Tag Archives: ferry

Passing Through the Gulf Islands

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To get to Victoria for our visit, we took the BC Ferries route from Tsawwassen.  This route crosses some open water but then it weaves its way through the Gulf Islands.  This makes for a really picturesque journey.  On the day we crossed, it was a cloudy day but the beauty of the islands and the waterways between them was more than enough to compensate for the gloomy skies.  Some of the passages are really narrow so you find yourself very close to the shore and looking at the houses and woodland areas along the water’s edge.

If you don’t mind being blown about a bit, standing out on the deck rewards you with great views.  The only problem is you can only see to one side at a time.  You need to nip through the boat to the other side periodically to see what is passing on that side.  Not such a relaxing way to sightsee!

RedJet

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The fastest way to cross the Solent between Cowes and Southampton is the Red Jet.  These catamarans have replaced the hydrofoil service that was the quickest way over when I lived in Cowes.  The hydrofoils were interesting to ride on, particularly when the weather got a bit rough, and they had a single prop that, if they threw it off, left them bobbing out in the water awaiting a tow.  The RedJets are clearly bigger and probably a lot more reliable while still being fast.  I have never ridden on them but my family do frequently.

Ferry in to Coupeville

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Washington State Ferries cover a wide range of routes.  Some of them are major commuter journeys and the boats are sized to handle lots of cars and passengers.  Others are far more specialized runs that have lower frequencies and capacity.  This can change throughout the year with the peak season demand being way higher than the off-season and larger boats get drafted in.

While I was on the shore at Coupeville, one of the ferries came in.  We actually took this route on a vacation a couple of years ago and it was quite busy then.  This time things were a lot quieter and the boat was clearly not one of the biggest that WSDOT has available.

Red Funnel’s Finest

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If you want to get to the mainland from the Cowes area, Red Funnel are your main option.  They have two services to Southampton.  The car ferry operates from East Cowes while a fast catamaran provides a passenger only service from West Cowes.  Both types of ferry came by while I was on the seafront.  The car ferry headed out while the cat waited outside the harbor.  I guess the strong winds meant they were looking for a bit more space.  Once the ferry was gone, the cat came in to the harbor.

Boats and Mountains

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Taking any of the Washington State ferries provides with some interesting scenery.  Puget Sound is surrounded by large mountains so you can see something in most directions.  The other ferry plying our route passed us mid-way across the journey and catching it with a mountain in the background was not tricky.  The ferries seem large when you are close to them but they are quickly put in context with a volcano in the background!

Ferry After Sundown

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Growing up on an island must bring a special affinity for ferries because, whenever I see them, it brings a spark of interest as to what people are going to or from.  I lived on the seafront for a portion of my teenage years and the ferries would pass our window each day as they headed to the mainland.  Ferry travel at night was often a thing because it would be either the beginning or end of a longer journey.  Something about the lights on a ferry at night seems very welcoming to me.

We had a terrace overlooking Puget Sound that we were able to hang out on in the evenings and the regular ferry traffic across the sound caught my attention.  It is dark out on the water but the lights from the passenger decks and the lighting on the open car deck beneath shine out across the water.  Seeing it from a slightly elevated position on the shore helps as well.  Seeing this just makes me feel good.  I guess decades away from living on an island hasn’t changed some things deep inside.

The Smaller Ferry

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AE7I9591.jpgOur vacation included a few ferry rides.  Washington State Ferries come in various sizes depending on the route you are taking but they are all a fairly decent size.  However, we passed this guy on one of our legs.  This is what I would call personal ferry service.  I imagine that, with so many islands and less traffic to most of them, this is the best way to deal with transportation needs.  I don’t know whether there is a schedule or if it is on demand but I love the idea.  I imagine the onboard catering is pretty limited though.

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Hovertravel Have a Busy Day

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C59F1565.jpgAnother Isle of Wight development is the hovercraft. Much early development of the concept was done on the Island and many were produced in East Cowes. Hovertravel still provide a frequent service between Ryde on the Island and Southsea on the mainland. I got a couple of opportunities to shoot these hovercraft while visiting. On the day Pete and I went flying, we arrived over Ryde just as one of the hovercraft was coming in. Another was parked on the slipway at the time.

C59F1398.jpgWhen we left the island, I headed up on the upper deck of the ferry to see what was going on and had two over the hovercraft come by in opposite directions. It was rather windy up on deck but I was able to get some usable shots of the two of them individually and as they crossed. Apparently, Hovertravel are in the process of acquiring new craft to replace the current AP1-88s that are in service. Given that they were built in the late 1980s, they have provided good service. It will be interesting to see what replaces them. I wonder whether the new vehicles will arrive before I next get back.

Boats from Above

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wpid7752-C59F7500.jpgContinuing with the round the Island flight that Pete and I took, we ended up having a bit of a maritime excursion.  It seems that anyone with a boat was out waiting for us, whatever form those boats took.  As we reached Yarmouth, the Wightlink ferry was arriving so I got a shot of it.  As we reached Cowes, the Red Funnel ferry was coming out so we got it too.  Just off Cowes, the paddle steamer Waverly was blasting along (she really can move) so an orbit of her was required.

wpid7760-C59F7714.jpgOn to Fishbourne and two more Wightlink ferries.  One was just departing and the other just arriving.  They have to turn around at this point so a little dance ensues as seen from above.  Then it was on to Ryde and there we get a hovercraft making its arrival.  None of this was planned so I guess we were just on a lucky roll.  Then, as we headed across to Portsmouth, the catamaran from Ryde was on its way so we got a shot of that too.  I guess that is a full set for access to the Island!

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