521 replies to this topic

[m3m]

So these guys can figure out wifi but BC Ferries insists it’s impossible?

[lanforod]

I’m sure bcf could do it, especially if they partnered up with StarLink, but it’d be an expensive add on and unnecessary.

[Victoria Watcher]

New Hullo foot passenger ferries arrive at Ogden Point

 

The vessels will undergo about two weeks of tests and trials to earn Transport Canada certification prior to heading to Nanaimo.

https://www.timescol...n-point-7194190

 

[Victoria Watcher]

The Hullo ferry service is celebrating the arrival of its two high-speed vessels in Nanaimo, ahead of the company’s launch of its new passenger ferry service between the Harbour City and downtown Vancouver.

 

The two vessels arrived in Victoria from Vietnam, where they were built, on June 26 for final checks.

 

“Most of the work on the ferries in Victoria was preparation work, putting on all the life saving equipment, working with Transport Canada,” said Hullo Ferries CEO Alastair Caddick on Friday.

 

Caddick was tight-lipped about an official launch date, only saying that the new ferry service is still on track to begin operations in August.

 

 

https://www.cheknews...anaimo-1160572/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 July 2023 - 03:52 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Meet Our Vessels

 

Both of our vessels were proudly gifted hul'q'umi'num' names from our parters with the Snuneymuxw First Nation.

 

spuhéls  (spah – els) is the hul'q'umi'num' name meaning wind.

 

spuhéls is in constant relationship with the communities of the natural world. spuhéls keeps the air cool and clean. They bring the clouds who offer the rain to cleanse and nourish the earth. spuhéls moves the water and keeps them fresh and sweet.

 

spuhéls has powered our travel since the beginning of time, connecting us with the communities and places we love.

 

sthuqi' (sta – key) is the hul'q'umi'num' name for Sockeye salmon.

 

Where the salmon live, we live. We have always lived in sheltered bays and inlets, or at the mouths of rivers, out of reach from storms. The sacred salmon taught us how to live, to endure and undoubtedly to keep moving forward. From the beginning of time, our way of life has been built on our relationship with sthuqi', which in addition to being a food resource, is a central part of our ceremonies.

The Ancestors knew the sthuqi' community as fierce warriors and must be treated with the utmost respect. This is their legacy, a gift of deeper understanding into how to be with the natural world.

 

 

Next Steps

 

Our crew will be working diligently over the next couple of weeks to prepare for our first voyage with you all in Early August. As a valued email subscriber, we have an extra special perk for you coming this week, so keep an eye on your inbox... stay tuned! 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 July 2023 - 10:38 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

The new walk-on Hullo fast ferries will set sail Aug. 14 with four daily departures each way from downtown Nanaimo and downtown Vancouver.

 

Bookings can be made starting next week for the 70-minute trip.

 

It’s a tremendously exciting period for us all,” Hullo chief executive Alastair Caddick said. “Our dedicated Hullo crew has been working relentlessly to bring this highly anticipated bi-coastal service to life. We can’t wait to welcome our first guests aboard in just a few short weeks.”

 

The initial schedule will be expanded in the next two months, the company said.

 

Schedule from Nanaimo Port Authority:

 

Departs at 6 a.m., 10 a.m., 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The final sailing may be subject to special events.

 

Schedule from the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre:

 

Departs at 8 a.m., noon, 6:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., final sailing may be adjusted to accommodate special events.

 

The company plans to add additional sailings in the future.

 

Out of Nanaimo, future sailings are planned at 8 a.m., noon and 5:30 pm.

From Vancouver, future sailings are expected to be at 10 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

 

 

https://www.timescol...-aug-14-7301338

[Victoria Watcher]

Belleville terminal case raises many questions

The business case for the $303.9 million Belleville terminal project on the B.C, government website raises issues that should concern taxpayers.

1. It appears that the B.C. taxpayer is exposed to liability for a significant chunk of the $303.9 million with no funding commitment from the federal government, no agreement with Black Ball and the Clipper as to their contribution to the redevelopment costs, and no agreement has been reached of future usage fees.

2. More geotechnical work is required and the detailed engineering is not complete, implying a significant risk of cost overruns.

The table on project costs is very high level and most numbers have been redacted. Supporting appendices have been omitted.

3. There is no comparison of current and future operating costs.

4. The extent to which future operating costs will or will not be covered by revenues and how much taxpayers may or may not be required to fund each year of operation is not disclosed.

5. The discussion on alternative ways to meet the project requirements is very thin. In fact, the section is shorter than the sections on gender-based analysis and child care. Note that the section on labour objectives runs to two pages.

In my experience of life in a public company, if we had published documents like this we would have encountered the wrath of the directors, regulators and the shareholders.

Taxpayers and voters deserve and should expect a lot, lot better.

John Bailey

Victoria


https://www.timescol...g-table-7394135

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 11 August 2023 - 04:49 AM.

[spanky123]

^ I think where John’s analysis falls short is that he assumes the primary objective is to build a new terminal efficiently and cost effectively. In fact the primary objective is to enrich unions and NDP supporters and the projects addresses that very well.

[Victoria Watcher]

Ya.

$300 million.

[Mike K.]

Cheaper than the floated then immediately cancelled billion dollar museum replacement next door, though.

[Victoria Watcher]

 

https://pointhopemar...ime-open-house/

[Mike K.]

Plein air artists?

[Victoria Watcher]

"People that paint, whilst outdoors".

[Victoria Watcher]

The B.C. government says construction on the Belleville Terminal redevelopment project is underway, and that visitors of downtown Victoria may notice more work in the weeks to come.

 

The province says Phase 1 of the $304 million project has kicked off, and includes the construction of wharf upgrades and a temporary terminal for ferry service between Vancouver Island and Washington state.

 

This temporary terminal will ensure that there’s no service disruptions as the permanent replacement terminal is built.

 

 

https://www.cheknews...e-says-1215056/

[Victoria Watcher]

Ryan Burles, president of Black Ball, which operates the Coho vehicle ferry between ­Victoria and Port ­Angeles, Washington, said fewer ­Canadians are getting on the boat.

He estimates American travel numbers to Victoria are up a bit this year, but overall, the company is down 15 per cent because of snowbirds staying in Canada and fewer leisure travellers heading south.

Mark Collins, chief executive of FRS Clipper, which operates passenger ferry ­service between Victoria and Seattle, said the first few weeks of the season have been a challenge.

The Clipper, which has only been in service three or four days a week for the last month after being in drydock in ­January and February, said so far, Victoria-originating traffic is down about 30 per cent from the same period last year, while Seattle-originating traffic is about even with last year’s numbers.

“We were expecting growth in [Seattle-originating traffic] this year of between three to five per cent, and we’re not seeing that,” said Collins.

But the bigger concern is the challenging year ahead for traffic out of Victoria, which represents only 15 per cent of the business, but is still a significant piece, Collins said. “The Canadian market is very, very important to us, even if it is a small proportion.”


https://www.timescol...-south-10400836

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 20 March 2025 - 06:18 AM.

[Mike K.]

Maybe travellers with vehicles are choosing BCF and the Blaine route down. We all know it’s crazy busy on the crossing between Victoria and Vancouver. It’s also so much cheaper than choosing the Coho right now, charged in USD, equal to $110CAD (not including exchange fees) for a car and driver. It’s $86.50 for BCF.

Now if Victoria originating traffic on the Clipper is only 15% of annual traffic, a drop of 30% at this time of year must be a very small amount. It’s hard to say whether the exchange being so bad for Canadians plays a much larger role than we give it credit for.

It’s 70 cents, plus transaction fees. That’s going to put a real hole in your wallet. That means a $25 restaurant meal is $36 CAD straight exchanged, not including credit card fees. The full cost is closer to $40. That’s nuts.

A $300 hotel room is just about $450.

[dasmo]

Yep. Not rocket science here. Too bad downtown is in the walking dead, otherwise we might have more traffic coming here.

[Victoria Watcher]

Clipper has in my lifetime been a mostly “bring US tourists to us” service.

No change now.

[dasmo]

That's obvious by the schedule. Handy for me to overnight at my buddies house for the odd concert though. 

[Mike K.]

With fees the Coho is about $115CAD to sail for a car and driver, compared to $86.50 on BC Ferries.

About a $30 savings. Plus no exchange markup on the boat buying food. Depending on where you’re going, the gas expense might also even out. Hard to say. But for a family of four driving down via the Coho, it will be quite expensive.

Seniors don’t pay the passenger fare to cross on BCF mid-week Min-Thurs, only the vehicle fee. So compare $110 to something like $66 to travel via BCF with a vehicle. Huge difference. If there’s two of you the difference is substantial, nearly $100.