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Post by Curtis on Jan 7, 2016 11:45:00 GMT -8
Things aren't getting any better for Powell Riverites. Only a day after the Burnaby was pulled from Route 17 for repairs, the NIP is now experiencing Mechanical Difficulties. Two round trips have been cancelled on Route 7 so far today. (I added the first cancelled round trip in the quote below which has since been removed from the notice)
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Jan 7, 2016 12:11:57 GMT -8
And this is what happens when you sell the Queen of Chilliwack! No spare! Just a piece of junk North Island Princess!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2016 12:28:21 GMT -8
Hoping for a Tenaka twist. I know it's unlikely, but it's better having 24 cars moving across the Inlet as opposed to none.
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Jan 7, 2016 13:38:37 GMT -8
I wanna know why the Burnaby can replace the Nanaimo but the Nanaimo can't replace the Burnaby?? Is it cause no option for route 9 if the Nanaimo left? I'm sure the New West could do route 9 lol
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Post by Kahn_C on Jan 7, 2016 13:41:53 GMT -8
2:35, 3:55 Round trip and 5:15 departure are now nixed too. I think the poor NIP might just miss a full day.
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Jan 7, 2016 13:45:18 GMT -8
I think they need a ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Powell River or build a bridge across Jervis inlet or around! I don't blame the Powell River residents I would be annoyed too! I don't even live there and I am annoyed just reading this!
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Post by northwesterner on Jan 7, 2016 13:53:02 GMT -8
I wanna know why the Burnaby can replace the Nanaimo but the Nanaimo can't replace the Burnaby?? Is it cause no option for route 9 if the Nanaimo left? I'm sure the New West could do route 9 lol Crew training. Has to be crew training. The BCF fleet is such a mishmash of vessels, and BCF does not train their crews on all the vessels, just the ones that operate (and the regular sub... sometimes...) out of their home terminal. This creates huge problems when unexpected maintenance grounds a ship. Do you not remember when the Queen of Nanaimo ran aground at Village Bay a few winters back? She was out for a month, with no service on the route, because of no available backup. I pointed out that they could do a five vessel reshuffle across the network, all vessels that would physically fit into the berths involved, but BCF would have to train crew on those vessels simultaneously. No way they have the resources to do that. This is all exacerbated by the BCF fleet not having staterooms aboard the vessels, so partial crews cannot travel with the vessel and stay on board.
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Post by Curtis on Jan 7, 2016 14:52:00 GMT -8
Hoping for a Tenaka twist. I know it's unlikely, but it's better having 24 cars moving across the Inlet as opposed to none. Wishful thinking, but if BC Ferries was able to use the Tenaka, I believe they would have used it already. They probably would have deployed it to Route 24 allowing the Tachek to run Route 18 in place of the NIP. That being said, considering the Tenaka has been in layup for over a year and there's been no word of a life extension, I wouldn't doubt the old girl is going down the same road the Chilliwack did. Speaking of which... And this is what happens when you sell the Queen of Chilliwack! No spare! Just a piece of junk North Island Princess! We've been over this, Karl. While I do agree the Chilliwack would have been better capacity wise, simply put, the Wack would have been too costly to operate. She required more crew to carry less passengers than the Island Sky. She was also slower, having to run on a modified schedule, and to top it all off, she likely consumed much more fuel in the process. Not to mention having to refamiliarize crews for just a two or three week stint. It made sense during her assignment in 2013/14 because of the length of time she was there: almost 8 months. I'm sure BC Ferries thought a lot about their decision to use the NIP over the Chilliwack last year, and even if the Wack had not been sold, it would be no different this year. In any case: The Chilliwack is gone now, Karl, just let it go.
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Jan 7, 2016 15:00:28 GMT -8
And yet the NIP needs a revised schedule too for route 7! I don't care that they sold the Chilliwack I'm just saying they always sell their boats then run into trouble when 1 or 2 break down! Just like WSF don't have enough boats! Hey send up the E State! lol!
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jan 7, 2016 22:11:06 GMT -8
A very good argument could be made that the Queen of Chilliwack should never have been sold before BC Ferries had one of the three new Salish class ferries in the fleet. They have diminished fleet capacity in the event of any breakdowns, such as we've seen with the 'Burnaby, and there's no excuse for that, given that the latest problem is a recurrence of a chronic issue.
Now the even more ancient North Island Princess has broken down, severing the lifeline to Vancouver, and medical facilities that Powell River residents depend on. Someone- might have been the mayor- criticized BC Ferries for subjecting that area to 'junk ferries'.
Doesn't seem like over the top rhetoric to me.
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Post by chinook2 on Jan 7, 2016 22:29:18 GMT -8
Considering the Cumbie was scheduled for mid life this year hanging onto the Chilliwack one more year would have made total sense. not money wise but ensuring adequate reduncancy to meet the needs of emergencies like this.....
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Post by bigcountry on Jan 8, 2016 18:23:53 GMT -8
would BCFs not be better off sending making do with the Skeena Queen and Mayne Queen on revised schedules on routes 4 and 5 and sending the Bowen Queen back to Route 7?
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Jan 8, 2016 18:42:40 GMT -8
or cancel Crofton to Vesuvius and move HSQ to Fulford! SSI has three routes anyways!
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Post by hwy19man on Jan 8, 2016 19:03:36 GMT -8
And this is what happens when you sell the Queen of Chilliwack! No spare! Just a piece of junk North Island Princess! Murphy's Law strikes again!
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Post by westernflyer on Jan 8, 2016 22:11:45 GMT -8
And this is what happens when you sell the Queen of Chilliwack! No spare! Just a piece of junk North Island Princess! The North Island Princess is absolutely not a piece of junk. She's a great fit for the Texada run and deserves plenty of credit for her longevity and overall reliability. I don't believe any other minor vessel in the BC Ferries fleet can match her sea-keeping ability either.
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Post by bigcountry on Jan 9, 2016 8:51:33 GMT -8
And this is what happens when you sell the Queen of Chilliwack! No spare! Just a piece of junk North Island Princess! The North Island Princess is absolutely not a piece of junk. She's a great fit for the Texada run and deserves plenty of credit for her longevity and overall reliability. I don't believe any other minor vessel in the BC Ferries fleet can match her sea-keeping ability either. yes, she's a great fit on the Texada run, but a terrible fit in the Saltery Bay run
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Post by priver on Jan 9, 2016 13:40:59 GMT -8
North island princess is broken down again 12:45 and 2:35 are cancelled due to mechanical difficulties
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Post by Curtis on Jan 9, 2016 17:39:07 GMT -8
A quick update on today's mechanical troubles. Most of this info is from groups on Facebook so take it with a grain of salt. Today's mechanical issue apparently was caused by of one of the NIP's generators. A portable generator has been brought in so hopefully she should be up and running again later this evening.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2016 18:46:05 GMT -8
More facebook talk: -The NIP sailed empty to Saltery Bay after she "broke down," as TC does not allow pax aboard with only one generator. -Two generators (one extra) came over on the 3:15 from Comox. -Vessel to sail until traffic is cleared (likely meaning they will sail that extra run scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Sunday). Edit: Looks like Northern Sunshine Coasters are staying on the Peninsula tonight... www.bcferries.com/bcfservicenotice?id=937943
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Post by westernflyer on Jan 9, 2016 21:06:08 GMT -8
Perhaps the generator thing is just a ruse and the real problem is a shortage of plastic drink lids.
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Post by Curtis on Jan 10, 2016 11:49:11 GMT -8
Not a service notice, but BC Ferries has taken note of the inconvenience caused by the recent NIP breakdowns. As a result all trips today and tomorrow on Route 7 are on the (fleet) house!
I don't know where the official notice came from, but this quote is via a post on Facebook:
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jan 10, 2016 12:22:58 GMT -8
Not a service notice, but BC Ferries has taken note of the inconvenience caused by the recent NIP breakdowns. As a result all trips today and tomorrow on Route 7 are on the (fleet) house! I don't know where the official notice came from, but this quote is via a post on Facebook: Very suspicious of that 'announcement', because of the wording. Nothing on the website as yet.
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Post by Curtis on Jan 10, 2016 13:31:22 GMT -8
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2016 22:49:00 GMT -8
Not a service notice, but BC Ferries has taken note of the inconvenience caused by the recent NIP breakdowns. As a result all trips today and tomorrow on Route 7 are on the (fleet) house! I don't know where the official notice came from, but this quote is via a post on Facebook: Very suspicious of that 'announcement', because of the wording. Nothing on the website as yet. And here's a facebook comment from a BCF rep. Sounds like they aren't going to write a news release, to avoid hordes of traffic on the NIP I imagine...
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jan 10, 2016 23:34:35 GMT -8
Very suspicious of that 'announcement', because of the wording. Nothing on the website as yet. And here's a facebook comment from a BCF rep. Sounds like they aren't going to write a news release, to avoid hordes of traffic on the NIP I imagine... I think you're right. There's nothing in their media room, no service notice, and no story in any major news service... but the voice in the clip sounded like Deborah Marshall's, so I'm assuming this isn't a hoax. Still, you'd think they could spell Earls Cove properly.
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