Sunday, June 28, 1998 ~ North Shore News — 7

Cat recalis N. Van shipbuilding glory days

CYNICS in need of
proof that the North
Shore has community
soul should refer to
June 21.

Asa day in the lite of a
community it was a full-dress
red-letter affair.

Pride of place abounded.

ft started where the com-
munity’s heart beat started
so jong ago, but where the
pulse of late has been far too
faint: the industrial water-
front.

More specifically the old
Versatile Pacific Shipyards
site, Where the first of what is
scheduied to be three BC
Ferry Corp. Pacificat catama-
rans was launched in bright
June sunshine.

It was a scene from times
past. Crowds of residents
lined the shoreline to witness
the latest fruit of local indus-
trial labor.

This time a sleek aiu-
minum fast ferry catamaran
dressed in red, white and
blue and emblazoned with a
stalking cougar the length of
its hull.

Surrounded by a
small vessels, Cates/Scaspan
tugs and one of the two
SeaBuses that were built at
the same shipyard, the 400-
foot-long Pacificat catamaran
was released from Catamaran
Ferries International’s (CFI)
floating drydock to sponta-
neous cheers from the
crowd.

North Shore shipbuilding
expertise back on parade.

In years past the event
would nor have. been so
unusual. :

North Vancouver ship-
yards produced countless ves-
sels of all types during this
century.

Versatile, better known as
Burrard shipyards, was at the

Notilla of

yarns

heart of that construction. ft
produced everything from
minesweepers to aircraft car-
riers,

But the last vessel of any
note to be launched art the
foot of Lonsdale was the $92
millon Henry Larsen ice-
breaker in January of 1987.

Since then Jocal shipyards
have watched their industry
drift steadily out to sea in the
face of worldwide stagnation
in the shipbuilding industry.

Where to point the fin-
ger?

Equal parts bad luck, par-
tisan politics and sluggish
shipbuilding economics.

The federal government’s
cancellation of the $500 mil-
lion Polar Class 8 icebreaker
in 1990 fired the last red hot
rivet into the coffin of
Versatile Pacitic — the largest
local shipyard on this side of
the inlet.

In previous incarnations,
Versatile employed upwards
of 20,000. Shift changes
used to bring traffic to a halt
in the city’s waterfront core
as armics of shipyard workers
dispersed up Lonsdale
Avenue, lunch pails in hand.

An industria: waterfront
heart beating sure and
strong.

Bur, by 1990, following
the torpedoing of the Palar 8
by the federal Tory govern-
ment, the yard’s workforce
was dawn to 220.

Versatile ground to a full
stop in 1991.

“Reg. $69.95 -—
(Sale $29.95

Since then it has stood as
a memorial to waterfront
industrial vigor past. A ance
proud provider with no pur
pose steadily falling into dis-
repair.

june 21 then was more
than a one-shot dose of ship:
building nostalgia.

It could be the start of
something of real value for
North Vancouver waterfront
industries.

Premier Glen Clark’s wite
Dale anointed the as yer
unnamed vessel with a bottle
of B.C.'s best. And Clark
aimed his guns at what he
called “arm-chair critics” of
the fast ferry program.

But the real local cheer-
leader for the fast ferry pro-
ject is CFT chairman and
blue-collar bulldog Jack
Munro.

His frustration with the
constant media sniping at the
project is palpable, bur he
delivers an infectious street-
level optimism that is hard to
ignore.

And he is right about one
thing: CFI's new Pacificat
fast ferry catamaran is an
impressive vessel.

It is made entirely of alu-
minum, It will carry 250
vehicles and 1,000 passen-
gers. Its cruising speed is 37
knots (compared with 21
knots for a conventional C
class ferry), which will trim
an estimated 30 minutes off
the current 95-minute trip
time from Horseshoe Bay to
Nanaimo. It is powered by
waterjets instead of pro-
pellers, which make it
extremely manocuvrable.

It will include cappuccino
bars, TVs, Noor to ceiling
windows on two passenger
decks, a new low-fat menu
and a host of other "90s
refinements.

It will also carry only cars

Pa

ara
“Handlebar

and other light vehicles. No
trucks. They will be diverted
ta the Tsavowassen- Duke
Point route and away trom
West Vancouver and North
Shore streets.

Apart from anything else,
the Pacificat is proof that
Lower Mainland shipbuilding
expertise has survived the
disastrous 1980s and "90s,
Its talent did not all ship out
of town bound for greener
pastures elsewhere around
the globe when the going
got depressingly tough,

Of course, the Pacificat
catamaran program has been
a tinancial boondogegle from
the outset. When govern-
ment pets involved, that is
almost a given.

It is 23% over budget (per
vessel costs originally
promised to be $70 million
ballooned to $86 million),
two years behind schedule,
and, even though its $86
million price tag is much less
than the $105 million
required to build a conven-
tional *C’ class ferry, ques-
tions as to its value on local
ferry runs persist.

Is it any more efficient
than conventional ferries that
travel slower but carry more
vehicles?

Will it consistently be able
to reach the 37-knot speeds
advertised? Will a premium
service come a premium
price for ferry travellers?

Buta far bigger question
needs answering: will B.C. be
able to compete internation-
ally and export this home-
grown fast ferry technology
to other parts of the world to
ensure that CFI’s shipbuild-
ing history runs longer than
three fast ferries?

On the last question
much weighs against any
unequivocal yes.

Fast ferry technology

extreme

The chailenge for CFI,
local shipbuilding talent and
the NDP government is to
prove that B.C. can still com-
pete with the best in the
world.

Anyone who attended the
June 2) fast terry launch in
bright North Shore sunshine
would doubtless be willing to
bet that B.C. can,

North Shore heart and
soul at its best.

already exists in many parts
of the world where the ves-
sels can be built cheaper and
on schedule

And the two-year delay in
getting the Pacificat in the
water has resulted in missed
opportunizies to land con-
tracts abroad.

It also undermined confi-
dence in CFI’s ability to
deliver on time and and on
budget.

NR aN AL Ee Smee tet Re ha ote

Try a Sunshine Pet

Dear Editor:

J am writing abour the Sunshine Girl feature in your paper.
As a female in my carly 20s, I don’t mind it so much when the
girls in the photos are wearing clothing, but photos of women
in skimpy bathing suits are not what J wish to see in a family-
oriented newspaper.

Young girls today necd a more positive image of women,
images that say “intelligence is more important than looks”
rather than “looks will get you everywhere.”

Sadly, looks will not get you everything or anywhere for frec.
Your brain is the key component to getting what you want, and
where you want to be, not your body.

Try featuring Sunshine Pets ( animals ). As far as I’m con-
cerned, your paper struck out with me.

E. MacDonald
artico@be.sympatico.ca

DAIS I

Aa seraces Ou, Lube & Fitter I
+ fully warranty 21 at Safety check. 15 minutes - FAST!
F Inctudes up to 5 Iitres of 10w30 Quakerstate i

1362 Marine Drive 980-915
Sat 8:00um-6:00pm, Sun. 9:00am-5:00pm Expires Jy 12, 98 J

7AYLORMOTIVE
B.C.A.A., & A.R.A., 1.€.B.C. APPROVED
AIR-CONDITIONING & HEATING

“SPECIALISTS =m “our sit

CERTIFIED TECHNICIANS Domestic & ie

Persea.

Accredited Collision Repairs = ALSO

TEIN OUT OW MUCH COMPLETE a ,
Ce MECHANICAL MEE 985-7455
299-2000 SERVICE FAX LINE 985-7450

(4 Biks South of Marine Drive) 176 PEMBERTON, NORTH VAN.

S.Laursen & Son Draperies and Blinds Lid.

Another one of our designs.

For Free Estimate call 922-4975 or 987-2966
(Ask about our Seniors Discount)
Labour $12.50 per panel unlined, $13.50 lined.

Custom Rods, Upholstery
& Bedspreads
Low Low Prices