Coastal Renaissance.

[Putterdude]

It probably was the Hollyburn that was brought briefly in the early 1970 to run between North Vancouver and downtown. I say that because the old North Vancouver ferries ran from 1925 until about the mid-1950’s. Then the SeaBus program began in 1976. According to Phil Collings who I believe is the unofficial archivist of West Vancouver, the Hollyburn served West Vancouver in 1935 & 1936 so she must have been built prior to that.

 

Two little stories about ferries, we moved to North Van in 1953 and I can remember riding the old double ended Ferry #5. It think is use to cost kids 5 cents each way but if we were bored during the summer we would go down to the ferry, pay our 5 cents ride over to town then go hide in the bathroom and ride back for free. If we did this a few times if would while keep us amused for the afternoon. The other is that I had a close chum whose father was the foreman painter in Burrard Shipyards and it was amazing how much the blue and white of their house resembled the colours of the BC Ferries fleet.

[scottbee]

...The other is that I had a close chum whose father was the foreman painter in Burrard Shipyards and it was amazing how much the blue and white of their house resembled the colours of the BC Ferries fleet.

 

Have you ever looked at how many coats of marine enamel are on some of the bolts/fittings on the V class boats? There must be a 1/2" of paint thickness.

[Putterdude]

You know I can't say I did however I was in the old Comiskey Stadium in Chicago the year before it was demolished and that was about the thickness of the paint on the seats there.

[Putterdude]

Someone asked me to ask my son about retired ferries being used as floating fishing lodges up in the QCI's. When I asked him he immediately rattled off the one at the St. John Fishing Lodge. I have looked up their website and there it is and I seem to able to make out the name "Queen of..........." I have done some searches to see what it might be but to no avail. Short of phoning them, does anyone know what ship it was or is?

[Urban trekker]

PD - this might help you - if you go back to the early posts there is a link to what happened to the old ferries - when I went back there and clicked on the Queen of the Islands here is what I got:

 

What Happened to the Queen of the Islands

Although the Queen of the Islands as a ferry had numerous problems, she continues to serve a purpose to this day. After being purchased by St. John's Fishing Lodge, the ferry was renovated into a floating fishing lodge. The lodge continues to operate to this day from May to September. The ship is moored in either Caamano Sound or Milbanke Sound (both on the central coast), depending on the fishing season. The ferry now features over 20 staterooms, a lounge and bar, a cafeteria, a nine-hole putting green, a hot tub, a TV lounge, and an exercise room. Under Transport Canada, the ferry is still registered with her original registration number and under her original name, Queen .......

 

This should answer your question.

 

As for the original title of this thread provided it doesn't snow tomorrow I will be heading over to the Island and intend to take the new ferry over to Nanaimo so I will not be on these boards too much over the next week but will check in when there is free internet available and also give you some thoughts on the new ship but in its first few weeks of service there doesn't appear to be a lot of criticism unlike the ship's of Glenn's navy during their maiden days.

 

Time to put the steak on the BBQ.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Putterdude]

Thanks for the information and have a good trip "overseas".

[LeftcoastBC]

you might even see some sun :)

[Urban trekker]

"You might even see some sun" - one of the advantages of being retired and single is that you have more options when you want to travel - I have been watching the weather forecast for the last couple of weeks to see if there might be a few days of sunshine in the forecast and it looks like next week should be okay.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[bcscot]

I will be looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Coastal Renaissance, Dennis. Have a good trip but do not be surprised if you get snow with your sun, the way the weather has been!;)

 

Graham.

[bcscot]

PD- Were most of the passengers on the SS PG, locals going one way or tourists on a round trip to Alaska? Was she more of a ferry or a cruise ship? How did she compare to today's ferries & cruise ships?

 

Graham.

[Putterdude]

PD- Were most of the passengers on the SS PG, locals going one way or tourists on a round trip to Alaska? Was she more of a ferry or a cruise ship? How did she compare to today's ferries & cruise ships?

 

Graham.

 

She was very much a cruise ship but bear in mind she was a scant 5,500 tons, about the same displacement as the Queen of Burnaby. She had an open area forward where a few cars could be loaded by side doors but in the 4 1/2 months I was in her I don't think that we carried 3 cars in total. But there was no road from Skagway in those days. There was also the Alaskan ferries if you wanted to take a car. The pax were treated in the grandest CN Railway Style but she had been built in 1947 and things were a little more primitive, like some cabins had the bathrooms down the hall. I think almost all of the pax were round trip people and they were predominately American. Alaska was a new state and people wanted to go and see it. The tourist boom was on.

[bcscot]

It sounds like you were in on the start of the Alaska cruising PD. Did you see scottbee's thread about the Mercury being in Vancouver today? I note that you were on her last year. She seems to be a popular ship. What did you think? We are booked on her for a week to Alaska in August, our first with Celebrity.

 

Graham.

[Putterdude]

Yes there is no question that the Prince George and the Princess Patricia were the precursors to the cruise industry that we know today. This was a summer job for me but it was a wonderful opportunity. I started as a dishwasher, became the foreman dishwasher and then the burcher's helper who taught me a bit about meat cutting. Actually the butcher's helper was a great job because we could cut several days in advance and then once we sent the meat or fish up on the dumb waiter to the galley we could do nothing, get some deck time or..... We also got paid very well, I had finished university and was working 5 or more years before I earned the kind of money I made that summer.

 

No I really hadn't much checked the boards today so haven't seen any posts on the Mercury; I was playing golf instead. I did know that she was coming into YVR today and was kidding with someone on another thread about that yesterday.

 

She is a great ship, at 88,000 tons she is small by contemporary standards but has all of the features that the larger ships have with a very nice scale to her. X, I think is just a little better than Princess, certainly from a service and presentation point of view. We are little more focused on doing Princess only because often Princess is better value (cost) and then there is the perks aspect of sailing with only one line. We would sail on the Mercury in a heartbeat and she has a very large group of fans, some of which sail on her time after time.

[bcscot]

Not for too much longer though. I understand that she will be transferred to an RCCI subsidiary in Europe once Celebrity gets their new ships.

 

Graham.

[Putterdude]

Not for too much longer though. I understand that she will be transferred to an RCCI subsidiary in Europe once Celebrity gets their new ships.Graham.

 

I have read people speculating that and still others saying she has been sold, all claiming that they heard it from the hairdresser, who heard it from the pursser, who heard from the captain, who was told by??? I did read in our cabin material that she was/is scheduled for a major refit this year or next, so who knows. You would think that from a economics point of view that bigger is better but with the surge in smaller vessels and people really liking (loving) the Mercury, she may continue to have a place in X's fleet.

 

However one of the arguements for moving her is that her balcony cabins really are not the larger ones that the new ships have for the CC class.

[bcscot]

Another poster, recently on the Galaxy, asked one of the officers about the future of the Century Class ships. He was told that the Galaxy will probably be retired from the fleet in late 2009 but the Mercury will likely stay on for another 4 or 5 years. Good news for those Mercury fans!:)

 

Graham.

[Putterdude]

Another poster, recently on the Galaxy, asked one of the officers about the future of the Century Class ships. He was told that the Galaxy will probably be retired from the fleet in late 2009 but the Mercury will likely stay on for another 4 or 5 years. Good news for those Mercury fans!:)

 

Graham.

 

Yes that is kind of my understanding of things as well.

[Urban trekker]

A trip report on the newest vessel in BC Feeries fleet - the Coastal Renaissance - now if you are giving a review you also start with the negatives because you want to get the people attention.

 

Well sorry to disappoint but I couldn't find anything glaring wrong with the vessel but here are some notes that I made and a few comments from some of the on board riders.

 

The Upper Deck #4 can take overheights.

 

Deck #5 wasn't in service on this trip and was closed off but it has another kid's zone and coastal cafe express - why it was closed off I couldn't find out but one of the other regular users said it was operational on previous trips so it might be a staffing issue and the sailing a 12:30 from Horseshoe Bay wasn't that busy.

 

Deck #6 is the main deck with cafes at both ends - Both the Coastal Cafe - full service menu and the new Sitka cafe - light snacks and coffee provide excellent views of the crossing.

 

Deck #7 is the sun deck - it is partially enclosed and their is smoking at one end only.

 

Despite choppy seas the sailing was smooth.

 

One customer seemed to think that the stairwells were narrower - closer to the standard European width.

 

That's it in short - will possibly be on it again Sunday when I return to the mainland and if there are any more observations I will further note them.

 

This report is coming to you from the banks of the Englishman River in downtown Parksville on the east coast of Vancouver Island.

 

Once I leave here today I will be out of internet service until I return hope Sunday evening.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[bcscot]

Thank you for your review Dennis. I may get a chance to cross on her again on Monday, so I will see how I find her second time around.

 

Graham.

[LeftcoastBC]

Thks Dennis

[bcscot]

The Coastal Renaissance does not have a buffet like the Spirit vessels. I wonder if this is due to lack of demand or if it does not pay to run it. I do not use it very often, but it frequently looks very busy.

 

Is this something that others will miss?

 

Graham.

[Putterdude]

The Coastal Renaissance does not have a buffet like the Spirit vessels. I wonder if this is due to lack of demand or if it does not pay to run it. I do not use it very often, but it frequently looks very busy.

 

Is this something that others will miss?

 

Graham.

 

I really don't know, but if it were a profitable undertaking I am sure they would have included it in the design. I won't swear to it, but I think that I have been on the Spirit ships in the winter and the buffet has not been open.

[c-to-sea]

I think I read somewhere that one of the two main food outlets is designed

for conversion to a buffet at a later date. They may be doing some market

research before making any change. I travel Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen mostly

and know that the buffet on the Spirit vessels is usually very busy.

There is a video at http://www.bcferries.com/about/newbuild/superc.html

that shows a buffet configuration at one end of the ship. Click on 'View the Interior....'

[bcscot]

Thank you C for that interesting link. That I think, answers the question. There is a Pacific Buffet but it is not yet open. If I am on board tomorrow, I will try to find out where it is located.

 

Graham.

[Urban trekker]

I would say from looking at the video - great link by the way - that the Pacific Buffet maybe on Deck 5 as the Sitka cafe ( Coffee Bar ) in the video and the Coastal Cafe take up the Bow and Stern of the ship on Deck 6.

 

I came back early today on the Queen of Coquitlam so I don't have anymore to report on the new ship.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis