Second new Vancouver-Victoria passenger ferry to launch in 2018
Posted March 1, 2017 11:06 pm.
Last Updated March 1, 2017 11:40 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – By this time next year, you might not have one but two new ways to get to Vancouver Island by water from downtown Vancouver.
David Gudgel with Seattle-based Clipper Vacations says the company is launching an almost 600 seat catamaran in the spring of 2018.
“We are bringing a 52-metre vessel that has been part of our parent company fleet FRS, and has been operating in the North Sea between Hamburg and the island of Heligoland.”
In a release, Clipper Vacations says the Halunder Jet has been moving 372,000 passengers annually and operated in difficult sea conditions similar to the Salish Sea.
The catamaran uses a motion dampening system to help consistently deliver a comfortable ride for customers.
Gudgel is not saying yet how much it will cost to get from Vancouver to Victoria.
“We think that this platform with 579 passengers will allow us some flexibility in pricing. The vessel is currently configured for three levels of service.”
Gudgel says they’re looking at one round-trip per day with the service based in Vancouver.
He adds a similar service failed over 20 years ago because the wrong boats were used and there simply weren’t the tourism numbers like there are today in Vancouver and Victoria.
V2V Vacations recently announced its intention to run a passenger ferry service from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria starting in May.
