834 replies to this topic

[Bernard]

Does anyone have any idea what number of people were actually using V2V on a month to month basis?

[Victoria Watcher]

i think on most runs it had well under 40 people on it.

[Bernard]

So not enough to cover the fuel?

[Mike K.]

The V2V Empress is listed for sale at $6 million USD.

[Victoria Watcher]

someone should buy it and start a ferry service to Vancouver.

[Victoria Watcher]

For two years, other than a monthly trip out to sea to keep the engines running and systems maintained, the Empress catamaran that used to ferry passengers between Victoria and Vancouver has been moored just below the CPR Steamship Terminal building.

 

And that’s likely where it will sit for a while, as the market for tourism-oriented vessels remains cold while the pandemic continues.

 

“It doesn’t matter where you go, people aren’t moving around as much and people need to be moving around to run one of these,” said Harry Mose of Pacific Boat Brokers, which has listed the Empress for sale at $4.8 million US, down from an initial $6 million US.

 

 

https://www.timescol...v-ferry-4825430

[Nparker]

To blame this clunker's failure on the pandemic is laughable.

[Victoria Watcher]

Oh I don't know.  Almost no transport is moving at prior levels.

[Nparker]

Oh I don't know.  Almost no transport is moving at prior levels.

That's the thing, V2V is moving at almost exactly its pre-pandemic levels.

[vortoozo]

To blame this clunker's failure on the pandemic is laughable.

 

Who's blaming V2V's failure on the pandemic? They ceased operations before it.

It's the market for used tourism boat resale that's soft because of the pandemic.

[Mike K.]

There is a large catamaran at Point Hope right now. It’s blue with a large maple leaf at the rear.

[laconic]

That's the Cascadia. She's normally docked at Ship Point.

 

https://mapleleafadv...ships/cascadia/

[Mike K.]

Ah, got it, thank you. That vessel breaks down that much that it’s so often docked there?

[Victoria Watcher]

Is this ship still parked downtown?

[Spy Black]

I recall seeing it (while driving by) at it's Inner Harbour dock a few weeks ago.

[Nparker]

V2V has to have been one of the worst business concepts since Target made its abortive attempt at the Canadian market.

[lanforod]

^ i dont think that's accurate. V2V was a bad business concept; we were sceptical of it from the start. Target was a bad implementation - it could have succeeded.

[Nparker]

Target failed to properly assess the Canadian retail market and/or failed to go all in with their implementation. Either way, they were the ones responsible for the failure, just as V2V was for theirs.

[Victoria Watcher]

At least the Lisa Helps voodoo doll was a commercial winner from day #1.

[todd]

If they are just shut down a little bit later they could’ve blamed it all on COVID