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New ferries beat clock and budget


Dave Obee, Times Colonist
Published: Sunday, March 11, 2007

FLENSBURG, Germany -- The Coastal Renaissance, the first of three vessels being built here for B.C. Ferries, is under budget and ahead of schedule, according to the ferry corporation. These will be the world's largest double ended propeller ferries.

The same thing goes for the next two ships, the Coastal Inspiration and the Coastal Celebration. A fourth ferry, the Northern Expedition, is in the design phase.

The new vessels are part of an effort by B.C. Ferries to replenish its aging fleet and improve an image that was otherwise tarnished by labour and safety issues -- chiefly the sinking of the Queen of the North nearly a year ago -- as well as higher fares blamed on increasing fuel costs.

As controversial as it was to have the Super-C class vessels built outside of British Columbia, it would be foolish to figure on a fast-ferry fiasco from the German shipyard that's constructing them.

The Coastal Renaissance is rapidly taking shape in the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft yard just north of downtown Flensburg. It is expected to set sail for Canada in September -- a month ahead of schedule -- and be in service between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay before Christmas.

The Inspiration will join the Renaissance in April 2008, and the Celebration will be on the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen route by July -- also ahead of schedule.

Mike Corrigan, executive vice-president and chief operating officer at B.C. Ferries, said every indication so far is that the corporation will be able to beat the $542-million budget for the three ferries, set by the B.C. Ferries board in 2004.

Of that total, Flensburger is getting $334 million for designing and building them.

Uwe Otto, the company's executive vice-president, said rising prices in the past three years have made the B.C. Ferries deal seem like a bargain.

"The cost would be about 50 per cent higher today," he said.

Otto said the difference is the market for raw materials. Shipbuilders around the globe have been adding capacity to meet a rising demand for container vessels. As a result, costs have soared. Steel has doubled in price in recent years, and copper is up by 400 per cent.

As an example, he said a vessel built for $30 million two years ago recently changed hands for three times the cost of building it. The cost of labour -- about 25 per cent of the total for a new vessel -- has been more stable.

Otto said there has even been a notable rise in costs since last summer, when B.C. Ferries signed a $133-million deal with Flensburger for the Northern Expedition. "It was a good management decision to go ahead when they did," he said.

Corrigan said that having Flensburger design and build the ferries -- rather than giving it set plans -- has paid off for B.C. Ferries. It has been able to tap into Flensburger's experience building ferries for other companies, but has still had the flexibility to make hundreds of modifications to the plans since the contract was signed.

While the new ferries are being built, B.C. Ferries continues to juggle its fleet on the northern routes.

The Queen of Prince Rupert took over service between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert after the Queen of the North slammed into Gil Island and sank on March 22, 2006. Two people were presumed dead, 99 were rescued.

The Northern Adventure will take over that route, with service tentatively scheduled to begin March 31, B.C. Ferries said. A $9-million refit is due to be completed Friday at Victoria Shipyards in Esquimalt. B.C. Ferries paid $51 million for the Northern Adventure (plus $17 million in import duties and GST), which was built in Greece in 2004 and formerly named the Sonia.

The Northern Adventure will move to the Queen Charlottes run once the Northern Expedition, expected to be in service by spring of 2009, replaces the aging Queen of Prince Rupert.

Washington Marine Group, which owns Seaspan as well as Vancouver Shipyards and Victoria Shipyards, withdrew from bidding for the northern vessel because of the tight deadlines to build a vessel.






FERRY RISING: The Coastal Renaissance, two passenger decks above two vehicle decks, under construction at the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft shipyard in Germany. Renaissance is expected to start sailing the Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay route this fall.
http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/gallery/tc3/ferry-decks.jpg





The new vessels will have propellers on both ends. They'll be the world's largest double-ended ferries. With this design, vessels won't have to turn around when they leave or arrive at a port.
http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/gallery/tc3/ferry-end.jpg




On the Coastal Renaissance, the lower vehicle deck comes together. Involved in the project are Andrew Martin, left, engineering manager in B.C. Ferries' new vehicle construction department, and Raimon Strunck, Flensburger's mechanical engineer.
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Dale Phipps, senior master in the new vessel construction department at B.C. Ferries, with one end of the Coastal Renaissance. "We make sure it is on time and on track, and that nothing untoward takes place."
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Buffet area of new Super-C class ferry. Three Super-C ferries are being built in Germany. Buffet service will be offered on the one serving the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay run.
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Food service area of new Super-C class ferry. Two of the vessels, Renaissance and the Inspiration, will travel the Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay route. They will have two coffee bars and a cafeteria. The Celebration, destined for the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen route, will have a buffet in place of one of the coffee bars.
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Coffee bar on Super C ferry. All three vessels will have at least one coffee bar.
http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/gallery/tc3/ferry-coffee.jpg



Food service area on the new Super C class ferry.
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Area around the gift shop on the new Super C class ferry. The new vessel will be able to hold 1,500 passengers and 370 cars.
http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/gallery/tc3/ferry-shop.jpg



Lounge area on the Super C ferry. The vessels will offer more seating area than comparable vessels in service now.
http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/gallery/tc3/ferry-lounge1.jpg

From birth to berth: The making of a ferry


Dave Obee, Times Colonist
Published: Sunday, March 11, 2007

SPECIAL REPORT ON B.C.'S NEW FERRIES

FLENSBURG, Germany - The Canadian flag flies in front of the head office of Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, along with a German one and another with the company's logo.

The Canadian one makes sense, given that the shipyard has about 500 people working on four B.C. Ferries vessels.

The three Super-C class ferries -- the Coastal Renaissance, the Coastal Inspiration and the Coastal Celebration -- are in various stages of completion. The fourth ferry -- the $133-million northern vessel, to be known as the Northern Expedition -- is in the design phase.

A visit to the company's shipyard offers a crash course on what it takes to build a ferry.

In the slipway in the main build hall, the Coastal Renaissance is about 75 per cent completed. Beside it, workers are welding steel into modules that will become the Coastal Inspiration. Outside, steel is being delivered for the Coastal Celebration. And inside, the Northern Experience exists in digital form, on computers.

The Coastal Renaissance, the first of the three Super-C ferries being built for a total of $334 million, will leave the slipway on April 19. Soon after, its deckhouses will arrive from a shipyard in Gdansk, Poland. Raimon Strunck, Flensburger's mechanical engineer, said the yard will use a floating crane to move these 600-tonne components into place.

Outfitting of all public places will be done in May, and then testing will take place on a few thousand components, as well as how they are used.

Each of the three Super-C ferries will be made of 92 modules, most of them with three or four subsections, and weighing up to 200 tonnes apiece.

These prefabricated modules are joined together in the slipway, starting with the engine rooms, at the centre of the vessel, and moving up and out. The heavier, more compact modules are at the bottom, with lighter ones at the top.

Modules already have the piping in place, and have been taken as close to completion as possible. It's easier, after all, to weld steel together if it's easy to get to.

As the modules come together, much as a Lego set does, the ferry starts to take shape. The vehicle decks of the Renaissance already look like vehicle decks, although with a lot of construction equipment. The upper decks will need more interior finishing before the casual observer will be able to tell what belongs where.

As soon as the Renaissance is moved outside, where the finishing work will be done, workers will get busy on the Inspiration. The first modules are in pre-assembly, and the first checks have already been done on components such as bow doors and rudders.

The first steel for the Celebration is due to be cut on April 10, and it will follow the Inspiration into the slipway.

The Northern Expedition, due to enter service in 2009, has already gone through basic testing on computers and, at a lab in Copenhagen, with a scale model.

The model is used to check for propulsion capability and maneouvrability, based on the requirements of the terminals at Port Hardy, Prince Rupert and Skidegate.

The computers at Flensburger allow designers to take three-dimensional tours through the vessels long before steel is cut, making it easier to spot and correct potential problems.

Strunck said inspections need to be done at every step of the process, because Flensburger is working on a tight schedule and cannot afford major delays. "If we wait until we have a complete ship, it is too late," he says.

The work is being monitored by four employees of B.C. Ferries.

"We make sure it is on time and on track, and that nothing untoward takes place," said Dale Phipps, senior master in the new vessel construction department. "We can't have a delay here, because in Canada, plans are being made based on it being in service by a certain time."

This is a half-billion-dollar project, with many potential problems in the details. The B.C. Ferries staff members are making changes to the plans as the work progresses, but keeping an eye on Flensburger's master schedule.

Phipps points to the chief steward's office on the Renaissance as an example. It became obvious that the office would be too small, so they moved a wall. It had to be changed on only one ferry, because the plans for the next two ferries have been adjusted to allow for the larger office.

The ferry staff members have dealt with a few hundred small detail decisions, such as the location of telephones and how they will work. They also inspect every weld on the ferries, making sure that potential problems are caught as soon as possible.

As soon as each ferry is finished, it will be taken out for five to seven days of more tests. About 150 people, including a dozen from B.C. Ferries, will be on board to check to make sure everything works as it should. "That includes everything from the door latches to the main engines," says Phipps.

Engineers will find out how the ferries respond when stopping, starting, turning, and running flat out. They will run emergency drills, and see how it copes with equipment failures.

The information gathered will be used in the training manuals that B.C. Ferries staff members are preparing for the day when the vessels arrive in B.C. waters.

Once the sea trials are finished, each ferry will be prepared for its delivery to Canada.

Flensburger is responsible for getting the ferries to Vancouver, and has hired the Dutch company Redwise Maritime Services to deliver them. Four B.C. Ferries staff members will make the trip.

After leaving Flensburg, the ferries will be taken through the Kiel Canal then along the European coast to Gibraltar. They will then go to the Canary Islands, across the Atlantic to the Panama Canal, then up the coast.

Trafford Taylor, the executive vice-president in charge of new vessel construction and industry affairs, said the delivery schedule will allow for the ferries to stay in a port for a few days if the weather does not look good.

Some crew members are being trained in Flensburg, but most of the training will be done in B.C.

Each crew member will get five to 20 days of training, varying with the job and the route.

- ON THE WEB: Watch the progress on the ferries at www.fsg-ship.de/ and click on Ro-Ro's Grow

- - -

THE TIMELINE

Coastal Renaissance

Aug. 30, 2006 Steel cutting

Jan. 4, 2007 Keel laying

April 19, 2007 Launching

Sept. 5, 2007 Trials to be completed

Sept. 21, 2007 Departure

Oct. 25, 2007 Arrival in B.C.

November 2007 Training begins

December 2007 In service Horseshoe

Bay-Departure Bay

Coastal Inspiration

Dec. 19, 2006 Steel cutting

April 23, 2007 Keel laying

Aug. 31, 2007 Launching

Dec. 19, 2007 Trials to be completed

Jan. 18, 2008 Departure

Feb. 21, 2008 Arrival in B.C.

March 2008 Training begins

April 2008 In service Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay

Coastal Celebration

April 10, 2007 Steel cutting

Sept. 3, 2007 Keel laying

Dec. 14, 2007 Launching

April 16, 2008 Trials to be completed

May 9, 2008 Departure

June 23, 2008 Arrival in B.C.

July 2008 Training begins

July 2008 In service Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen

Northern Expedition

September 2007 Steel cutting

June 16, 2008 Keel laying

Sept. 29, 2008 Launching

Jan. 9, 2009 Trials to be completed

Jan. 31, 2009 Departure

Feb/Mar 2009 Arrival in B.C.

March 15, 2009 Training begins

May 2009 In service on

northern routes

THE SHIPYARD

Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft:

Flensburg, Germany

Founded: 1872

Staff: 650-700

Owner: Oldendorff Carriers, Lubeck

Annual sales: 125 million euros

(193 million Cdn)

Steel used in a year: 23,000 tonnes

Current orders

B.C. Ferries -- Four ferries, deliveries

2007, 2008 and 2009

United Nations -- Two vessels to move transport trucks between Trieste, Italy and Istanbul, Turkey.

Cobelfret -- Four vessels for freight transport in northern Europe.

Flensburger has delivery commitments through 2011.

Past work

U.K. Ministry of Defence -- Four support vessels: the Hurst Point, Eddystone, Longstone and Beachy Head

Smyril Line -- 1,482-passenger,

440-vehicle vessel.

UN -- Ten vessels to move transport trucks between Trieste, Italy and Istanbul, Turkey.

DFDS Tor -- Six vessels for freight transport in northern Europe.

Cobelfret -- Two vessels for freight transport in northern Europe.


© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007

Pictures of the newly refurbished North Adventure, formerly named Sonia X, that will service northern routes, replacing the Queen of the North which sunk last year, killing two.

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Emergency life-raft and chute
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Coastal Renaissance pics:

http://www.fsg-ship.de/berth/733/thumbs/

Go to Ro-Ro's (Roll-on; Roll-off) grow for technical data, etc.

http://www.fsg-ship.de/

Neat construction pics! Be fun to ride on the new ferries. To bad they are not going to come with a fare decrease :(

if that shipyard can build good U-boats, they can build good ferries... at least that's what i'm hoping

nice - went on a ferry last summer and was surprised how nice they were compared to the previous time i was on which was like 1992 - this will be even better

nice - went on a ferry last summer and was surprised how nice they were compared to the previous time i was on which was like 1992 - this will be even better

lol yea. A month ago, i boarded the Queen of Vancouver Island to Swartz Bay.....it was quite nice. Came back on the Queen of Coquitlam....was quite disgusted.

For Immediate Release 07-020 March 12, 2007

BC FERRIES’ NEW NORTHERN VESSEL OPENS ITS DOORS TO THE PUBLIC
MV Northern Adventure to host a series of open houses

VICTORIA – BC Ferries will host a series of open houses this month to give all members of the public an early preview of its newest ship, the MV Northern Adventure. The vessel will officially commence service on the north coast routes on March 31, 2007, pending completion of crew training and dock trials.

“BC Ferries is proud to showcase the MV Northern Adventure and give the public an opportunity to see the outstanding travel experience that awaits them on the scenic north coast this spring and summer,” said David L. Hahn, BC Ferries’ President and CEO. “When it starts service on our Port Hardy – Prince Rupert and Prince Rupert – Queen Charlotte Islands routes, this vessel will bring enhanced service and an unparalleled travel experience to our local customers and those visiting northern B.C. from throughout the world.”

The MV Northern Adventure will be available for public tours at the following times:
Location: Date: Time:
Canada Place, 999 Canada Place Way, Vancouver Saturday, March 17 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Skidegate Terminal, Queen Charlotte Islands Tuesday, March 27 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Prince Rupert Terminal, 2000 Park Avenue Wednesday, March 28 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm
McLoughlin Bay Terminal, Bella Bella, Waglisla Thursday, March 29 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Bear Cove Terminal, Port Hardy Friday, March 30 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Purchased last year and transported to British Columbia, the two-year old Northern Adventure has been completely renovated and modified for service on the north coast. Take a stroll on one of the vessel’s three spacious outer decks, which have been designed to optimize views and exposure to the region’s spectacular scenery, and check out the Lighthouse Café which allows customers to relax in the open air during the summer season. Inside, discover the Raven’s lounge, equipped with 480 reclining seats, and enjoy a variety of entertainment options with five onboard LCD TVs, all with satellite and DVD feeds. The MV Northern Adventure offers a licensed cafeteria called the Coastal Café, with an array of new menu items to tempt travellers. The ship will also feature Aboriginal art displays and shopping opportunities onboard in Passages Giftshop.

Customers will appreciate the variety of accommodation options the MV Northern Adventure has to offer, including 70 cabins, complete with washrooms and showers, as well as four luxury cabins with TVs, DVDs and spectacular views from the bow of the ship. On the MV Northern Adventure, travellers can explore the northern frontier. The ship will travel from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert, which is the gateway to Alaska, and then over to the mystical Queen Charlotte Islands, the ancestral home of the indigenous people of Haida Gwaii. Come tour the vessel this month and prepare to book your next summer vacation with BC Ferries.

- 30 -

d'oh my dad would have loved to have gone but he will be on the coast in wa state

nice work MR . X , hey maybe we can brake some protesters over her bow to commemorate the first voyage.

long live 2010 . lol .

Didn't realize that the new German ferries would have an outside promenade (as well as the roof top deck) - should be nice!!

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Outside walkway pic (by Brinkmann):
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http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/420217372_7821aa77b9.jpg?v=0

More pics here at Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/bcferries/pool/

Including these renderings of the Northern Explorer (the next northern routes ferry from the same German shipyard):

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The "Discover the North" slogan and Olympics logo look pretty tacky there. Otherwise, nice.

The "Discover the North" slogan and Olympics logo look pretty tacky there. Otherwise, nice.

I hope it's only temporary.

I wonder how much they had to pay to get the rights to it.

Well, guess that curtails the juicy made for TV movie...

Sex act discounted in ferry sinking
Mar, 22 2007 - 2:50 PM

VANCOUVER - As those involved in or affected by the sinking of the Queen of the North mark today's one-year anniversary of the accident, B-C Ferries President David Hahn is again finding himself answering questions about whether sex had a role to play in the events, which lead to the loss of the vessel and the lives of two-people on board.
Rumour and speculation of sex between members of the bridge crew have run rampant since the accident happened.
And while David Hahn is adamant sexual activities did not take place on the bridge that night, he's not as definitive about whether a much talked about relationship between two crew members may have played a role in the sinking.
Neither the company nor union will confirm reports the helmswoman and fourth-officer had been in an argument and as a result been distracted from their duties in the moments leading up to the ship hitting Gil Island.
- CKNW

^ Nah, that'll just relegate it to a CBC made-for-TV from a big screen theatrical.

More Coastal Renaissence pics from Germany posted on Flickr by Brinkman:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brinkmann/

Funnel:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/437392130_91b1825b62.jpg?v=0

Funnel in progress:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/146/429229679_e62b1483ca.jpg?v=0

Stern minus rudder:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/146/429229693_83feca51b4.jpg?v=0

Name plate:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/165/429229688_ae3d611115.jpg?v=0

Structural detail:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/429229673_42938e219a.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/150/429229670_7c318499c5.jpg?v=1174481220

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/161/429229661_f11f296856.jpg?v=0

^ sweet pics!!! thanks.

Updated pics of the Coastal Renaissence.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brinkmann/

The Coastal Renaissence will be launched this Thursday according to this post on the BC Ferries Forum:


Herr Brinkmann has provided a link to a webcam which overlooks the launch site for the Coastal Rennie.

April, 19th, 12 o´clock (local time germany) - 3AM PST I believe...though check on daylight saving time...camera is user controllable for 45s at a time.

http://www.stadtwerke-flensburg.de/index.php?id=233

A couple of new photos on the site, too.

^ wow, thx. huge sweet collection of the construction. love this pic:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/437392130_91b1825b62.jpg

The BC Ferries trademark funnel

Coastal Renaissence has been launched:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brinkmann/

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Here's the deckhouse waiting to be welded onto the structure:

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sweet!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/223/464980008_b12fe8a5ef.jpg?v=0
Reeeeaaal subtle, there.

^ what's subtlety got to do with it?

^^ Apparently some people think the propeller on the side looks like a swastika...real mature...considering it is an international sign.

Shipyard to modify propeller symbols on new B.C. ferry

Judith Lavoie, Times Colonist
Published: Saturday, April 21, 2007

The media pictures of B.C. Ferries' new Super-C-class vessel, the Coastal Renaissance, certainly turned heads.

But not in the way B.C. Ferries was hoping.

So the international propeller symbols painted at both ends of the ship will be replaced with a softer, rounder version in hopes no one mistakes them for swastikas.

B.C. Ferries is asking that they be modified because some people think they look like swastikas.

"The last thing we want to do is alienate anyone, so we have asked the shipyard to make modifications," B.C. Ferries spokesman Mark Stefanson said yesterday.

B.C. Ferries received about 10 calls from people who thought the symbols looked like swastikas, he said.

"We didn't see it that way.

"To us, it's an international prop symbol, but, if people are concerned about it, obviously we are concerned about it, so we will make sure it's changed before she leaves Germany."

Maritime rules demand that ships have symbols showing the location of propellers, but those used on other B.C. Ferries vessels are more rounded and have three blades, he said.

Stefanson said he has no idea whether the fact the new ferries are being built in Germany played a role in the swastika perception.

"I couldn't even speculate about that," he said.

The Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft shipyard, where the ferries are being built, constructed U-boats during the Second World War.

Stefanson said there will be no problem replacing the symbols.

"The [shipyard] is excellent in terms of response to our needs."

The new ferry will leave Germany for Canada in late October and is expected to be on the Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay run before Christmas.

Two other new ferries from the same shipyard will arrive in B.C. next year.


© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007

Moving along quickly - April 20th pics. More pics from Brinkmann:

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I think that must be a mast in the foreground:
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Final Funnel
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^ sweet!

The swastika-like propellor symbol has already been painted over. Talk about responsive!!

April 20th
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April 24th
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/208/471452418_c5f5b7cfee.jpg?v=0

Updated pics - looks much better than the renderings showed:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brinkmann/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/232/471451984_62fca3e3a7.jpg?v=0

Kind of funny that hundreds of ships use the same symbol, and nobody has had problems with it
The ship looks almost complete....

Sweet new pics from Her Brinkmann:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brinkmann/

Bridge end No. 1
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/173/483796167_fb9cc4c826.jpg?v=0

Upper car deck end No. 2
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/483796171_9472e0ea79.jpg?v=0

Solarium (absent windows)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/176/483796191_14025f0b85.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/221/483796921_d7b1de173b.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/212/483796925_22689f09cc.jpg?v=0

Mast and roof (out of bounds to passengers)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/186/483764078_a800f43b3b.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/226/483796929_7d77064928.jpg?v=0

Women's washroom

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/173/483764080_871a32a0d3.jpg?v=0

Main engines (for next ferry) on dock

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/173/483764108_7b831b5f24.jpg?v=0

First modules of the next ferry: Coastal Inspiration

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/483801407_ba17ce1bce.jpg?v=0

More pics - 733 being Coastal Renaissence and 734 being Coastal Inspiration

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brinkmann/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/228/496262758_0d94b0e0fc.jpg?v=0

Main engine:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/222/493612249_e3f61f2518.jpg?v=0

Mast from solarium:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/223/493612219_0e7d6c5064.jpg?v=0

View from helicopter pick-off point (not a helipad, but pick-off point for sick, etc.):
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/230/493612201_bf9de28fa7.jpg?v=0

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brinkmann/

More pics, including the new prop symbol:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/192/514915086_66d6b1e648.jpg?v=0

More pics -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brinkmann/

http://www.bcferries.com/files/AboutBCF/newbuild/SuperC_Side1_600w.jpg
Side 1

http://www.bcferries.com/files/AboutBCF/newbuild/SuperC_Side2_600w.jpg
Side2

http://www.bcferries.com/files/AboutBCF/newbuild/Super_C_active_passwebsmall.JPG




BC Ferries maiden voyage to promote 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
June 11, 2007 | VANOC

Three new BC Ferries that will sail from Europe to their new British Columbia home this fall are being wrapped with a massive invitation to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, announced Premier Gordon Campbell, BC Ferries President and CEO, David Hahn, and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games’ (VANOC) CEO, John Furlong today.

“The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games offer a tremendous opportunity to showcase our great province and country to the world,” said Premier Campbell. “By wrapping the three new BC Ferries in powerful images that promote our province, our country and our Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, we’re inviting the world to join us before, during and after 2010.”

Each of BC Ferries’ three new, 160 metre ‘Super C-class’ ships will be wrapped with massive photographic images and branding colours representing the 2010 Winter Games and the beauty of British Columbia. The wrapped ferries will sail from Flensburg, Germany, via the Panama Canal, to British Columbia this fall and their journey home will include promotional stops in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle to raise awareness for the 2010 Winter Games and to promote British Columbia as a tourism destination.

BC Ferries is collaborating with VANOC and 3M Canada to design and create these giant decals, the largest marine application of printed graphics ever undertaken. The decals will be produced in Vancouver and applied at the shipyard in Germany. Each ship will prominently feature four full-colour images promoting British Columbia and winter sport through the depiction of Canadian winter athletes and VANOC’s signature brand blue and green palate. The first ship, the Coastal Renaissance, will be unveiled with its 2010 Winter Games livery in Flensburg, Germany, on September 21, and will arrive in British Columbia via the Panama Canal in mid-November.

The ship’s promotional images feature short track speed skating at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, men’s alpine skiing (sitting category) at the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games, vineyards near Vaseux Lake in the Okanagan and Nabob Pass situated in the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Region, British Columbia.

The Coastal Renaissance will be put into service in January 2008 and the remaining two vessels, the Coastal Inspiration and the Coastal Celebration, will be in service by the summer of 2008. The new Super C-class ships will be the largest double-ended ferries in the world, with capacity for 1,650 passengers and 370 vehicles.

“BC Ferries is among British Columbia’s most prominent tourism icons, so we’re keen to help promote the 2010 Games enroute as we bring each ship home to British Columbia and then to the passengers we transport annually,” said David Hahn. “The Super Cs are the most advanced ferries of their kind in the world and each ship will be seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors – it’s hard to imagine a more uniquely ‘BC’ way to promote the 2010 Games.”

“Our goal is to inspire excitement and anticipation for the 2010 Winter Games in everyone and to take advantage of every possible and imaginative way to do so,” said John Furlong. “These majestic ships, with their spectacular sport and scenic BC images will be a dramatic invitation to learn more, to get involved and to make plans for the experience of a lifetime in 2010.”



3M wraps up partnership with Vancouver 2010
June 11, 2007 | VANOC

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) welcomes 3M Canada as the new Official Supplier in the Large Format Graphics (building and vehicle wrap graphics) category for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The partnership was announced at a special event with Premier Gordon Campbell and VANOC’s CEO John Furlong, as they announced the collaboration between BC Ferries and 3M to wrap three new, 160 metre ‘Super C-class’ ships with giant images of the Games and the province.

3M becomes the exclusive supplier to VANOC to produce, install, maintain and remove building and vehicle wraps in the lead-up to and staging of the 2010 Winter Games. The six-year partnership includes sponsorship rights for the Canadian Olympic teams at the Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games.

“With the addition of 3M Canada to our family, we create a partnership with a top Canadian company synonymous with innovation and excellence,” said John Furlong, VANOC CEO. “With their innovative wrapping technology – applied to everything from buildings to ships and to vehicles – 3M will help us find creative ways to inspire the world and ensure Canadians feel ownership of the Games. We welcome 3M’s 2,000 employees to the team!”

Vehicle wraps will include vinyl decals, clings, wraps or films bearing graphic designs. The wrapping program will touch vehicles, such as cars, vans and buses that are controlled and operated by VANOC or its suppliers of services.

“3M is providing the canvas to help showcase the natural beauty of B.C. and the artistry of Olympic performances to the world,” said Richard Chartrand, Executive Director, Display and Graphics, 3M Canada. “If a picture is truly worth a thousand words then visitors to the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver can expect to be treated to a storybook event.”

The building wraps will include vinyl decals, clings, wraps or films bearing Vancouver 2010’s graphic designs. They will be applied to privately or publicly owned architectural structures in the Greater Vancouver area and the Sea to Sky Highway corridor. Numerous offices and residential buildings will display designs inspired by Vancouver 2010’s brand colours and Canadian winter athletes. Wraps will be seen in downtown Vancouver, near Olympic venues, at the Vancouver International Airport and on vehicular approaches in Vancouver and Whistler.

About 3M
Established in 1951, 3M Canada Company was one of the first international subsidiaries opened by 3M and remains one of the largest. 3M Canada’s head office and original manufacturing site is in London, Ontario where approximately 1,000 of the company’s 1,950 employees work. Other Ontario plants are located in Toronto, Brockville, and Perth with one plant in Morden, Manitoba. 3M has sales offices in major cities nationwide and a national service network to support customers.

The new ferries look really good with the new stickers. I think it's a smart way to promote the Olympics to the world.

Thats a really smart way of promoting the games! Kudos to the B.C government for taking advantage of the situation. They should take it a step further and set up an interactive display on board the ships where people can walk through and get information and play around at each of the stops. Olympic Spirit on a boat maybe?

The wrapped ships will sail from Flensburg, Germany via the Panama Canal to British Columbia, with promotional stops in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle to raise awareness for the 2010 Winter Games and promote British Columbia as a tourism destination.

The first ship, the Coastal Renaissance, will be unveiled with its 2010 Winter Games livery in Flensburg, Germany, on September 21, and will arrive in British Columbia in mid-November. The ship will enter service in January 2008, with the remaining two vessels, the Coastal Inspiration and the Coastal Celebration, joining the fleet by the summer of 2008.

The wrapped ships will sail from Flensburg, Germany via the Panama Canal to British Columbia, with promotional stops in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle to raise awareness for the 2010 Winter Games and promote British Columbia as a tourism destination.

The first ship, the Coastal Renaissance, will be unveiled with its 2010 Winter Games livery in Flensburg, Germany, on September 21, and will arrive in British Columbia in mid-November. The ship will enter service in January 2008, with the remaining two vessels, the Coastal Inspiration and the Coastal Celebration, joining the fleet by the summer of 2008.

Yea I got that, but it doesn't mention what the promotion will be. Hopefully they set up something on board instead of just using the ships as a sailing billboard.

Anyone else think the ends should have remained white with the images towards the middle? The dark colours kill the profile of the ships.

^ i think it could've been better had they followed with VANOC's Olympic colour scheme along the entire length of the ferry with "vancouver 2010" imprinted in the middle in white. the Olympic/Paralympic logo would also be located there too. it would've been better than using pictures:


http://vancouver2010.com/template_images/interface/common/rightSide_look_panel.gif

http://www.boardoftrade.com/images/2010banners-320w.jpg

'Floating billboards' on voyage from Germany
Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Three new ships being built for BC Ferries in Germany will be turned into floating billboards promoting the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games as they travel to their new home.

In what is being billed as the largest marine application of its kind in the world, each of BC Ferries' new Super-C Coastal-class vessels will be wrapped in images of Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as two images of evocative B.C. scenery.

The project is part of a new deal the Vancouver Organizing Committee signed with 3M Canada this week in which the adhesives giant becomes a new sponsor in the $3-million-to-$15 million category. A large part of the sponsorship will involve 3M applying large-format graphics to buildings, cars and buses owned or used by Vanoc.

But the deal has also paved the way to a special partnership between Vanoc and BC Ferries, which will allow the ships, the largest double-ended ferries in the world, to be wrapped in large-format photographs using 3M's special adhesives technology.

The deal will give BC Ferries and Vanoc unparalleled exposure as the ships make promotional stops in London, site of the 2012 Summer Games, as well as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.

"When people see these boats go by, they will know something pretty darn important is going on here," Vanoc president John Furlong said. "This is a new, innovative and creative way for us to communicate and is an example of the kinds of things we will be trying to do as we go forward."

The ships will be adorned on one end with images of Canadian Olympic speedskaters Francois-Louis Tremblay and Eric Bedard, and Paralympic sit-skier Jeffrey Penner.

There will also be images of a Vaseaux Lake vineyard in the Okanagan and Nabob Pass, southeast of Mount Waddington in the Coast Range.

The ships, which are being built for a total of $542 million, will carry the images until after the 2010 Games when they will be repainted as part of their normal refit, according to BC Ferries president David Hahn,

Hahn said his company couldn't afford a sponsorship with Vanoc but wanted to promote the Games, so it offered the vessels to Vanoc for promotional purposes. He said he didn't want to call it advertising, but rather a "marketing" opportunity.

"I see this as pure marketing," he said, adding that millions of people will see the images and many will want to ride BC Ferries when they come for the Games.

Wrapping objects such as buildings in large-format photographs is not new. At events such as the World Cup of Soccer in Germany and the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake, buildings were adorned with huge images of athletes in action.

But John Furlong, Vanoc's CEO, and Richard Chartrand, 3M's executive director of display and graphics, said it is the first time ships the size of the Coastal class have been wrapped.

Chartrand said the images will be printed in Vancouver over a two-week period then shipped to Germany, where a team of applicators will take three weeks to install them. Both sides of each ship will be covered in a wrap just over 10 metres tall and 152 metres in length. Each side will have 113 panels, using three different types of graphic film or laminate. Nearly 7,000 square metres of material will be used.

The first vessel, Coastal Renaissance, will leave Flensburg, Germany at the end of September for a 45-day voyage, stopping in Rotterdam, London, the Canary Islands and the Bahamas before passing through the Panama Canal. It will stop in Los Angeles before sailing to Vancouver.

The other two ships, Coastal Inspiration and Coastal Celebration, will be finished in January and May 2008 and will make stops in San Francisco and Seattle before heading to Vancouver.

jefflee@png.canwest.com


© The Vancouver Sun 2007

B.C. vessels draw tours to shipyard
First of four ferries due to leave Flensburg, Germany, in late September

Dave Obee, Times Colonist staff
Published: Sunday, June 17, 2007

FLENSBURG, Germany -- The newest vessel in the B.C. Ferries fleet has turned into a tourist attraction at this seaport in northern Germany.

The boats that take visitors on a tour of Flensburg Fjord go right past the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft shipyard, and the tour guides seize the opportunity to tell passengers the new ferries are destined for Canada's West Coast. They even explain, in detail, the route the ferries will travel as they are delivered from Flensburg to Vancouver Island.

These tour guides will be able to give their B.C. Ferries spiel a few hundred more times, since the vessel they are showing off is just the first of four Flensburger will build for B.C.

The Coastal Renaissance is due to leave Flensburg in late September, with the Coastal Inspiration and then the Coastal Celebration following it from the enclosed assembly hall to the open-air dock next door. A few months after the Celebration leaves for B.C. in May 2008, the fourth ferry, the Northern Expedition -- expected to replace the aging Queen of Prince Rupert on the Port Hardy to Prince Rupert run -- will be at the dock as well, as work on it is completed.

The three Coastal-class ferries, being built under a $334-million contract B.C. Ferries signed with Flensburger in 2004, are at various stages of completion. The Northern Expedition, a $133-million project, is in the design phase.

Flensburger officials say they are confident the Renaissance will be ready for planned sea trials in September.

"We see no reason why it won't be on time," says Uwe Otto, the company's executive vice-president. "All of the pieces are in place."

Otto's words are echoed by Raimon Strunck, Flensburger's mechanical engineer, who says the shipyard is past the critical stage where it depends on the work of sub-contractors. The materials needed to finish the job are already in the Flensburger shipyard.

Once the sea trials are completed, the Coastal Renaissance is due to leave Flensburg Sept. 21, wrapped in a giant decal promoting the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

It will probably take four or five weeks for the Renaissance to be delivered to Nanaimo, with stops in London and Los Angeles. In Nanaimo, Flensburger employees will remove the extras that will be added for the journey -- items such as wave breakers and protective covers on the floors and walls.

They will turn the vessel over to B.C. Ferries about a week after arrival. After that, it will take 27 consecutive days for crew members to be trained on the ship.

Don't bother adding up the days to figure out when the new ferry will make its first run between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay. Even the ferry corporation isn't doing that yet.

"B.C. Ferries is firm on this point," says Dale Phipps, senior master in the new-vessel department. "It will go into service when it is ready."

In other words, the corporation is looking for a glitch-free launch, and will set the service date when it is convinced that is what it can provide.

Flensburger has the same idea. The company is responsible for getting the ferry to B.C., and has hired a Dutch firm, Redwise Maritime Services, to do the delivery.

"Our contract with Redwise specifies the safest delivery possible, not the fastest delivery possible," Strunck says.

"It might turn out to be eight weeks rather than four or five. Who can predict the weather?"

The delivery to B.C. will be the longest ever undertaken on behalf of Flensburger.

There is still plenty of work to be done before the ferry is ready to go.

As Flensburger's 600 production employees complete their work, representatives from B.C. Ferries are on hand to monitor quality and deal with last-minute questions.

Five to seven B.C. Ferries employees are working here most of the time, with as many as 13 during peak periods.

Strunck says the best time to become familiar with a vessel is when it is being built. "They can see the systems as they are being set up."

Phipps says all the steel work has been completed on the Renaissance, and crew members are busy dealing with heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems as well as wiring and piping.

All systems are to be tested at the dock before the vessel's sea trials. The tests cover every possible function, from light switches to the main engines. Emergency operations will be checked as well -- which will give about 100 Flensburger employees a chance to go down the 20-metre slides to lifeboats in a mock drill.

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/1f0bf067-5743-47d6-ae7d-9c02ace16232/flensburg-side.jpg


New ferries being built with an eye on future
First vessel to be delivered from Germany this fall

Dave Obee, CanWest News Service; Victoria Times Colonist

FLENSBURG, Germany - Back in the 1960s, when shipyards in Victoria and Vancouver were building the Queen ferries, nobody anticipated satellite television or laptop computers or the Internet.

Today, laptops are everywhere, we expect to be able to watch the Canucks while on a ferry, and the Internet will allow stock on the Coastal-class ferries to be checked on a transaction-by-transaction basis. That means the shelves in the gift shops will be replenished daily.

There will be more places to plug in laptops than on any other vessels in the fleet. Safety messages will be shown on video monitors, according to Dale Phipps, senior master in the new-vessel department at B.C. Ferries.

More features are on the way. The ferries are being pre-wired for wireless Internet access for passengers. In a few months, if all goes well, monitors will show the ferry's location en route so we can finally figure out the name of that island we're passing.

Just as it would have been impossible to predict the arrival of the Internet, however, it's not easy to predict what technology will bring during the four decades or so the Coastals will be in use.

Phipps says B.C. Ferries is doing what it can by putting in extra power, extra fibre-optic lines and the highest data-transfer capability possible. It's easier and cheaper to do that now, rather than when the vessels have been completed.

It will also be easy to modify the gift shops and food-service areas on the ferries, again because they have been designed and built with future changes in mind - with electrical and data-port connections for future use, as well as some piping.

This flexibility goes beyond customer conveniences.

Each of the new ferries will have 38 video cameras keeping an eye on critical areas, with monitors in the wheelhouse, the chief steward's office and the engine control room.

With these cameras, crews will be able to see immediately what is happening throughout the ship. Instead of asking someone else what's going on with the loading ramp, captains will be able to check on the monitor.

The ferries will be wired for a total of 60 cameras, with another 60 possible locations already identified.

The new ferries will also feature remote control of most key functions. The anchor, for example, will be dropped with the push of a button in the wheelhouse - the captain will not have to rely on radio communication.

The three vessels in the new Super-C class ferries, also known as the Coastal class, will be almost-identical ferries that will provide a level of flexibility never before seen in the B.C. Ferries fleet.

The ferries - the largest double-ended ones in the world - were designed for use in all the major ports as well as Langdale, and will include features such as a variety of access points for walk-on passengers.

B.C. Ferries' Phipps says having ferries that can go back and forth without turning around has advantages, beyond the fact that a single-ended ferry would not be able to use the tight Horseshoe Bay terminal.

"With strong winds at Tsawwassen, it could take up to 15 minutes to complete that turn-around," Phipps says.

"That affects our on-time performance."

The first two vessels will be assigned to the Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay route, with the third going into service between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen.

That might not last forever, though, since the Coastal ferries can be moved from route to route as needed.


© Victoria Times Colonist 2007

First of three ferries:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1156/647637667_4adc7db18a.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1383/647637705_5b4cd61eda.jpg

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http://farm1.static.flickr.com/234/514942509_bfa79bca3e.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/227/509192182_6fddf20396.jpg

More pics by Her Brinkmann here:

http://picasaweb.google.de/markus.brinkmann/

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RozmcqWouFI/AAAAAAAAAbU/I7ObrmDwCj4/IMG_7105.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RozmcqWouGI/AAAAAAAAAbc/2F3b2Atefws/IMG_7106.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RozmcqWouHI/AAAAAAAAAbk/9yBiJzeWTyQ/IMG_7108.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RozmcqWouII/AAAAAAAAAbs/iUIPjpUm42I/IMG_7110.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RozmcqWouJI/AAAAAAAAAb0/5QGFc2gmVfo/IMG_7113.JPG?imgmax=512

^ great pics!

New pics from Herr Brinkmann - the wraps are being applied:

http://picasaweb.google.de/markus.brinkmann/CoastalRenaissance

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqC4OUlH08I/AAAAAAAAApw/riIQ0NAwiJk/IMG_7279.JPG?imgmax=640

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqC4xElH1DI/AAAAAAAAAqo/wn05MnuyzxI/IMG_7286.JPG?imgmax=640

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqC6b0lH1RI/AAAAAAAAAsY/e3FkalmI5aI/IMG_7314.JPG?imgmax=640

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqC6SUlH1NI/AAAAAAAAAr4/7GHhSiR0JZQ/IMG_7306.JPG?imgmax=640

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqC6SUlH1PI/AAAAAAAAAsI/B3lu0yrDkcE/IMG_7311.JPG?imgmax=640

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqC5B0lH1GI/AAAAAAAAArA/wN4p8tgBVmg/IMG_7295.JPG?imgmax=640

^ sweet. coming along.

More pics:

http://picasaweb.google.de/markus.brinkmann/CoastalRenaissance

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqhqBrIVHvI/AAAAAAAAAts/gsE_SzEUIJI/IMG_7377.JPG?imgmax=800

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqhqKrIVH3I/AAAAAAAAAus/bhJmxRar8n0/IMG_7385.JPG?imgmax=800

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqhqUbIVH7I/AAAAAAAAAvM/OVQ8YehDpb4/IMG_7390.JPG?imgmax=800

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqhqUbIVH8I/AAAAAAAAAvU/pLZgZiVXLyY/IMG_7391.JPG?imgmax=800

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqhqarIVH_I/AAAAAAAAAvs/Nc1e5q8PtT4/IMG_7395.JPG?imgmax=800

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqhqarIVH-I/AAAAAAAAAvk/S79hupBPwFU/IMG_7394.JPG?imgmax=800

there was a bomb threat called uinto BC Ferries saturday (july 28) and it shut down the tswassen terminal for the afternoon and rest of the day - ferry service didn't resume until sunday

news says someone with a middle eastern accent phoned in from coquitlam centre saying there was a bomb

apparently they never told the people at the terminal what was the actual reason they were being told to leave as they rushed them from the terminal and told them to turn back walk back etc

New ferries security eyed for 2008
More study needed, but Falcon says changes could be coming to fleet

Jeff Rud, with a file from Cheryl Chan, CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, July 31, 2007

New BC Ferries' security precautions to deter potential terrorists and threats of violence could be introduced as early as 2008, says B.C. Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon, who will visit England in mid-September to meet security officials there.

Falcon said in an interview Monday he will meet with security officials for the subway and ferry systems in England, which has experienced recent terrorist violence.

The trip was planned before a bomb-threat hoax shut down Tsawwassen ferry traffic for five hours on Saturday, stalling thousands of passengers.

"I don't want to unnecessarily alarm the public, but I do want people to know that this issue of security is something high on the province's radar screen and something we've been working on for almost a year," Falcon said. "We'll probably have a better sense late in the fall, as to concrete steps we can take.''

Falcon said he asked the deputy ministers of B.C.'s transportation and solicitor-general's ministries a year ago to review security procedures on the province's public transportation systems, including ferries, airlines, SkyTrain and highways.

Meanwhile, Delta police are analysing the audio recording of the 911 call that prompted Saturday's ferry shutdown, and may make the recording public.

A pay phone in a strip mall in the 500-block of North Road in Coquitlam, near Lougheed Mall, was used to place the call, which threatened an unspecified outbound ferry, said Delta police Const. Sharlene Brooks.

BC Ferries president David Hahn, who announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the suspect's arrest, said on the weekend that the caller had a Middle Eastern accent.

BC Ferries media relations director Deborah Marshall said Monday that accountants are still tallying up bills for such things as overtime pay, lost revenue and the cost of complimentary food given to waiting customers.

She expects the total bill will be in the "tens of thousands" of dollars, but noted the company also saved on fuel costs because ferries were not operating. Twenty-one sailings were cancelled.

Falcon said that, if deemed worthwhile, the province would consider measures such as the bomb-sniffing dogs employed at Washington state ferry terminals.

"We would consider all steps if the recommendations coming out of the review that we do with Transport Canada and based on the information we'll gather in Europe are that security of the public could be heightened by that kind of thing,'' Falcon said.

Falcon said BC Ferries handled the weekend situation "very well."

But he said he has been concerned in a general sense with security on B.C.'s public transportation systems for at least a year.

"If something happens somewhere, I want to make sure that we've got a plan in place on how to deal with it, that we're all talking to each other, that we haven't got these silos that are operating independently of each other," Falcon said.

The weekend hoax "highlights the importance of us not being hysterical about the situation but being at least as prepared as we can reasonably be," he said.

Asked whether he sees ferry passengers in B.C. ever having to endure personal scanners or vehicle searches, he said: "I hope not. I do think that the balance you always have to strike in making sure that you have a safe system is you want to have a level of protection that is aligned with the threat assessment."

BC Ferries is in the midst of spending $3.9-million in federal funding to enhance security at its terminals. That work includes new fencing and closed-circuit security cameras, but ferries' spokeswoman Marshall would provide no further details.

The company expects to receive more money over the next two years from the federal government for additional security upgrades.

BC Ferries does no passenger scans, luggage or vehicle checks. Marshall confirmed the fleet does have plainclothes security staff, but refused to provide a total number or indicate where they are deployed.


© The Vancouver Sun 2007

Posted by officedweller, taken by Herr Brinkman.

Only one side has the wrap on it at the moment.

http://picasaweb.google.de/markus.brinkmann/CoastalRenaissance

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RrbILMiAeXI/AAAAAAAAAx8/lXC4TTMSGHI/IMG_8006.jpg?imgmax=800

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RrbHpMiAeNI/AAAAAAAAAws/akgCYOyu2p8/IMG_7934.jpg?imgmax=800

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RrbHpciAeOI/AAAAAAAAAw0/opEmylbLM-k/IMG_7947.jpg?imgmax=800

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RrbH-ciAeVI/AAAAAAAAAxs/U91WbHT-og4/IMG_7975.jpg?imgmax=800

Note the prop symbol:
http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RrbH9siAeSI/AAAAAAAAAxU/5U1UmWrNxXA/IMG_7966.jpg?imgmax=800

The second vessel has been launched!



The second of the new ferries is launched...

Apparently the balloons are environmentally friendly - made of cornstarch to dissolve naturally.

Pics by Herr Brinkmann:

http://picasaweb.google.de/markus.brinkmann/CoastalInspiration

Samples:

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RthjwpZJCNI/AAAAAAAAA1g/kuLwgpOyBOk/IMG_8719.jpg?imgmax=640

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RthkC5ZJCXI/AAAAAAAAA20/CrZJmfvT-sI/IMG_8755.jpg?imgmax=640

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RthkJZZJCbI/AAAAAAAAA3U/m6KdIUR15TM/IMG_8785.jpg?imgmax=640

http://lh6.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RthkLJZJCcI/AAAAAAAAA3c/fOIh4cT7u4Y/IMG_8789.jpg?imgmax=640

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/Rthkc5ZJCmI/AAAAAAAAA4w/gcnU5vNIoxs/IMG_8815.jpg?imgmax=640

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RthkvpZJCwI/AAAAAAAAA6A/A-nICMH24AE/IMG_8832.jpg?imgmax=640

man they look so sweet
anybody planning on riding them soon?
it amazing that they already have the coke machines onboard

More pictures from: http://picasaweb.google.de/markus.brinkmann/CoastalRenaissance



http://lh6.google.de/markus.brinkmann/Rt2lE5ZJDjI/AAAAAAAABCw/OLnrhsaFXjk/IMG_8979.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/Rt2lCZZJDiI/AAAAAAAABCQ/bfymckjWr6k/IMG_8976.JPG?imgmax=512




Car decks
http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/Rt2k5pZJDfI/AAAAAAAABB4/Xfh-8EsbGoM/IMG_8973.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh6.google.de/markus.brinkmann/Rt2k-5ZJDgI/AAAAAAAABCA/iajBlJ1Ey2w/IMG_8974.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/Rt2kkZZJDWI/AAAAAAAABAs/0D82IL4qNYU/IMG_8957.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh6.google.de/markus.brinkmann/Rt2kd5ZJDTI/AAAAAAAABAU/NpEJpVS5aPQ/IMG_8953.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/Rt2lCZZJDiI/AAAAAAAABCQ/bfymckjWr6k/IMG_8976.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh6.google.de/markus.brinkmann/Rt2kb5ZJDSI/AAAAAAAABAM/KZi1FqukJjA/IMG_8951.JPG?imgmax=512




http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/Rt2kSZZJDOI/AAAAAAAAA_s/gXsoIMe8dIY/IMG_8945.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/Rt2kHJZJDJI/AAAAAAAAA_E/y78ebe4v0PY/IMG_8927.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/Rt2jpJZJC6I/AAAAAAAABDM/admX22feyII/IMG_8850.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RrbHpMiAeNI/AAAAAAAAAws/akgCYOyu2p8/IMG_7934.jpg?imgmax=512

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RrbILMiAeXI/AAAAAAAAAx8/lXC4TTMSGHI/IMG_8006.jpg?imgmax=512

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqC4xElH1EI/AAAAAAAAAqw/G05sLGdqVHo/IMG_7287.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqC6b0lH1RI/AAAAAAAAAsY/e3FkalmI5aI/IMG_7314.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqC6SUlH1PI/AAAAAAAAAsI/B3lu0yrDkcE/IMG_7311.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RrbHpsiAePI/AAAAAAAAAw8/DbpVm7Oymtk/IMG_7958.jpg?imgmax=512



Interiors
http://lh6.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RptL00lH06I/AAAAAAAAApU/pBc-gWrszVw/IMG_7248.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqC6SUlH1NI/AAAAAAAAAr4/7GHhSiR0JZQ/IMG_7306.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh6.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqC6bklH1QI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/1oIUBXg7uD4/IMG_7312.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqhqBrIVHvI/AAAAAAAAAts/gsE_SzEUIJI/IMG_7377.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqhqB7IVHwI/AAAAAAAAAt0/l_uW5CSQHv4/IMG_7378.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqhqB7IVHxI/AAAAAAAAAt8/Pf0X9bUBoO8/IMG_7379.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RqhqB7IVHyI/AAAAAAAAAuE/7QEri5TD4tc/IMG_7380.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RrbHgsiAeII/AAAAAAAAAwE/0PKJS-AwcAc/IMG_7913.jpg?imgmax=512

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RrbHhMiAeJI/AAAAAAAAAwM/E1WVLRrnIwA/IMG_7915.jpg?imgmax=512

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RrbHhsiAeKI/AAAAAAAAAwU/aPbPU8QiPbk/IMG_7916.jpg?imgmax=512

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RrbHiciAeLI/AAAAAAAAAwc/rfcp8jQyMS0/IMG_7917.jpg?imgmax=512

nice

when do they get here?

oh just came across this

New ferry delayed because of mechanical problems

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - It hasn't even hit the water and already mechanical problems are plaguing one of BC Ferries' new ships.

During sea trials, problems were found with the propeller system on the Coastal Renaissance. The shipyard says it will take about a month to repair the problems.

The Renaissance is one of three super C-class ferries being built in Germany and was supposed to sail for BC later this month. That has now been pushed back until next month.

http://www.news1130.com/news/topstory/article.jsp?content=20070905_072150_2540

BC Ferries to hike fares up to 25 per cent

Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun
Published: Saturday, September 15, 2007

BC Ferries travellers will see fare hikes of up to 25 per cent on some routes over the next four years, company president David Hahn said Friday.

The biggest increases will be on the government-subsidized "minor routes" operated by BC Ferries, while users of the major routes between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island will see increases of up to 15.5 per cent.

The hikes were conditionally approved by the BC Ferries Commission in the spring, but were subject to review by both the provincial government and the ferry corporation.

On Friday, Hahn said the province has indicated it won't increase the baseline subsidy it pays for the minor routes, so he now expects BC Ferries commissioner Martin Crilly to approve the price increases set in the spring.

Crilly must issue his report by Sept. 30. The first of the four-year rate hikes would go into effect on April 1, 2008.

"I don't think anybody wants price increases," Hahn said. "But the fact remains we have a very big system that was allowed to deteriorate for a very long period of time. We can't sail ships that are unsafe, we can't stop fixing the terminal structures that were allowed to deteriorate and we can't have computer information systems that are behind the times. It's not a good answer, but these are required expenditures."

In April, Crilly set a "preliminary price cap" for various routes for a four-year term ending in 2012.

For the three non-subsidized Strait of Georgia routes between Vancouver Island and the mainland, he allowed a 5.4-per-cent increase in the first year, and two per cent with an inflation factor for each of the remaining three years. The rates effectively amount to about 15.5 per cent over the life of the contract, Hahn said.

Crilly also set an initial cap of 3.6 per cent in the first year on all other routes (which are government-subsidized) and annual increases amounting to about 6.5 per cent in the remaining three years. Hahn said the increases, along with fuel surcharges, could see ferry rates rise by up to 25 per cent by 2012.

The province will pay BC Ferries $108 million this year in service fees for the minor routes, which include all of the northern routes as well as the Gulf Islands, Sunshine Coast and inter-island services. The money, which is in effect a subsidy to keep BC Ferries operating on routes that don't break even, is tied to specific vessels.

Crilly's report indicates the service fee will increase to $124.7 million by 2012, reflecting terminal upgrades and new vessels being placed in service.

For example, when the Northern Adventure replaces the Queen of Prince Rupert in 2009, the fee will increase. It will also go up when a new 125-car ferry being built in North Vancouver replaces the Queen of Tsawwassen, the oldest ship in the fleet. Hahn said both the Tsawwassen and the Queen of Esquimalt will be sent to ship breakers in Turkey.

Hahn's comments came at a news conference where he unveiled larger-than-life graphics celebrating the 2010 Winter Olympics that will adorn two more of the new Super C Class ferries being built at a shipyard in Flensburg, Germany.

Earlier this year, BC Ferries unveiled a graphic that will be put on the first of three ferries, Coastal Renaissance, as part of a $2.5-million campaign to advertise the Olympics. Hahn said the promotion will help entice visitors to B.C. before and after the Olympics. The three ferries will cost $542 million to build, and all will operate on major routes to Vancouver Island.

The cost of the Olympic promotion includes a West Coast-style barbecue for 3,000 at the German shipyard on Sept. 21, which Hahn said was a thank-you to construction workers and their families.

jefflee@png.canwest.com

More pics from Herr Brinkmann

http://picasaweb.google.de/markus.brinkmann/CoastalRenaissance

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/Ru-dHQyLL-I/AAAAAAAABLs/bdiluRZBxvM/IMG_00052.jpg?imgmax=800

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RvEG_AYZReI/AAAAAAAABNE/FS-Rfg_5GDE/IMG_9095.jpg?imgmax=800

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RvEHNAYZRhI/AAAAAAAABNc/aBahECbZILk/IMG_9099.jpg?imgmax=800

http://lh6.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RvEHWwYZRnI/AAAAAAAABOM/PsVJD5mMaxQ/IMG_9105.jpg?imgmax=800

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RvEG_AYZRgI/AAAAAAAABNU/XinfuI3aljE/IMG_9097.jpg?imgmax=800

Lots of people eating food on the ferry - the westcoast BC BBQ hosted by BC Ferries for the workers who built the ferry - official delivery today:

http://picasaweb.google.de/markus.brinkmann/2192007BCBBQFSG

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RvQKySbDqoI/AAAAAAAABUM/eQGMdLG45pM/IMG_9201.JPG?imgmax=800

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RvQK2ybDqrI/AAAAAAAABUk/EGOTkJNoESY/IMG_9208.JPG?imgmax=800

http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RvQK6ybDqtI/AAAAAAAABU0/fTJE1zWH4xY/IMG_9210.JPG?imgmax=800

http://lh5.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RvQLOSbDq3I/AAAAAAAABWI/ODgXROJQkHU/IMG_9245.JPG?imgmax=800

Looks like an item was cut off the menu (sign on bottom is cropped):
http://lh6.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RvQK0ibDqqI/AAAAAAAABUc/9s8abiu2Auo/IMG_9205.JPG?imgmax=800

Note David Hahn (BC Ferries President) doesn't know how to hold a paddle:
http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RvQLWybDq8I/AAAAAAAABWw/hTUCd63Ri2A/IMG_9256.JPG?imgmax=800

http://lh4.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RvQMXCbDrgI/AAAAAAAABbY/BcBB-Bgm-WE/IMG_9433.JPG?imgmax=800

http://lh6.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RvQMzibDrsI/AAAAAAAABc8/rp7iKAwdQmk/IMG_9479.JPG?imgmax=800

LOL.....
http://lh3.google.de/markus.brinkmann/RvQLWybDq8I/AAAAAAAABWw/hTUCd63Ri2A/IMG_9256.JPG?imgmax=800


impressive pictures, thx.

too bad that canoe didn't flip over because of david emerson's huge ego.

too bad that canoe didn't flip over because of david emerson's huge ego.

that's just mean. i've actually met Emerson personally a few times, since i know his son. really great guy (Emerson).


why Kokanee? you'd think they'd go for Molson instead.

^^ Because it's the beer out here :lol:
While Emerson may be a nice guy, he betrayed most of his voter base by switching parties....and made it seem like it was nothing.

^emerson just switched over to conservative but he's actually a nice guy. And you can tell he's trying to do his job as minister as well as he can possibly can.

Track the Coastal Renaissence's voyage here:

http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/pl8s/BCF/New_Fy_CR/CR_1G_Charting.htm#CURR

You can see the wavebreaker installed at the bow of the ship for the transAtlantic voyage. The other end doesn't have it.

The ship has traversed the Kiel locks at the Nord-Ostsee Canal (cuts across the Jutland Penninsula so they don't have to travel around Denmark).

Current progress Oct 29:

http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/pl8s/BCF/New_Fy_CR/Charting/Admirality_C1C.gif

^ Some people just don't have better things to do with their time?

Pics in the Canary Islands from the Ministry's website:

http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/pl8s/BCF/New_Fy_CR/LAP_101.jpg
PHOTO COURTESY: J. HINDERKS (FSG) VIA M. BRINKMANN

http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/pl8s/BCF/New_Fy_CR/LAP_110.jpg
Photo: LUIS G. HERRA - SHIPSPOTTERS.COM

http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/pl8s/BCF/New_Fy_CR/Charting/CANARY_ISLANDS_102DC.gif

http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/pl8s/BCF/New_Fy_CR/Charting/004_Atlantic_Chart_1C.gif[/

^ sweet!

Nov 12 update from the Ministry's website:

http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/pl8s/BCF/New_Fy_CR/Charting/0063_Caribbean_East_C.gif

Nov 15, 2007:

http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/pl8s/BCF/New_Fy_CR/Charting/009_Panama_Canal_2C.gif

http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/pl8s/BCF/New_Fy_CR/CR_1I_Charting.htm#PANAMA

Gatun Locks webcam:

http://webcams.pancanal.com/webcam/gatun.jpg?1188684224405

Coastal Renaissance is now behind schedule.

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article.jsp?content=20071119_193334_432

Yeah, it'll be sitting at the entrance to the canal for almost a week before it gets through.

Pics passing through the first set of locks.

http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/pl8s/BCF/New_Fy_CR/CR_1I_Charting.htm#PANAMA

It appears to be close to the Pacific side now.

http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/pl8s/BCF/New_Fy_CR/CR_1J_Charting.htm

http://pathfinder.applocation.net/bcferries/route14.jpg

BC Ferries shows off new ferry in Vancouver Harbour
Thursday, December 13 - 01:07:53 PM Lyle Fisher

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - An exciting day for BC Ferries as it welcomes the first of three new super 'C' class vessels. The 'Coastal Renaissance' was on display in Burrard Inlet this afternoon, making its way under the Lions Gate Bridge around 12:30 pm, then making a 360 degree turn in Vancouver Harbour.

BC Ferries CEO David Hahn says it's been almost 4 years since the project started. "Certainly delivering it on time and under budget has been our goal since the beginning, and we're happy to have people finally seeing it." Unfortunately, rain mixed with snow flurries, and low clouds obscured the view for many people waiting around Vancouver Harbour and Stanley Park.

The Coastal Renaissance showcases a massive photographic invitation to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games that appears on its hull. It holds 470 cars and 1,650 people, slightly larger than the current 'C-class' ferries. Hahn hopes the new ferry, along with two others being delivered in 2008, will serve the BC coast for the next 40 to 50 years.

The ship is now on its way to its new home at Departure Bay terminal in Nanaimo.

http://rogersradiointernet.com/BC/CKWX/images/2007/Coastal%20Renaissance%20vancouver.jpg

^ awww, dang...missed it!

Pictures of the first of three new super ferries arriving in Vancouver Harbour:

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/2741/untitled2vj6.jpg

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/2562/untitled3ed6.jpg

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/7332/untitled4ym5.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/3739/untitled5ir7.jpg

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/4627/untitled6ca6.jpg

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/3349/untitled7gg7.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2203/2108993563_95eaf7d58e.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2162/2109645800_bfd7ab5d7c.jpg?v=0

Pics from the Province and Flickr.

I wonder if mr.x also has an account at this board:

http://ferriesbc.proboards20.com/index.cgi

^ lol, no. i'm only at SSC, SSP, and GamesBids.

^ lol, no. i'm only at SSC, SSP, and GamesBids.

Aren't you nitronuts at CDC?

Aren't you nitronuts at CDC?

CDC?

^ I guess not then. Just somebody who likes to cut and paste your posts, I guess.

By the way,

CDC = Canucks Dot Com

i thought this one was good. the ferry with a faint skyline backdrop.
http://www.bcferries.com/files/AboutBCF/newbuild/super_c_crossing/CR2_lions_gate_600_x_400.jpg

http://www.bcferries.com/files/AboutBCF/newbuild/super_c_crossing/CR_lions_gate_600x400.jpg

http://www.bcferries.com/files/AboutBCF/newbuild/super_c_crossing/CR3_lions_gate_600x400.jpg




And here are pics of it at the Panama Canal:
http://www.bcferries.com/files/AboutBCF/newbuild/super_c_crossing/DSC01418.JPG

http://www.bcferries.com/files/AboutBCF/newbuild/super_c_crossing/CR_Pan_Canal_Gatun_multipass.gif

http://www.bcferries.com/files/AboutBCF/newbuild/super_c_crossing/Pan_Canal_Miraflores.gif

These are great. Thanks for the animated gifs too! Can't wait to sail on one of them. How large was the crew that steered the ferrie across the Atlantic? Where did they sleep?

don't remember the crew size, but they had specially built places for sleeping, that will be dismantled afterwards.

raw footage of the ferry arrival:
ZZPsk38snKk

breaking news on the radio

said the new ferry has a big dent in it

it arrived that way apparently and Germany has to repair it

should be on the 5 oclock and 6 oclock news

can find anything on google news yet

It hit a lock in the Panama canal. Flensburg is responsible for delivery, so they will foot the bill for the repair. Nothing serious though...

All part of the sea trials - in case we run into an iceberg. Good to know it can take a hit. ;)

stupid radio made it sound like a catastrophe :ohno:

at least it didn't sink.



New ferry was damaged during 48-day journey
While travelling from shipyard in Germany hull was dented at Panama Canal, bridge window shatterd; shipyard is responsible for repairs

Times Colonist
Published: Monday, December 17, 2007

The latest addition to the B.C. Ferries fleet sailed into local waters already damaged, having received a dented hull and shattered window from the long voyage here from Europe, said a B.C. Ferries spokeswoman yesterday.

Coastal Renaissance has a crease in its hull and a cracked bridge window, both due to the rigors of the transit from the German shipyard where it was built.

"The ship did come in contact with a structure in one of the locks when it was going through the Panama Canal," said Deborah Marshall, spokeswoman for B.C. Ferries, explaining the 1.5-metre dent in the hull above the water line.

Also, one layer of a double-paned bridge window in the bridge shattered, likely due to the twisting movement of the ship in heavy seas, Marshall said.

"We've had that happen to our C class vessels as well. Sometimes when the ship is flexing, it can cause a crack."

She described the damage to the hull and bridge window as "quite minor" and won't necessitate the ship going into drydock here.

Any damage sustained from the voyage will be paid for by the shipyard, Marshall said.

Coastal Renaissance left Germany Oct. 27 and arrived in B.C. waters on Dec. 13.

"We've officially taken possession of it now but under the contract they were responsible for delivering it here."

There's no estimate of what repairs might cost, she said.

The Coastal Renaissance is expected to go into service between Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay in March, after a period where the crew is trained.

The vessel already has been inspected by Transport Canada approval to sail here "and a 10,000-nautical-mile journey was a good trial period," Marshall said.

Welcome aboard Coastal Renaissance
It's plush, quiet and the first of three proud additions to BC Ferries

Bruce Constantineau, Vancouver Sun
Published: Thursday, December 20, 2007

NANAIMO -- It already has a nine-metre "cosmetic dent" in its hull shell, thanks to a run-in with a low concrete pier in the Panama Canal.

But BC Ferries' first Super C-class vessel -- the German-built Coastal Renaissance -- also has floor-to-ceiling windows, a VIP lounge, more washrooms, and a faster cruising speed than any other ferry in the fleet. All with a coastal rainforest interior design.

Ferry officials proudly put their newest addition on display Wednesday in Nanaimo, less than a week after it completed a 48-day, 16,100-kilometre voyage from Flensburg, Germany.

The ship is the first of three BC Ferries Super C-class vessels -- built for a total of $542 million -- and is expected to ply B.C. waters by next summer.

The Coastal Renaissance begins service on the Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay run in March; Coastal Inspiration will serve the Duke Point-Tsawwassen route and Coastal Celebration will operate on the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen run by next summer.

BC Ferries chief operating officer Mike Corrigan said the minor scrape caused by the Panama pier incident will have no impact whatsoever on the vessel's seaworthiness.

Ship manufacturer Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft will pay the dent repair costs during the new ship's first drydocking, expected in two years.

"Passengers will really notice the quietness of the vessel," Corrigan said in an interview. "Having a longer vessel with an extra passenger deck gives us a chance to provide for a completely different standard of comfort and convenience."

The Coastal Renaissance is 160 metres long, compared with 145 metres for existing C-class ferries. It can carry 1,650 passengers and 370 vehicles, compared with about 1,300 passengers and 330 vehicles on regular C-class vessels.

Coffee and food service areas on the new ferry are located in prime locations at the front and back of the ship, allowing for panoramic 180-degree views. For $10, passengers can use a quiet VIP lounge -- the Seawest lounge -- that will provide non-alcoholic drinks, appetizers and reading material.

Corrigan said the ship's service speed of 21 knots -- with the ability to go up to 23 knots -- will allow it to better maintain its schedule if it falls behind. Other BC Ferries vessels have service speeds of 19 to 20 knots.

The ship's diesel-electric propulsion system is 30 per cent more efficient than engines on older ferries, he said, resulting in annual fuel savings of more than $5 million when all three Super C-class vessels are operating.

BC Ferries engineering superintendent Andrew Martin, who spent two years in Germany working on the new ferry project, noted that any water that builds up on the ship's vehicle deck will be collected and processed -- rather than allowing traces of fuel and oil to leak into the ocean.

The Super C-class vessels are the largest double-ended ferries in the world -- with two bridges, two sets of steering gear and two propellers that allow for easier docking and undocking, eliminating the need to turn the vessel around.

The ship's coastal rainforest interior was designed by Vancouver-based SmartDesign Group. Company representative Rob Schneeweiss said the next two Super C-class ferries will feature themes that reflect "beach textures" and West Coast sunrises and sunsets.

bconstantineau@png.canwest.com

Beer/wine on B.C. ferries?

Since Expo 86, B.C. has slowly emerged from the Victorian era and cast aside many antiquated liquor laws. Not too long ago, you couldn't have a drink on Sundays, bars had to close on election day and import draft ales were considered contraband.

But while further reforms are forthcoming and others are in the discussion stages, there's one area no one dares mention--alcohol sales on B.C. Ferries.

Limited, controlled alcohol sales on the major routes is not an absurd notion. Other jurisdictions manage to do so without incident.

Providing an opportunity for travellers and visitors to sample some of the superb products from B.C.'s small brewers and wineries is not unreasonable.

A small tasting area with strict controls in no way implies drunken carnage on the high seas.

It is an absurd and reckless leap in logic to assume a modest tasting room would result in drunken motorists plunging into the Pacific Ocean and causing pile-ups on exit ramps.

It reminds me of the previous federal election campaign when a Liberal strategist rejected Stephen Harper's proposal to give every family a hundred dollars, per child, per month, rather than set up a national day care centre. The strategist pompously declared parents couldn't be trusted and would spend the money on beer and popcorn.

Of course the concept of serving alcohol on a ferry with a couple decks of cars below would be a tough sell. When rumours about this type of thing circulated a few years ago, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was quick to raise the hue and cry. MADD has long advocated people who have even one drink before driving should be treated like criminals. It's interesting though, that they were quite willing to cut themselves a whole lot of slack when it was determined their fundraising strategies were deceptive and highly questionable. Investigators found that less than 20 per cent of moneys raised were actually used for victim services and combating impaired driving. The rest went straight into the pockets of telemarketers and door-to-door canvassers. So it's unclear how legitimate a voice this group has in the area of social responsibility.

But if you think this through rationally, it's a reasonable and responsible proposition.

This isn't about a floating sports bar with cheap pitchers and shooter girls. Customers could be restricted to one visit to sample a selection of tastings and sales could be suspended well in advance of arrival time.

And keep in mind that the majority of ferry patrons are passengers, not drivers.

The route from the mainland to Vancouver Island is one of the wonders of the world. Why not complement the breath-taking scenery with a sampling of some of the finest craft ales and wines on the planet? B.C.'s small brewers are making world-class ales. Wineries throughout the province are setting the industry standard. Let's give first-time visitors and other ferry travellers the opportunity to sample these award-winning offerings.

And, rest assured, there are some built-in, institutional safeguards for such a proposal.

We are, after all, talking about B.C. Ferries, where it takes 45 minutes to get a grilled cheese sandwich.

Over-service and over-consumption are highly unlikely to ever be issues aboard this Crown corporation.

Bring on the tasting lounge.

- John Martin is a criminologist at the University College of the Fraser Valley. He can be contacted at John.Martin@ucfv.ca.

http://www.canada.com/chilliwacktimes/news/opinion/story.html?id=5d1e87af-e97a-4cb2-ab27-da6303b2ac9f&k=84046

How about allowing alcohol to be bough in *gasp* a convenience store? I guess the rest of the world is crazy and we are the only ones that are sane...
Simple solution to the worries, make them show their ticket when buying an alcoholic drink...

I think a wine and beer bar would be a better allocation of prime space than a premium quiet lounge.

The on-board gift shop would be another good place to sell these wines and beers by the bottle, if they'd lax their liquor laws.

Well, if it's limited/controlled sales, I guess it still kind of sucks for everyone. If someone got even a little drunk, they might just jump off the ferry (maybe, I just thought it was funny).

I still think it isn't a really good idea...

BC Ferries holding open house to show off new ferry

Thursday, January 17 - 04:40:00 AM

Kari-Lyn Twidale
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - BC Ferries is having an open house this weekend to show off the new Coastal Renaissance.

The company is holding an open house on Sunday afternoon at Canada Place where the ship will be docked.

The German-built ship, the first of three giant new ferries, will go into service between Nanaimo and Horseshoe Bay in March. The ferry can carry 1,600 passengers and 370 vehicles.

It's already docked at Canada Place - west side - came in at about noon today (Thursday)


Posted by Ferrynutseattle on the Ferries of BC Forum:

http://photobucket.com/albums/q309/ferrynutseattle/CR01-17-2008ArCanPlace.jpg

BC Ferries holding open house to show off new ferry

Thursday, January 17 - 04:40:00 AM

Kari-Lyn Twidale
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - BC Ferries is having an open house this weekend to show off the new Coastal Renaissance.

The company is holding an open house on Sunday afternoon at Canada Place where the ship will be docked.

The German-built ship, the first of three giant new ferries, will go into service between Nanaimo and Horseshoe Bay in March. The ferry can carry 1,600 passengers and 370 vehicles.

sweet, i'm definitely going.

BC Ferries Leaks Money, Riders
Falling passenger numbers have critics sounding alarms.

By Andrew MacLeod
Published: March 11, 2008

Unless there's a course correction soon at British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., in a few years British Columbians may look back at a corporate crash and wonder what the people now at the helm were smoking.

The quasi-private, publicly owned company released its quarterly report last week for the period that ended on Dec. 31, 2007. The company expected to lose money in the quarter, but it lost about five times as much as it did during the same period last year.

At least part of the story is a fall in the number of vehicles and passengers.

"I'm not surprised at all the trend is going downwards," said NDP ferry critic Gary Coons. "Fares are just skyrocketing. The minor routes are feeling a huge crunch. Somewhere along the line it's going to crash."

Fares have increased by as much as 55 per cent since 2003 on some routes, will rise again April 1 and are expected to double again by 2012.

Traffic on the major routes between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island has been steady and had roughly the same volume in 2007 as in 2005. The northern routes, which went several months without a replacement for the Queen of the North after it sunk, obviously had a large decline.

There's been a large drop as well, however, on the ferry service's "other" routes which serve many communities on the Gulf Islands and along the coast. Vehicle trips fell by 46,300 and passenger trips by 116,100 in a year. Compared to two years earlier, passenger trips on the routes are down by 2.4 per cent.

Nobody from B.C. Ferries was available to discuss the figures.

Number of factors

At the end of February, however, B.C. Ferries filed its Management's Discussion & Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2007 with the Canadian Securities Administrator's SEDAR filing system.

The drop in passengers is no big deal, it said.

"Ferry traffic levels are affected by a number of factors, including transportation costs, the value of the Canadian dollar, weather, global security, levels of tourism, disposable personal income, the local economy and population growth," the discussion said.

"During the last two fiscal years, traffic levels were negatively affected by the loss of capacity on our northern routes, an unprecedented number of severe wind and snow storms in November and December 2006, and the implementation of three fuel surcharges."

Compared to five years ago, it said, the numbers are "trending upwards" and added, "Over the next few years, we anticipate modest traffic volume increases on all our routes."

Five years ago, it should be noted, tourism numbers dropped throughout North America following the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York. While the industry has since rebounded, ferry traffic has not.

Tourism consultant surprised

The drop in passengers should have been anticipated. A 1997 B.C. Ferries study found that on the minor routes a bump in fares of 10 per cent would decrease the number of users by three per cent. On the major routes the decrease would be five per cent.

Observers, however, aren't so sure, given the weak recent performance.

"I'm a bit surprised they haven't seen stronger growth," said Frank Bourree, a tourism consultant with Chemistry Consulting Group Inc. in Victoria. The tourism industry has been generally strong in the past two years. "Tourism numbers have been strong onto Vancouver Island."

Part of the explanation may be changes to the tourism industry in general. "We had a record last year, but it's a different kind of tourist," he said. The number of Americans visiting has dropped by 35 per cent from five years ago, and that's likely to continue with new passport rules coming into effect.

The void for the ferries has not been filled by British Columbians travelling. Many people in the Lower Mainland think ferry tickets are too expensive, he said. "There's been some price perceptions over there." Still, with the new German-built ships arriving, more people may make the trip. "I think with the new ships coming on line in Nanaimo they're going to attract a lot of attention and reduce some of the wait times," he said. "You might get some new trial."

Rising fares blamed

Fares have already risen in the order of 55 per cent on many routes over the past five years. With fares set to rise again on April 1, the NDP's Coons said, passenger numbers will get worse. "I predict ridership's going to go down."

Peter Larose, the director of policy and planning for the Council of Tourism Associations of B.C., said the organization is concerned about future fare increases. COTA made a submission to ferry commissioner Martin Crilly when he was considering B.C. Ferries 2008-2012 plans for price caps and service levels. "We didn't want to see a substantial increase in fares and certainly didn't want to see a reduction in service."

As a business organization, he said, COTA is sympathetic to the ferry company managing its affairs with an eye on the bottom line. But with fares set to double, he said, it will escalate the effect on passenger levels and tourism patterns. "That has to have some form of impact," he said. "You're starting to impact travel behaviours significantly there."

He also pointed out the biggest drop has been on the secondary routes, especially in the off season. Many locals are cutting their trips and staying home, he said.

Locals staying put

Coons has visited 29 ferry-dependent communities in recent months to hold town hall meetings and discuss ferry service. He's heard a lot about the service and the rising cost, he said. "It's a pretty horrific thing happening in the smaller communities."

The government needs to fund the system better, he said. The cost should be shared among all British Columbians, he said, the same way improvements to the Sea-to-Sky Highway or Kelowna's William R. Bennett Bridge are. "It's a marine highway. They have to treat it the same way as other transportation links."

B.C. Ferries' financial situation could make that hard to do. The quarterly results show the company lost $7.8 million in the three months ending Dec. 31, 2007. That compares with $1.8 million in the same period a year earlier.

The company has debt of at least $750 million, taken on since the B.C. Liberals privatized the former Crown corporation in 2003. The privatization, however, guards the company from having to say exactly how much it owes, said Coons. "I've heard it's closer to 1.5 or two billion they're in debt. That's a real concern."

Dropping traffic levels and reduced revenues will make balancing the books that much harder, he said.

Yea, those rising fares are a huge problem.

So advertising at Canucks games hasn't helped much?

Last time I took the ferry with a car was back in 99 or so, and I thought it was quite expensive back then...it's no wonder they are not getting enough vehicles.

Another reason (why staying at home is viable) is that the Island is more and more developed - so there isn't really the "need" to come to Vancouver anymore.

Coastal Inspiration ferry suffers minor damage off coast of Mexico
Wednesday, March 19 - 11:51:53 AM

Mike Hanafin
ENSENATA, MEXICO (NEWS1130) - The newest ship in the BC Ferries fleet, the Coastal Inspiration, has suffered some minor damage off the coast of Mexico on its voyage to Canada.

BC Ferries says the anchor of the ship came loose during rough weather and scraped along the side of the ship. It caused a minor crack in the hull and some welding is being done in Ensenata, Mexico before the ferry resumes its voyage to B.C. (see location map below).

The Coastal Inspiration is the second of three giant new ferries built in Germany. The Coastal Renaissance arrived in B.C. late last year and went into service on the Nanaimo-Horseshoe Bay route last weekend. Each vessel is capable of carrying 370 cars and 1,600 passengers.

wow....so far, two of the three new ships have been damaged from the voyage.

wow....so far, two of the three new ships have been damaged from the voyage.
Ho was the Coastal Renaissance damaged on her way here? I didn't hear about that (or at least remember it).

Ho was the Coastal Renaissance damaged on her way here? I didn't hear about that (or at least remember it).

Her hull was damaged while going through the Panama Canal.

Her hull was damaged while going through the Panama Canal.
Thanks for the clarification.

BC Ferries Leaks Money, Riders
Falling passenger numbers have critics sounding alarms.

By Andrew MacLeod
Published: March 11, 2008

Unless there's a course correction soon at British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., in a few years British Columbians may look back at a corporate crash and wonder what the people now at the helm were smoking.

The quasi-private, publicly owned company released its quarterly report last week for the period that ended on Dec. 31, 2007. The company expected to lose money in the quarter, but it lost about five times as much as it did during the same period last year.

At least part of the story is a fall in the number of vehicles and passengers.

"I'm not surprised at all the trend is going downwards," said NDP ferry critic Gary Coons. "Fares are just skyrocketing. The minor routes are feeling a huge crunch. Somewhere along the line it's going to crash."

Fares have increased by as much as 55 per cent since 2003 on some routes, will rise again April 1 and are expected to double again by 2012.

Traffic on the major routes between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island has been steady and had roughly the same volume in 2007 as in 2005. The northern routes, which went several months without a replacement for the Queen of the North after it sunk, obviously had a large decline.

There's been a large drop as well, however, on the ferry service's "other" routes which serve many communities on the Gulf Islands and along the coast. Vehicle trips fell by 46,300 and passenger trips by 116,100 in a year. Compared to two years earlier, passenger trips on the routes are down by 2.4 per cent.

Nobody from B.C. Ferries was available to discuss the figures.

Number of factors

At the end of February, however, B.C. Ferries filed its Management's Discussion & Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2007 with the Canadian Securities Administrator's SEDAR filing system.

The drop in passengers is no big deal, it said.

"Ferry traffic levels are affected by a number of factors, including transportation costs, the value of the Canadian dollar, weather, global security, levels of tourism, disposable personal income, the local economy and population growth," the discussion said.

"During the last two fiscal years, traffic levels were negatively affected by the loss of capacity on our northern routes, an unprecedented number of severe wind and snow storms in November and December 2006, and the implementation of three fuel surcharges."

Compared to five years ago, it said, the numbers are "trending upwards" and added, "Over the next few years, we anticipate modest traffic volume increases on all our routes."

Five years ago, it should be noted, tourism numbers dropped throughout North America following the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York. While the industry has since rebounded, ferry traffic has not.

Tourism consultant surprised

The drop in passengers should have been anticipated. A 1997 B.C. Ferries study found that on the minor routes a bump in fares of 10 per cent would decrease the number of users by three per cent. On the major routes the decrease would be five per cent.

Observers, however, aren't so sure, given the weak recent performance.

"I'm a bit surprised they haven't seen stronger growth," said Frank Bourree, a tourism consultant with Chemistry Consulting Group Inc. in Victoria. The tourism industry has been generally strong in the past two years. "Tourism numbers have been strong onto Vancouver Island."

Part of the explanation may be changes to the tourism industry in general. "We had a record last year, but it's a different kind of tourist," he said. The number of Americans visiting has dropped by 35 per cent from five years ago, and that's likely to continue with new passport rules coming into effect.

The void for the ferries has not been filled by British Columbians travelling. Many people in the Lower Mainland think ferry tickets are too expensive, he said. "There's been some price perceptions over there." Still, with the new German-built ships arriving, more people may make the trip. "I think with the new ships coming on line in Nanaimo they're going to attract a lot of attention and reduce some of the wait times," he said. "You might get some new trial."

Rising fares blamed

Fares have already risen in the order of 55 per cent on many routes over the past five years. With fares set to rise again on April 1, the NDP's Coons said, passenger numbers will get worse. "I predict ridership's going to go down."

Peter Larose, the director of policy and planning for the Council of Tourism Associations of B.C., said the organization is concerned about future fare increases. COTA made a submission to ferry commissioner Martin Crilly when he was considering B.C. Ferries 2008-2012 plans for price caps and service levels. "We didn't want to see a substantial increase in fares and certainly didn't want to see a reduction in service."

As a business organization, he said, COTA is sympathetic to the ferry company managing its affairs with an eye on the bottom line. But with fares set to double, he said, it will escalate the effect on passenger levels and tourism patterns. "That has to have some form of impact," he said. "You're starting to impact travel behaviours significantly there."

He also pointed out the biggest drop has been on the secondary routes, especially in the off season. Many locals are cutting their trips and staying home, he said.

Locals staying put

Coons has visited 29 ferry-dependent communities in recent months to hold town hall meetings and discuss ferry service. He's heard a lot about the service and the rising cost, he said. "It's a pretty horrific thing happening in the smaller communities."

The government needs to fund the system better, he said. The cost should be shared among all British Columbians, he said, the same way improvements to the Sea-to-Sky Highway or Kelowna's William R. Bennett Bridge are. "It's a marine highway. They have to treat it the same way as other transportation links."

B.C. Ferries' financial situation could make that hard to do. The quarterly results show the company lost $7.8 million in the three months ending Dec. 31, 2007. That compares with $1.8 million in the same period a year earlier.

The company has debt of at least $750 million, taken on since the B.C. Liberals privatized the former Crown corporation in 2003. The privatization, however, guards the company from having to say exactly how much it owes, said Coons. "I've heard it's closer to 1.5 or two billion they're in debt. That's a real concern."

Dropping traffic levels and reduced revenues will make balancing the books that much harder, he said.

What a bunch of crap this is....the moron who wrote this sounds like a hack for the NDP. For starters, the inter Island routes where too heavily subsidized for far too long and its about time those owners of multi million dollar homes on Saltspring, Galiano, Gabriola, etc.etc. started to pay what their ferry transportation costs actually are. For so many years the major route users have been charged MORE than the actual cost, to subsidize the cost of the inter island routes. More people are flying to Island/Vancouver/Island than ever before, less Americans are spending their vacations on driving tours of the Islands.
And perhaps one of the biggest problems has been the aging fleet (thanks Glen Clark) and the constant breakdowns. Start adding up the lost trips due to one of the old tubs tied up, unable to do its job and you can quickly see where the drop in numbers comes from, never mind the cost of maintaining one of these old boats. Add to that, some of the inter island routes sat for two or three days at a time during the winter wind storms of 06/07. It really doesn't take much of an interruption in service to come up with numbers in the -%2 range.


So many factors are to blame and to put it all on the increased fares is not only shoddy journalism but just plain silly.

See Markus Brinkmann's pics of the Northern Expedition here:

General pics:
http://picasaweb.google.de/markus.brinkmann/NorthernExpedition#

Launching pics:
http://picasaweb.google.de/markus.brinkmann/NorExLaunching_and_Deckhouses#

http://lh4.ggpht.com/markus.brinkmann/SNtr3BXkPeI/AAAAAAAAE6c/8cbLvbTeH6w/s576/IMG_4832.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/markus.brinkmann/SNtr-3vN5HI/AAAAAAAAE8Q/lYWLPtLf-gw/s576/IMG_4894.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/markus.brinkmann/SNvQXWKvPlI/AAAAAAAAFD0/fpO7LM1Zz-Q/s720/pan3.jpg

Adding deckhouses:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/markus.brinkmann/SNuePIgbELI/AAAAAAAAE_M/BsWgpAID180/s576/IMG_4957.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/markus.brinkmann/SNzW3Zqkf7I/AAAAAAAAFH0/ngTtJi5g94c/s576/IMG_5093.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/markus.brinkmann/SNzXB8aWAsI/AAAAAAAAFIU/NcFkXv8hnrY/s576/IMG_5102.JPG

More pics from Markus Brinkmann:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/markus.brinkmann/SN4DHjQlY-I/AAAAAAAAFN0/VFQoTjpuqpk/s576/IMG_5169.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/markus.brinkmann/SN4DJHti-SI/AAAAAAAAFOE/jRHkGZfnT6c/s576/IMG_5171.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/markus.brinkmann/SN4DMjNCUKI/AAAAAAAAFPE/KPmaxkKqQwE/s576/IMG_5194.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/markus.brinkmann/SN-fl2pfk7I/AAAAAAAAFQM/vg0_ILVH700/s576/IMG_5200.JPG

It is a beautiful ship, thanks for the pics.

BC Ferries to reduce some runs during fall, winter

A "significant" drop in passenger traffic in recent months has led to a series of cost-saving measures at B.C. Ferries, including a decision to eliminate some underutilized sailings on major routes, says corporation president David Hahn.

"We're probably seeing right now around a 12 per cent decline in traffic," Hahn said of major ferry routes. "I think it's all tied to the price of gasoline.

"There was a built-in decline tied to the high price of fuel, and now you get the last three or four weeks with uncertainty on the economic front with Wall Street and bailouts."

He said the effect of gas prices on the ferry system is similar to what has been happening with hotels and other segments of the travel sector. In some instances, the ferry fleet's large Spirit-class vessels have been running at capacities far below the 2,100 people and 470 vehicles they can carry, he said.

"There's a Spirit-class vessel with 40 or 50 cars, 150 people on board. It's crazy."

Hahn said only off-peak sailings on major routes will be cut, with the reductions scheduled to kick in Oct. 14 - the day after the Thanksgiving long weekend. Routes affected are Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen, Departure Bay-Horseshoe Bay and Langdale-Horseshoe Bay.

"The flip side of this is Thanksgiving weekend, Christmastime, spring break, [professional development] days - we're going to run all-out, full, regular schedules," Hahn said.

He said the only ferry trips being cut are "fringe-type, low-utilized sailings" that account for about one per cent of sailings on the major routes. On the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen route, 7 a.m. Sunday sailings from Tsawwassen will be lopped, as will some 9 a.m. Sunday sailings from Swartz Bay and some "off-peak" even-hour sailings from both Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen.

The changes will be in effect until at least April 1.

"I don't know where it goes," Hahn said. "If it was to turn around quickly, we'd probably adjust things again."

Dropping selected sailings is needed "for us to save on the fuel, which hopefully will help us reduce that fuel surcharge that's out there," he said.

Other measures being taken include leaving non-essential job vacancies unfilled, restricting administrative spending and substituting certain vessels to reduce operating costs. Hahn said one example is the substitution of the Coastal Celebration for the Spirit of British Columbia on the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen run until mid-December.

"We're going to park the Spirit and run the Coastal Celebration because it's more efficient to run."

He said the situation simply came to a point where action had to be taken.

"I think we're just being smart. I think people are being smart with their money, and I think all we're doing is being smart with the money we have here."

In late August, the release of fiscal first-quarter results for B.C. Ferries showed a drop of $6 million in net earnings for the three months ending June 30, down from $14.4 million in 2007 to $8.4 million this year. At the time, Hahn predicted an overall drop of four to six per cent from last year's record ridership of 21 million passengers and 8.5 million vehicles.

That would amount to a decline of about one million passengers.

Other sailings to be affected are as follows:

Departure Bay-Horseshoe Bay

. 6:30 a.m. Sunday sailings from Departure Bay, some 8:30 a.m. Sunday sailings from Horseshoe Bay

. some off-peak 10:30 a.m. sailings from Departure Bay, some 12:30 p.m. sailings from Horseshoe Bay

Langdale-Horseshoe Bay

. some 6:20 a.m. Sunday sailings from Langdale, some 7:20 a.m. Sunday sailings from Horseshoe Bay

. some 6:30 p.m. Saturday sailings from Langdale, some 7:25 p.m. Saturday sailings from Horseshoe Bay.

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=ff792a80-696e-4e85-bb60-438fe5499c1f

Northern Expedition outfitting pics from Marcus Brinkmann:

http://picasaweb.google.de/markus.brinkmann/NorExOutfitting#

http://lh6.ggpht.com/markus.brinkmann/SOuknhiY9TI/AAAAAAAAFUg/SernjX7xHMQ/s576/IMG_5272.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/markus.brinkmann/SOukymJCDfI/AAAAAAAAFVo/GLS0anYZwmU/s576/IMG_5284.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/markus.brinkmann/SO8xcrWYgfI/AAAAAAAAFco/GQDb1566DVU/s576/IMG_5293.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/markus.brinkmann/SO8xgpsakQI/AAAAAAAAFdY/gEqT4Ny-LUg/s400/visor2.jpg

Last summer I traveled on "Spirit of British Columbia" and "Spirit of Vancouver Island" from Vancouver to Victoria (round trip) and I had a great time on them. I havent been on a ferry (just from San Francisco to Alcatraz) and enjoy the trip, restaurants, cartoons, news, and the views from the ship, also because we have the opportunity to see some killer whales.

yes everyone seems to love the ferries

when you have to rely on them though they suck