The BC ferry Queen of the North went down on Wednesday. Two people are missing. The ship apparently struck a rock and sank about an hour later in 1,100 feet of water. Fortunately someone was monitoring the radio in the town of Hartley Bay. A flotilla of fishing boats from the town raced to the scene – in the middle of the night, in stormy weather, across icy seas. Ninety-nine people were rescued. A BC friend of mine told me today that she saw a crewman on television who said that the next ferry should be christened Spirit of Hartley Bay. Sounds like a fitting tribute to me.
I agree.
The whole sinking is shocking! We on Vancouver Island and other islands really take the ferry system for granted, I think. One of the local stations had a summary of historical accidents on BC Ferries, and I was surprised at how many had occurred over the years.
Then I recall hearing on international news much more often about ferries going down in other parts of the world, with hundreds of people lost each time.
All the same, I will be paying more attention to the lifeboat location on the next ferry trip I take to Vancouver.
And I won’t be staying in my car on deck and sleeping.
This article has a list:
[quote]
B.C. ferry accidents
[ul][li]June 30, 2005: The ferry Queen of Oak Bay loses power as it enters the Horseshoe Bay terminal at West Vancouver, slamming into a nearby marina and crushing 22 boats. No one is injured.[/li][li]Sept. 14, 2000: Ferry Spirit of Vancouver Island hits a 10-metre power boat outside Swartz Bay ferry terminal near Victoria. Two people on power boat are killed. [/li][li]Nov. 7, 1995: Ferry Mayne Queen crashes into a private marina on Bowen Island, damaging several moored boats. Blame is placed on mechanical or human error in transferring control between two consoles as ferry left dock.[/li][li]Aug. 13, 1992: Two people are killed at the Departure Bay terminal in Nanaimo when the ferry Queen of New Westminster sails from the terminal as a van is driving across the ramp leading to the ship’s upper deck and plunges 15 metres into the water.[/li][li]March 12, 1992: A B.C. Ferries vessel en route to Nanaimo slams into Japanese coal freighter Shinwa Maru after leaving the Tsawwassen ferry terminal south of Vancouver. Seventeen ferry passengers are injured.[/li][li]Feb. 6, 1992: Private high-speed catamaran passenger ferry Royal Vancouver collides with B.C. Ferries’ Queen of Saanich in morning fog in Active Pass, injuring 23 Royal Vancouver passengers. An inquiry blames fast ferry for not tracking bigger car ferry on radar.[/li][li]August, 1985: Ferry Queen of Cowichan runs over a pleasure boat near Horseshoe Bay terminal in West Vancouver, killing three people.[/li][li]Aug. 2, 1970: Soviet freighter Sergey Yesenin collides with the Queen of Victoria in Active Pass, slicing through the middle of the ferry. Three people are killed.[/ul][/li][/quote]
I was born and raised in Southern California. Until I started visiting the PNW and riding the Washtington State Ferries and the BC Ferries the last ferry I was on (except for England to Belgium twice) was the one that ran from San Diego to Coronado before they built the bridge. San Diego and Los Angeles are huge. Even Lancaster is about the size of Bellingham, so I didn’t really grow up in a ‘small town atmosphere’.
Perhaps people in rural areas take such deed as performed by the people of Hartley Bay as granted. Of course a town of fishermen would unselfishly risk their lives on stormy seas to help in a disaster. But although I did witness a sense of community during L.A. earthquakes, and I remember the generosity of the Canadian people after 9/11, it’s a wonderful thing to see the hearty fishermen of Hartley Bay rush to the rescue. Somebody should give that town a medal. Or name a ferry after it.
The first lawsuit has been filed. A couple said they were moving, and their car was stuffed with valuable belongings and irreplaceable heirlooms.
On Sunday I was talking with a friend who joked that that’s what he’d tell the insurance company were he in the situation. Not saying the couple are lying. Just that my friend made a joke along those lines.