Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,177
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Post by Neil on Jun 6, 2023 8:43:47 GMT -8
Island Nagalis, one of six Island class vessels now in BCF fleet, seen here en route from Quadra Island to Campbell River. Viewed from her running mate & twin sister, the I K'ulut'a.
This was the first time I have been aboard any one of the Island class vessels.
Question for those in the know: which vessel is designated 'IC-1'?
I think maybe BCFS could have built something like the Skeena Queen for this route and ended up saving a bunch of money. On the other hand Quadra residents have a much enhanced ferry service over what they had previously.
30 May 2023
Jim, if I remember correctly, the choice at the time was: enlarge the Campbell River and Quathiaski terminals, or go to two ferries. I think they determined that it wasn't possible (or too expensive) to provide the marshalling space for a 100 car ferry at either end.
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Post by WettCoast on Jun 6, 2023 11:09:31 GMT -8
Neil, would the same apply on the Nanaimo - Gabriola route? I believe you said that these ferries seemed 'over built' for that route not in terms of capacity, but in terms of the tons of steel used to give them a 45 car capacity. Two 50 car barges would have been sufficient if a 100 car barge was not possible due to terminal constraints.
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Post by yak on Jun 11, 2023 1:18:20 GMT -8
Island Nagalis, one of six Island class vessels now in BCF fleet, seen here en route from Quadra Island to Campbell River. Viewed from her running mate & twin sister, the I K'ulut'a.
This was the first time I have been aboard any one of the Island class vessels.
Question for those in the know: which vessel is designated 'IC-1'?
I think maybe BCFS could have built something like the Skeena Queen for this route and ended up saving a bunch of money. On the other hand Quadra residents have a much enhanced ferry service over what they had previously.
30 May 2023
IC 1 = Discovery IC 2 = Aurora IC 3 = Nagalis IC 4 = K'ulut'a IC 5/6 = Gwawis/Kwigwis but I can't remember which is which... Keep in mind that the strategy of building a standardized minor class vessel vs. "something like a Skeena Queen" is meant to simplify interoperability overall. Besides other benefits with hardware and spares it is quicker/cheaper to train "staffing pool" crew familiar with these boats with a route rather than a vessel and a route at the same time. As a ferry nerd I am a big fan of the character and individuality of the last generation of ships. As someone who has to keep the highway open, I get why the trend has been to create a standardized platform. Also, as an aside - one issue with a Skeena Queen type vessel on Route 23 is that the space occupied by the terminals is smaller than what is available on a Century class vessel. Moving more traffic per hour with two "minor" vessels vs. one "intermediate" vessel makes sense given the space constraints on land.
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