EDITOR'S NOTE: The times of the Tachek sailings starting Monday have been corrected in this article. The schedule provided for the Tachek in the Shopper is incorrect.
UPDATED February 13, 2012: In response to a mechanical problem on the Queen of Burnaby, that will leave it out of commission until at least Friday, February 17, BC Ferries is offering a variety of alternatives.
While the Burnaby is out of service the North Island Princess has taken over on the Powell River to Comox route, on a modified schedule. BC Ferries’ vessel the Tachek is servicing Texada Island from Powell River until the Burnaby can return to service.
North Island Princess has a significantly reduced capacity compared to the Queen of Burnaby so BC Ferries is implementing a number of contingency plans in order to attempt adequate service for Powell River.
Starting Friday, February 10, Pacific Coastal Airlines flights carrying 30 passengers between Comox and Powell River have been available once per day in each direction. The flight from Powell River leaves in the morning and a return flight from Comox is available in the late afternoon. Those travelling under the BC Medical Travel Assistance Program are given priority on the flights and reservations for all flights are mandatory. Flights for non-medical reasons cost the same as a walk-on rate for the ferry.
Customers can call 1.877.222.1949 to make reservations or for more information on either flights or sailings. A free shuttle service is available from the Comox Valley Airport to take passengers to destinations in the Comox Valley.
BC Ferries will also be running the Tachek for two round trips between Powell River and Comox starting on Monday, February 13. It will leave at 10:05 am and 6:05 pm from Westview and 11:50 am and 7:50 pm from Little River. Commercial traffic is being encouraged to take these sailings to lighten the load on North Island Princess sailings.
BC Ferries will make up for the reduced service between Powell River and Texada Island by providing a water taxi from 11 am to 4:30 pm starting Monday, February 13.
Travellers choosing to get to Vancouver Island by taking ferries and driving down the lower Sunshine Coast to Vancouver and then taking a ferry to Nanaimo are being offered priority boarding and free travel on the Vancouver to Nanaimo run. Travellers need to tell the ticket booth staff at either Nanaimo or Saltery Bay of their travel plans and they will receive a voucher for the trip.
Deborah Marshall, BC Ferries spokesperson, said the corporation is trying its best to continue providing adequate service to customers in Powell River.
“Initially we thought it was just going to be a couple of days but because it is going to be extended, obviously people have to get over,” said Marshall. “We’ve heard of people missing their medical appointments, which are obviously very important so that’s why we wanted to make sure we’re doing everything we can to make sure people can get to where they need to go.”
City of Powell River Mayor Dave Formosa and Councillor Chris McNaughton spoke to BC Ferries CEO Mike Corrigan about the situation. McNaughton told the Peak that he believes BC Ferries is doing the best they can to tackle the situation. Corrigan responded to Formosa in a letter. “On behalf of BC Ferries, please accept our sincerest apologies,” he wrote. "This current situation underscores the urgent need to build new vessels to service the community of Powell River." Formosa and McNaughton will also be meeting with Blair Lekstrom, BC minister of transportation and infrastructure, on March 14 to discuss the current status of ferry service in Powell River.
“BC Ferries is doing everything, we believe, that they can under the circumstances,” said McNaughton, “to work with not only our community but the mayor and myself to resolve this issue to the best of their abilities.”
Fog delays first flight
UPDATED February 10, 2012: A plane organized by BC Ferries for Powell River residents travelling to Vancouver Island was delayed this morning because of weather conditions in Comox.
Deborah Marshall, BC Ferries’ spokesperson, said the plane, which was supposed to leave Powell River at 9 am, didn’t leave until noon because of the fog and went to Campbell River. “We had transportation rearranged from Campbell River,” she said.
There were 11 passengers on the plane, Marshall said. “Originally, 18 people booked, but four didn’t want to go because of the weather and we had three no-shows this morning,” she said. “We do expect the plane to be able to return from Comox this afternoon. Apparently the fog is lifting.”
The flight was the first arranged by BC Ferries with Pacific Coastal Airlines to carry up to 30 passengers between Comox and Powell River once a day in each direction. The flight from Powell River leaves in the morning and a return flight from Comox is available in the late afternoon. Those travelling under the BC Medical Travel Assistance Program are given priority on the flights and reservations for all flights are mandatory. Flights for non-medical reasons will cost the same as a walk-on rate for the ferry.
Customers can call 1.877.222.1949 to make reservations or for more information on either flights or sailings. A free shuttle service is available from the Comox Valley Airport to take passengers to destinations in the Comox Valley.
BC Ferries cancels two round trips from Texada
UPDATED February 10, 2012: BC Ferries has cancelled two round-trip sailings between Powell River and Texada Island today, February 10. The company cancelled the 10:30 am and 12:05 pm sailings from Texada and the 11:10 am and 12:45 pm sailings from Powell River.
There is no water taxi service available during that time. The regular schedule resumes at 3 pm with a sailing from Texada.
According to a BC Ferries’ service notice, the cancellations will allow the Tachek to complete one round-trip sailing to Comox for the purpose of “validating the upcoming modified schedule” that comes into effect on Monday, February 13.
The Queen of Burnaby, the usual vessel on the Powell River-Comox route, was pulled from service on Monday, February 6. BC Ferries replaced the Burnaby with the North Island Princess, the usual vessel on the Powell River-Texada route and put the Tachek on the Texada route.
However, all replacement vessels are much smaller than the usual vessels and there have been long lineups and numerous overloads since Tuesday.
BC Ferries decided to add extra sailings on the Powell River-Comox route using the Tachek and arranged water taxi service to and from Texada when the Tachek was on the Powell River-Comox route, service which begins on Monday.
Texada Island resident Chuck Childress is a former, long-time member of the Northern Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee and a former member of the Coastal Council to BC Ferries.
He said Texada residents want BC Ferries to leave the Tachek alone. “Rather than take the Tachek and further cripple our service here, then pay Lund Water Taxi to run a water taxi back and forth to Texada...why not put the crew from the Queen of Burnaby to work? I know it might not be that simple, but it seems to me it might be common sense, which seems to be lacking in BC Ferries.”
Water taxi service is only for people, not vehicles, and it could be impacted by bad weather, Childress added.
As well, Childress said the Queen of Burnaby crew is being paid not to work. He said it would be cheaper to put them to work adding an additional sailing between Powell River and Comox during the night. He suggested the ferry could leave Comox at 2 am and leave Powell River at 4 am. “I think the commercial people would be quite happy to come over in the middle of the night and land in Powell River early in the morning,” he said. “I think some of the commercial people and some of the people who are going to Vancouver Island would not be upset if they were able to catch a ferry at four in the morning going to Vancouver Island, arriving at six.”
While BC Ferries has arranged flights for people who need to get to Vancouver Island, Childress said, “It’s that much harder for us on Texada to get to medical appointments than it is even for the people in Powell River and now they’re crippling us.”
Deborah Marshall, BC Ferries’ spokesperson, said the company did consider running additional sailings during the night, but they are not practical. “We did look to see if that would be a viable option, but with the commercials, whoever they are delivering to has to be there to receive the goods,” she said. “At three in the morning, that’s not working.”
The company has tried late night sailings in the past, Marshall said. “It always sounds like a good idea, but nobody takes them,” she said.
Marshall also said crew members from the Queen of Burnaby are filling in on the North Island Princess and some of them are staying with the Burnaby to facilitate repairs to it.
Burnaby out until late next week
BC Ferries is now reporting that the Queen of Burnaby is going into dry dock for repairs on Sunday, February 12 and is expected to return to service late the following week, around Friday, February 17.
In the meantime the North Island Princess will remain on the route, said spokesperson Deborah Marshall, while the Tachek services the Powell River to Texada Island route.
City of Powell River councillor Chris McNaughton, who has ferries in his portfolio, told the Peak that he and Mayor Dave Formosa spoke with BC Ferries CEO Mike Corrigan about the situation. Corrigan expressed to them his concern over the situation and its impact on the community.
McNaughton said that they asked if the Queen of Nanaimo could be dispatched to service the route, but Corrigan explained that it would not make sense to do that because by the time they retrained the crew to operate that vessel the Burnaby would be ready for return. They can not bring the Nanaimo’s regular crew to Powell River because of union rules.
BC Ferries is working with Pacific Coastal Airlines to arrange one or two flights per day from Powell River to Comox for people with medical appointments, according to McNaughton. The number of flights will be dependent on need. A toll free number will be set up for passengers to make reservations and the trip will be covered by the provincial government, just as a medical trip on the ferry would be.
McNaughton also said that BC Ferries is looking at having the Tachek run between Powell River and Comox for one or two runs per day purely for commercial travel to lighten traffic on the North Island Princess.
“BC Ferries is doing everything, we believe, that they can under the circumstances,” said McNaughton, “to work with not only our community but the mayor and myself to resolve this issue to the best of their abilities.”
The situation is further proof of the need for new vessels to service Powell River, said McNaughton. McNaughton said that BC Ferries is sympathetic to that need and that he and Formosa are meeting with Blair Lekstrom, BC’s minister of transportation and infrastructure, on March 14 to further discuss future plans for ferries in Powell River.
On a morning sailing on Tuesday, February 7, while docking at Westview, BC Ferries’ vessel the Tachek connected with a component of the wharf, sending one crew member to hospital with injuries.
Deborah Marshall, spokesperson for BC Ferries, said the ship connected with a turning dolphin, which is a round timber piling component of the wharf. A ladder on the dolphin was damaged but the accident did not cause any structural damage to the vessel.
The Ship’s Mate had to be taken to hospital with a sore neck after he was hit by a coffee pot. Marshall said no passengers were injured.
The incident resulted in the Tachek having to leave the Westview Terminal without passengers, because there were not enough crew to meet Transport Canada regulations for passenger vessels. Sailings will be resumed once the Mate has returned to the vessel.
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused as a result of this unfortunate incident,” wrote BC Ferries in a press release.
Mechanical problem causes ferry cancellations
Burnaby will be out ‘several days,’ alternative service being decided
UPDATED: BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall has confirmed that the North Island Princess will take over the Powell River to Little River route starting Tuesday, February 7 while the Queen of Burnaby undergoes repairs to its propulsion system.
The Burnaby is expected to be out of service for at least three days. It is being taken to Departure Bay in Nanaimo for repairs. Mechanics are still determining the exact problem. Marshall said she should have an update around noon on Tuesday, February 7.
While the North Island Princess services the route there will be an alternative schedule. The vessel will leave Little River at 6:15 and 10:15 am, as well as 3:15 and 7:15 pm. The vessel will leave Powell River at 8:15 am and 12:15, 5:15 and 9:15 pm. The sailing takes one hour and 45 minutes.
Marshall warns riders that the capacity of the North Island Princess is considerably less than that of the Burnaby. In total 49 vehicle units and 140 passengers can ride on the North Island Princess, while the Burnaby carries 192 vehicle units and 400 passengers. Marshall suggested that riders going to Vancouver Island for discretionary reasons wait until the Burnaby is back in service in order to reduce overloads.
To help with the situation and encourage people to walk on the ferry, BC Ferries has arranged for a shuttle bus that will take 15 people from the Little River ferry terminal to locations in the Courtenay and Comox area. The service will be free of charge and will be available on a first come, first served basis. Comox Valley taxi companies have also been notified of the situation.
The Tachek will service the Texada Island to Powell River run while the North Island Princess is away. The schedule will remain the same but again the capacity of the vessel is reduced. In total the Tachek can hold 30 vehicle units.
Passengers with mobility concerns should note that the North Island Princess does not have an elevator to the passenger deck. The crew’s washroom on the car deck will be made available but there is a sill at the base of the doorway making it not wheelchair accessible.
Marshall said a wheelchair-accessible portable washroom was considered but ultimately decided against because it would have meant one less row of traffic on the boat to make sufficient room and access.
BC Ferries has cancelled all sailings of the Queen of Burnaby between Powell River and Little River for Monday, February 6 to assess a mechanical problem with the vessel’s propulsion system.
Deborah Marshall, BC Ferries spokesperson, said a problem with the vessel’s port shaft has forced the corporation to remove it from the run. The vessel missed one sailing the day before because of the trouble and has now been removed from the run altogether.
Marshall said the problem is still being assessed but that the vessel will be out “for several days.” Officials are working on alternative service for the route, which will likely see the North Island Princess, which normally runs between Powell River and Texada Island, service the route while BC Ferries vessel Tachek services Texada. That service will not start until at least Tuesday, February 7.
The Queen of Chilliwack is not currently available as it is undergoing a refit. The Burnaby returned from its own $12-million refit in December 2011, which included work to the propulsion system.
