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Bay Ferries suspends CAT

There's actually a ferry between St. John's and Digby NS which makes the round trip more like 800 miles. And I hear the Airline was repaved in the last few years (if you know what the Airline is, you'll know what I'm talking about)..... But I am sad to see the CAT go. I think it will be a BIG loss to NS more than Maine.
 
And you guys have such a fine maritime school at Memorial.........shame on you:)


I know that this digresses a tad but here on the mainland we have various other related programs but not as highly evolved as the Memorial one. However, if you are ever in Halifax be sure and take in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. ..... now, if only all those boats would move aside I could get this tub...uh....I mean ship, out of the harbor (aka harbour).:D

Now back to the topic: todays news clearly states that both Nova Scotia and Maine remain committed to not contributing to that fast moving hole in the ocean. I think that some interesting and more economically viable alternatives will emerge. It is also likely that our Transport Canada will become a stronger partner in the arrangement if a clear commercial link can be made that is not entirely tourism based in its vision. - Bob
 
There's actually a ferry between St. John's and Digby NS which makes the round trip more like 800 miles. And I hear the Airline was repaved in the last few years (if you know what the Airline is, you'll know what I'm talking about)..... But I am sad to see the CAT go. I think it will be a BIG loss to NS more than Maine.

That's Saint John, New Brunswick (not to be confused with St. John's, Nfld). It all really depends on what you're traveling to and from. For instance, you can ride about 2 1/2 hours from Halifax to Digby (140 miles) or, leaving from Halifax, ride
to Saint John in about 4.5 hours (250 miles). Faster by land but maybe the ferry is a big part of the adventure so who cares?

Route 9, The Airline, between Calais and Brewer (starting 60 miles south of Saint John) is not a bad 90 mile ride. Route 1 is more interesting but much slower and longer. I like both but depends on my travel plan. - Bob
 
I know that this digresses a tad but here on the mainland we have various other related programs but not as highly evolved as the Memorial one. However, if you are ever in Halifax be sure and take in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. ..... now, if only all those boats would move aside I could get this tub...uh....I mean ship, out of the harbor (aka harbour).:D

Now back to the topic: todays news clearly states that both Nova Scotia and Maine remain committed to not contributing to that fast moving hole in the ocean. I think that some interesting and more economically viable alternatives will emerge. It is also likely that our Transport Canada will become a stronger partner in the arrangement if a clear commercial link can be made that is not entirely tourism based in its vision. - Bob

BC Ferries faced a similar problem about a 10-years ago. To my knowledge, they eventually sold the high speed vessels for conventional ferries. Seems, we always have to repeat history, especially when the glamor and speed factors are used in the marketing campaign.
 
Yes, I did not mean to imply that St. John was the Newfie version but the one in NB! I took my (now) wife there on one of our first dates - I was attending the University of Maine in Orono and she was teaching near Bangor. There was a restaurant right on the water in the harbor there that had the BEST liver and onions I'd ever had. When we got there (would have been the fall of 1986) they were closed!! Was a Sunday afternoon and we ended up finding a snack someplace else but it was a good time anyway!
 
BC Ferries faced a similar problem about a 10-years ago. To my knowledge, they eventually sold the high speed vessels for conventional ferries. Seems, we always have to repeat history, especially when the glamor and speed factors are used in the marketing campaign.

The CAT goes elsewhere in the winter. Someplace warmer, no doubt. Before the CAT, the old ferry took twice as long, but it had the most amazingly loud horn I've ever heard in my life.
 
The CAT goes elsewhere in the winter......

You put your toys away at the end of summer.:)

While a regional / touring thread, this subject interests me on a technical level. While, in the past, a lot of us have been drawn to BMW motorcycles for their reliability, the brand was often criticized for in it's modest power levels. Today, BMW seems to be doing pretty well in the horsepower races, but I wonder if something has been lost. The older bikes seem to be like the old ferries, they got the job done without a lot of flash. The new bikes seem to be here for a few years, then change to some new variant. They seem to be a bit like the CAT..........flashy, but costly.

Just my opinion.
 
You put your toys away at the end of summer.:)

While a regional / touring thread, this subject interests me on a technical level. While, in the past, a lot of us have been drawn to BMW motorcycles for their reliability, the brand was often criticized for in it's modest power levels. Today, BMW seems to be doing pretty well in the horsepower races, but I wonder if something has been lost. The older bikes seem to be like the old ferries, they got the job done without a lot of flash. The new bikes seem to be here for a few years, then change to some new variant. They seem to be a bit like the CAT..........flashy, but costly.

Just my opinion.

maybe it's an age thing :whistle ........ but I really do know what you mean :gerg Go with the rolls rather than skipping over the surface I suppose. - Bob
 
maybe it's an age thing :whistle ........ but I really do know what you mean :gerg Go with the rolls rather than skipping over the surface I suppose. - Bob

No, it's not an age thing. I was just taking a tangent and drawing parallels between some of the new BMW bikes and the CAT. IMHO, these vehicles/vessels are developed for a niche market and might soon be forgotten.

BTW - what is your tub?
 
No, it's not an age thing. I was just taking a tangent and drawing parallels between some of the new BMW bikes and the CAT. IMHO, these vehicles/vessels are developed for a niche market and might soon be forgotten.

BTW - what is your tub?

just a slang reference. I don't have anything that travels by water..... I would be a very poor sailor I'm afraid. Swim like a convulsing rock anyway.

Agree with your point of old/new but some of the new stuff can really dazzle ya though. Long term endearment? Time will tell.

Big negotiations going on now regarding the need for ferry service of some sort year round between NS and Maine. -Bob
 
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Dang it! My wife and I caught a ride on the CAT from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor just a couple of weeks after it started operation several years back, and it was packed. I was looking forward to doing it again someday.
 
Dang it! My wife and I caught a ride on the CAT from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor just a couple of weeks after it started operation several years back, and it was packed. I was looking forward to doing it again someday.

Well....... let's see where the negotiations go. A single hull just may be to your liking for a romantic cruise :hug We had the good fortune to do that prior to the CAT and it really was a great time. Hope that such a thing does happen for us all again. - Bob
 
24 December 09 update

Nova Scotia hopes to keep Maine ferry

Service by The Cat isn't worth subsidizing but a traditional ferry might be, says Premier Darell Dexter.

By TOM BELL, Staff Writer
December 24, 2009

PORTLAND ÔÇö Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter may be willing to subsidize ferry service between Maine and Nova Scotia, but he won't give any more money to The Cat, Dexter's press secretary said Wednesday.

A federally funded study on southwest Nova Scotia's transportation options, including ferry service, is scheduled to be completed in March. Dexter will ask the Canadian government to put the study on the fast track so it can be delivered to him in January, press secretary Jennifer Stewart said in a telephone interview.

"We are looking at the best option for replacing The Cat ferry service, and that is going to come from the study," she said.

Since 2005, the province has invested $21 million in ferry service between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and Bar Harbor and Portland. Stewart said The Cat is not a sustainable service and is not a good investment.

Last week, Bay Ferries Ltd. announced that the loss of the subsidy had forced it to end the service. Last year, it received $5.65 million from the government to help it offset higher fuel prices and lower passenger numbers.

The Cat is a high-speed catamaran. Yarmouth officials and business leaders believe that a traditional, single-hull ferry has a better chance for success because it would be more fuel-efficient and have more room to carry trucks. The Cat does not carry trucks. A delegation of officials and business leaders met with Dexter on Wednesday morning. The delegation urged the premier to fund The Cat for one more summer to give it time to recruit another vessel.

Julie Walters, a tourism development officer in Yarmouth who attended the meeting, said that Dexter's plan is not helpful because it won't leave enough time to find another vessel.

She said The Cat must operate next summer to keep the U.S. market engaged in Nova Scotia, and to sustain service businesses in Yarmouth. For example, two hotels have said they will have to close if there is no ferry service to Yarmouth.

"We need a new vessel. There is not time to find a new vessel between now and May 15. We need to keep this link alive," she said. "This is not good news, and it really is not acceptable news."

She said Yarmouth officials are gathering support from around the province and will continue putting pressure on Dexter to reconsider.

Staff Writer Tom Bell can be contacted at 791-6369 or at:

tbell@pressherald.com

Copyright 2009 by The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. All rights reserved.
 
Nova Scotia hopes to keep Maine ferry

Service by The Cat isn't worth subsidizing but a traditional ferry might be, says Premier Darell Dexter.

By TOM BELL, Staff Writer
December 24, 2009

PORTLAND ÔÇö Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter may be willing to subsidize ferry service between Maine and Nova Scotia, but he won't give any more money to The Cat, Dexter's press secretary said Wednesday.

A federally funded study on southwest Nova Scotia's transportation options, including ferry service, is scheduled to be completed in March. Dexter will ask the Canadian government to put the study on the fast track so it can be delivered to him in January, press secretary Jennifer Stewart said in a telephone interview.

"We are looking at the best option for replacing The Cat ferry service, and that is going to come from the study," she said.

Since 2005, the province has invested $21 million in ferry service between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and Bar Harbor and Portland. Stewart said The Cat is not a sustainable service and is not a good investment.

Last week, Bay Ferries Ltd. announced that the loss of the subsidy had forced it to end the service. Last year, it received $5.65 million from the government to help it offset higher fuel prices and lower passenger numbers.

The Cat is a high-speed catamaran. Yarmouth officials and business leaders believe that a traditional, single-hull ferry has a better chance for success because it would be more fuel-efficient and have more room to carry trucks. The Cat does not carry trucks. A delegation of officials and business leaders met with Dexter on Wednesday morning. The delegation urged the premier to fund The Cat for one more summer to give it time to recruit another vessel.

Julie Walters, a tourism development officer in Yarmouth who attended the meeting, said that Dexter's plan is not helpful because it won't leave enough time to find another vessel.

She said The Cat must operate next summer to keep the U.S. market engaged in Nova Scotia, and to sustain service businesses in Yarmouth. For example, two hotels have said they will have to close if there is no ferry service to Yarmouth.

"We need a new vessel. There is not time to find a new vessel between now and May 15. We need to keep this link alive," she said. "This is not good news, and it really is not acceptable news."

She said Yarmouth officials are gathering support from around the province and will continue putting pressure on Dexter to reconsider.

Staff Writer Tom Bell can be contacted at 791-6369 or at:

tbell@pressherald.com

Copyright 2009 by The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. All rights reserved.

ya, just caught that this morning. The January fast-track will likely dove-tail with some immediate tendering options on single hull. Likely negotiations with Marine Atlantic and their year-round ferry experience. Wait and see.:lurk - Bob
 
I took the ferry to Block Island, RI a couple of months ago to do a service call. They are running two boats in tandem, a traditional ferry that takes an hour for the 14 mile crossing and a high speed cat that does it in half the time.

I imagine there was a price difference, but I took the slow boat since I was gonna be gone all day anyway.

Their high speed boat is for passengers only.
 
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