FRS Clipper (Victoria Clipper)

[Low Light Mike]

Karl has given me permission to post some photos from his Facebook albums.
- I've adjusted the contrast & colours a bit, and here are some of his photos relating to this thread:
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Here are some pictures of the Victoria Clipper ships.

- Clipper IV



- Clippers I and IV

[deepsea]

MV. Victoria Clipper in Victoria Harbour. March 8, 2008.

[zargoman]

The Victoria Clipper III is replacing the Vashon/Seattle Water Taxi boat during maintenance. Today, both the boats are broken. The Clipper III is still in service on the Vashon route, but there is no West Seattle route today. Here is the Clipper III at Pier 50 today.

Victoria Clipper III as the King County Water Taxi by zargoman, on Flickr

[Kahloke]

I found out first hand on Saturday what Victoria Clipper does when the weather gets too rough to run its boats. We travelled to Victoria on Friday via a Clipper Vacations package deal which included a round trip on the Clipper and a night's stay at the Hotel Grand Pacific. It was really a good deal. So, we took the Clipper up on Friday, but Saturday, the winds really kicked up and Clipper cancelled its sailings for the day. For the morning run, they bussed passengers from Seattle to Victoria via I-5 and the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay ferry. For the return afternoon sailing, the one we were supposed to be on, they had us board Coho's 16:00 sailing to Port Angeles, and they drove their busses onto Coho empty. Once we cleared customs in Port Angeles, we boarded the busses and they drove us to Seattle via the Bainbridge ferry. Obviously, I would have liked the Clipper sailing better, but I thought they came up with a pretty good solution for transporting their passengers. I posted about the ride on Coho in the Coho thread.

[Scott (Former Account)]

August 23, 2012

The following images posted by this account are copyright © S.A. ~ Unauthorized use is prohibited.

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MV Coho and Victoria Clipper IV in Victoria's Inner Harbour. by BCFS, on Flickr


MV Coho and Victoria Clipper IV in Victoria's Inner Harbour. by BCFS, on Flickr


MV Coho and Victoria Clipper IV in Victoria's Inner Harbour. by BCFS, on Flickr


Victoria Clipper IV outbound from Victoria's Inner Harbour. by BCFS, on Flickr


Victoria Clipper IV outbound from Victoria's Inner Harbour. by BCFS, on Flickr

[Low Light Mike]

Aug 23, 2012 21:52:25 GMT -8 Scott (Former Account) said:

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MV Coho and Victoria Clipper IV in Victoria's Inner Harbour. by BCFS, on Flickr

Nice photo in perfect light. What a lovely time of evening for photography.

[Deleted]

DSCN1049 by Mr. Awesome photos, on Flickr

[WettCoast]

Victoria Clipper III @ Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA - 9 June 2012.
I note that this 'Clipper' is registered in Seattle & is seen here in US domestic service between Seattle & Friday Harbour. Scott's photos above of the VC IV show that it is foreign registered in Nassau. I gather that means that it can not operate on a domestic route such as Seattle to the San Jaun Islands. Are there other 'Clipper' boats that have foreign registry?

Another question: Is it possible to go from Victoria to the San Juan Islands by Clipper at any time of the year?


photo © WCK-JST 16x9, 1680 by Wett Coast, on Flickr[/size]

[SolDuc]

The Clipper III and the Melissa Ann (it could be the Rachel Marie, but the fact that the Melissa Ann had problems earlier this week has me thinking that she is in sea trials):

MV Victoria Clipper III and MV Melissa Ann - Clipper Navigation Co by SolDuc Photo, on Flickr

The Clipper and Clipper III. Note the Spirit of Seattle in the background.

MV Victoria Clipper III and MV Victoria Clipper - Clipper Navigation Co by SolDuc Photo, on Flickr

Clipper III coming back from the fuel dock:

MV Victoria Clipper III - Clipper Navigation Co by SolDuc Photo, on Flickr

[Blue Bus Fan]

Victoria Clipper in Victoria Inner harbour.


Victoria Clipper by Awesome cheese, on Flickr


Victoria Clipper by Awesome cheese, on Flickr

[compdude787]

Here's some pictures of the Victoria Clippers that I took recently. The first one is of the Victoria Clipper III, taken from Flat Point at Lopez Island. She is passing by Canoe Island in this photo.


Victoria Clipper III by compdude787, on Flickr

And here are a couple photos of the Victoria Clipper (I) passing Walla Walla on the Edmonds-Kingston ferry route.

Victoria Clipper I by compdude787, on Flickr


Victoria Clipper I by compdude787, on Flickr

[Low Light Mike]

Victoria Clipper IV, arriving at Victoria BC this morning.
- she came from Seattle.




With the Coho and a Victoria harbour ferry.

[Low Light Mike]

My video of Victoria Clipper IV arriving at Victoria harbour, from Seattle.
- morning of August 5, 2013.

My vantage point is the Songhees walkway in Esquimalt. I was there to film the Coho ferry, and was happy to also see the 'Clipper.

[Low Light Mike]

Some images of Victoria Clipper IV, arriving at Victoria from Seattle, on August 5, 2013.

- I was on the Songhees walkway in Esquimalt to film the arriving/departing Coho ferry. I thought that I might also see the 'Clipper, and she appeared while the Coho was docked.


She doesn't look like much from this angle



The Inn at Laurel Point in the background. I'd seen the ferries from the Laurel Point side before, but not from the Songhees side. Songhees gives the nicer views because you get a wider unobstructed view in both directions, and get a full view of Coho and Clipper in their berths.



With the Coho ferry

[SolDuc]

Some pictures of the Victoria Clipper III in the San Juans - all are taken on August 15th:
First, the Clipper loading for a whale watching tour in Friday Harbor, as seen from the Approaching Evergreen State:

MV Victoria Clipper III at Friday Harbor - Clipper Navigation Company by SolDuc Photography, on Flickr

I later saw her out in Haro Strait whale watching but didn't get decent photos of her.

Then finishing the tour and coming back to Friday Harbor to load passengers for Seattle:

MV Victoria Clipper III - Clipper Navigation Co by SolDuc Photography, on Flickr


MV Victoria Clipper III - Clipper Navigation Co by SolDuc Photography, on Flickr

[SolDuc]

The Clipper IV at Seattle last Saturday (11/23). Showing well that she is a catamaran. The cargo ship in the background is part of the Puget Sound lifestyle, the Olympics behind aren't always.

MV Victoria Clipper IV at Seattle - Clipper Navigation Company by SolDuc Photography, on Flickr

[Steve Rosenow]

Soo..

The Victoria Clipper has had some activity as of late!

www.komonews.com/news/local/Police-Suspicious-person-aboard-drifting-Victoria-Clipper-233991741.html

SEATTLE - Seattle Police, the Coast Guard, and SWAT teams have been called to Elliot Bay after reports of a suspicious person being on board a Victoria Clipper that was seen drifting in the water shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday morning.

Witnesses say three black SUVs and a SWAT truck raced through Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood an hour later, while two Coast Guard boats escorted a Foss tug boat that was pulling the Clipper further off shore.

Darren Ebberon was watching the scene unfold and said the boat looked as though the boat had lost power and was drifting towards Magnolia from the grain terminal, however it is unclear whether it did lose power and was adrift.

"We couldn't see people on the boat," he said. "They were (drifting) pretty close to a freighter... It was pretty close."

Seattle Police provided few details, tweeting, "Report of a suspicious person aboard the otherwise unoccupied Victoria Clipper. Coast Guard has called in our Bomb Squad. More details soon."

The Clipper is currently more than a quarter mile from shore.

This is a developing story, and will be updated as more information is confirmed.

[Low Light Mike]

A brief breaking-news story from Victoria Times Colonist on the "attempted theft" of one of the Victoria Clipper vessels.

The Seattle police have arrested a man on board the Victoria Clipper after he reportedly attempted to steal the passenger ferry.

The vessel was discovered adrift in Elliott Bay with a lone person on board. Seattle police had called in a bomb squad and a SWAT team.

The privately owned ferry provides passenger service between Seattle and Victoria.

[Blue Bus Fan]

Some photos of Victoria Clipper III in Victoria Harbour.

I am posting these photos to show she does go to Victoria. 








Is this rare to see her in Canada? 

[Low Light Mike]

Some more detail on the Clipper-IV test-drive today:

From the Victoria Times-Colonist newspaper

The website link includes a photo of the mariner-wannabe
Story HERE

Victoria Clipper president Darrell Bryan was sitting in his Seattle office early Sunday when he saw one of four passenger ferries, the Clipper IV, leave the dock.

“I heard the engines and saw propulsion coming from the water jets,” Bryan said.

“I knew we weren’t using that boat today ... and then I looked at our fuelling schedule, and it wasn’t scheduled for fuelling.”

The dock worker didn’t let the lines go and didn’t know about the Clipper IV leaving.

“All our captains were accounted for, and none of them were on that boat,” said Bryan, adding that the vessel is worth about $8 million.

He called the coast guard and said “ ‘Someone has stolen our boat’ — it’s a call that you don’t want to make.”

Seattle police said the boat was adrift 300 metres off Pier 69 at 7 a.m. when their marine unit arrived on the location.

Police negotiators contacted the man who was on board, which led to a tactical team boarding the Clipper and making the arrest.

The man told police he wanted to get to West Seattle.

Bryan’s feeling was of disbelief: “In 28 years, I’ve never heard of this, and I’ve worked with people in the boat business who are all over the world.”

Bryan watched the ferry on GPS heading south toward the ferris wheel, then making a loop.

“This person was moving around at two and a half knots, like a joy ride,” he said.

“Then it was just drifting by the grain terminal and Elliott Bay marina.”

Bryan called a tug to get on scene and make sure the Clipper didn’t run into anything.

In the meantime, marine units from the coast guard, Seattle police and the port authority had arrived.

A bomb squad and police dogs was called in to deal with a terrorist scenario.

“You have to plan for the worst,” said Bryan.

The Clipper is extemely difficult to drive, and Bryan said he’s very interested to see if the thief had maritime experience.

“It’s not easy to start one of these up — there’s a whole starting protocol. I’m pretty much a dumbass when it comes to technicial things — you can’t be like me.”

There is security footage of the dock and on board the vessel, Bryan said.

“We have cameras all over the place, the access points to the building. We’ve got footage of the person going down the ramp to get onto the [vessel].”

“We also have cameras on the boat.”

The vessel isn’t locked because it’s in a secure perimeter, but the wheelhouse should have been locked, he said.

“There is a locking mechanism, and you have to have the code to get in,” he said.

“Tomorrow morning we will be going through everything. We’ll be looking at the lessons learned and what can we do to prevent this from happening for another 28 years.”

The suspect was booked into King County jail on charges of piracy or grand theft of a vessel. The Clipper was towed back to its dock and will be examined for damage.

The other Clipper sailings were not impacted by the incident. Captains are avoiding the worst of the winds by adjusting their routes, Bryan said.

[e-mail]

© Copyright 2013

[BreannaF]

This is a LINK to the Seattle Times version to the story, which has slightly more detail than the Times-Colonist story.  Mostly local flavour. 

Apparently he managed to leave the dock without untying the ropes holding it to the dock, among other things.

(I'm a little hesitant to post the text of the story on this forum, though. (Somebody else can make that decision).  Reason is that the guy's list of previous crimes is a bit, well, graphic.)

[compdude787]

Dec 1, 2013 19:52:13 GMT -8 Blue Bus Fan said:

Some photos of Victoria Clipper III in Victoria Harbour.

I am posting these photos to show she does go to Victoria. 

[pics]

Is this rare to see her in Canada? 

I don't think it's rare to see the Clipper III in Victoria. In the summer, she does whale-watching trips between Seattle and the San Juans, but I would bet that she serves as a relief vessel on the Seattle-Victoria route during the winter when her fleet mates are out for maintenance. The San Juans whale watching route only operates between May and September.

In the summer, seeing the VC III in Victoria would be rare, but not in winter.

[Blue Bus Fan]

Dec 2, 2013 13:57:15 GMT -8 compdude787 said:

Dec 1, 2013 19:52:13 GMT -8 Blue Bus Fan said:

Some photos of Victoria Clipper III in Victoria Harbour.

I am posting these photos to show she does go to Victoria. 

[pics]

Is this rare to see her in Canada? 

I don't think it's rare to see the Clipper III in Victoria. In the summer, she does whale-watching trips between Seattle and the San Juans, but I would bet that she serves as a relief vessel on the Seattle-Victoria route during the winter when her fleet mates are out for maintenance. The San Juans whale watching route only operates between May and September.

In the summer, seeing the VC III in Victoria would be rare, but not in winter.

But they have Victoria Clipper I that could operate on the route. 

[compdude787]

Dec 2, 2013 15:14:15 GMT -8 Blue Bus Fan said:

Dec 2, 2013 13:57:15 GMT -8 compdude787 said:

I don't think it's rare to see the Clipper III in Victoria. In the summer, she does whale-watching trips between Seattle and the San Juans, but I would bet that she serves as a relief vessel on the Seattle-Victoria route during the winter when her fleet mates are out for maintenance. The San Juans whale watching route only operates between May and September.

In the summer, seeing the VC III in Victoria would be rare, but not in winter.

But they have Victoria Clipper I that could operate on the route. 

Sure, but they usually have two vessels running between Seattle and Victoria, so if they only had one, they'd probably have to cancel some sailings.

[Blue Bus Fan]

Dec 2, 2013 15:50:02 GMT -8 compdude787 said:

Dec 2, 2013 15:14:15 GMT -8 Blue Bus Fan said:

But they have Victoria Clipper I that could operate on the route. 

Sure, but they usually have two vessels running between Seattle and Victoria, so if they only had one, they'd probably have to cancel some sailings.

According to their schedule page.
Leave Seattle: 8:00am and arrive in Victoria at 10:45 am. Leave Victoria 5:00 pm and arrive in Seattle 7:45 pm. Got this from the link:  www.clippervacations.com/schedules-fares/.

So I cannot see why they cannot just use the Victoria Clipper.