Ferries, Ferries, and still more Ferries

[NS VIA Fan]

The MV Confederation and the Holiday Island wait out the winter at the dock in Caribou NS until service to Prince Edward Island resumes in the spring. In the background it's 14 miles across to PEI and the Northumberland Strait is choked with ice. Winter didnt really start here until late January but since then..its been very cold with one storm after another.

On the Nova Scotia Newfoundland run the ferries operate year 'round and ice conditions have been bad. These are large 'Northern Baltic Class 1A' ice-breaking ferries and quite capable of handling most ice conditions. But the past few days they've needed some help from the Coast Guard Ice Breakers.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/marine-atlantic-asks-coast-guard-for-heavy-ice-breaker-help-1.2970976

I've been on winter crossings to Newfoundland. Most make the run in the scheduled 6 or 7 hours but I can remember a couple: a 15 hour detour to avoid the ice and 36 hours riding out a storm. Just make sure you get a cabin in winter....a lot more comfortable than sitting up in coach if you get stuck and they'll keep you well fed..but theres no complementary bar!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Gives witness to Canada being called "The Great White North"!

Thanks for sharing your great pics and travel info!

 

[railiner]

Great photo's!

Thanks for posting...

Even down here in NYC, the smaller NY Waterway ferries are having a tough winter...needing help from the CG and sometimes even cancelling certain routes, especially the East River. The North (Hudson) River is a little better, and the big Staten Island Ferries, have no problem crossing the Upper Bay.....

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Another week of delays due to ice conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence plus a mechanical issue put three/quarters of the Marine Atlantic Newfoundland fleet in port at North Sydney, NS yesterday (Mar 7/15).....along with a visitor:

The C.T.M.A. Ferry 'Vacancier' from the Iles-de-le-Madeleine was diverted to North Sydney because of the heavy ice on its usual route to Prince Edward Island. Marine Atlantic, being a Crown Corporation with bilingual staff was able to accommodate the predominantly French speaking C.T.M.A. passengers with check-in and ticketing.

http://traversierctma.ca/en/

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Three/quarters of the Marine Atlantic Fleet (first photo L to R) Leif Ericson, Blue Puttees, Atlantic Vision. (the fourth ferry, the Highlanders was enroute from Port-aux-Basques)

 

[NS VIA Fan]

The new North Sydney Ferry Terminal still under construction. It's due to open in May:

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Here's a CBC article with some stills and video of two of the Newfoundland ferries stuck then breaking through the heavy ice now packed in along the northern Cape Breton coast.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/both-marine-atlantic-ferries-back-on-the-move-1.2999429

(Blackwolf.....that's the Louis St-Laurent helping out the ferries)

 

[Blackwolf]

Yes, it absolutely would be the Louis. She looks great, but my mother-in-law and step-father-in-law both have worked aboard her as engineers and are unanimous in their feelings she is long overdue for the breakers. She was built as a steam turbine vessel, but was overhauled in the late 1980's to diesel... Cheaply. Where one steam power plant took care of all needs, and then some, the 12 new(er) diesel engines are horribly inadequate and break routinely from being overtaxed. And, unfortunately, the boat is beyond her designed life and is just plain old.

There is *supposed* to be a new vessel to replace her, but its behind schedule in Vancouver due to the Navy taking precedence in the yards for their own (badly) needed new vessels. As such, the Louis is slated to be in service until 2025. That is one year short of her 60th birthday.

My mother-in-law went off-duty from a month-and-a-half deployment aboard the CCGS Henry Larsen earlier today in Halifax. The vessel had been sitting in the Bedford Basin waiting for yesterday's storm to subside before coming alongside at her berth.

 

[NS VIA Fan]

There is a proposal for a Detroit-Windsor Ferry with a trial-run this summer.

And it’s noted in the article that with the recent cross-border agreement the possibility now exists for a joint CBP/CBSA facility in one country or the other.

http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/detroit-port-authority-plans-to-trial-international-pedestrian-ferry

 

[SarahZ]

There is a proposal for a Detroit-Windsor Ferry with a trial-run this summer.

And it’s noted in the article that with the recent cross-border agreement the possibility now exists for a joint CBP/CBSA facility in one country or the other.

http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/detroit-port-authority-plans-to-trial-international-pedestrian-ferry

That would be awesome.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Would probably do great business to avoid the busy tunnel and all the trucks that cause log jams on the bridge!

Lots of Canadians come over to Detroit to shop,for Red Wing and Tiger games and under age Americans drinkers ( Canada has a 19 year old drinking age) and Gamblers visit the very nice Windsor Casino! ( great Bar-B-Q @ Tunnel Bar-B-Q and Windsor is much safer @ night than Detroit!!!)

 

[CHamilton]

At least four Florida companies approved for ferry service to Cuba

For the first time in five decades, the U.S. is allowing ferry service between Florida and Cuba.

At least four companies said they were notified Tuesday of approvals by the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments, the first since Washington imposed a trade embargo on Cuba.

Licensed were Havana Ferry Partners of Fort Lauderdale, Baja Ferries of Miami, United Caribbean Lines Florida of Greater Orlando and Airline Brokers Co. of Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

A Treasury spokeswoman confirmed approval of ferry licenses but would not say how many were approved. Cuba also must approve the operations.

 

[Bob Dylan]

This seems to be on the fast track to actually happening fairly soon, which for agreements between Governments, is moving at the speed of light!

The key phrase is the one saying that the Cuban Government has to approve a deal! That's Government speak for what's known in Spanish as " Mordida", Bribes in English!

Shouldn't be a problem for the Mexican company, they're used to this but US Law prohibits American registered companies from paying bribes to do business in other countries! ( wink, wink! nod, nod!) They got some hungry people down in Cuba that are ready to cash in big time as the failed Communist System goes away with the dying Revolution! ( see China !!!)

 

[rrdude]

Now "all that's gotta happen" is for Cuba to also agree.

I think it will be a huge boon for ferry operators, and no doubt, a "shakeout" will occur. Too bad you can't take a Flagler train down to the keys anymore, and then get on a ferry.....

 

[NS VIA Fan]

To reach Toronto’s downtown Billy Bishop Airport you have to take a two minute ferry ride across the harbour entrance. This is the airport Porter Airlines uses with 2.3 million pass/year.

But as the sign below says “Walk To The Airport”…… starting this summer you’re going to be able to do just that……there’s a tunnel under construction with a moving sidewalk that will link the ferry terminal on the mainland to the airport terminal on the island. The ferry will remain is service for vehicles.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I've flown several times from Bishop Airport,very handy for avoiding what used to be a long and fairly expensive trip to Pearson.

I find it interesting that the island has been kept as an airport and not turned over to developers for constructing a resort or condos!

Any idea on the cost of the tunnel, it can't be cheap?

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Any idea on the cost of the tunnel, it can't be cheap?

$82 million and here's an update:

http://www.portstoronto.com/getattachment/e366245e-f56e-45c2-91b0-ce6668051d5c/BBTCA-PT-Update-May-2015.pdf.aspx

 

[Anderson]

I'm sensing a bubble forming in at least some sense here. My guess is that you get a flood of companies that start service and then a lot of consolidation (probably down to one or two operators) once that settles out.

Also, I suspect the Miami-Havana route may be more viable than Key West-Havana simply because Key West involves a long (and easily congested) drive...a check on Google Maps says 3:15, but that is along a mostly two-lane highway. I actually would not be surprised if any Key West-based operations all but collapse (there's a tourist market there, but the market is a niche based on people already going to Key West and then doing Havana for a day or two "on the side"...not to mention the inherent issue of people driving to Key West and then leaving their car) once you get something out of Miami.

 

[NS VIA Fan]

I had to make a quick trip over to Prince Edward Island last weekend. Here’s some photos:

Waiting at Caribou NS just as the MV Confederation arrives for the 8am crossing:

It’s 22 km and 70 minutes across the Northumberland Strait. Looking back to Nova Scotia.....

......and ahead to PEI.

 

[NS VIA Fan]

I returned on the 13 km Bridge over to New Brunswick. Evidence of the old parking lot where vehicles once lined for the ferry in Borden PEI is still there:

 

[MrFSS]

Is there a toll charge for the bridge? I assume there would be.

Years ago we were on the ferry from PEI to NS as the tail end of a hurricane was passing through. In fact, we had to wait two days during the hurricane before we could leave. Roughest ferry ride I ever had!!

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Bridge Toll for a car is $45.50 when leaving Prince Edward Island. No toll is charged when leaving the New Brunswick side.

The Tolls are based on the fare that was charged for using the ferries that the bridge replaced in 1997 + an annual increase since then. (You’ve got to pay for a billion dollar bridge some way!)

The toll may seem high but if the ferries were still operating....I recently read that the round trip fare would now be at least $55 + a fuel surcharge.

And you can now cross on Your schedule......no more leaving the beach early on a hot summer Sunday afternoon just to sit in a ferry line-up for hours, inching your way forward so you can get home to Moncton or Halifax that evening.....and those line-up could be long in a hot car! Or sometimes in winter: waiting for ice and wind conditions to improve so the ferry could get across.

And the ferry crossing last weekend was glass-smooth!

 

[Bob Dylan]

As always great pics, thanks for sharing!

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Bridge Toll for a car is $45.50 when leaving Prince Edward Island. No toll is charged when leaving the New Brunswick side.

The ferry I took over to PEI from Nova Scotia was free in that direction. If I had returned on the ferry instead of the bridge......it would have cost $75. so I saved a bit by using the bridge but made up for it in gas on the longer drive back to NS through New Brunswick.

 

[railiner]

Nice photo-report, as usual, NS VIA Fan!

Have you ever sailed under the Confederation Bridge? I did, several years ago aboard the HAL Maasdam enroute from Charlottetown to Quebec City. You needed a local pilot the entire voyage, and the channel clearance was incredibly tight. You had multi-colored 'range' lights to guide you. If you simply walked from one side of the ship's "Crow's Nest" observation lounge to the other, you would see the lights change from red to white to green.

On subsequent cruises aboard larger ships, we had to backtrack around the east end of the island, and go across the Gulf.

While at Charlottetown, I took a shore excursion that included a bus ride over the bridge to NB, where we stopped at a gift shop. I still have a very nice commemorative medal issued to celebrate the bridge's completion.