BC Ferries Super “C” Class

Now most people in the Metro Vancouver area have heard about the FastCat Fiasco back in 1990’s where the Provincial Government decided they would spend a large sum of money on the custom-designed high-speed catamaran ferries for BC Ferries. Well in short the program cost more than double than what was expected ($210 Million to $460 Million) and was about 3 years behind too. So they were sold back to the person who sold them to the Provincial Government for more than what we bought them for. Good deal huh?

Super “C” Class

BC Ferries do have some pretty old ships in their fleet, some being built as early as 1956 (Mill Bay) but BC Ferries has ordered 3 new ferries to their fleet (Coastal Class, or Super “C” Class) and they are a nice treat to those who are passengers who travel on BC Ferries. The first Super “C” Class ferry, the Coastal Renaissance, made its first passenger voyage on March 8 2008 this year. Robyn and I had the pleasure of travelling from Departure Bay (Nanaimo) to Horseshoe Bay (Vancouver) this past long weekend and I must say it is definitely a much nicer vessel.

The new ferries have all the ammenties of the older ferries and with updated, modern decor. They offer various dining options (Pacific Buffet, Seawest Lounge, Coastal Cafe and Coast Cafe Express), a newly renovated gift shop (Passages), Kids Zones, Video Arcades and even Staterooms. I didn’t know some of the ferries have staterooms; they go for $25 per travel and allow you to relax in privacy or get a quick nap in.

The Coastal Inspiration (pictured above) is the next of the 3 ferries that will enter service relatively soon while the third ferry (Coastal Celebration) is currently on-route to Vancouver from its factory in Germany. You can even check out the location of the Coastal Celebration via BC Ferries’ GPS tracking system, it is just off the coast of Spain at the time of this post.

It is nice to see BC Ferries upgrading their fleet to help service those who need to travel between Vancouver and Vancouver Island even if they keep increasing their ticket prices. Though it would be nice to also have a bridge built between the mainland and the island as well, it will not happen any time soon because yet again our lovely Provincial Government likes to make money and BC Ferries is a decent revenue generator for them. Who knows, perhaps one day we will see that floating bridge expand across the Strait of Juan de Fuca!