island blog

Picnic places

2012-01-18T23:41:00.000-08:00

Today's snowy weather seems to have suppressed demand for Whalebone's favourite picnic spots. Amazingly, there was no-one dining out in either Hummingbird or Blue Heron Park.

No diners, maybe..... but the views were still spectacular!

Snow morning at Nanaimo Airport

2012-01-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

This morning I had a conversation with my daughter in England - went something like this : Air Canada has changed my flight times, I now only have 45 minutes to transfer in Nanaimo on my way back. Nanaimo flights aren't delayed too often are they?

No, of course not I said. And out of curiosity I checked how YCD was coping with this morning's snow. It's 0930 and that's the 0740 to Vancouver sitting on the apron shivering. The 0605 should be boarding soon....

By 0945 a path has appeared from the departure gate to the waiting aircraft (out of sight to the left)

and eager passengers throng to the plane at 0955

It's 1010 and the Vancouver flight makes a dash for the runway (above), only to return to the terminal (below) at 1030.

After de-icing and more ploughing (or is that plowing?) it's off again - and it's now 1108.

ok, so there are some slight delays to arrivals into Vancouver - but you'll be fine!

Oh, and the 0740 finally left Nanaimo at 1245. No problem!

Missed opportunities

2012-01-14T23:57:00.000-08:00

It's great to see that Port Place mall in Nanaimo is finally starting to re-emerge with some retailers and services moving into the shops facing the new roadway that will eventually run up the centre of the revelopment.

Such a pity though that it looks like the area has already been set out as just another parking lot - wouldn't it have been so much better for Gabriolans if the street layout had been designed to accommodate a new transit exchange?

Instead we will still have to walk to the top end of Front Street for buses to the hospital, and (in March) we hear that the 'express' bus to Woodgrove (replacing routes 8 and 9) will no longer serve Port Place, but will instead follow the same route as the hospital buses, departing from the top of Front Street, close to the Service Canada building. Only the snail-pace #1 bus to Woodgrove will serve Port Place - and that's hardly going to entice us to leave our cars behind, is it?

No doubt the thousands that were spent on 'upgrading' the Prideaux exchange rule out the common sense alternative of relocating the terminal to the new Port Place. Foresight? I don't think so.

Don't mess the seats......

2012-01-14T23:17:00.000-08:00

So finally we have some decent seats back in Quinsam - well, the same seats really but with some padded seats and backs bolted on.

Strangely, we're told these were "left over" when alternative seats were ordered for the Bowen Queen. They're a one-time opportunity though - and if they're vandalised, they're gone.

Within days, notices have appeared in Quinsam's lounges indicating that some damage has already been reported - and (if the perpetrators can be identified from the security CCTV footage) the RCMP will be brought in. Let's hope there's something on the CCTV tape - and if it's not enough to identify those involved, maybe BC Ferries will post the images in the lounge so someone else can identify them.

After all, as the notice says, if it happens again we'll all be "back sitting on cold, hard metal seats". Now, I'm trying to remember - did BC Ferries tell us at the time that we would be getting "cold, hard metal seats" as part of the $16m refit?

Just a hop away.....

2012-01-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

For those of us who have travelled through airports in Vancouver, Seattle or London, the greatest frustration is the time spent standing in line for check-in, security, and at the boarding gate. Then, when you arrive it starts all over again at immigration, at customs control and baggage reclaim.

It's a world-wide problem - and all for our own good, we're told - but it really does put the 'pain' into plane travel. We've flown to many destinations in Europe with 'budget' airlines that seek out smaller (and presumably less costly) regional airports and although these are often remote from the cities that they claim to serve, it's always a pleasure to discover how much more relaxed and friendly those smaller airports are. Many of them, and the communties they serve, depend heavily on tourism for their economic survival and with just a handful of flights each day, it's surprising just how much effort some airports make to woo the traveller back. My personal favourite has to be Nimes, France which handles a mere handful of flights each day to Britain and Belgium, yet boasts (for me) one of the best restaurants in town - the “Côté Sud” open lunchtimes only, with a daily 3-course menu for just 15 euros ($20). It's worth checking in early for an afternoon flight just to experience the restaurant!

Nearer to home, Nanaimo Airport strives to achieve that same excellence in customer service - especially for long-haul Air Canada passengers who can avoid the long check-in lines at YVR with check-in and security this side of the water.

With no more than 50 passengers to check-in for each flight, the whole process is completed in a matter of minutes, leaving you time to relax before your short flight to Vancouver. And yes, you can hop outside to talk to the bunnies while you wait!

Facilities for passengers are, in fairness, functional rather than exciting - yet the calmness and cleanliness of the surroundings go some way to making up for the lack of things to do.

So what are the downsides of travelling through Nanaimo airport?

Well, cost can be a factor - though not always its seems. Flying from between Nanaimo and Ottawa in February can cost just just $40 more than flying from Vancouver. Flying transatlantic to London, the cost difference can be $75 - again, less than the cost of a one-way floatplane ride to YVR. However, book a flight from London to Nanaimo on the same dates and the extra cost rockets to almost $300! It's time that Air Canada acknowledged the value of incoming business as well as offering inducements to local passengers.

There's also the question of getting to the airport. Nimes Airport, 22km from Nimes itself, provides a shuttle bus meeting each flight for just 5 euro (under $7) each way. That's $2 less than the cheapest advance fare from Nanaimo to the airport by Greyhound bus (connections not guaranteed) and just a quarter of the price of using the Nanaimo Airporter shuttle.

Nanaimo Airport Commission's mission statement is “To provide a safe, efficient and financially viable airport, offering excellent services and value to all users while fostering economic development.” It seems that their objectives of excellence and value to users have yet to be embraced by some of their partner organisations.

BC Ferries closes Duke Point until further notice

2011-12-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

I wondered why there was no 3.15 departure from Duke Point today. Now we know!

My perspective

2011-11-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

No matter how long I spend gazing our from our home across the Georgia Strait to the Sunshine Coast, I still cannot reconcile the fact that this view is pretty much the same distance away as the French coastline is from the cliffs of Dover.

There's not much of the Pas-de-Calais to see from Dover Castle - and even from Cap Gris Nez, the cliffs of Dover seem incredibly distant and small.

So I'm still blown away by the sheer scale of the view from our window - and in some light conditions it's just begging for a photo. And yes, I can cheat a little using a telephoto lens.

Yet there remain so many unanswered questions. Where is the horizon? My guess is that the sea ends about 8-10 miles out. But how much of the Sunshine Coast is hidden below the horizon? And most perplexing of all, how many trees are there in this picture? Answers on a postcard please. You may need to click on the picture to view it larger.

As others see us......

2011-11-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

After three years, I'm still discovering Gabriola - and it's often difficult to describe the place to those who've never been.

Such was the challenge set to a group of ethnology students enrolled at Royal Roads University in Victoria - to describe the meaning of Gabe in a postcard and 400 words.

The result? Well, take a look for yourself here on the Royal Roads website.

This series offers a view of our island culture that maybe we're all still discovering........

Halloween on Gabriola

2011-10-31T20:46:00.000-07:00

Under clear skies, Gabriola celebrated Halloween this evening - with bonfire, fireworks and its very own 'golden mile'. For one night only, the tunnel (North Road's tree-canopy) attracted a constant stream of families driving at walking pace enjoying the spectacle of hundreds of carved pumpkins flickering in the dark. Our own offering joined a small, select group marking the start of the display.

For a short while, the line of traffic was vaguely reminiscent of that other 'golden mile' in north-west England. The difference? In Blackpool, the illuminations don't get eaten by the deer!

Flying in the face of reason

2011-10-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

We're always being told that flying from Vancouver is expensive - but it seems that's only if you start your flight in Vancouver. Take a look at this price comparison - based on the same Air Canada flight from Vancouver to London Heathrow and back.....

The basic price - including taxes - is $1,126 for a return flight from YVR to Heathrow. That's $545 in fares and a massive $581 in taxes.

But we're also told there are great deals for flying out of Seattle, where the taxes are lower.... or are they? Let's have a look:

.....yes, that's a full $350 saving on the same flight if you make the journey to Seattle before boarding your Air Canada flight from YVR. But just look - the taxes are only $6 less than flying from Vancouver - but the round trip fare has dropped to just $187!!! Now far be it from me to ask why.....

Mind you, you don't have to look that far before you find similar "deals" for local flyers. Have you noticed that Tofino Air's Silva Bay flights now continue to Nanaimo? And that a flight from YVR to Silva Bay is now $82 + taxes?

Not bad, you may think - but did you realise that if you stay on the same plane for the extra 15 minute flight into Nanaimo, you could save yourself nearly $20 each way? Even with the cost of a ferry ride, that's still a round trip saving of more than $30!!

Someone's taking us for a ride.........

A visit to Seattle's Museum of Flight

2011-10-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

Time to spare in Seattle? Down opposite Boeing Field is the Museum of Flight - a great place to while away a few hours, with an awesome collection of aircraft from more than a century of aviation.

Mister Boeing's Airplane Company has recreated the original woodworking benches in the "Red Barn" on which the first production airplanes were handcrafted

Meanwhile, across the road are some of the icons of modern aviation - including the prototype 747 Jumbo Jet, Air Force One - the presidential aircraft used by Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, and one of the world's 18 remaining Concordes, donated to the museum by British Airways.

Reflected in the windows of the Museum's latest addition, the new space gallery (opening soon), this magnificent aircraft has lost none of its magic.

In the Personal Courage wing are fighters from World War I and World War II

Ten fighter planes from World War II
represent all the major combatants.

Iconic images at every turn - like this Lockheed Super Constellation of Trans Canada Air Lines

and the Douglas DC-2 of Trans World Airlines.

Just look at that for luxury - real curtains!

Among the 'flying' exhibits in the Great Hall is this lovely DC-3 of Alaska Airlines

And, not to be forgotten, the ubiquitous deHavilland Canada Beaver DHC-2. Designed as a bush plane, many were subsequently fitted with floats. A museum piece, maybe, but with more than 1,600 built between 1947 and 1967, it's amazing to think that there are hundreds still in daily service along Canada's coastline today.

Dozens of DHC-2 Beavers still ply the islands and inlets of the BC coast - a tribute to the rugged simplicity of the original design.

This Tofino Air Beaver flies regularly to and from Silva Bay on Gabriola.

Read more about this fascinating museum at www.museumofflight.org

First signs of fall?

2011-09-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

New colours are emerging as our short summer draws to a close.

Creature comforts

2011-09-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

Labour Day weekend brought wall-to-wall sunshine on Gabriola. A leisurely walk through the island's trails revealed just a few of the many species who live side-by-side on this island.

There can't be too many places in this world where such varied wildlife co-exist - but Gabriola's campground is one of them. It was a little early in the day for the deer to return to their pitch, and the turkeys were too busy playing chicken with the traffic on North Road to pose for the camera. Too bad they weren't around to read this cautionary sign so beautifully posed by this island ape....

Undeterred by such frivolity, the turkeys continued to evade the public eye - but the island's guinea fowl population just carried on regardless - shaving whatever they could find from the lawns around the retirement village. No sign that these guys are undernourished.....

Further from the hubbub if village life, the woodland sunshine brought out many smaller species - though you had to look a little harder to spot some of them, like this grasshopper....

Not everyone stays home on a holiday weekend, but there's still the opportunity to gaze in awe at the creative genius (or is that engineering expertise?) displayed in many island homes.

Most of all, the sunshine encouraged species out of their natural habitat in what, for many, was the first time this summer. Even homo sapiens could be seen poking their heads out of the chilly pacific waters. Some were even brave enough to climb out onto the shore!

Duke Point reflected.......

2011-08-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

Waiting in line

The great Gabriola ferry debate

2011-08-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

Let's be honest.... Gabriola has a much better ferry service than most of the gulf islands. Why? Well, for one thing, we live on the only gulf island with a ferry that takes us right into town, where we can shop, eat out and so much more within walking distance of the ferry terminal. And, with an experience card, the round trip passenger fare is only a buck more than a round trip on Nanaimo Transit.

OK, nothing's perfect - and some believe that our ferries should be free because they are our highways - and we've already paid for the highways through our taxes haven't we? Well, maybe so..... but the reality is that ferries (and bridges, for that matter) take a whole lot more maintenance than highways and if we value living on a small island so much then we should expect to pay something for the privilege.

Love'em or hate'em, BC Ferries provides a service that is important to all of us - and which has to be paid for somehow. True, they aren't the world's greatest at customer service - and the ethos of the organisation seems increasingly to put profit before service. But the reality is that there is no profit any more - and BC Ferries is faced with having to cut costs just to stay afloat (sorry, no pun intended). No surprise then that the corporation favours moving the Gabriola ferry to Duke Point, where it already employs terminal staff (who, let's face it, are not exactly rushed off their feet dealing with one ferry every two and a half hours) and from where the crossing to Gabriola is only about half the distance from Nanaimo Harbour.

To their credit, BC Ferries acknowledges that the community has given this idea a big thumbs down and has said as much to the Ferry Commissioner. Yet, just because some hapless truck driver manages to close down the Nanaimo Harbour terminal by ignoring warnings that (so we are told) he was given about the structural integrity of the ferry ramp here we are, with the terminal closed, a ferry to Duke Point, a water taxi to Nanaimo .... and conspiracy theories galore.

At least we have been given an alternative - if the same thing had happened at Chemainus or Buckley Bay, how would residents of Thetis, Penelakut, Hornby or Denman get into town? In all probability the answer is they would be provided with a water taxi for foot passengers, maybe a barge service for essential supply trucks - but no means of taking their car on or off the island. We're lucky here on Gabriola, and maybe that's worth remembering.

So here we are, three days into an emergency transport plan that has actually worked remarkably well, thanks to the good weather (smooth crossings so far on the water taxi) and the fact that the kids are home from school for the summer - so that, at the drop of a hat, the Scholarship can be released from its normal school run duties on Salt Spring Island to provide a day-long service for Gabriola. No-one questions how long the Scholarship's crew worked on Friday (best not maybe) or how much they, or Gulf Islands Water Taxi, were being paid for their efforts. Let's just say that the company will likely make a comfortable profit out of BC Ferries' misfortune. But we don't mind that, do we? After all, it's a private business isn't it? Just like BC Ferries. Or maybe that's different. But why so?

Back in the UK, the conservatives privatised the National Bus Company in 1986 and British Railways in 1993. In both cases, screams of public outcry echoed round the country for more than 10 years until suddenly we started to realise that the quality of service we were getting from the private companies was, in many cases, far better than had been the case while the industry was in government hands. Yes, there were the Fat Cats along the way who had walked away with millions - but generally, that was because they had taken the financial risk by re-investing in new, more efficient infrastructure and had actually listened to what customers said they wanted. Result? A more reliable service, fewer complaints - and (usually) happier customers.

Few now believe that a return to government-run buses and trains would benefit anyone. The private sector has proved itself capable of running services more efficiently and at lower cost. Yet still the argument rolls on that these are public services and the public should have a greater say in how they are run. In a sense, the public does have a say, since it elected the local and national governments that are tasked with regulating the systems. If the system falls down, it's just as likely to be through lack of expertise and poor contract management on the part of the government than through any malpractice by the private contractor.

All of which sounds horribly familiar in the context of BC Ferries, doesn't it? Have BC Ferries really done such a bad job of meeting their obligation to government under the Coastal Ferry Act? Or is it the Act itself that has failed to adequately protect public interest? In reality it's probably a little of both, and maybe it's time that the Province and the Ferry Commission took a long hard look at whether the Ferry Advisory Committees - supposedly the public watchdogs for ferry users - are really achieving what they should.

Critics point to a lack of impartiality since FAC members are appointed by BC Ferries, and not by public nomination. Little surprise, therefore, that the public's confidence in the role of FAC's is wearing thin. To be effective, FAC members need to be adequately briefed by BC Ferries on how the business is run, and the financial implications of any proposed change. But that doesn't mean that the FAC should be run as if it was part of the company. Public watchdogs should function independently of the service provider, but within clear terms of reference to ensure that the viability of the business (and therefore the service to the customer) is not prejudiced.

The Ferry Commission should take advantage of the extra time allowed for its review of the BC Ferries contract to make one simple change to the constitution of FACs - to give them true independence in their role, and regain the confidence of their customers. It works with the privatised railway and bus industries in the UK, and it can work here in BC with the ferry system.

Ferry disruption

2011-08-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

Workcrews resurfacing the Nanaimo Harbour ferry ramp last night got a nasty shock when a paving truck went through the barrier and toppled into the Harbour. Judging by the Nanaimo Daily News photo (below) it's not going to be a quick fix. Latest reports suggest the wooden trestle may have given way - so divers are now inspecting the structure to assess its condition.

While repairs are taking place, the Quinsam will continue sailing to Duke Point and a water taxi will be provided to and from Dock F in Nanaimo Harbour. Sounds like this arrangement will continue over the weekend at least. Could this play into BC Ferries' long-term plans I wonder?.......

The morning after

2011-08-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

Just before 9 this morning, readers of the island's Facebook Community Bulletin page got the news they had been waiting all night to hear - police had caught the person they were looking for in connection with a brutal stabbing of a mother and her 18 year old son yesterday afternoon.

Throughout the night, the Community Bulletin page had been buzzing with activity - as had the skies and roads of the island, as police mounted a search for the perpetrator.

For many folk on the island, last night was probably the first time they locked their doors before heading for bed. Many undoubtedly found it difficult to sleep; others probably didn't even try. As the news of the arrest broke this morning you could almost feel a sigh of relief from the whole island.

As a relative newcomer to the island, following the Bulletin page for the first time during the event provided a warts-and-all insight into the community we now share. Long before the media revealed the name of the person that police were seeking, there were contributors who knew those involved but were keeping tight lipped about their names. Most observers respected the privacy of those affected; others were adamant that the community should know. Now and again, tensions spilled out as comments were posted - probably in the heat of the moment - that caused offence to other readers of the board. At times the generation gap opened up and sensitivities boiled over. Just like any other community, but maybe just a little to publicly for many's liking.

The horror of the night may be over, but the aftermath will be present for a long, long time. For those who were close to the victims, yesterday will never be forgotten. I'm sure there are folk on the island who have yet to learn what's happened, but if nothing else, the past 18 hours have demonstrated the power, good or bad, exerted by social media in distributing (and sometimes creating) news long before the traditional media can do so.

My quotes of the evening, from contributors on the island.....

- how did it make the news already - if it only happened a few hours ago?
and
- When I lived in [ - ] I didn't hear nearly the amount of sirens that have been screaming around here lately. I realize there is sometimes a need for them, but this is getting a bit much.

Welcome to the world.

A giant reborn

2011-08-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

In February 1911, the Canadian National Pacific Railway dedicated a new line on Vancouver Island to connect Victoria to the northern logging communities of Nootka Sound, passing through Cowichan Lake, Port Alberni and Duncan Bay. In the event, the line never reached Nootka Sound - indeed it never even made it to Port Alberni, ending instead at Youbou, on the north shore of Cowichan Lake.

Construction was painfully slow and by 1918 only 4 miles of track had been laid. The line posed many challenges, including numerous creeks that would have to be crossed on wooden trestles. The greatest challenge was to be the crossing of the Koksilah River, north of Shawnigan Lake, where the Kinsol Trestle (named after the nearby King Solomon mine) would number among the largest Howe truss, bent pile wooden trestles in the world. The Howe truss formed a high level bridge over the deepest part of the valley, and over the Koksilah River itself.

Following devastating floods in 1930, the Kinsol Trestle had to be extensively rebuilt and the decision was taken to lower the Howe truss so that it rested directly on stone piers on either side of the river. The trestle was then reconstructed over the top of the truss, where it remains to this day. The completed trestle is captured in this [undated] print entitled "Across the Abyss" by Gabriola artist, Paul Grignon.

The last train crossed the trestle on June 20, 1979 and the rails were removed in 1983. Fires, vandalism and neglect took its toll on the structure and, eventually, the north and south accesses were removed for safety reasons.

The CN line and the trestle are now part of the Trans-Canada Trail. Finally, after years of campaigns to save the trestle, rehabilitation work began in 2010. Throughout the reconstruction period, work was monitored by an on-site webcam and this fascinating time-lapse film has been produced by the Shawnigan Lake Historical Society.

The Kinsol Trestle was reopened for hikers and cyclists on July 28, 2011 - finally closing the 'missing link' in the Cowichan Valley Trail and moving the concept of a coast-to-coast Trans Canada Trail another step forward. The sheer scale of the task - and the beauty of the finished project - will surely make the Kinsol Trestle a "must-see" for years to come. Click on the images for a larger view.


Legpower replaces steam in today's view "Across the Abyss"

A stunning walkway spans the missing link

The scale is breathtaking


The Howe Truss still spans the Koksilah River

Separate sections within the trestle.

Amazingly, more than 50% of the original timbers have been saved

The view from below.......

.... and a reward for tired legs!

The Kinsol Trestle can be accessed along the Trans-Canada Trail from either Shawnigan Lake or Riverside Road, south of Duncan.

Gas prices - who's kidding whom?

2011-07-25T18:13:00.000-07:00

While the cost of regular unleaded fuel in Britain remains around £1.30 ($2.00) a litre, here on Gabriola it's been steady for the past few weeks at $1.26 a litre - typically 1 cent a litre more than Nanaimo prices.

In fact, gas prices across the whole of Vancouver Island appear suspiciously "fixed" at this level, other than in Victoria where regular unleaded costs around 4 cents a litre more, reflecting local taxation.

So how is it that - according to GasBuddy.com - regular gas is on sale in Courtenay for less than $1 a litre?

At first I thought it must be a misprint, but it's remained steady around 99.4 cents a litre for a couple of weeks now. If Superstore, Costco and Petro-Canada can sell gas at under $1 a litre in Courtenay, why are we paying 25% more in Nanaimo?

HMCS Nanaimo cruises into town for a spot of fun

2011-07-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday's Open House at the Nanaimo Cruise Ship Terminal provided the first chance to take a close look at the Port Authority's new $22 million showpiece - and the double treat of a guided tour of HMCS Nanaimo - one of the Canadian Navy's fleet of Kingston-class coastal defence vessels.

Nanaimo's cruise ship facility is a far cry from the Manhattan cruise 'shed' through which we were herded four weeks ago on our arrival from England. It's small and functional - but wonderfully light and welcoming. What it needs now is a steady flow of cruise visitors, and the development of a waterside park to link the terminal with the city's harbour area.

No cruise ships in town on Saturday, but HMCS Nanaimo was there, with sister ships Whitehorse, Brandon and Edmonton - and the chance to learn a little more about the former minesweeper's latest role as a coastal defence and training vessel.

Passing by the thought of life aboard HMCS Nanaimo as a junior officer billeted (along with five others) in a half size shipping container strapped to the stern deck, visitors were given a sneak preview of the Canadian Navy's latest weapon, the ocean bathtub - being readied for a secret mission around Gabriola's coastline on Sunday morning.

Supported by a crew of five aboard Nanaimo's powerful Zed, the secrecy of the mission was clearly evident from the full-face protective mask worn by the bathtub's intrepid commander.

Maybe not the most risky mission on Nanaimo's current tour of duty along the pacific coastline from Alaska down to Mexico - but certainly an unusual one. Regrettably, Nanaimo's crew was unable to keep pace with their prime target, Nathan Barlow - winner of the 2011 Nanaimo Bathtub Race in a blistering 1 hour 11 minutes and 54 seconds.

Blogging resumes......

2011-07-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

All is not lost. There is still life to report - though the past six months have been, shall we say, challenging. Mostly challenging on the other side of the pond, needless to say, and somewhat less so as far as our Gabriola life is concerned.

In February, we put our Aylesbury home on the market and, to our relief, found a buyer within a few weeks. Next we embarked upon the search for a house in Coventry which turned out rather less straightforward, with a deal teetering on the brink right up to 36 hours from moving date. And so we became interim Coventrians awaiting our departure back to Gabriola in July. With renovations (almost) complete, the temptation to get away early became stronger and, to our amazement, it became evident that flying was not always the most economic means of crossing the North Atlantic. And so, the concept of embarking on our new life by ocean liner was born.

We were, as far as I can detect, the only passengers travelling to Gabriola aboard the Queen Mary 2 - and clearly she was not going to take us the whole way. After seven days of benign ocean, we sailed into New York Harbo(u)r and bade farewell to this little bit of the Carnival Corporation still masquerading as a traditional British liner. She may no longer be the largest passenger ship afloat, but she is among the most impressive - especially within in the confines of Gabriola's twin land mass, Manhattan.

After two days R&R in the big apple, the time came to forge westward to British Columbia. No so glamorously this time, departing Newark Airport between thunderstorms aboard one of Mr Boeing's flying machines.

And the rest, as they say, is history. Our home on Gabriola had survived the mild ravages of a gulf island winter and recovered from a springtime ant invasion. Since my brief visit in April, the vegetable garden had flourished - as had the half acre of grass, which was by now approaching shoulder height for a basset hound. Clearly this must be our first priority, to ensure safe passage for visiting bassets, so six hours (and several tanks of gas) later, the jungle was tamed.

Time to relax? Well, maybe. A veritable library of good ideas emerged as we whiled away Atlantic hours and some will no doubt need to be progressed to meet the expectations of management. Meanwhile, there's still time to breathe in some real Pacific air as we relax into our first full Gabriola summer.

And so, Island Blog is back. And the critics who decry the lack of effort in maintaining this unique commentary on a life just slightly more adventurous than their own may, for the time being, fall silent. As for me, I'm off to the dragon boat races. Farewell!

Look out for the Perigee Moon

2011-03-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight's moon will be the largest it's been for 20 years - about 14% larger than usual. It's a super 'perigee moon'. Find out why the moon looks larger than usual at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/16mar_supermoon/.

This is how the perigee moon looked over Aylesbury, UK earlier this evening. Keep your eyes peeled, Gabriola!

Whatever happened to Christmas?

2010-12-18T15:46:00.000-08:00

As the years roll by, some of us start to get a bit tired of all the pre-Christmas razamatazz that seems to start earlier each year. Back here in the UK this year, the elves were waiting in the wings as early as mid November - and, as soon as Remembrance Day was over, the shopping malls switched on that Christmas muzac - doomed to run on a continuous loop for countless weeks.

Maddening as it all gets, it's not until you step outside that you realise Christmas has been neutralised. Like so much else these days, it's been transcended by political correctness. Our local council no longer wishes us a Happy Christmas in glittering lights strung perilously across the street. No, the banner now simply proclaims Season's Greetings. No particular season, just Season. Strangely though, it's only there in December - no sign of acknowledgement to religious festivals from January to November, then suddently the place lights up.

December means different things to different faiths of course - Hanukkah, Al-Hijira, Bodhi, Ashura, Yule and Christmas are all celebrated this month, but let's be honest, if it wasn't for Christmas falling on the 25th, how many towns and cities would put up a single light in celebration? Is it really so awful to acknowledge Christmas in public?

Back in BC, a different phenomenon has taken over. Holidays.

"Happy holidays" say the banners, the greeting cards and the word-perfect shop assistants. Where did "Happy holidays" come from? To a newcomer like me, it's a mystery. Is it more political correctness? An imported trait from south of the 49th Parallel maybe? Or is it simply a ruse invented by greeting card manufacturers to ensure they can rotate their stock six times a year instead of once?

Whatever it is, it's good to know that, lurking somewhere just beneath the surface, Christmas is still there. It must be. Walmart says so.

This year could well be our last Christmas in the UK for a while. With luck, we will celebrate Christmas in Gabriola again next year. We were there in 2007, and again in 2009. Both times, Britain was paralysed by snow (well, a couple of inches, anyway) and Gabriola missed out - then when there was more than you could cope with in 2008, we were back here in the rain in England! It seemed we were doomed to miss out on the white stuff wherever we were.

So, in 2010, the prophets of doom forecast a long, cold winter for Gabriola - and for Britain too. Who can we believe? Well, it started early on both sides of the pond, and we shall have to wait and see whether the predictions were right both times. In the meantime, here's evidence from the old country that, just occasionally, we do still see some snow. And yes, once there's an inch on the ground, the whole place still grinds to a halt.

Happy Christmas! (ooh, am I allowed to say that?)

Snow arrives on the islands

2010-11-20T15:26:00.000-08:00

Thetis Island webcam

Rathtrevor Beach, Parksville webcam

This morning's snowfall on Salt Spring Island - as captured by Gulf Islands Driftwood

There's always one......

2010-11-19T15:29:00.000-08:00

We've all seen them. Drivers who leave long gaps in the ferry line-up; drivers who stop alongside their pals for a chat; drivers making a quick u-turn in Taylor Bay Road to join the line-up ahead of the guy who's just gone round the turning loop.

But today, this idiot just took the biscuit. He (or is it she?) saw the chance to join the line-up at the North Road/Taylor Bay junction and did just that - oblivious of the chaos caused by his or her trailer, which was left blocking the whole exit lane from Taylor Bay.

Never mind how many near-misses occurred as a result - it's good to know that he (or she) avoided all that extra driving to turn round on Taylor Bay Road. Or maybe the trailer was so overloaded that the brakes wouldn't hold on the hill. Either way, you deserved a ticket.

Too good to last.....

2010-11-15T15:20:00.000-08:00

Remember how we all celebrated back in October, when BC Ferries hacked a massive 65 cents off the cost of taking your car from Gabriola to Nanaimo and back, courtesy of the government's decision to let the corporation off paying import duty on its new ferries?

Well, let's hope you didn't let it go to your head, because from December 1 that fare goes straight back up again, because BC Ferries has decided it's time to drop the 2% fuel rebate.

It was fun while it lasted I suppose......

BC Ferries still want us to go to Duke Point

2010-11-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

Last week, BC Ferries produced a document entitled Opportunities for Enhanced Efficiency in Performance Term Three to the BC Ferry Commissioner, as part of their Performance Term Three Submission, from which the Commissioner will determine price caps for each of the route groups for a four-year period from 2010 until 2016.

Emphasising that these opportunities for enhanced efficiency are not, in fact BC Ferries' proposals, but are "matters of public policy for consideration", the report goes on to propose the scrapping of two southern routes and significant changes to several others. Among the changes suggested is the following:

Change in Terminal Location for Route 19 – Gabriola to Nanaimo Harbour

Cost savings and better utilization of the Quinsam in the form of additional sailings, could be realized from moving the Route 19 terminal on Vancouver Island from Nanaimo Harbour to BC Ferries’ Duke Point Terminal. Please note this option was rejected by local residents in a recent survey.

Also up for consideration - and being promoted in order to deliver cost savings on fleet and terminal renewals - is the withdrawal of Route 12 between Mill Bay and Brentwood Bay, the elimination or restructuring of Route 9 (Salt Spring - Tsawwassen) and the closure of Salt Spring's Long Harbour terminal. Plans for a cable ferry between Buckley Bay and Denman Island are also still on the table.

None of us would argue that some of BC Ferries' vessels are long overdue retirement, and maybe it is time to review the future of the Mill Bay route (the only route in the BC Ferries' network for which there is a road-based alternative) but we must hope that the Ferry Commissioner will not be tempted to reopen the Duke Point debate once more......

The full text of the BC Ferries' Efficiency Statement can be found here.

Long way back

2010-10-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

The journey between our old home in the UK and our new home in Gabriola is always long and tiring. No matter what time of year, the uncertainties of transcontinental flights make it unwise to commit to booking floatplane connections at this end, only to find that you're still somewhere over the Rockies as your floatplane soars off across the water, taking your money with it as it goes.

Add to that the challenge of making the journey at the start of Thanksgiving weekend, and all prospect of a smooth return to the island goes out of the window. 24 hours before my arrival at YVR, pretty much every floatplane seat to Gabriola or Nanaimo was sold out for Friday afternoon - and warnings of walk-on passenger overloads on BC Ferries had also appeared.

I hadn't chosen to travel yesterday because it was Thanksgiving weekend, that was just a bonus (?) - Friday 8th October was a date when I could get a return flight from the UK - with taxes - for
just £350 (about $550) with Thomas Cook, and it seemed an offer too good to miss. Especially when you think how much it costs to fly anywhere in Canada these days. But there again, if I hadn't flown to Vancouver, I could have flown to Italy and back for just £20 ($32) with Europe's favourite (and most reviled) low-cost airline, Ryanair. How do they do that?

Anyways, back to yesterday. Having got a good deal on my flight from London, I thought I would see whether I could carry that through on the rest of the trip to Gabriola. With meticulous planning and a following wind, I had worked out an itinerary which seemed doomed to failure at every step of the way - but if it worked I'd be here in time for fresh-cooked pizzas with my cousins at around 6 in the evening.

Getting from home to Gatwick Airport before 8am is always a bit of a lottery, but on Friday mornings the traffic around London's orbital motorway is lighter than usual, as so many people seem to take Fridays off work these days. Travelling with just hand luggage doesn't actually save you any time at check-in with Thomas Cook (you still have to get in line for your boarding pass) but it sure does when you get to the other end. The flight departed on schedule at 1010 and touched down at YVR five minutes ahead of schedule, at midday. So far, so good.

I knew that my itinerary would succeed only if I could be on the Canada Line before 1230, and arriving just behind our plane was a Korean Air 747 no doubt laden with complex challenges when they all reached the immigration desk. My luck held, and by 1220 I was on the Canada Line platform with transfer ticket in hand. Fortunately, someone had handwritten a whiteboard next to the ticket vending machine to say that Horseshoe Bay was a two-zone fare; there was nothing on the machine or the posters behind to tell me that. Maybe TransLink really wanted me to pay $10 for a 3-zone ticket just in case?

Just after 1245 and I stepped out from Vancouver City Centre station to find the bus stop for the Horseshoe Bay Express. I knew it was close to the station, but couldn't remember where. The bus stop outside helpfully said "downtown". Nothing else. I head back into the station looking for an interchange map, or even a real person to ask. Nothing. Undeterred, I crossed the street to where a large crowd of people were gathered around a bus stop. Half of them were waiting patiently in line, the other half under the canopy of The Bay, keeping out of the rain. Bus stop says that the 250 to Horseshoe Bay and the 257 Express both stop there. Just when was anyone's guess. The 250 was the first to arrive and I ponder the idea of not waiting for the Express, in case it's full, or doesn't turn up. About half the crowd packs into the 250 and away it goes, leaving the rest of us standing there. Hopefully.

My mental itinerary told me the express bus went at 1300 and it wasn't long after that the bus appeared and, creaking ominously under a very full load of passengers, headed off a few minutes later towards Horseshoe Bay. I made it to the last seat, right at the back, and was very grateful that I didn't have a suitcase in tow. Thankfully, only one more passenger boarded along the way and with about 20 standing along the aisle, it wasn't really surprising that the driver was very careful NOT to pull to a complete halt at the stop signs as he climbed 15th out of Park Royal to the highway. I'm not saying the bus wouldn't have started again if he had, but I did begin to wonder.

As we crossed the bridge high above the ferry line-up at Horseshoe Bay, the full joy of Thanksgiving weekend on BC Ferries was unfolding. Diving through the maze of narrow streets that is Horseshoe Bay village, the bus misses all this mayhem and pulled up right outside the ferry terminal just before 1350. I avoid the queue for tickets and head straight for the self-serve machines - and the message that says no tickets will be issued less than 15 minutes before departure. It's 1352 and my ferry leaves at 1410. The machine fails to read my card first time, so I curse, and quickly sort out another card. Done - with 1 minute to spare!

It was good of BC Ferries to schedule an extra ferry at 1410 on October 8th. They must have known I was coming. Saved me an hour's wait for the regular ferry - and aboard Coastal Renaissance the line-up for food goes halfway round the ship. I opt for the easy option - a large Latte and muffin at a window seat in the coffee bar. Sitting with me are a couple from Alberta who joined the ferry line-up in their car a full half hour before I landed at YVR. I'm feeling sort of smug.

As we approach Departure Bay, the rain's running down the windows and I try and remember what time the bus leaves for downtown Nanaimo. It's 1547 as I walk through the terminal. I know that, as I thought to myself that I wouldn't quite make it onto the 1545 ferry to Gabriola. Next one was 1700 and as I left the terminal, found the bus stop. No information, just a bus stop. My memory said there wasn't a bus until about 1615, so (taking heed of the advice that everyone seems to give about Nanaimo's buses) I decide to walk. The rain's stopped and I've plenty of time.

Walking past Nanaimo Shipbuilders I can see the hulk of the MV Sun Sea - towed in that morning from Victoria, where it arrived on August 13th with 492 Tamil migrants aboard. It beggars belief that someone made a fortune selling weeks of hell to hundreds of people so they could be packed like sardines onto a rusting hulk. It's incredible that only one of them died along the way - or so we were told.

Crossing Maffeo Sutton Park, I pause to watch an impatient wedding photographer trying in vain to choreograph a dozen or so suited wedding guests (bride and groom in the centre) to join hands and jump in the air simultaneously in front of the harbour wall for the wedding album. At the third failure, they all collapse in fits of laughter and I decide that it might be a long wait.

As I approach the harbour, the floatplanes are roaring in packed with more fortunate souls, and I catch sight of the Quinsam rounding the harbour entrance. I quicken my step just a little, to be sure I don't miss it. I curse to myself as I realise I left my BC Ferries experience card on Gabriola back in August and grudgingly pay my $8.90 for the privelege. Even so, I've made it; against all odds my itinerary worked and I saved over $50 in the process.

Twenty minutes later, and at the end of my 20 hour journey, I see friendly faces waiting to give me a ride back to my island home. Bad news. They haven't had time to light the pizza oven.

Come on Gabriola, take a leaf from Bowen's book

2010-09-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

It's almost two years now since Gabriola floated the idea of Car Stops - a concept pioneered by the local community on Pender Island which, like Gabriola, has no public transportation.

The Pender Car Stops scheme started back in 2008 with 16 signs funded jointly by the Regional District and the Lions Club of BC. Because these were permanent signs, permission had to be obtained from the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure (MOTI) before they could be erected. A further 13 Car Stops were added in 2009, with the aim that there should be a Car Stop within walking distance of every home on the island.

Gabriola's hopes of establishing a similar scheme in 2009 were dashed by bureaucracy - when a generous $3,500 grant offered by MOTI flew straight out the window while we waited in vain for the Regional District of Nanaimo to issue permits for the signs and to decide whether they would accept liability and maintenance responsibility. Since then - nothing. Despite every good intention, the community seems to have accepted that the whole idea is just too complex and there's nothing we can do about it.

Back in the UK, hundreds of small rural communities have developed voluntary car schemes with no formal signage and no intervention required from local government. So why can't Gabriola do the same, I asked. No, it can't be done here, I was told - the insurance regulations wouldn't allow it. And anyway, there's probably no-one with the time to co-ordinate such a scheme.

Then, along comes Bowen Island with a voluntary lift-giving scheme that does just what it says on the tin

Launching their new website this week, Bowen LIFT needs no roadside signs, no co-ordinator, no funding from MOTI and no government permits. It's just a self-help website on which offers or requests for rides can be posted, and self-printed car signs to let folks know that you're able to offer a ride in the direction indicated on the sign. So simple, it could have been invented for Gabriola.

How often have we walked onto the ferry and trekked the lines of cars hoping to see a friend or neighbour who can offer a ride home? Or set off up the hill, telling ourselves that there's no point thumbing a ride until we've made the turn into Taylor Bay, North or South Road? With a small sign in the front of the car, it would be so easy to spot cars heading in the right direction - even on the ferry.

So come on Gabriola, don't sit there with your head in your hands saying it's all too complicated. It can be done - and I, for one, will be watching with interest to see how Bowen Island's initiative pays off. And if, like me, you think this is a scheme worth promoting, let me know by email at john@islandtransportsolutions.com . We could have this up and running in no time!

Extreme fire alert reinstated

2010-08-16T23:34:00.000-07:00

Gabriola Fire Department have today reinstated the Extreme level of wildfire alert, meaning a complete shutdown on the use of gas powered equipment at any time.

Double whammy for regular ferry users

2010-08-07T23:20:00.000-07:00

Hot on the heels of BC Ferries' announcement that they are to reduce the fuel rebate on the minor routes from 5% (average) to 2% came a splendid email yesterday to those of us who are registered Experience Card holders (or "valued customers" as the email calls us) informing us that, in future, the rebate will now be calculated as a percentage of the discounted fare, rather than as a percentage of the standard fare.

This being such good news, it is, of course, a "system enhancement", as this extract confirms : Effective August 17, 2010, BC Ferries is implementing a system enhancement which will enable us to apply a percentage based system for fuel rebates and surcharges on the fares paid. Customers who use an Experience Card and receive a discount will now see that the rebate or surcharge percentage is based on the discounted fare paid. Currently our system calculates the rebate on the fare prior to the discount.

What does this really mean for Gabriolans? Well, if you currently pay the regular fare for a car and 2 adults ($39.85) the fuel rebate will reduce from its present 3.6% ($1.45) to 2% ($0.80) - effectively an increase of $0.65 on the amount you will pay. However, as "valued customers", Experience Card holders will see their fuel rebate reduce from $1.45 to $0.49 - an increase of $0.96 on the final charge. Or, put another way, that's a 4% increase in fare for Experience Card holders compared to a 1.6% increase on the regular fare.
So that's not just one, but two more examples of "Ferryspeak" for my fellow blogger to add to his collection:
System enhancement = a mechanism for doubling the fare increase for prepaid customers
Valued Customer = someone who is mug enough to pay the double increase

Rain and Suffering - again?

2010-08-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

Of sea lions, the author of Rain and Suffering - the Real Gulf Islands Guide says that the Gulf Islands have twice the load of sea lions as most places. The Californian sea lion, born quite a ways south of here, shares much of the territory of coastal British Columbia with the locally born Stellar sea lion. This unfortunate sharing makes both sea lion populations edgy, and name-calling and fighting can frequently be heard up and down the Straight of Georgia.

True enough, the bellowing at certain times of year can disturb the sleep of those poor unfortunate souls with beachfront property, but for the rest of us the chance to see one of those edgy, angry Californian beasts at close quarters preparing for battle, makes up for all those sleepless nights.

This solitary Californian sea lion prepares for battle on the floating dock right alongside the Mill Bay ferry terminal. Apart from having to swim out into Mill Bay a couple of times each day for lunch and dinner, only the arrival of the Brentwood Bay ferry every hour so so breaks up the obvious stress of the battle lines.

Rain and Suffering

2010-08-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

On a visit this week to Galiano Island, we picked up a great little guide book to life on the gulf islands. Entitled Rain and Suffering - the Real Gulf Islands Guide, it starts to answer some of those questions we hadn't dare ask. Questions like "why do people choose to live here?"

The guide claims to be the antidote to travel guides, stating that "an overzealous travel industry with neither shame nor morals has created the myth that the Gulf Islands are a paradise waiting to be discovered - a myth perpetuated by lying tourists who stayed here and are now too proud to admit their mistake." Instead, the book focuses on 'the true perils of visiting the Gulf Islands, and the wretchedness that comes with Gulf Islands living' - extending a sympathetic thought or two for those who now realise that island life has its downs as well as the occasional up.

Of Gabriola, the guide says we are a 14.5 km by 4.2 km sausage shaped retirement community - rumoured to rise six to eight feet every week when its senior citizens catch the 9am ferry for their weekly shopping in Nanaimo - and to really get a Gabriola resident going, start talking about how easy it would be to create a bridge across to Mudge Island and on to Vancouver Island. Depending on the company, you might just be returning to Nanaimo duct taped to the last ferry of the night. Hhmmm - there could be some truth in that.

Of BC Ferries, the author concludes that the management have stripped and sold off anything worth buying on the ferries - including most of the life saving equipment and much of the mechanics of the ships, so spend your trip across the Gulf itemising all items in your car that could be used as flotation gear. Maybe a little extreme, but after experiencing the best and worst of BC Ferries this week, I can see where he's coming from.


A closer inspection of this picture of the Queen of Burnaby reveals what can best be described as a rotting hulk, still plying the waters between Powell River and Comox. Rust everywhere, bulging decks, sealed off lounges oozing asbestos from every crevice.

Not everything is bad about BC Ferries of course - and this week we've enjoyed many pleasant "mini-cruises" aboard that reviled fleet - top among which must be the 50 minute journey aboard the Island Sky between Earls Cove and Saltery Bay - and 40 minutes each way aboard the Bowen Queen (remember the Bowen Queen?) through Active Pass en route from Salt Spring to a relaxed dinner at the Galiano Inn one evening. Active Pass is so much more impressive on a smaller vessel like the Bowen Queen, on which you can actually feel the swirling currents.

Four legs or two?

2010-07-22T22:38:00.000-07:00

In England, there is a myth that a certain beer reaches the parts that other beers cannot reach.

In Gabriola, the myth applies to the deer, not the beer!

Today's visitors

2010-07-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

This morning's visitor to the garden.....

....... and in the evening ........

The tide's turned.....

2010-07-18T23:19:00.000-07:00

..... maybe someone should tell them?

Out of the sun........

2010-07-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

It's great to get home from a long walk and find the locals resting under the trees.

At least they're not eying up the vegetable garden!

Fast ferry to Gabriola?

2010-07-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

These fine blades would certainly move Quinsam along ......

... and they're sitting on a Seattle dockside right now!
Do you think anyone would notice if they went missing?

Summer's arrived

2010-07-07T02:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we get back to Gabriola on the 11th. And when do the temperatures fall away?

HM in Canada (2)

2010-07-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

" If you can hang on for a week or two, my government will be selling off Canada on eBay. You should get it for a good price if you're quick....."

HM in Canada (1)

2010-07-01T00:52:00.000-07:00

"Do you know, Liz, Canada smells just like England - wet paint everywhere"

Canada Day - off island !

2010-06-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

Just because we're not at home tomorrow, it doesn't mean we can't celebrate Canada Day in style. Tim Horton's coffee, Sleemans Ale and Mission Hill wines form the liquid offerings to wash down Bison Burgers, Poutine and Timbits galore - in Trafalgar Square, London!

For the fifth year running, London's famous landmark will be a sea of red and white as Canada's 143rd birthday is celebrated all day long - and late into the evening.

The day begins at 10.30 with the Canadian Tenors leading a rousing rendition of O Canada, after which the Canadian High Commissioner will drop the first puck in a day-long competition of street hockey.

At the end of the day, the Square is transformed ready for a three hour concert featuring a host of performers from across Canada.

Such a pity the Queen will miss out on all the fun. Now where is she again..........?

You can see a full run down of the day's events here.

The school bus challenge

2010-06-25T03:29:00.000-07:00

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 news 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.

Whale watching with a difference

2010-06-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

Photos : courtesy of the Times Colonist

Every day, passengers aboard the Victoria Clipper have the chance to watch orcas (killer whales) on the journey between Seattle and Victoria.

This Saturday, the Clipper gained an extra passenger as a not-so-dumb harbour seal jumped aboard to avoid becoming lunch to of a pod of killer whales. The seal perched perilously on one of the Clipper's jets for more than 20 minutes while the pod continued to circle the boat.

Once the whales had moved on, the seal nervously returned to the ocean - and lived to tell the tale.

Happy 60th birthday!

2010-06-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

That alltime hippy favourite, the VW camper van, is sixty years old this year.

Originally designed by Volkswagen as a wagon to carry panels round their car plant in Wolfsburg, Germany, it was spotted by a dutch importer who worked with VW during the 1940s to develop the concept of a "combi" camper van.

Despite a reputation for being underpowered, having dreadful brakes and suffering frequent electrical faults, VW campers gained popularity throughout the world and remain a cult symbol that is dearly cherised by countless thousands.

Numbered among their fans are celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, Formula 1's Jenson Button, Pete Townsend and Roger Daltry from The Who - and actor Martin Clunes. They have become collector's items (especially the 'splitties' - early models built with a split two-part windscreen) among many who crave the freedom of the 1960's hippy era or the modern surfing scene.

Anyone know how many have found their way to Gabriola?

Did you feel it?

2010-05-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

Poor old Quinsam

2010-05-21T00:13:00.000-07:00

Just days after her return to service from a $16m refit, the Quinsam is clearly not coming up to scratch - so much so that BC Ferries is being forced to adopt a revised schedule from May 27th to overcome the service delays that are currently being experienced.

The reason? Quinsam's new propulsion units are not delivering normal speed. Must be the weight of all those steel seats in the passenger lounges. Bring back the Bowen Queen!

Read the whole sorry tale here.

Radiance of the Seas visits Nanaimo

2010-05-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

Nanaimo's waterfront was buzzing today as more than 2,000 passengers took time ashore from Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas, moored out in the channel off Gabriola.

Looking very low in the water, the intrepid cruisers were transferred by tender to the visitor pier in Nanaimo Harbour - dodging the Quinsam's wake as she arrived (late again) from Gabriola.

All of which set me thinking - arrival by tender from almost a mile offshore helps make a great visitor experience. Just a shame that they'll all have to walk through the freight yards when the new cruise ship terminal is built. Or maybe they'll bus everyone out with the blinds drawn?

Harbour Air and West Coast Air consolidation begins

2010-05-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

If you're planning on flying between Nanaimo Harbour and Vancouver or YVR anytime soon, you need to know that the first phase of the consolidation of West Coast Air with its new parent, Harbour Air, starts tomorrow.

Harbour Air Group has announced that, with effect from 19 May, both Harbour Air and West Coast Air will now use the Harbour Air terminals at both Vancouver Harbour and Inglis Drive, Richmond (YVR).

At YVR, the West Coast Air shuttle service to/from the main terminals will now be available to Harbour Air passengers as well. In Vancouver Harbour, the refurbished Harbour Air terminal will (from 21 May) offer complimentary speciality coffees, newspapers and internet access to passengers waiting to depart on either service.

A copy of the full announcement can be found here

Goosing around

2010-05-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

"Better do as your mother says, son, there's a man with a camera watching us"

Health & Safety

2010-04-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

In Britain, almost every inch of the rail network is protected by security fencing, and the few level crossings that do remain are equipped either with gates or automatic barriers and warning bells - which is probably just as well, with train speeds of anything between 40mph and 75mph even on rural lines.

Compare this with the railway on Vancouver Island. Here, the trains (well, the train anyway) venture out onto the streets without a thought. Most, but not all, road crossings have warning lights - like at this road junction close to Nanaimo city centre.

Audible warning of the train's arrival takes the form of ear-piercing air horns on the roof of the train - and as the train passes through towns like Nanaimo, with road crossings every few hundred metres, the air horns are pretty much in constant use. Loud? Well, they can often be heard four miles away on Gabriola Island!

Now, in Britain, the driver has the extra benefit of audible warnings in the cab at the approach to every signal and crossing. A bell rings if it's clear to proceed; a buzzer sounds if the signal's at caution - and if it's at red, most trains will automatically stop.

I have to assume that there's no equivalent system on Vancouver Island. Why? Because health and safety clearly dictates that the driver (sorry, engineer) wears ear defenders to protect himself from the power of the air horns!

Crop security

2010-04-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

I'm always being told that growing special crops on Gabriola requires special security measures. So these are the security measures.

You can't see what I'm growing, can you?

Well dressing

2010-04-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

You know how it is. Sometimes you just can't be bothered to wash the dishes, the clothes - or yourself - reckoning, quite naturally, that you'll do it all in the morning. You tell yourself you'll feel much more energised tomorrow. That's fine, so long as you don't wake up to find that there's no water in the morning.

This happens fairly regularly on Gabriola - every time the power is out in fact. No power = no pump = no water from the well. Most of us are prepared for that - and in any event, what's the point of having water if there's no power to run the washing machine or dishwasher? But somehow yesterday was different. The bedroom clock told me it was 7.30 - which, in itself, was a sign that everything, power wise, was hunky dory. Except that there was no water in the bathroom. That's not good, when your water supply depends on a pump to lift the stuff from a 40 ft well.

Since buying our island home, we always new there was a pump somewhere in the shed - but there had never been the need to find it, or indeed to check that it was working. After all, if there is water in the tap, the pump is working, ok? Visit the shed. Unwrap the winter insulation from the pump. It looks like a pump - what did you expect? Previous owner was fastidious in keeping instruction books - and receipts - for everything he bought, so within minutes I was able to go through the checklist of possible faults in the 1997 instruction manual.

Carry out all of the problem solving tests. Nothing. The pump was, sadly, deceased. I suppose 13 years is a reasonable life for a pump that cost $279 in 1997. But what's it going to cost to replace it? 13 years of inflation? I brace myself and go off in search of a new one. I take the 1997 instruction manual with me, to make sure that it`s compatible.

Now, in a country where a high proportion of homes do not have mains water, it`s not too difficult to find a new pump for your well. Home Depot (or B&Q to those of you in the the UK) sells them; even Canadian Tire (a sort of overgrown Halfords superstore) sells them. The problem is, they don`t employ people who are sufficiently clued up to intelligently answer questions about them. But Rona does - and Rona has a pump in stock that looks suspiciously like the old one. An intelligent life form offers to open the box and let me check the installation instructions. I take the 1997 manual out of my back pocket. Not only are the diagrams identical, the words are too - this is the same pump that Peter bought from Sears in 1997 for $279! Today`s price? A snip at $269!! That`s $10 less than it was 13 years ago!!!

With an identical pump, replacement is relatively simple. Not totally, of course - that would be too much to expect. The rubber(ish) hoses are still intact - and, with a quick dip in hot water, they slide readily off the galvanised steel connectors. The problem is, the connectors have been eaten away by 13 years of immerson in groundwater and, inevitably, they look as though they will disintegrate under the pressure of a new pump. I replace the two that have visible signs of corrosion and fit the new pump. Bingo! I prime the pump and it`s soon delivering the goods at the recommended 25 psi. Then the third connector gives up the ghost and delivers a mighty shower that removes the cobwebs from inside the shed roof.

I`ve dried out now; the washing machine has completed its cycle; the dishwasher is merrily buzzing away, and all is well with the world. I have my well pump back - for less than it cost 13 years ago. The only difference - it`s made in Mexico now, not Ontario.

Quinsam sea trials underway

2010-04-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

A sight not often seen off Gabriola - MV Quinsam passing the Bowen Queen off Descanso Bay today, to the sound of ship's horns from both vessels as the Quinsam prepares to return to service after her $16m refit.

At first sight, it's difficult to see much change in Quinsam's appearance, other than a fresh coat of paint. On closer examination, though, there are at least two noticable changes.

Midships on (presumably) both sides there is now a new folding gangway fitted where previously there was an open railing..... usually covered with a tarp for weather protection. Is this simply a new emergency escape route for passengers, or has it been redesigned for use by walk-on passengers with a segregated ramp? There's no sign of any new ramps at the terminals, but maybe we should wait and see....

Up above the car decks there are now four shiny new engine exhaust mufflers - one over each engine - which will hopefully reduce noise levels substantially in the passenger lounges.

Previously, the engine exhaust was routed through ducting alongside the passenger accommodation, making the seating areas noisy and, at times, very hot.

We must wait and see what delights await the passenger once aboard!

Quinsam's return to service is due next week; in the meantime the sea trials will no doubt continue - and on Sunday, she will be taking part in a multi-agency search and rescue exercise in Nanaimo Harbour, where a mock emergency will be played out aboard MV Quinsam with various federal, provincial and local agencies testing their collective response. The training exercise will take place off the Assembly Wharf on Sunday morning and public viewing will be available from Maffeo Sutton Park.

Meanwhile, for those of us who paid by credit card for our ferry tickets last weekend are urged to be patient while BC Ferries rectify the computer `glitch` that meant everyone was charged twice. I checked my credit card account today and, yes, I was charged double to top up my Experience Card, even though the receipt only showed one payment. Check your credit card bills now folks!!!

Not such a Good Friday

2010-04-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

7am - woke to the sound of bits of tree blowing across the roof. The clock's still going, so the power hasn't gone out - yet. Listen to wind and rain, check that power is still on and launch the coffee maker. Not a moment too soon; within seconds of delivering 2 mugs of Tim Horton's best, the lights flicker and die. This could be a long day. Light the stoves. Contemplate the hot tub with no electricity. Maybe not - there are waves on the surface, but it's not quite the same. The Queen of Alberni is ploughing through much angrier waves out in the Channel. At least the ferries are running.

No power = no water = no shower. Have to stay dirty then. Decide (albeit grudgingly) that work can go on without power tools, so work commences. Slowly. Cousins call by as promised to help move drywall panels upstairs, but they have bad news - their 26ft sailboat broke its mooring lines in the night and is beached on the rocks at Degnen Bay.

Two tons of folkboat lying on her starboard side - thankfully very limited damage is visible, so plans are made to empty her of everything that's not screwed down and prepare to (hopefully) refloat her at high water. After a long afternoon, the wind and rain show no sign of abating and all we can do now is wait for the tide and hope. Many kind souls have come down to the rocks to offer advice and assistance - some more realistic than others, but all genuine and well meant. This is Gabriola at its best, in the worst of conditions.

As the waters rise, the heavy hull starts to move and, with the valued assistance of a local boatbuilder providing a tow, she is pulled slowly (and a little painfully) off the rocks. It's evident that she's taking on water - and those of us left on shore can only watch and hope as she's towed slowly out across the bay, riding ever lower in the water. Another boat stands by to take off the crew if necessary - but after what seems an eternity, she is secured to the dock on the far side of the bay, where a heavy duty pump and a temporary repair to the holed hull save the day.

Meanwhile, the bush telegraph reports that the power is back on, at least in the Whalebone area, so the hot tub can prepare itself for the return of a very wet and very cold crew.

Beyond the bay, there's been major disruption to ferries - with no sailings from Horseshoe Bay and waits of 6 hours or more the order of the day at Tsawwassen. A neighbour finally gets home off the late ferry from Nanaimo, with tales of seas lashing through the upper car deck on the Tsawwassen ferry and taking out a window on the passenger deck. By comparison, the short crossing from Nanaimo on the Bowen Queen must have seemed quite tame.

The 20 minute crossing from Nanaimo to Descanso Bay is comparatively sheltered - and it's rare to experience a truly rough crossing on this route. Both Bowen Queen and the regular boat, the Quinsam, have open car decks and I've often wondered how they would fare in really rough weather.

One of the oldest vessels in BC Ferries' fleet is the North Island Princess, built in 1958 and still plying the rather less sheltered waters between Powell River and Texada Island. She's smaller than the Bowen Queen, but built to a similar design. This stunning picture (courtesy of the Vancouver Sun) captures the North Island Princess at the peak of the storm mid afternoon on Good Friday. Maybe I'm glad we chose Gabriola!

Who's at the helm?

2010-04-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

Readers of today's edition of Island Tides will now know that the Coastal Inspiration has not, as previously suggested, been taken out of service because of an engine fault. That may be what BC Ferries would have us believe, but as Island Tides' reporter April Primus reveals on page 7, the truth is actually rather more sinister. Read the full article here.....

BC Ferries developing first ROF
BC Ferries, following its policy of leading the world in innovation, is quietly equipping Coastal Inspiration to be the first Remotely Operated Ferry (ROF) in service anywhere. The work is being carried out at the Esquimalt Graving Dock, under heavy security. The facility is often used for work on Royal Canadian Navy ships, and British Columbia's Ferry Service officials feel that it is an ideal site for this ground-breaking technical project.

The need for an ROF arose after extensive study of the sinking of the Queen of the North; it was eventually concluded that the cause of the grounding was ‘the personnel on the bridge’. A search of records for all previous ferry incidents, going back fifty years, showed that in each case, there had been personnel on the bridge at the time, confirming management’s conclusion.

Thus the radical idea was born that ultimate safety on the ferries could be achieved by running the vessels with no crew whatsoever. It was reasoned that if the absence of humans on the bridge could improve navigational safety, then eliminating the deck crew could eliminate accidents when loading and unloading the vessel, completely automating the cafeteria would cut out any problems with food services, and eliminating the engineering staff would halt any problems with the engines and other systems.

BC Ferries’ financial staff could also see significant potential cost savings, thus avoiding serious financial problems. They felt that the ship conversion would be preferable to an alternative ROF, a Remotely Operated Finance department. The technology for an ROF has only been developed in the last few years. Drawing on the GPS and internet innovations that have made possible BC Ferries’ vessel tracking webpage, combined with control systems developed for the operation of pilotless drones in the Afghan war, and interfacing them with heavily digitized automatic pilot, proximity warning systems, stealth technology, and radar equipment drawn from aircraft applications, the sophisticated systems on the Coastal Inspiration will make it all possible. Announcements on board will be made by a computerized voice messaging system, as used by telephone companies throughout the world.

The vessel will be controlled from a small, windowless room on the top floor of BC Ferries’ headquarters. Since the Coastal Inspiration is a double-ended ferry, two operating consoles will be required, with two operators, one to come and one to go. They will be cross-trained so that either operator can operate the ferry in reverse if required, a further safety precaution.

At the Esquimalt graving dock, the design and installation teams have priority access to the military technology involved, while being assured of absolute protection from industrial or maritime espionage. A covering rumour involving engine trouble is being circulated.

Visiting experts from other countries can be landed by submarine without attracting attention. The work will be completed on schedule and on budget, neither of which has been published. It is possible that the conversion to remote operation may be completed by April 1st of this year, or if not, by April 1st, 2011. A new slogan for BC Ferries is being considered to succeed ‘Bringing you home for 50 years’. It is ‘BC Ferries— completely crewless’.

As of April 1, out of respect for BC Ferries’ security concerns, Island Tides have made no effort to confirm any of the above; it is pure speculation. The union has also not been consulted.

The full edition of Island Tides can be viewed at http://www.islandtides.com/assets/IslandTides.pdf

Seaplane takeover pending

2010-03-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

Vancouver-based Harbour Air has confirmed its proposed takeover of competitor West Coast Air.

The announcement in today's Times Colonist says the deal is due to be closed on April 30th.

Both companies have reported a downturn in business travel in recent times and since this forms a large part of their off-season business, the decision comes as no great surprise.

Founded in 1982, Harbour Air now operates more than 30 single-engine seaplanes, and recently won an award as one of Canada's Top 50 best managed companies. West Coast Air's fleet of 15 seaplanes includes six twin-engine Otters - which offer 18 seats, but are inevitably more expensive to operate.

Formerly known as Baxter Air, West Coast Air has been flying for more than 35 years.

Both fleets will continue to operate under their separate business names for the time being - but with the two companies currently running separate terminals at most of their locations, it can only be a matter of time before some more visible changes start to be made.

When competition decreases, it usually means that fares start to rise - let's hope this is not the case with Harbour Air..

Herring run

2010-03-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

Whalebone beach has been a scene of feeding frenzy today as shoals of herring attracted thousands of seabirds, dozens of bald eagles and countless marine mammals to feed upon both the roe and the herring themselves.

Low tide revealed seaweed caked in herring roe - providing a veritable feast for the thousands of gulls that have been following this week's herring run.

Among the gulls came the bald eagles - sometimes twenty or more could be seen perched on distant rocks. A solitary sea otter sat patiently on the rocks for the herring to approach, then slipped silently into the water after its prey.

And then came the Stellar Sea Lions - dozens of them could be seen offshore among the seals, with a handful swimming close to shore where the waters were almost white with the roe.

Mostly the sealion swam and dived alone, but this playful pair clearly had the same unsuspecting fish in their sights.
And all the time their barking echoed across the beach.

Inquisitive seals are no strangers to Whalebone, but the stellar is normally to be found in the waters off Entrance Island - and while their calls can be heard around Sandwell Bay and Whalebone, it is rare for them to be seen in any number this close to Whalebone beach.

Back to the island

2010-03-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

It's eight weeks since I left Gabriola to return to the UK. The snows of December and January had gone by the time we arrived back, leaving a bitter coldness that has made it impractical to get out and repair the flat roof over our garage. "Not to be used at temperatures below 10 degrees" said the instructions on the roofing adhesive. So, the garage remained unrepaired and the rain continued to soak through. A job for next time I think.

After installing a brand new kitchen in our island home, it was inevitable that there would be a call for improvements in the kitchen back in England. 10 years ago we'd installed woodgrain-effect cabinets that were starting to look their age (so I was told) and it was time for a new look. Over the past few weeks there have been cabinet doors everywhere waiting for paint to dry - and in the last couple of days some semblence of normality has returned.

So I am now tasked with returning to the island to start the next stage of renovation. I predict regular visits to Arbutus Building Supplies (what would we do without them?) and a return to construction site living for the next two months. All closely supervised from afar thanks to the wonders of the internet.

At least I'm not flying with British Airways.......

Bloganalysis : the meaning of life?

2010-03-04T10:28:00.000-08:00

"A blog is usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability of readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs." (Wikipedia)

So what motivates a Blogger? Amid the inevitable suggestions of "having too much time on your hands" and "because you're a geek" , the art of blogging takes many different directions, and can reveal much about the author - both good and bad.

Unlike a conventional website, your Blog will immediately broadcast your writing to your select audience (your followers) with the potential to reach a much wider audience in the shape of those who follow other Blogs - especially those who have kindly provided links to your own blog. Your followers will start out as people you know - be they family or friends, work colleagues or business acquaintances. Then suddenly you find complete strangers declaring themselves as your followers - and when you take a look at their blog, you can sometimes (though not always...) make a connection.

Your generic Blogger probably subscribes to social networking sites too - but maybe started to realise that Facebook has been taken over by fantasy farmers and Twitter just doesn't allow you the space to say everything you need to say in 140 characters. Where Twitter excels, though, is the potential to entice a much wider group of followers (those of your choice and of theirs) to taste a morsel of your news before being drawn to a link taking them, wisely or unwisely, to the heart of your Blog. Twitter, in particular, has increasingly become a promotional medium for business - a quick hit on their customer base, and an efficient method of checking what other businesses are up to. Bakers to Bankers, they're all inviting us to follow them on Twitter - and then suddenly you realise that there aren't enough hours in the day to read everyone's tweets!

By comparison, Blogging remains much less pressurised. You can blog once a day (or more), once a week, once a month - or whenever. Half the joy of blogging is taking time out - just to read what others have been up to, marvel at their photographic prowess or catch up on their recent travels. No matter how long it's been since you last visited your Blog, your invitation into someone else's world is still there - minus the mystery eggs and lost black sheep - and uncluttered by several hundred retweets from people whom you neither know nor care about.

You may still come to the conclusion that your fellow bloggers have too much time on their hands, or that they are simply geeks. But you may also learn something new - and something of genuine interest to you. You find yourself waiting for their next blog - just to see what they've been up to, where they've been or who they've met.

Then you start to wonder what other people really think of your Blog? Are they really interested in what book you're reading, your latest DIY project, or what your kids are up to? In most cases the answer is probably not - but what the heck - you enjoyed writing about it; someone, somewhere, probably wanted to read it, and as for everyone else? Do we really care?

A Blog is what you want it to be. Period.

There's a little bit of Canada......

2010-02-28T15:49:00.000-08:00

....celebrating tonight in the Midlands - the British Midlands that is.

Canadian medics at the University of Warwick Medical School (and a few of their British counterparts) had gathered together to watch with bated breath as THE final olympic event was played out at Canada Hockey Place.

Judging by the wild cheering in the background of our daughter's phone call after 7 minutes of overtime, the ex-pat audience approved of the final result. AND SO THEY SHOULD!!!!

Great performance Canada; great games Vancouver. There were plenty of critics and not a few skeptics - but the skeptics have been won over and the critics - well, they'll still be there in 2012 when the Summer Games open in London. Against all the odds, Vancouver has pulled it off.

What's the betting it snows in Vancouver next week!

Salt Spring Island's housing needs sound so familiar

2010-02-04T16:02:00.000-08:00

So, the recently completed housing needs assessment on Salt Spring Island confirms that the lack of affordable
housing is affecting virtually all segments of the population - and the most urgent need is housing for the homeless and those at risk of homelessness.

These findings should come as no surprise, since they mirror many of the concerns expressed in the Gabriola Island Affordable Housing Needs Assessment completed just three months earlier.

There are strong similarities (and a few notable differences) between these two island communities.

Both are projecting significant population growth over the next 20-30 years - and in both cases the majority of that increase will be older people in retirement, or approaching retirement.
Both communites have identified a shortage of good quality, affordable housing - especially in the rental sector, on which so many people, both young and old, are now dependent given the steep rise in property prices in recent years.
More than 20% of the housing stock on both islands is owned by non-residents, often standing empty for much of the year. Rentals on these properties are often seasonal, resulting in displacement of tenants for part of the year.
There is a serious shortfall in housing for those with special needs in both communities
The number of homeless people is increasing - though in both cases, "couch-hopping" probably disguises the true scale of the problem
For those with low (or no) income, access to essential services is made much more difficult by the lack of transport.

One major difference, of course, is that Salt Spring Island residents benefit from a community transit service which offers several trips a day on a network of bus routes linking several of the outlying communities with the island centre at Ganges. Four out of five Salt Spring residents believe that the ability to access public transit has opened up realistic affordable housing options in most parts of the island.

Here on Gabriola, the absence of public transit makes the village centre and north end of the island virtually the only realistic option for many who cannot afford to own, insure and run a car. Sure, we pride ourselves in our willingness to offer a ride to those we see walking along the road - but, if we're honest, we're all becoming just a little selective in who we will stop for, and who we will drive past. And not everyone wants to be dependent on the goodwill of others in their daily lives - so, for some, the hardship and isolation just spirals.

Of course, with a population of 10,000, the economics of a public transit service on Salt Spring stacks up more strongly than it ever will on Gabriola - but the social cost to the community of not having a bus on the island is becoming ever more evident.

Sure, the Islands Trust must sit down and reflect on the need to legalize the use of suites and cottages as affordable housing - but without the ability to access essential services, the scope for offering truly affordable housing is severely limited.

Next stop Gabriola?

2010-02-04T03:13:00.000-08:00

International transport group Stagecoach will shortly commence trials of an innovative amphibious bus on Scotland's River Clyde.

The new £700,000 ($1.1 million) “amfibus” can carry 50 passengers and is built in Holland by Dutch Amphibious Transport Vehicles BV of Nijmegen. Based on a bus chassis, the “amfibus” incorporates a hull to allow the vehicle to float and is fully safety certified for operation on road and water by European transport regulatory authorities. On the road, the vehicle operates like a standard coach. In the water, the “amfibus” is driven by twin water jets and can achieve a speed of 8 knots.

Brian Souter, Stagecoach chief executive, said: “This is an exciting transport project that would provide a seamless bus connection between two important local communities. “Passengers can use the amfibus to travel over road and water without having to leave the comfort of their seat to change from a bus to a ferry. It shows the potential of Scotland’s rivers and estuaries to be links rather than barriers to travel and we are looking forward to testing the technology on the Clyde.”

Stagecoach has already carried out tests of the “amfibus” in Rotterdam harbour where the vehicle coped well from the wash from heavily laden barges and provided a smooth travel experience. The “amfibus” being demonstrated next week is due to be used by Rotterdam Splash Tours for excursions around the harbour from next month.

A similar vehicle (or should that be "craft"?) was trialled on Lake Michigan last year. I wonder what became of that? Since the Stagecoach group is already well established in eastern Canada, maybe they could extend the trials to include Gabriola?

Olympic expectations

2010-01-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

With about 600 staff at Vancouver City Hall assigned to Olympic host duties, it's good to see that the City has issued a protocol guide to avoid potential embarrassment to visiting dignitories.

Almost nothing is left to chance. There is useful information at every corner:

You never say "That's not my job". You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. If you are not, then you need to find another job.
Protocol is whatever your boss says it is.
You must display the famous "protocol smile" in all circumstances, no matter what is going on behind the scenes.
Remember that protocol smile. It needs to get larger the worse things get. Let them think you are in complete control.
Don't fold or cross your arms, and keep hands away from your mouth. Both actions can send negative signals.
Always sit or stand 'tall' with shoulders slightly back and chin up for self confidence.
Smile "gently" and with sincerity. Do not overdo it. False smiles can look artificial and never-ending smiles may invite suspicion.
Looking into the other person's eyes shows your interest in the conversation. Do not stare too intently. Staring can be perceived as threatening.
Minimise your use of hand gestures.
Avoid playing with your hair, tie or jewelry, biting your lip, drumming your fingers or jiggling coins or keys in your pocket
Nodding usually means you agree. Too much nodding may give the impression you are insincere.
To shake hands, make eye contact and extend your right hand with the thumb knuckle facing up. Keep your hand straight, with your fingers slightly relaxed. Grasp the other person's hand and pump once or twice while standing still. Do not use a loose, limp grip.
Be helpful but discreet in embarrassing situations. Try to move the individual out of hearing range of others and quietly let them know "Your trouser zipper is open"
Present and receive business cards with both hands. Never use your left hand to present or receive a card. The left hand is reserved for "unclean" functions in middle eastern cultures.
No "Tweeting"
Never dress in clothes that are too tight, they make a slim person look gaunt and a large person look heavier.
Avoid wearing short socks. If they are too short, they may show bare leg when you sit down. Wear knee-high socks or stockings that reach above the calf.
Socks should match your pant colour.

Doesn't leave much room for fun, does it?

Sign of the times

2010-01-25T01:07:00.000-08:00

One of our favourite walks is through the Government of Canada lands off Joyce Lockwood Park at the far end of Whalebone Drive. On a recent visit, we noticed a sign that we hadn't previously seen - banning the picking of Salal in the woods.

I know that Salal picking is a problem elsewhere on the island, though I've never seen anyone taking it out through Joyce Lockwood Park. Have similar signs gone up elsewhere on the island I wonder?

Pineapple Express rushes in

2010-01-12T16:42:00.000-08:00

No-one on Gabriola will have failed to notice that it's hardly stopped raining in the past week - and that temperatures have been unseasonably high.

At midnight last night, the temperature here on Gabriola was hovering around 12C - nearly 10 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year. On Monday, Vancouver International Airport registered a record high temperature of 13.1 degrees. The previous record of 12.2 degrees was set back in 1941. The mild temperatures will continue for the next few days although no records are expected to be broken.

After a brief respite this morning, the rain is back and is expected to continue on and off for the next week.

The cause of this unusual phenomenon? The so-called Pineapple Express - a strong and persistent flow of atmospheric moisture and associated heavy rainfall from the waters adjacent to the Hawaiian Islands and extending along the Pacific coast of North America.

A Pineapple Express is driven by a strong, southern branch of the Polar jetstream and is usually marked by the presence of a surface frontal boundary which is either slow or completely stationary, with waves of low pressure traveling along its axis. Each of these low pressure systems brings enhanced rainfall.

The conditions are often created by the Madden-Julian oscillation, an equatorial rainfall pattern which feeds its moisture into this pattern. The composition of moisture-laden air, atmospheric dynamics, and orographic enhancement resulting from the passage of this air over the mountain ranges of the western coast of North America causes some of the most torrential rains to occur in the region. In British Columbia, Pineapple Express systems typically generate heavy snowfall in the mountains and Interior Plateau, which often melts rapidly because of the warming effect of the system.

Throughout Vancouver Island, the effects of this Pineapple Express are already being felt.

The mayor of Courtenay, B.C. has declared a local state of emergency after heavy rain caused local rivers to flood their banks, forcing the evacuation of about 40 people in the city on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Mayor Greg Phelps issued the order after high water levels in the Browns, Tsolum and Puntledge Rivers caused flooding in the low lying areas adjacent to the Tsolum River and Courtenay River overnight Monday.The city also opened a local community centre for any evacuated residents, closed several roads and the Fifth Street bridge, and urged drivers to avoid the city's downtown core.

B.C.'s River Forecast Centre has also posted flood warnings for the nearby Puntledge and Browns Rivers while a flood watch is in effect along the Nanaimo River, south of Nanaimo.

The mayor plans to keep the state of emergency in effect for several days because there are very high tides forecast through the week and more heavy rain in the forecast. "We've decided to keep our local state of emergency in effect, because that gives us the power to keep things like the reception centre and the people in the emergency shelters," said Phelps.

Residents in low-lying areas of Courtenay were evacuated in mid-November when heavy rains, melting snow and high tides pushed the Puntledge, Courtenay, Tsolum and Browns Rivers over their banks. Further south on the island, residents of Duncan and Cowichan were also evacuated last November, but so far this week, that area has not been affected by flooding.

To those back home.....

2010-01-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

Those of you back in the UK (and France) who are currently sitting in a deep freeze looking out on the snow might consider you have it tough. In parts of Canada the temperature has fallen below -30C and windchill has made it feel like -50C.

In Gabriola, however, the sun is out - the birds are singing - and the temperature is a balmy 6 degrees. I just thought you might like to know!

Family and Friends

2009-12-27T22:49:00.000-08:00

No fewer than 26 of us sat down for Christmas lunch at 3pm on Christmas Day. Family and friends from the island, and some from further afield in Ottawa and Hudson's Hope. Where's Hudson's Hope? A mere 14 hours' drive away in Northern BC, where the temperature was -20 and the snow was already knee high. By comparison, Gabriola must have seemed almost tropical.

With 26 coming to lunch, food preparation was a collective effort and top marks must go to Robbie and Mary for a fabulous turkey, and to Jackie for the supreme effort of peeling 3lb of chestnuts!

Needless to say, Mrs H was proudly managing 'front of house' from her new kitchen, supported by a team of 'fantastic fifties' serving piping hot dishes to young and old. It's leftovers for a week now!

Mrs H & Mrs H prepare for battle. Is that a bottle of wine I see?

The Head Waiter checks out the place settings. When are the wine glasses being delivered?

.... and Mrs H shows off some of the leftovers!

A kitchen for Christmas

2009-12-27T22:23:00.000-08:00

The task was straightforward enough. Fly to Gabriola at the start of October. Demolish the wall round the old utility room, move a window or two, build a new wall and level the floor. The kitchen cabinets that had been ordered from Rona's Nanaimo store in September would be delivered in early November. The appliances (fridge/freezer, oven, dishwasher) had been ordered from Sears in Nanaimo and would also arrive in early November. Once the cabinets were in, the countertops could be measured, fabricated and fitted. They would be ready by early December, so the whole project would be finished in plenty of time for Christmas.

"Simples", as Aleksander Orlov, founder of ComparetheMeerkat.com would say.

But this is Canada; Gabriola is an island, and Canada is not (as I have been told several times) quite like England. It's a bit bigger, and things therefore take a bit longer to happen, especially if they're happening on the other side of the country or (heaven forbid) in the USA.

My earlier posts charted the ups and downs of the demolition/construction phase. Kitchen cabinets which were due to leave the Westwood factory at Kelowna, BC on Monday 9th November actually left on Thursday 12th November and arrived on Gabriola the following day. In the dark and on a truck with no interior lights. It was Friday the 13th, so what should I expect?

The appliances were also due on the 12th, which would have worked fine if (a) the kitchen walls had been finished, (b) the cabinets had been delivered on the 12th as planned and (c) the appliances had actually left the KitchenAid factory in Benton Harbor, somewhere east of Chicago, on time. In the event, none of the above applied so at least the progress (or lack of it) was consistent.

Kitchen cabinets couldn't be fitted until the walls were ready; the walls couldn't be finished until the new windows were in; the windows couldn't go in until it stopped raining - you probably get the picture.

So, the arrival of the cabinets at least signalled a step forward, even if it was followed by 3 steps back. The fridge/freezer and dishwasher arrived a week later than planned; the dishwasher was the wrong model and had to go back - and the oven was nowhere to be seen. "It should arrive on the 3rd December" said Sears. The same day that Mrs H would arrive from England. Hmmm - could be cutting things a bit fine?

Walls were finished and most cabinets fitted by the time the fridge and (first) dishwasher arrived. No ordinary fridge, you understand, but a 4ft wide x 8ft high monster that took four people an hour and a half to unload from the delivery truck and get up the steps into the kitchen. Had it not been for the threat of Mrs H's retribution, the delivery men would have deemed it impossible, left it on the truck and taken it away again.

In their wisdom, Rona advised against ordering the door panels for the appliances until they were actually here -just in case the specifications had changed. They hadn't - and when Rona said they should be ready for mid January, Mrs H suggested they might reconsider - in the nicest possible way, of course. "They will be leaving Kelowna on the 14th December and delivered to the Rona store for collection on the 15th" was the promise. They weren't.

December 3rd came and went, the oven was delivered, the dishwasher changed, and the countertops had been templated. Almost 30 feet of countertop and 20 feet of backsplash mocked up in wafer thin plywood had left Gabriola on the back of an open pick-up truck back to the Countryside Designs factory at Cobble Hill, near Victoria, where it would be magically transformed into midnight grey Corian countertops before being delivered back by mid December for installation. Congratulations Countryside Designs - you actually delivered AHEAD of target!!!

The final piece of the jigsaw was to be black, or grey, floor covering. No problem you might think - except that no-one stocked anything that wasn't brown. We weren't too fussy what shade of grey, but we didn't want brown. After 3 days of searching, despair was setting in when we happened upon some black laminate flooring in Rona's store in Duncan. Not quite what we were looking for, but go for it!

Meanwhile, the prospect of buying nearly 50 drawer and cabinet handles at exhorbitant prices on Vancouver Island led to a mail order at around a third of the price from Michigan, USA which - by mid December, was in the midst of a series of winter snowstorms that seemingly prevented any packages being dispatched for more than a week. They finally arrived three days before Christmas.

Inexplicably, the appliance door panels were "missed off" the delivery from Kelowna on the 14th - but never fear, there was another delivery before Christmas and, by way of recompense, they would be delivered direct to Gabriola. Wrong again. Sure, they were on the truck that left Kelowna (a day late) on the 22nd - but by 4pm on the 23rd there was no sign of the truck arriving on Gabriola. A call to Rona determined that all three deliveries for Gabriola had been dumped at the Nanaimo warehouse without explanation. I suspect the driver had seen the length of the ferry line-up and determined it was either Gabriola or Christmas at home - but not both. Nevertheless, Rona called in a Gabriola courier service and the panels arrived on our doorstep just before 1pm Christmas Eve.

By 9pm Christmas Eve, there were panels on the fridge/freezer and handles on everything. The dishwasher panel would have been fitted Christmas morning, but for the fact that I didn't have the necessary Torx screwdriver. Bugger!

It was Boxing Day before the dishwasher was finally clad, but we had our kitchen for Christmas. Just as well, as we had 26 coming to Christmas Dinner !

Santa arrives in Victoria - by ferryboat!

2009-12-20T19:06:00.000-08:00

Santa looks just a little bit nervous as he navigates past an outgoing seaplane!

All lit up for Christmas

2009-12-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

Each year, as Christmas approaches, we try to get away and see another city dressed in all its finery for the holiday season. Coming from Europe, there's no shortage of colourful destinations within reach - London, Paris, Lille, Bruges - all just a few hours away if you can make the effort.

I suppose it's natural to compare new cities to those we know best. London at Christmas is a mix of colour, glitter and tradition - with many of the best known landmarks floodlit in natural light as a backdrop to the seasonal illuminations.

Some of our favourite Christmas lights are in Paris - where the Champs Elysees is bordered by lines of trees bedecked in brilliant white fairylights - indeed the whole area is illuminated in white, without a trace of colour to detract from the serenity of the city's floodlit landmarks.

Europe also boasts a series of month-long pre-Christmas markets, turning some of the lesser known cities into a mass of colour and activity to incite visitors from around the world. Among those we have visited, Bruges remains one of our favourites.

This year, we spent a couple of days in BC's capital, Victoria - having carefully selected a hotel offering probably the most impressive views of the city and harbour, we were treated to a wonderful vista with many impressive landmarks reflected in the still waters of the inner harbour. Our room at the Delta hotel offered a panoramic view of the whole harbour, stretching across to the Legislature building and the Fairmont Empress hotel, and buzzing with activity from boats and floatplanes alike.

As night fell, the city lit up - and from our window the reflections in the water were simply fantastic.

The Legislature building - very impressive in daylight - looked as though it had received the Disney treatment.
Personally, I think it would have looked much more impressive if it had been floodlit - less gaudy, and more in character with the building.

Down in the harbour, the little ferries were decorated for their evening ballet performance

- and one or two enterprising boat owners had joined in the same spirit

The Empress looked as grand as ever - pity someone abandoned that old bus outside!

It was still there the following day when afternoon tea was served.... very tastefully I may add.

Victoria is often likened to London. Take away the tourist buses, and it reveals a character all of its own. Look beyond the brightly lit facades and there are some of the finest historic buildings in Canada. But for me, Victoria's inner harbour is the jewel in the crown. The combination of floatplanes, yachts, ferries (large and small) and inquisitive seals makes it quite unique. Perhaps next year, the BC Legislature will go for a more serene appearance!

Winter's arrived

2009-12-14T09:03:00.001-08:00

Streetview makes it to Gabriola

2009-12-02T00:04:00.000-08:00

Oh well, it had to happen. Google Streetview's visit to Gabriola earlier this year has made it on line.

Must have been a 'flying' visit judging by the dustcloud following the camera!

Survival of the fittest

2009-11-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

Walking around Gabriola Island, it never ceases to amaze me how resilient trees are when faced with adversity - even when it comes in the shape of a massive rock fall. These specimens can be found along the trail leading to Sandwell Provincial Park.

Towering high above the trail, it's difficult to tell how this tree came to be the shape that it is. Maybe it was blown down many years ago, then recovered to grow back to health. Or maybe the horizontal growth is the last remaining part of its root network after the sandstone rockface collapsed from under it? Either way, it's an amazing recovery!

A break in the weather

2009-11-27T12:52:00.000-08:00

At last, sunshine. For the first time in three weeks the sun has really broken through and we can see the true colours of the season.

Time and Tide

2009-11-21T14:14:00.000-08:00

After two incidents (at least) in the past week, BC Ferries finally issued the following warning today:

TIDAL RESTRICTIONS AFFECT LOADING
Please be advised that the MV Bowen Queen may not be able to accommodate long wheelbase vehicles when experiencing extreme tidal conditions, due to potentially steep ramp angles. Affected vehicles may be Semi’s, Commercial vehicles and Recreational vehicles. Customers may be required to delay their travels until suitable tidal conditions exist.

Pity they didn't issue the warning before they had 35 gallons of diesel fuel dumped on the car deck by a truck that ruptured its fuel line last week, and then had to call a heavy recovery vehicle to pull Home Depot's delivery truck off the ramp this week when the driver found himself with two wheels in mid-air!

Waiting for dinner

2009-11-20T17:42:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I cut down part of a vast ivy growth and, to this day, I have yet to discover whether there is a tree trunk at its centre. Over the past few days, the cuttings have been progressively devoured to the point where all visible leaves had gone.

On my arrival home this evening there was a young deer looking hopefully for some dinner. I pulled a branch from the heap and flipped it over so the leaves were on top. They obviously tasted good, as I was ignored completely as I walked past four or five times collecting things from the car.

I love the expression - it's either "yeah, that's good eh?" or "just clear off and let me eat in peace"

Bad weather defeats BC Ferries

2009-11-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

High winds caused the cancellation of all BC Ferries from Tsawwassen from 3pm today. The 9pm sailing from Horseshoe Bay was also cancelled.

The Bowen Queen has continued in service, though delays are being experienced on the Nanaimo-Gabriola route.

After the storm....

2009-11-17T09:30:00.000-08:00

......the sun comes out, and there's time for a coffee pot walk.

Hummingbird's brook is babbling

The high tides that have threatened flooding to parts of Vancouver Island

and you start to see just how much lumber has been set adrift by the combination of heavy rain, wind and tide.

mmmm - fir cones, deer droppings and fresh mushrooms.

Coffee's brewed now - it must be time for breakfast!

Island Drywall Solutions

2009-11-16T23:43:00.000-08:00

After much cursing and swearing, Island Drywall Solutions has come pretty close to handing over the space to Island Kitchen Solutions.

The window shelf is 30" wide and 25" deep.

Windows on the world

2009-11-14T13:43:00.000-08:00

The second window is now in, next to the kitchen door

- here's the view of the ocean from the kitchen sink

....... and the view out of the side window in daylight!

New Delivery!

2009-11-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

It feels a little like a furniture store right now, but the kitchen cabinets are finally here.

If only I was ready for them!

It's amazing how much light the new window lets in (when it's not dark, of course)

Foot passengers present safety risk for BC Ferries - or do they?

2009-11-11T23:16:00.000-08:00

At the recent Ferry Advisory Committee, it was reported a risk assessment had been conducted on passengers leaving the Gabriola ferry and a decision taken that would mean foot passengers and cyclists disembarking after vehicles have left the ferry at both ends of the route.

In a letter to BC Ferries, Island Blog has pointed out some of the weaknesses in this proposal:

No representative of the FAC appears to have been invited to contribute to the risk assessment
Allowing cyclists to board first puts them in conflict with vehicles as they are still on the car deck when vehicles are being loaded
Foot passengers are already safely managed at the Gabriola terminal, to keep them away from vehicles leaving the ferry
Delaying foot passengers leaving the ferry at Gabriola will result in a greater hazard from the many cars that await the arrival of friends and family on the ferry, clogging the area as cars are unloaded
Foot passengers leaving the ferry at Nanaimo are allowed to wander into the vehicle lanes because BCF staff follow them off the ferry, instead of leading them off as they do at the Gabriola terminal
Pedestrian barriers and gates at the Nanaimo terminal need to be refurbished and supervised by staff, as they are at Gabriola.
Since there is a member of terminal staff on duty at Nanaimo, there is a "spare" member of crew who could ensure these procedures are followed
With up to 150 walk-on passengers aboard on busy crossings, there is a serious risk of an accident aboard the ferry as they wander onto the car deck while vehicles are being unloaded
During the summer months, many walk-on passengers stay on the car deck during the crossing - especially on Quinsam. These passengers will be at serious risk while vehicles are leaving the ferry.

Have BC Ferries taken these issues into account in their Risk Assessment? We must wait and see.

From the floor up

2009-11-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

After much ingenuity to achieve a (comparatively) level floor, the work continues....

Gabriola in the dark

2009-10-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

One of the first things I was told when I came to Gabriola was to be prepared for power outages. In fact, our housewarming present from Cousins Robbie and Mary was a delightful hamper containing all that was needed to survive just such an event.

Gabriola's electricity comes from Vancouver Island along a rather tired supply line that is reputedly on the verge of overload or collapse much of the time. Power outages are frequent - sometimes it's a tree falling over a line and blacking out part of the island; sometimes it's the whole island plunged into darkness - maybe for hours on end. And, being an island, there's always the potential for the outage to occur too late in the day for BC Hydro's repair gang to make it over - and back again - before the last ferry leaves. In which case, you just wait till tomorrow.

Travelling late around the island, it's sometimes difficult to tell whether there's a power outage or not. With only 3 streetlights, all within a short distance of the ferry, you can drive for miles without seeing another light - especially after curfew (generally somewhere between 9 and 10pm) when all good folk have retired for the night. Arrive on the last ferry at 2315 and it feels like you could be the only ones here.

So far, I've not experienced a prolonged outage here after dark - but earlier this evening it seemed like that might all be about to change. Lights flickered a couple of times and then went out. Complete and total darkness under a cloudfilled sky without even a star to break through.

Where's my torch, I wondered? I've been using it every day in and out of the crawlspace under the house, where much of the plumbing and wiring lurks in constant darkness. Did I plug it back in when I'd finished, so that it would come on if the power went out? No, of course I didn't.

Tonight's outage lasted less than a minute - but it was a reminder that maybe I needed to pay more attention in future to the little things. Where are the candles and matches? Hmmm, I think I saw them last week.

Despite the very brief interlude without power, I just happened to have my camera at the ready and was able to capture the full effect for posterity. I thought I'd share it with you while I go look for the matches.

G'night all!

Space is growing

2009-10-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest photographs showing progress in clearing the space for the kitchen.

This picture shows the joist which provides extra support to the ceiling. A second joist will be put in about 6" this side of it, so that the void in between can be used for concealed downlighting. The whole thing will then be encased with stained boarding.

The one remaining piece of studwork from the old wall is actually held up by the wiring - it's not fixed to anything else at the top. As soon as the wiring is moved, the studwork will come down.

...and there it was, gone! The two cables that disappeared into the ceiling both ran right across the front bedroom, so there is a bit of work to do there tomorrow!

Anchors aweigh!

2009-10-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

I recall one occasion on the River Thames when my failure to weigh anchor resulted in our dutch barge making embarassingly slow progress to the boatyard where I was seeking to refuel. Fortunately, I was the only one aboard at the time and it proved only to brighten the morning of the dockhand at the boatyard as he pointed out to me that there was a long chain emerging from the anchor locker and disappearing into the water below the bow.

This morning, the captain of the BC Ferry Spirit of British Columbia suffered a somewhat more public humiliation. The 7 a.m. sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay came to a juddering halt shortly after negotiating Active Pass when its bow anchor unexpectedly plunged to the ocean floor.

One truck driver described how he was woken from his sleep by a loud banging sound and the ship juddering and swaying from side to side. Another witness had earler described how the vessel had "done a doughnut" before coming to a halt. Not sure what "doing a doughnut" could mean, but it sounds impressive!

Deborah Marshall, spokeswoman for B.C. Ferries, confirmed that the vessel's anchor had inadvertently released after the ferry cleared Georgina Point on Mayne Island. "The crew did not deploy the anchor," she said. At 9:20 a.m., after an 80-minute stop, the ship was underway again.

"There is nothing mechanically wrong with the Spirit of B.C.," Marshall said. So what did cause the anchor to drop? A disgruntled passenger wanting to get home to Mayne Island? Maybe one day we shall be told.

Until then, maybe we should just remember that the Spirit of British Columbia was supposed to have been taken out of service 2 weeks ago for annual maintenance and recertification. Because of the fire aboard her sister ship Spirit of Vancouver Island, BC Ferries decided to delay the annual maintenance on Spirit of BC.

There may be no connection of course, but it does make you wonder.....

Back to basics

2009-10-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

Removal of the old utility cupboards has been completed and the old wall studwork is next. These pictures give a feel for the space that the new kitchen will occupy.

Old kitchen meets new

Wall panels have come off the back of the internal wall to the downstairs bathroom

Wiring and wall to be removed next.

Meanwhile, the door has gone in to conceal the hot water tank and plumbing:

Good morning Whalebone!

2009-10-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

Food for thought

2009-10-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

At last there's food in the pantry. Now to remove the old cupboards......

Queens at rest

2009-10-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

Lying forlornly alongside Nanaimo's Assembly Wharf are two former Queens of the BC Ferries fleet. Although all trace of their former identity is now gone, they are believed to be the Queen of Vancouver and Queen of Saanich, two 'V' Class vessels dating from 1962 which were put up for sale by BC Ferries earlier this year.

Originally built with just one car deck, both vessels have been cut in half twice - once vertically, when an extra 35 metre length was added in 1972, then again horizontally in 1981 when a second car deck was inserted. This increased their car carrying capacity from the original 109 vehicles to almost 300.

Will they see further passenger service somewhere in the world I wonder?

Vancouver Island weekend

2009-10-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

Time out on Sunday afternoon to visit Parksville and Qualicum Beach

Parksville's Community Park still in full colour

Parksville Bay

French Creek Boat Harbour

Welcome to Qualicum Beach

Fall colours by the ocean

Sky spectacular

Pebbles in brine

Sailing into the rainbow

2009-10-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

Bowen Queen returns to Gabriola

2009-10-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

For the next 6 months or so, the Bowen Queen has once again replaced Quinsam on our regular ferry link to Nanaimo. Here she is, fully laden, entering Descanso Bay at 4pm today.

A fine vintage

2009-10-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

A range of fine wines from British Columbia........?

........not quite; it's the product of 40 years of sediment in the 1967 hot water cylinder which I've just moved - and that's after I've flushed it through with a hose for an hour. The range of fine tipples (above, from the right) - 5 minutes, 20 minutes, 40 minutes and an hour after reconnection. The fifth glass came from the cold tap as a comparison!

(left) where the tank was since 1967 (right) it's new home for the next 40 years

They don't make them like that any more! Pity the same can't be said for the compression joint purchased yesterday to make the new connection. It collapsed an hour later, sending water everywhere! An unscheduled trip back to Home Depot tonight to get a different fitting. So far so good......

New laundry open for business

2009-10-09T19:48:00.000-07:00

Back at the house, any excuse for dirty clothes is now over. There's even space to store the ironing board. Two different floor surfaces - one for the wet, one for the dry. Nice effect, don't you think? Both machines are, of course, being road tested this evening!

A little creativity was needed to get the dryer to vent through the floor.

Long way home

2009-10-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

It's just after 7pm, and pretty much every ferry from Tsawwassen tonight is now fully booked.

This was the view from outside the Tsawwassen terminal

.....and for those lucky (?) enough to be inside.

There may be more than one person reminding David Hahn that he promised "to sail through the night if we have to" to get everyone to their destination.

No fun in Tsawwassen

2009-10-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

By lunchtime today, 4-6 hour queues were building for ferries to Vancouver Island at the start of the Thanksgiving weekend. By 2pm, it was a 4 hour wait to get to Victoria and a 6+ hour wait for ferries to Nanaimo. Happy holidays!

Challenging times for BC Ferries

2009-10-09T11:14:00.000-07:00

Last week it was the washrooms aboard MV Quinsam being closed, following the apparent failure of the sewage disposal system installed just a few months ago during the first part of the vessel's mid-life refit.

Yesterday, BC Ferries announced reduced capacity on its Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route starting 13 October, while the giant S-Class vessel Spirit of British Columbia (410 cars, 2,100 passengers) is taken out of service for annual maintenance and recertification. In its place the 45-year old Queen of New Westminster will accommodate only 270 cars and 1,300 passengers.

Just as the Thanksgiving weekend gets underway, a generator fire aboard the second S-Class vessel Spirit of Vancouver Island has resulted in the cancellation of 4 out of the 14 round trips today on the busy Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route. Holders of Assured Loading Tickets on that route today will find that they are not being honoured, meaning that they will have to join the line-up like everyone else. With 1,600 fewer car spaces each way today, that could be a pretty long line.

Recycled teenagers

2009-10-07T23:38:00.000-07:00

This seniors group has a sense of humour!