It's all in the writing

It's been said that travel broadens the mind - and our recent journey around the Gulf Islands certainly highlighted the very different atmosphere of the various island communities that we visited. Although not by any means the definitive guide, the initial impression created as you land by ferry offers just a hint of what to expect. 

As a benchmark, take the approach to Saltery Bay, the northern terminal on the Sunshine Coast's ferry link from Earls Cove. Simple, business-like and informative. Just in case you've forgotten that you are, in fact, aboard one of BC Ferries' fleet, the sign is there to remind you.

The same corporate image announces your arrival at Sturdies Bay. For the well infomed, it will be evident that you are about to land on Galiano Island. For the uninitiated, however, you could be just about anywhere. It is rumoured that the local businesses maintain this anonymity as a way of convincing the rookie ferry passenger from the mainland that he has actually arrived on Vancouver Island.

Within sight of Galiano Island is Mayne Island - a community so proud of its twin ferry docks that the nation's flag flies high above dock #1 to welcome travellers from the mainland. Since our visit, one BC Ferry made a 'hard landing' at (read: crashed into) the dock and for a couple of weeks this proud island community was down to just one landing.

Just yards away under the Provincial flag is dock #2, offering a more informal (or is that informative?) welcome to fellow islanders arriving from the other Southern Gulf Islands, possibly tempting them to rest awhile at Village Bay while they summon up the energy to travel onward to the mainland. Or does it say something more significant about a community with a split personality?

Further north, the same formality - minus the corporate image - welcomes visitors to Denman Island, conveying the atmosphere of a fiercely independent community that likes to present a well ordered and respectable face to the traveller. No surprise, therefore, that so many would-be explorers continue straight on across Denman to sample the less formal, if ever-so-slightly disorganised atmosphere of Hornby Island.

 

    

This welcome sign says it all!

Sailing ......... but not as it should be

After the delights of a 55 minute mini-cruise aboard MV Island Sky, expectations were high for the next part of our journey around the islands. 

The 1hr 20m crossing from Powell River to Comox runs just four times a day, so a reservation is recommended. The most northerly of the four short crossings from the mainland to Vancouver Island, this route passes close to Texada Island - the largest of the gulf islands, but with a full time  population of just over 1,100 - and nearby Harwood Island, an uninhabited reserve of the Sliammon First Nation. 

Arriving early in Powell River, we watched in disbelief as the earlier departure slipped quietly out of the ferry terminal en route to Comox. Disbelief at the abysmal appearance of the Queen of Burnaby. Built back in 1965 and sister ship to the respectable Queen of Nanaimo, the Queen of Burnaby really is the dog-end of the BC Ferries fleet.

Click on the photograph to see a larger image.

The Queen of Burnaby in her heyday

At first sight, she looks like a rusting hulk - with upper deck windows carrying so much grime that, from a distance she gives the impression of being a burnt-out shell. I recalled that BC Ferries having closed the cafeteria earlier this year on discovering asbestos powder seeping from the ceilings, and began to wonder what we were letting ourselves in for?

We boarded the Queen of Burnaby later that day with some trepidation; at least she was running to schedule on what had been one of the busiest days of the year so far. Yet the mezzanine platform car decks were only half deployed - was that to provide extra capacity for high vehicles on the main deck below, or because they would no longer support two lanes of cars? I preferred not to think too much about that.  At least the cafeteria (or a cafeteria) was now open and serving a full menu. 

A walk around the open decks was taken (with care) as the steelwork beneath our feet was buckled and distinctly spongy in places. Towards the bow, all access doors into the deserted lounge(?) area were locked, sealed with polythene sheeting and hazard tape. The asbestos problem in the cafeteria had not been resolved, but simply sealed off, and a new cafeteria created in another lounge area.

Fortunately the sun was shining and we spent most of the crossing on deck; feeling ever more convinced that this was a ferry that should no longer be in service. Ironically, BC Ferries seem to have removed all details of the Queen of Burnaby from the fleet profile page of their website. Maybe they, too, would rather this particular Queen would abdicate.

The Coat of Arms bears the motto "Splendor Sine Occasu" - loosely translated as "Brilliance without setting".  It surely must be close to setting aboard the Queen of Burnaby.

It would be good to finish on a more enthusiastic note; surely the scenery would make up for the less than exciting ferry experience. There must be some beautiful areas on Texada Island, but there was little beauty to be seen from the deck of the Queen of Burnaby.

 

Sailing.......through a little bit of paradise

A week travelling around on car ferries may not be everyone's idea of paradise - but as a means of experiencing the beauty of British Columbia some ferries are hard to beat.

On Day 2 of our recent trip we boarded the MV Island Sky - BC Ferries' newest "little" ship - to complete the "missing link" on the Sunshine Coast's Highway 101. Taking just under an hour, the journey from Earls Cove to Saltery Bay must rate as one of the most spectacular ferry journeys on the west coast.

Boarding the Island Sky, we had no idea what to expect. Externally, the design is not unlike her smaller, more venerable cousins, Bowen Queen and Mayne Queen - except for the addition of a mezzanine car deck to provide extra capacity. Once aboard, however, the passenger accommodation is of the same standard as Coastal Renaissance. But as soon as you leave the Earls Cove terminal, the real treat begins.

Initially travelling northeastwards, the route follows the coastline of Nelson Island, then turns  through the narrow channel between Nelson and Captain Island before finally heading west down Jervis Inlet towards Saltery Bay.

From the sundeck, passengers sit back and enjoy some of the best scenery in British Columbia

Mountains, forests, inlets and magical views at every turn

If any ferry journey can be rated as a mini-cruise, this must certainly be one.

Read before you buy!

From time to time we're all guilty of failing to read the small print when we make a purchase - but when that purchase is costing over $1,000 then surely it has to be a must. 

Take BC Ferries' Assured Loading Tickets (ALTs), for example. If you're a frequent traveller between Vancouver Island and the mainland, ALTs offer priority travel right up to 20 minutes before departure time. The down side is that you have to pay for ten ALTs at a time, and that's currently going to cost you $1,250 up front. And you have to use your tickets within two years, or the card expires, along with your cash.

The conditions of sale are clearly spelt out by BC Ferries - and so when someone fails to take notice, is it really any wonder that the company says "sorry, not our problem" ?  No matter how clearly terms and conditions are spelt out, there will always be customers who fail to read them and suddenly realise that they're out of pocket. Today's Nanaimo Daily News cites one such case, and without doubt there will be others.

The moral of the story is clear - buyer beware! If you're paying as much as $1,250 to any business, then make sure you understand what you're getting. After all, BC ferries spell out the terms quite clearly.... [click to enlarge]

We are sailing...... ( #1 )

One of BC Ferries' best kept secrets is SailPass - a prepaid voucher for either 4 or 7 consecutive days' travel over much of British Columbia's island ferry network. 

With a 7 day SailPass costing just $40 more than its 4 day counterpart, the 7-day ticket offers much better value - though, in reality, even 7 days hardly provides enough time to experience all of the dozen or so available routes. Still, with claimed savings of around $200 on a typical 7 day itinerary, Island Transport Solutions decided to put the product to the test.
As with any multi-route ticket, planning the journey is half the challenge - balancing the desire to get maximum use out of the ticket with the desire to actually see something of Beautiful British Columbia along the way - apart from a series of ferry car decks that is.  Our journey begins in just over 7 days time - and already we've realised that not everything is quite as straightforward as it seems.

First off, where can you buy your SailPass?  They're not sold at ferry terminals - even the major terminals - so you either have to search out one of the few Tourism Centres that does sell them (which means only Nanaimo or Victoria on Vancouver Island) or buy it on line. If you're a BCAA member, there's another 10% discount if you buy on line - but, perversely, the discount isn't available if you take your BCAA membership card into a sales agent. There must be some logic to that..... or maybe not.

Ok, so now you have your ticket to travel - your passport to freedom of the Salish Sea. Well, not so much a ticket - more a flimsy sheet of paper, less than half the size of the receipt you printed off your computer when you booked it. The sort of thing any student with access to the school's laser printer could produce in less than 5 minutes. And small enough to blow away at the first sign of a sea breeze. Note to self - pin it to something heavy before you leave. If BC Ferries can issue credit-card style Experience Cards, why not do the same for a SailPass? That way, they could prevent counterfeits and monitor the amount of travel undertaken - surely of value for future marketing?

Next it's time to plan your itinerary - to build a vacation around your ticket to travel. If it's summer, it's probably wise to pre-book overnight accommodation along the way - but what about reserving space on ferry crossings?  Only the major routes offer advance reservations - but how do you decide whether a reservation is actually needed? Obviously, BC Ferries will encourage you to make advance reservations on all major routes - after all, it means they can charge you another $15 for the privilege. 

Our planned itinerary will [probably] look something like this:
Day 1 : Gabriola-Nanaimo Harbour; Departure Bay-Horseshoe Bay; Horseshoe Bay-Langdale.
             overnight at Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast.
Day 2 : Earls Cove-Saltery Bay; Powell River-Comox. Overnight in Courtenay.
Day 3 : Buckley Bay-Denman Island; Denman-Hornby Island. Return to Courtenay overnight.
Day 4 : Chemainus-Thetis Island & return. Theatre and overnight in Chemainus.
Day 5 : Cofton-Vesuvius. Maybe a quick hop over to Pender Island? Overnight on Salt Spring Island.
Day 6 : Salt Spring-Tsawwassen via Mayne Island. Overnight in Vancouver.
Day 7 : Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay; Brentwood Bay-Mill Bay; Nanaimo Harbour-Gabriola.

Well, that's the plan anyway, with various events along the way. So what about reservations? $15 may provide peace of mind on the busy crossings - but it does mean committing to a specific departure time - thereby limiting the options for sightseeing. Decision time - we reserve for Powell River-Courtenay (only 4 sailings a day) and Salt Spring-Tsawwassen (1 or 2 sailings a day). The rest will just happen - or not!

Online reservations are easy - but hardly straightforward. On routes between the Mainland and Vancouver Island, you pay only the $15 reservation fee at the time of booking, then pay the fare (or present your SailPass) at the ticket booth. Then there's the Salt Spring route. Before I realise it, I've paid the full fare online for a journey that I've already paid for on my SailPass. That can't be right, surely? A phone call to BC Ferries Customer Services (press 4, press 2, press 0 - you know what I mean) confirms that reservations on this route require full up-front payment. But I've already paid - and I don't want to pay twice!  "That's a problem with this system" explains the customer service agent - "but don't worry, I'll refund the fare and put a note on the reservation that you have a SailPass".  Sounds good - so long as the reservation is still there when I get there!
Only time will tell..........

Ferry changes throw Greyhound passengers into confusion

Unexpected changes to BC Ferries' Horsehoe Bay - Departure Bay route started today - leaving confusion among passengers booked on Greyhound's coach services to and from Vancouver Island.

With minimal notice to passengers, BC Ferries has implemented new schedules on its Horseshoe Bay routes to Nanaimo and Langdale, because of a shortage of ferries caused by a siezed engine on the Queen of Surrey, which normally plies the Langdale route. This means that sailings to and from Departure Bay, Nanaimo will now run up to 30 minutes later than advertised, from today until September 6.

These changes seem to have caught Greyhound on the hop, with their Vancouver-Nanaimo services not retimed until a week later (July 6) to fit in with the new ferry schedule. No changes are so far proposed to connecting services between Nanaimo to Victoria, Campbell River and Port Hardy - so there is a risk that some passengers may miss their connections in Nanaimo.

Tofino Bus, whose Island Express service links Nanaimo with Port Alberni and Tofino has rescheduled its evening service on Fridays and Sundays to leave Nanaimo at 9.30pm, 15 minutes later than advertised, to ensure the connection from Vancouver, starting Friday (July 2).

Meanwhile, BC Transit is also retiming its 9pm #90 Intercity Connector service from Horseshoe Bay to Parksville and Qualicum Beach to run 30 minutes later from today until September 6.

How do passengers find out about these changes?  You may well ask! Greyhound does not publish a schedule leaflet, so it's only when you book that the times are confirmed. And if the schedule changes after you've booked.........?

Check out the Island Transport Solutions website for up to date ferry, bus, train and floatplane services to the islands

School bus challenge

This week, the Ministry of Education has announced that they are to spend a cool $12.5 million on 106 new green [well, yellow anyway] school buses - of which just two will find their way to the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District.

In a press release this week, Minister of Education Margaret MacDiarmid revealed:

“Student transportation services cost more than $90 million annually. Over the coming months, we will be looking for new ways to provide bus transportation for students that will save money that can be reinvested in classrooms.”

Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District expects to spend $1,285,000 on transportation this year - of which $1,239,000 is the direct costs (excluding administration) of running 17 school buses around the district. That's an average $73,000 a year for each school bus. On top of that is the capital cost of the buses themselves - with the new 42-seat buses costing $114,000 each, rising to $140,000 for bigger, 84-seat buses.

MacDiarmid suggests that some school districts are saving money by providing students with Transit passes instead of running their own buses. That's great - providing you have a transit service to start with!  Needless to say, there is no transit service on Gabriola - and one cost saving measure proposed by the School District is to assign a mechanic to drive the link bus from the Gabriola ferry to NDSS and back, instead of employing a driver - meaning there's less time spent on maintaining the buses. Sound economy? I'm not so sure.

And meanwhile, Gabriola cries out for a transit service to help the ever growing number of older folk - and young families without their own transport - access the necessities of life. BC Transit has promised a review of the potential for a transit service - but it doesn't look like it's coming anytime soon. And yet we have a school bus on the island that sits idle most days between 9am and 3pm, and daily from 5pm onwards.

Now I'm not suggesting that the yellow school bus should be used to provide a transit service during the day - anyone who has peeked through the door of the school bus will know that you need the agility of a mountain goat to climb the flight of steps inside the bus - which is the price that you pay for designing a school bus on a cheap, mass-produced truck frame.

No, what is needed on Gabriola is some joined up thinking between School District 68 and BC Transit to invest in a step-free transit bus that can be used for both services. Yes, I know that means there would be no transit service before 9am or for two hours in the afternoon - but by sharing the running costs between BC Transit, School District 68 and Nanaimo Regional District, we could secure a transit service for shoppers, medical appointments and leisure trips at a fraction of the cost of a dedicated transit bus. Once that's established, then it's time to consider whether a second bus - for peak time travel - can be justified.

It's time to accept that it's no longer sustainable to run two separate transport systems in rural communities : it's time to think outside the box and look for an integrated solution to secure transport services for the future. The yellow school bus working for just 4 hours a day is living on borrowed time. And meanwhile, Gabriola walks.