OK I'm cheating here--I'm really asking about boats. Does anyone know what has happened to the Portland to Nova Scotia ferry? Is it gone for good?
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
It appears that the Portland and Bar Harbor-Yarmouth catamaran ferry service got the Deep Six:
Sorry, no trains near either port; the Atlantic Limited Montreal-St John and a Dayliner RDC Digby-Halifax "long gone".
Posted by TBlack (Member # 181) on :
Sojourner,
It's gone for good in its former configuration. "The Cat" was a fast, convenient way to get from Yarmouth to Portland, but enormously expensive to run. More expensive than the free market was willing to pay. Its predecessor, the Scotia Prince, was a traditional cruise ship with car ferry capability, but slower (over night). They got tangled up in the fact that the piers at either end are gov't owned. Try being a private company and dealing with two federal and two provincial/state gov'ts. Very hard to do. Finally, there was never a convenient connection between Yarmouth and Halifax.
Tom
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Mr. Black, any idea what happened to those two CAT vessels?
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
Sorry to see this one end as it was on our list of trips to take. A trip on a ferry or ship is almost as enjoyable as one on rails.
Perhaps this is one case where the old technology was the most cost effective. An overnight ferry ride suits me fine. Oh well, there is still the long distance Alaska Marine Highway ferries.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
Some years ago we took the ferry from St. John to Digby. It was great. we had reservations at a B&B in Digby which turned out to be delightful. the next day we started our driving trip around Nova Scotia.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
quote:Originally posted by palmland: Sorry to see this one end as it was on our list of trips to take. A trip on a ferry or ship is almost as enjoyable as one on rails.
Perhaps this is one case where the old technology was the most cost effective. An overnight ferry ride suits me fine. Oh well, there is still the long distance Alaska Marine Highway ferries.
And still the BC Ferries offering service between, among other places, Vancouver and Victoria, BC.
Posted by TBlack (Member # 181) on :
Mr. Norman,
I believe the enclosed press release answers your question to me. http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/2005/04/21/comes.shtml. This is an older press release, but I think the CAT is still down there. Whether it's operating or not is another question. It's an expensive vessel to operate. The owners, Bay Ferries, Ltd., needed a $10 million subsidy from Nova Scotia for 6 months of operation!
Tom
Posted by ghCBNS (Member # 3093) on :
Yes, the CAT is gone and it’s the first time since Canadian National Railways launched the Bar Harbor . Yarmouth “Bluenose” in 1956 there hasn’t been a car ferry from New England to Nova Scotia. Number of passengers were way down last year……about half of what they were only a couple of years ago and the new Passport requirements and the US & CDN Dollar at or close to par hasn’t helped either.
There are efforts underway to get a conventional ferry back on the run. The cat was great for a quick trip if you only had a car but only a limited number of RV’s could be carried and no trucks at all. There is significant demand for trucks going to & from the Boston area and this could help with costs for the ferry operator in the off-season.
quote:Originally posted by palmland: Sorry to see this one end as it was on our list of trips to take. A trip on a ferry or ship is almost as enjoyable as one on rails.
Perhaps this is one case where the old technology was the most cost effective. An overnight ferry ride suits me fine. Oh well, there is still the long distance Alaska Marine Highway ferries.
For anyone out just for a ferry ride, there are still the big boats crossing to Newfoundland. Marine Atlantic’s new “Atlantic Vision” carries 500 cars and about 1000 passengers.
North Sydney is 12 hours from the Boston area via Freeway or “Super 2” (2 lanes of an eventual 4 lane freeway) Once in Newfoundland.....explore what’s left of the abandoned Newfoundland narrow-gauge.....and there‘s still a lot.
Here’s my photos from last summer’s trip to Newfoundland on the ferry. Also narrow-gauge equipment at museums and my 4-wheeler ATV ride along the abandoned railway.
Used the old Blue Nose and Prince of Fundy many times. Biggest problem for us were busses. Their passengers got first shot at cabins and there never seemed to be any for us auto folks. Slept under the stars and in the casino bar too many times for it to be fun. Best regards, Rodger
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
....and to think back in my joy riding days of the 60's, I actually considered a Montreal-Ocean Ltd-Sydney-CN Ferry-Port of Bask-Newfie-St John's journey...
Today...uh no way...I haven't had a valid Passport in twenty years.
Posted by rresor (Member # 128) on :
This is all sad news. I took my family to Nova Scotia for summer vacations 1999 -- 2003, and we always drove to Portland and took the "Scotia Prince" overnight to Halifax. Usually managed to secure one of the "suites": sitting room, bath, and four-berth bedroom, which accommodated two adults and two kids very well.
We returned via "The Cat" to Bar Harbor, stayed a couple of days, and then drove south to PHL, stopping somewhere in New England for the night. Nice trips, and not possible by car without the ferry service.
Back in 1989, did a Nova Scotia trip by train -- "Ocean" MTR to Matapedia, thence to Gaspe, back to Matapedia, Moncton, RDC to St. John, ferry to Digby, RDC to Yarmouth for an overnight, then down to Halifax and "Atlantic" back to Montreal. The RDC no longer ran down to the dock in Digby to meet the ferry (in fact, the dock had moved out of town), but otherwise a great trip. Truly a shame that now it's all gone.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
quote:Originally posted by ghCBNS: For anyone out just for a ferry ride, there are still the big boats crossing to Newfoundland. Marine Atlantic’s new “Atlantic Vision” carries 500 cars and about 1000 passengers.
Here’s my photos from last summer’s trip to Newfoundland on the ferry. Also narrow-gauge equipment at museums and my 4-wheeler ATV ride along the abandoned railway.
Thanks for the info on the ferry from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland. That would make a good trip - the Ocean to Halifax and then the ferry. I remember tales from my father about his overseas flights stopping in Gander, NF for refueling.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Is there still that Relais Nordik out of Gaspe someplace? That went to Labrador with many stops along the N coast of the St Lawrence(inc the town with that train into Labrador--is that Sept-Iles? I forget) and then at the end there is a ferry frm Labrador to Newfoundland too, though I don't know how one manages if one goes there without a car . . . but I don't think Relais Nordik was a car ferry, was it?
I have wanted to go to Newfoundland for a long time but cannot find anyone interested in anything but flying there.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
The CBC reports that Bar Harbor-Yarmouth CAT ferry service will have its US port moved from Portland to Bar Harbor:
The town council in Bar Harbor, Maine, has paved the way for the CAT ferry to use the local terminal next year, as the operator of the ferry service from Yarmouth, N.S, considers whether to move its U.S. landing port.
Bay Ferries Ltd. has been eyeing a possible move from its current terminal in Portland, Maine, citing the higher fuel costs of traveling the longer distance and the requirement for a new customs facility that could cost at least $7 million.
On Tuesday, Bar Harbor town council voted 7-0 in favour of a five-year lease agreement with Bay Ferries for a portion of the town's terminal.
"I think that we've got to that point. I think the unanimous vote shows that we've answered people's concerns," said Coun. Gary Friedmann, council chair.
This likely represents good business sense as it considerably shortens the passage. This is not any kind of "Love Tub". It is simply the most expedient means to cross a body of water over which to build any kind of surface crossing is unfeasible.
The positive is that it economizes the service and should make it more relevant and feasible. The negative is that the "can't/won't drives/won't flies" will note that while there was Corridor rail service convenient to the Portland docks, absent some successful "bring back the Bar Harbor Express" movement, there is no rail passenger service there. Likewise there is no rail and only limited intercity bus at Yarmouth, meaning the only reasonable and practical means to use the service is to have an auto.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Yes, it's important that you can get to Portland by train. But also, it's much bigger, and much closer to Boston etc by car. People would rather drive less. They can drive to Portland and catch the ferry without the cost of overnighting there. They would be harder pressed to do tht from Bar Harbor, and staying in Bar Harbor is likely pricier, with fewer hotels. I think it's a big mistake.
In fact, if they really want business, they ought to have boats that go from Boston to Halifax. If the Loyalists could do it in the 1770s, and Fugitive Slaves in the 1840s, I think they could do it now.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Ms. Sojourner, this Portland Press Herald article clearly notes that any kind of "Love Tub", or even a Circle Line day excursion is not Bay Ferries' business plan. The other linked articles from that page will fortify that point.
Obviously, there is hardly traffic potential to build any kind of land x-ing of the Gulf of Maine, so a water x-ing is what there is - and all there will be.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Sorry, I don't understand the second part of your post, Mr Norman. It's over 150 miles from Bar Harbor to Nova Scotia. Why are you talking about a land bridge? It was by boat people went with General Howe. And the Fugitive Slaves too.
What I meant to say, if it wasn't clear, was that I think boats etc do better when they go from places that are easier for larger population centers to access, by car or train (or bus). Bar Harbor is a little town. The motels and hotels are pricey. It's a long drive from Portland to Bar Harbor and an even longer drive from Boston. If I were driving all the way up to Bar Harbor already, I'd just keep driving (and probably make my trip on the less scenic faster highway in Maine instead of Route 1) and drive through New Brunswick to Nova Scotia, saving the pricey ferry fare--and going straight to Halifax or Cape Breton, which are of more interest than Yarmouth anyway (esp since Yarmouth to Halifax is still another 2 hours). That is what my friends did when, after I gave up (due to time and cost) on going by ferry, I went with them by car to the Maritimes in the summer of 2016. They looked into the ferry, saw the price and times, and said "forget about it." We overnighted in Moncton New Brunswick, not a gorgeous town but we used air B&B, very cheap. From there I caught a bus next day to Halifax and they went on to Cape Breton. I spent time in Halifax and took a bus tour to Lunenberg, which I really liked, and to Peggy's Cove, which was too crowded. I then caught another bus, after a few days, from Halifax to Cape Breton, meeting my friends for the car trip back. On the trip back, they dropped me in Brunswick Maine (because I was sick of the back seat of a car), where I stayed overnight and came home the rest of the way by Amtrak.
I understand the ferry could be cheaper from Bar Harbor than it is from Portland, but it would still involve extra time and money. Don't forget the two hours from Yarmouth to Halifax too. . . .
BTW, I was also in both Halifax and Cape Breton on a Holland America cruise from Montreal to Boston. It was a great cruise! Bar Harbor was the least interesting place we stopped. I would have rather stopped in Portland!
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Ms. Sojourner, even if you are a licensed driver and own an auto, I get it - you don't like auto travel. I certainly understand your dislike of air travel. I pay the piper to lessen the ill effects by flying First or Business when available (it wasn't for my trip to Fredericksburg earlier this month). You just might find it tolerable when the curtain is behind you rather than ahead.
Now auto travel is where we will disagree. Most times I enjoy the thought of "For I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul". If a long trip, such as out to Greenwich last September and Atlanta last weekend, I have always pre-booked major chain three star hotels that either have in house restaurant or where I can conveniently walk to one at which I can eat and drink what I want. In short I'm never driving under any of what cops call "the 3-D's" - drunk, doped, drowsy.
Also, it's time for a new ride when the clock says 7 years and 60K miles (new buggy - traded @ 6yrs 4mos 59350mi - last July).
And with the decline in the quality and reliability of Amtrak service, it's pretty much "off the table" nowadays. I usually make two trips to Florida "in season". One to Miami is fly, the other has been by auto and Auto-train on the return. But it continues to get pricier by the year (it only saves me 450 miles of driving rather than their advertised 800) and the on board experience has diminished to such extent that I really have no desire (if I can't get a 5PM Dinner seating, I 'll ask the Attendant to fetch my chow) to set foot out of my room "for the duration".
Finally, I would hope it is evident that no one is about to propose some kind of bridge over the Gulf of Maine. Sorry for any confusion on that point.