4 - Friday, July 8, 1994 - North Shore News

The Flying Cats

Catamaran boats
seek new owners,

return to service

THEY WERE known as The
Flying Cats of Georgia Strait
— three ultra-modern, high-
speed catamarans, two of
which were operated by the
Royal Sealink Express, and the
third operated by the Nanaimo
Express.

By Reg Spillman
Contributing Writer

All are owned by Canadian Fast
Ferry Corp. of Vancouver. They
now lay despondently moored a lit-
tle west of the Second Narrows
Bridge, waiting for someone to pur-
chase them and give these poor cats
a home.

The first two vessels arrived in
Vancouver in October 1991, as
deck freight from Omastrand,
Norway, where they had been built
at the Kvaerner Fiellstrand’s Yard
1607. The ships are constructed of
aluminum alloy, 40 metres (131.24
feet) stem to stem, with an overall
beam of 10.10 metres (33.14 feet).

The ships have a passenger seat-
ing capacity of 302 on two decks.
On arrival in Vancouver, the ves-
sels were registered under the
Canadian flag and named The
Royal Vancouver and The Royal
Victoria, respectively.

_ Que or both of these vessels, but
particularly The Royal Vancouver,
had a number of misadventures.
There is an old sailor’s superstition,
which states that if a vessel leaves

ay

NEWS photo Terry Peters

ULTRA-MODERN CATAMARANS sit idle at North Vanccuver’s Allied Shipyards near the Second
Narrows Bridge. The ships are awaiting buyers and a new lease on life.

its home port on a Friday, misfor-
tune will be the outcome. Did either
vessel offend the superstition dur-
ing their shake-down cruises, or
does it not apply to ferry boats?

The first mishap reportedly
occurred when one vessel departed
Victoria and shortly thereafter was
caught in a violent squall. The ship
was tossed about so much that
many of the guests onboard became
ill.

However, on Saturday. Feb. |,

1992, the Royal Sealink Express
commenced its inaugural runs
between Vancouver and Victoria as
scheduled. Each vessel departed its
namesake harbor simultaneously.
All was well for the first few days
of operation, but. on the morning of
Feb. 6, 1992 a deadly thick fog
rolled in to blanket the whole of the
lower Pacific coastal area.
Visibility was down to zero.

The Royal Vancouver left her
terminal in downtown ‘Vancouver,

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We have been selected to assist
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A wide assortment in
addition to our regular Stock.

The

MENSROOM

on her first run of the day and head-
ed out and across Georgia Strait
toward Active Pass. In the mean-
time the B.C. Ferry the Queen of
Swartz Bay had departed Swartz
Bey bound for Tsawwassen. Both
vessels used radar to navigate in the
near-zero visibility.

1947 West Fourth Avenue,
Vancottver, B.C.
Phone (604) 733-9983

of Georgia Strait wait

As they approached the pass,
they were alse tn radio contact with
sach other. Both vessels were in the
pass approaching Matthews Point.
from opposite directions. The
southern end of Galiano Island
forms the inside knee of the dogleg
in the pass.

Due to the high elevation of the
coastline at the southern end of
Galiano Island. both vessels would
be radar blind of each other, but not
of a third vessel reported at the time
to be in the pass. The report did not
indicate the third vessel's heading,
whether it was at anchor, or under
way. or making way.

The ferry rounded Matthews
Point. The Royal Vancouver was
just about to do the same from the
other direction, Both vessel pilots
suddenly realized that they were on
a head-on collision course.

The command, “Hard star-
board!" would have rung out on
both ship’s bridges, but too late.
The vessels collided port bow to
port bow,

The force of the impact ripped
the catamaran’s port pontoon bow
several feet and damaged her fore-
deck. Some passengers sustained
minor injuries. The ferry port cargo
door of the lower vehicle deck was
snapped off its hinges and tossed
astern, damaging the front end of a
bus and a truck. An official inquiry
was held into the causes of the acci-
dent, the results of which have still
not been released to the public.

In September 1993, the
Canadian Fast Ferry Corp. went out
of business.

1454 Marine Drive,
West Vancouver, B.C.
Phone (604) 926-5550