Stories of the Unusual but True
BC Ferries is more than transportation between one port and the next. It is more than a statement of accounts, it is more than a library of regulations and it is more than the sum of its schedules. BC Ferries is people.
BC Ferries has delivered babies onboard—21 unexpected little mariners to be exact—attended couples saying their wedding vows, and bowed our heads in respect of families spreading the ashes of deceased loved ones at sea.
Improving our on-time performance is very important to us. We are working on making the system better and more reliable. That said, with 22 million customers a year, there are some things that are tough to plan for and some that are even tougher to explain!
For example…
The Great Chicken Chase
It was a stormy day in 1963 (we know this is going back a bit but this story is just too good not to share). The records tell us that 20 crates of chickens being transported on the Queen of Victoria broke loose on the car deck resulting in a feathered frenzy throughout the deck and engine room while the vessel was enroute to Tsawwassen.
The bedlam cultivated by the confusion of fowls was definitely one for the record as hundreds of chickens darted in every direction; making a mad dash under cars, flapping viciously on top of cars, hiding in stairwells and clucking through the engine room. All available hands were mustered below and bewildered deck staff along with volunteer passengers worked to round up the sprinting hens while onlookers reportedly muttered, “This can’t be good.”
The Narcoleptic Horse
In July 2003, a horse was reported to have fallen over inside its trailer on the main car deck of the Queen of Cowichan. As horse-lovers around the province can attest to, a horizontal mount is quick to become a major incident of concern.
The fallen horse began thrashing about in an increasingly desperate attempt to get back up; causing injury to itself and the other horse in the trailer. An impromptu rescue was initiated, which required moving vehicles on the car deck to allow the space required to remove the upright horse from the trailer. While the horses were in a perilous state of distress, with a collaboration of will and ingenuity, they were appropriately sedated. With the animals settled, the fallen horse was able to get up — albeit sleepy — for the duration of the voyage. Whew!
Little Dog Gone
In April 2002, a mother and her children travelling on the Queen of Cowichan reported that their small dog was missing. The crew scoured the vessel looking for the little pup but to no avail—she had jumped overboard somewhere between Horseshoe Bay and Nanaimo. The emotion of the family’s tragedy was shared among the crew.
However, a day and a half later, the dog was found on Bowen Island, frightened, tired and covered in dirt and burrs. It was determined that she broke out of her kennel on the car deck and then jumped over board in search of her owners. The dog would have had to swim about a half-mile to reach the shore and ironically, BC Ferries was the first to receive the unlikely news from the SPCA, which was looking to arrange transport home. BC Ferries was thrilled to give the pup a personal escort.
Watch out for those Jay Birds!
It was a sultry August evening in 2003 when the bridge crew of the Howe Sound Queen spotted something unusual during a routine approach into the berth at Vesuvius. A spot light and a pair of binoculars revealed—much to everyone’s surprise—an unusually bare sight. Two people minus all clothing were sitting on top of the marine docking structures.
The crew scrambled to make a crash stop and alert the couple to abandon their precarious perch. After much jumping and splashing about in the water, the couple hauled themselves safely onto the dock, clearing the way for the watchful crew to resume the much delayed docking procedures. The patrons of the nearby pub who witnessed the event were reportedly quick to conclude the evening’s drama with resounding cheers; presumably for the quick aversion of what could have been a serious tragedy!
Where is my child?
A lost or misplaced child is enough to send any parent overboard, but literally? A few years ago, a passenger jumped overboard upon realizing that his young child was missing and possibly left behind at the terminal. Onboard staff scrambled to rescue the swimming parent while other personnel confirmed that terminal staff were attending to the youngster onshore. Thankfully, a safe ending to this unprecedented incident.
Missing Persons?
In leafing through the log books, we’ve turned up numerous reports of missing persons that have usually ended up safe and sound much to the relief of the Captain and crew. Each report, however, is taken very seriously and sometimes results in vessel delays on average, of about a half hour. Among the strangest event were two people that boarded the ferry with their vehicle and then walked off to have lunch, only to reboard on a subsequent ferry. The end result was a little confusing for everyone, but a great relief when the missing passengers and their vehicle were reunited later that day!
Stalled vehicles lost keys, keys locked in vehicles
With about 8 million vehicles travelling the ferry system a year, our experience of 224 stalled vehicles last year is relatively small. Lost keys and keys locked in vehicles, however, happens more times than we have been able to count.
Most of the time, keys are quickly recovered without event. However, in the not too distant past, the Queen of Nanaimo was docked at the Tsawwassen terminal preparing to depart for the Gulf Islands. The vessel was nearly loaded when the terminal requested that the vessel hold as someone had accidentally locked their keys in their vehicle while waiting to board. While the resulting delay was only about 10 minutes, the true irony of the situation revealed itself when driver of the car, after settling on the vessel, quite innocently queried, “Why is the ferry late?”
Who stole my car?
Every year, a surprising number of vehicles are misplaced on deck. For some, the panic of misplacing a car in a mirage of vehicles has led to the conclusion that a car theft has occurred during the voyage. In most cases, deck crew are able to reunite driver and vehicle without too much delay. The question, however, must be asked; where would a stolen vehicle be hidden on a car deck?
A big thank you!
A big thank you to all of our customers and the dedicated men and women that operate the ferry system. We are working to improve our on-time performance, and we hope you understand that we do our best to get you to your destination on time.
See also:
Safety Drills and Rescues at Sea >>
Is the Ferry On Time? >>