong all the way to castlegar and the quickest routes are: hwy 1 to revelstoke and down hwy 23 to shelter bay or: hwy 6 from vernon to needles and up to Nakusp. Either way, they have to ride a ferry. Now if waterbridge were to build a chiptruck ferry same size as the Francois forester, and do one sailing per day with a full load of trucks, it would greatly reduce the amount of trucks on our roads. A few years ago on the monashee pass (hwy 6), a chip truck driver was rounding a corner too fast and flopped on top of a family's vehicle killing the man, and left behind the mother with her child who was only a few weeks old. That child will grow up fatherless now. If you drive that road you'll see the big cross on the bank with flowers and lights, its not hard to miss. And it just so happens the man that died was a relative of one of my best friends, and she was very upset about it, so it touched a nerve with me. Im not too happy about big rigs on that particular stretch of road.. My opinion on deck space, the DEV galena is only rated for a certain amount of tonnage, the ferry was never built to carry the traffic we have today. So yes they do unfairly take away deck space. 1 truck is the equivalent to maybe 10 cars, and once they reach maximum weight limit there may be room still for 5 or 10 cars but they cant take them. The new ferry is built to handle at least 6 tractor trailers with a full load or cars/trucks so this wont be an issue anymore. The only traffic on the lake other than ferry are recreational boats and occasionally the Sutherland makes a trip to castlegar from the log dumps along the lake, and it tows log booms of saw logs and pulp wood (i used to work in forestry). In all honesty id like to see the chip trucks reduced off our roads and ferries as they are a hazard, no to mention they slow traffic down loaded up the long hills south of galena bay. If they were all loaded onto a barge or ferry built just for them and then shipped down the lake to a dock above keenleyside dam, that would work. Or have a very large barge that could be loaded with just chips and barged down the lake. Logging trucks are not too much of an issue, most of the forestry activity is on the west side, and most of the log dumps can be accessed by roads on that side. (though i wouldn't advise you drive those roads, you can very easily get lost, its a huge maze) Occasionally a logging truck or two crosses to get to eagle bay from a logging site close to galena bay.
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Post by WettCoast on Jun 19, 2014 12:44:31 GMT -8
Wolf, do you not think that if a bridge was going to be put in (to replace a ferry) anywhere in your part of the world, the first choice would be at Needles? Surely that could be done with far less money. I'm with you re your preference for boats. I'd much sooner take a ferry across Upper Arrow Lake, especially if its there is no tariff to be paid.
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Post by Wolf on Jun 19, 2014 13:47:57 GMT -8
Wolf, do you not think that if a bridge was going to be put in (to replace a ferry) anywhere in your part of the world, the first choice would be at Needles? Surely that could be done with far less money. I'm with you re your preference for boats. I'd much sooner take a ferry across Upper Arrow Lake, especially if its there is no tariff to be paid. Years ago they proposed a bridge at needles, and were very close to getting one, but they cancelled it. If that were to happen, they would move the needles up to arrow park and scrap the arrow park ferry (and i hope they do, it is way past its service life) I used to ride that ferry every day twice to work and back. And as for a bridge, taxpayers would pay for it, and i don't think people in bc would be too happy if the govt paid for a bridge in a place like this. A ferry, well thats not too much of an issue but bridges are very costly. More jobs yes, but way too much money. And the people in my area that supported a bridge don't realize they would toll any bridge built at any of the two crossing points on arrow lakes. The most feasible option is a bridge at needles. Galena bay's terrain is not meant for a bridge. The water is too deep for bridge supports.
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