Date: 9/26/2007 6:31:17 PM
Location: Vancouver, B.C.
Canon EOS 30D w/Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM @310mm

A short but despairing story about this vessel and her sisters. This will illustrate what happens when politicians stick their fingers into things they know nothing about. I'll make the story short.

In the 90's the then ruling government of BC, the NDP (New Democratic Party, or more precisely Nothing Done Properly) decided to add a fleet of new high speed ferries to the BC Ferries fleet. Basically they awarded the construction contract to Vancouver Shipyards which has NO experience in building catamarans and kicked back their feet in anticipation of the deliveries.

Well, this turned into a HUGE scandal because the new "fastcats" failed in EVERY aspect of their intended use and of course were way over budget. There were both, economic as well as political aspirations in this whole deal but I'll skip those. After a very short time in service, the "fastcats" were put on the shelf and sit in storage to this day with no buyers. The estimated cost for each ferry was $70 million and the final cost for EACH ferry ended up at $150 million. Finally the new Liberal government tried to sell the ferries for $6.5 million per vessel. A new scandal erupted when it was further learned that the same company that was interested in buying the fleet, earlier offered $60 million per vessel.

Some of the "shortcomings" of the fastcats.

High fuel consumption

Higher than normal amount of flotsam causing breakdowns and sailing cancellations

At full speed they generated a wake which damaged waterfront properties in coastal areas near the two terminals

Lack of air circulation on the car deck causing very high temperatures and being a danger for pets

Little outside deck space preventing the passengers from enjoying a tan while sailing, a custom many regulars had become accustomed to

Longer loading times due to more careful balancing issues.

These are but a few of the failures of these vessels and a total waste of tax payers money.

for more, read the Wikipedia article found by following the link.