The Cat ferry
a
cats is beyond me...
a
Jack
I think a ferry is doable in that area..but not this one..a low cost
economy model will suffice. Now if they decide to run between Hfx and
Boston, the Cat would be superb (if there is a market for said travel).
Halifax_Hooligan
Thyat would be an HRM initiative, but maybe Younger will kick it up
to the provincial level...LOL.
Picasso
Get me a link for this one, this sounds too stupid to be true
Brian Smith
> Why the hell our provincial government would waste money on a ferry for
> cats is beyond me...
Maybe it was for pussies?
axemen99
It was only in the discussion here:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1159009.html
However, there are CAT ferries between Boston and Provincetown MA,
Boston and Salem MA, with different names. They are profitable and
with connecting trips.
IF there is a CAT ferry between Boston and Yarmouth/Halifax, with
discounts on connecting trips via the Acadia Lines or VIA, it may be
viable business WITHOUT provincial government financial support.
NO ONE thought that $10 bus trip between Boston and New York was
possible. There are now FIVE competing bus companies, even with FREE
Internet connections.
Wayne Hines
Maybe that's what Brother Darrel has in mind: a ferry from Halifax to
the US.
I think the Cat worked well for a number of years. The problem has been
declining numbers of tourists in the past couple of years.
gwh
meme
wrote:
Maybe the big problem might be... THE PRICE !! It's cheaper to drive
to Maine , with a family of four. Also , the price Americans ( &
Canadians ) have to pay for a motel room in this province.. it's a
disgrace. Good luck finding a hotel for less than a hundred bucks a
night !!!! There is no hotel / motel that I've stayed in , that
deserve to be paid more than $ 100 / night. Especially in Yarmouth &
surrounding counties. Stop ripping off the tourists & maybe... they'll
start to come back.
Have any of you tourist operators in Yarmouth & surrounding
areas..have you ever gone to Maine for a vacation ?? Have you ever
stayed in any of their motels. Have you ever spent a quiet night &
woke up to a hot breakfast ? All for $75.00 ?? Something you charge $
150 but without a hot breakfast ?? Tourism operators in NS..give your
head a shake. If you want the tourists to keep coming back ..then you
need to ease up & stop concentrating on your bottom dollar. Stop
trying to gouge everybody.
The same thing can be said for the people of downtown Halifax. Give
me a break !!! There is no way that any hotel room should cost upwards
of $200 per night..unless you are willing to provide lots of drugs &
sex. Give Me a FUCKIN BREAK !! Stop gouging the locals & the tourists.
The sad part of this story is that we , as Nova Scotians , depend on
the American traveller. If we don't have them , then we wither up &
die. But how do we keep them coming when our economy is crashing
fast ???????????? Maybe ... just a thought ......but how about lower
prices !!!!!!!! Stop thinking about the almighty dollar for a minute &
maybe start thinking about people !!!
Brian Smith
Give it a rest! With the cost of everything, the rates in the city are
well within a reasonable range. For your information we do not depend on
Americans in the city through the majority of the year.
Al Smith
> On Dec 31, 7:00 pm, Wayne Hines<w.d.hi...@unspammed.ns.sympatico.ca>
> wrote:
>> On Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:15:20 -0400, Jack wrote:
>>> a wrote:
>>>> Why the hell our provincial government would waste money on a ferry for
>>>> cats is beyond me...
>>
>>>> a
>>
>>> I think a ferry is doable in that area..but not this one..a low cost
>>> economy model will suffice. Now if they decide to run between Hfx and
>>> Boston, the Cat would be superb (if there is a market for said travel).
>>
>> Maybe that's what Brother Darrel has in mind: a ferry from Halifax to
>> the US.
>>
>> I think the Cat worked well for a number of years. The problem has been
>> declining numbers of tourists in the past couple of years.
>>
>> gwh
>
> Maybe the big problem might be... THE PRICE !! It's cheaper to drive
> to Maine , with a family of four. Also , the price Americans (&
> Canadians ) have to pay for a motel room in this province.. it's a
> disgrace. Good luck finding a hotel for less than a hundred bucks a
> night !!!! There is no hotel / motel that I've stayed in , that
> deserve to be paid more than $ 100 / night. Especially in Yarmouth&
> start to come back.
> Have any of you tourist operators in Yarmouth& surrounding
> areas..have you ever gone to Maine for a vacation ?? Have you ever
> stayed in any of their motels. Have you ever spent a quiet night&
> woke up to a hot breakfast ? All for $75.00 ?? Something you charge $
> 150 but without a hot breakfast ?? Tourism operators in NS..give your
> head a shake. If you want the tourists to keep coming back ..then you
> trying to gouge everybody.
> The same thing can be said for the people of downtown Halifax. Give
> me a break !!! There is no way that any hotel room should cost upwards
> of $200 per night..unless you are willing to provide lots of drugs&
> The sad part of this story is that we , as Nova Scotians , depend on
> the American traveller. If we don't have them , then we wither up&
> die. But how do we keep them coming when our economy is crashing
> fast ???????????? Maybe ... just a thought ......but how about lower
> prices !!!!!!!! Stop thinking about the almighty dollar for a minute&
> maybe start thinking about people !!!
A nice low-cost ferry with all the amenities might work, if it
weren't too slow. Or a cheaper Cat.
By the way, Maine isn't all that cheap when it comes to hotels.
It's much more expensive than it is further west in the States --
Pennsylvania, for example.
-Al-
kozmo
maybe a ferry from halifax to bar harbor or even boston might work
better for some. it just wasn't cost or time effective for us to use
it when going to the US.
Al Smith
There's an idea, put the ferry where the people are. And why send
it to Bar Harbor? Maybe somewhere a bit further south would make
more sense. I wonder how long it would take a Cat to get to, say,
New York?
-Al-
axemen99
>
> - Show quoted text -
You have your point. You should meet with the Yarmouth Mayor Phil
Mooney, Premier Darrell Dexter and Percy Paris, the economic and rural
development minister.
Once you create the needs and interests, it will be profitable without
the provincial DOLLARS. That should be the GOAL.
It will be an extra 1 hour to Boston, 2 hours New York, New York.
To Yarmouth Nova Scotia with the CAT, trips from Bar Harbor take 3
hours, and trips from Portland take 5 ½ hours. By comparison, it’s a
10-hour drive from Portland to Yarmouth.
With passengers only cat ferry, the trip should be shorter.
We can start a car rental business at the Yarmouth location, in
additional to the Acadian Lines. $$$
Brian Smith
>
> You have your point. You should meet with the Yarmouth Mayor Phil
> Mooney, Premier Darrell Dexter and Percy Paris, the economic and rural
> development minister.
If memory serves me correctly, years ago there was discussion on the
government level of a ferry from Halifax to Boston. That would make too
much sense, so it was dropped.
Wayne Hines
> We can start a car rental business at the Yarmouth location, in
> additional to the Acadian Lines. $$$
Acadian Lines hasn't served Yarmouth for a number of years. Service to
Digby probably won't last much longer.
gwh
Wayne Hines
The length of time it would take for a ferry to travel between Halifax
and Boston would probably make such a service unattractive. The Yarmouth-
Portland service took about 12 hours. Halifax to Cape Island would be 8
to 10 hours and that's not half-way to Boston. Even with a high speed
vessel like the Cat, you're looking at close to 12 hours.
gwh
Brian Smith
Twelve hours would be a small improvement in travel time, not enough to
justify the cost of such a service, though.
Wayne Hines
> There's an idea, put the ferry where the people are. And why send it to
> Bar Harbor? Maybe somewhere a bit further south would make more sense. I
> wonder how long it would take a Cat to get to, say, New York?
Too long.
Using Bar Harbour made sense on a number of levels. The cost of land for
a terminal is/was much lower than in a city like Boston or New York.
Operating costs of the terminal would be considerably lower than in New
York or Boston. It's a relatively short drive from millions of people
from all over New England. It's not New York or Boston. The time spent on
the ferry is not terribly long. It's convenient for tourists, providing a
round trip from Bar Harbour to Yarmouth, through Nova Scotia, PEI and New
Brunswick and back through Maine without any doubling back, unless they
went to Cape Breton, and then possibly only for a short distance.
gwh
Wayne Hines
Especially because the only scenery you would see during that 12 hours
would be waves. :-)
gwh
Brian Smith
>
> Especially because the only scenery you would see during that 12 hours
> would be waves. :-)
Waves are nice, applause is better and cash is the best. :^)
Wayne Hines
This is true!
gwh
axemen99
wrote:
With the high-speed catamaran ferryboat, it is about 6-7 hours from
Halifax to Boston. The CAT uses the slow version of the catamaran.
Most Nova Scotians migrated to the Boston area in the 70s and 80s.
Not to the New York. QBers migrated to the mid-Atlantic states. I do
not see possible service from Cape Breton.
To create the demands or interests, especially between Boston and
Halifax, it can be relative visits, educational, tourism, products.
It will create possible interests and demands. However, at this
point, from the Chronicle discussions, everyone is looking for the
money handouts from the provincial government, rather than creating
opportunities.
Just an example: A recent reseacher from U Mass Amherst credited some
works from the Kentville Research Station that helps Massachusetts.
Intellectual exchange will create interests too.
kozmo
wrote:
and the cost would be too high. it was $300 to take a car with 2
pasengers from yarmouth to bar harbor. cripes, i can drive to toronto
and back for less.
Wayne Hines
> On Jan 1, 4:39 pm, Wayne Hines <w.d.hi...@unspammed.ns.sympatico.ca>
> wrote:
>>
>> The length of time it would take for a ferry to travel between Halifax
>> and Boston would probably make such a service unattractive. The
>> Yarmouth- Portland service took about 12 hours. Halifax to Cape Island
>> would be 8 to 10 hours and that's not half-way to Boston. Even with a
>> high speed vessel like the Cat, you're looking at close to 12 hours.
>>
>> gwh
>
> With the high-speed catamaran ferryboat, it is about 6-7 hours from
> Halifax to Boston. The CAT uses the slow version of the catamaran.
The Cat (Incat 059) has a service speed of 40 knots which is about
standard for most high-speed catamaran ferries. The original Cat (Incat
046) was a bit faster.
> Most Nova Scotians migrated to the Boston area in the 70s and 80s. Not
> to the New York. QBers migrated to the mid-Atlantic states. I do not
> see possible service from Cape Breton.
You do know that Cape Island, or more formally, Cape Sable Island, is in
Shelburne County?
> To create the demands or interests, especially between Boston and
> Halifax, it can be relative visits, educational, tourism, products. It
> will create possible interests and demands. However, at this point,
> from the Chronicle discussions, everyone is looking for the money
> handouts from the provincial government, rather than creating
> opportunities.
As the ferry service would be part of our transportation system, it could
be argued that it should receive some investment from government.
gwh
Wayne Hines
Yes, but you're just looking at the cost of gasoline for the trip. If you
look at the overall cost per kilometer for operating the car, it's a much
different figure. It used to cost me $250 or more for gas just to drive
to Montreal and return.
That's not to say I think $300 for a car and two people is a good price
for a ferry trip from Yarmouth to Bar Harbour. But, for several years,
the number of passengers willing to pay the fare apparently was enough to
provide a profit for Bay Ferries on that route.
gwh
Al Smith
I sort of think it would depend on the speed of the ferry. If it
were really fast, and not too expensive, it might just be more
desirable than driving all around through New Brunswick. I mean,
if Nova Scotians want to get to the US, they don't really want to
drive through New Brunswick to do it. I know I don't.
I'd probably take a direct ferry from Halifax to Boston, because
upon arrival, I'd have my car ready to go wherever I want in the
US. Plane travel can't do that. Rail travel can't do that (not in
any simple, inexpensive way). But the duration of the trip would
be the factor. If the Cat could travel at 100 kph it would
probably be quicker than driving.
-Al-
Al Smith
You've got to balance it against how long it takes to drive to
Boston. I'd pay something to cut out the driving fatigue, and the
stops for gas. A ferry could have sleeping rooms and a restaurant.
Instead of arriving in Boston dragged out from a long drive, you'd
be as fresh as a daisy.
-Al-
-Al-
Al Smith
The scenery would be television, music videos, video games,
ping-pong, book reading, sex with your traveling partner --
whatever you wanted it to be.
-Al-
Al Smith
This actually sounds like a proposition that would float (so to
speak). Halifax to Boston. I like it. High-speed cat with lots of
facilities to sleep, eat, or entertain. Although, if it only took
six or seven hours, there would hardly be a need for sleeping
rooms. You could even have a small casino on the boat.
-Al-
Ice Age
> There's an idea, put the ferry where the people are. And why send it to
> Bar Harbor? Maybe somewhere a bit further south would make more sense. I
> wonder how long it would take a Cat to get to, say, New York?
>
> -Al-
That makes sense, Al, except no one in Canada wants to go to New
York. They hate us. Remember, many neo-cons still believe the 9/11
terrorists came from Canada. They preach this nonsense daily. You want
to feel unwelcome? Show up in NYC with a Canadian passport and have a
chat with the Homeland Security cowboys.
The USA is on my no fly list. It's also on my no-sail list. They
made it crystal clear they do not like Canadians.
Ice!
Jack
No, the US knows we have had an open door to these low lifes from the
Mid east and Africa..thats why..
Hopefully this will change when the open door policy gets slammed shut
next year
Ice Age
>
> No, the US knows we have had an open door to these low lifes from the
> Mid east and Africa..thats why..
>
> Hopefully this will change when the open door policy gets slammed shut
> next year
When was the last time you flew into JFK?
Ice!
Al Smith
I'm sort of taken with the new idea of driving my car on a boat in
Halifax harbour (or wherever) and then getting a good meal at a
restaurant onboard, watching a movie, and maybe catching a few
hours sleep, before driving off in (or near) Boston. If a fast
enough ferry was used, I imagine it would be a popular trip even
without a car. The key would be cutting down the time of the
voyage to less than the time it would take to drive through New
Brunswick by car. Of course, the price would have to be reasonable
as well.
As for visiting the US, it's there, and it isn't going anywhere.
We will have to visit it from time to time, even if we don't
always want to.
-Al-
Al Smith
> On Sat, 02 Jan 2010 02:11:22 GMT, Al Smith<inv...@address.com> wrote:
>
>> This actually sounds like a proposition that would float (so to
>> speak). Halifax to Boston. I like it. High-speed cat with lots of
>> facilities to sleep, eat, or entertain. Although, if it only took
>> six or seven hours, there would hardly be a need for sleeping
>> rooms. You could even have a small casino on the boat.
>>
>> -Al-
>
>
> the Cat doesn't seem to be able to accommodate. A modern large
> speedy boat the size of those used on the Newfoundland runs
> may be workable without requiring loads of tax dollars to run.
>
> The Cat is cool but it's a luxury we can ill afford. Moving cargo
> between Boston and Halifax on a daily basis along with passengers
> and cars might be something worth exploring.
>
>
> Punk
>
>
>
That would be too slow. The boat would need to really fly over the
water for it to be an attractive alternative to driving to the US.
Loading and unloading cargo would kill fast turnaround times.
What are they going to do with the Cat that ran from Yarmouth,
anyway? Could it run from Halifax to Boston?
-Al-
Don
I am not sure how well the "Cat" could handle the trip over that long a
time (Halifax to Boston) where the water gets piled pretty deep out
there. Yarmouth to Bar Harbour seems much more in it's line of work.
Rob
> The USA is on my no fly list. It's also on my no-sail list.
Wow Mr Age, first the SuperStore now the United States. LOL.
axemen99
Take a look on this web page -
http://www.baystatecruisecompany.com/
When the the Provincetown III fast ferry was introduced, they
mentioned about smaller but twice the speed of the CAT (without
referring to the CAT.) The catamaran developed likes the PCs, better
every months.
Halifax could have the similar docking area -
http://www.baystatecruisecompany.com/directions.html
The easiest way to get to Halifax (Boston) with cheaper 10 tickets.
Halifax could develop interests and needs, versus Yarmouth.
Al Smith
Ocean's ocean. The mouth of the Bay of Fundy isn't all that
sheltered, I wouldn't have thought. Going further would be a
matter of taking on more fuel. But maybe the distance is too great
for this particular design.
-Al-
Jack
Its been a while..I normally hit Newark