Petition to BC Ferries to Use the Spirit Class Kahlenberg T4A Whistles Regularly
The Issue
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The Spirit of British Columbia which is the slightly older Twin sister of the Spirit of Vancouver Island in Active Pass
- Since 1993 and 1994 Respectively the Spirit Class Ferries have been a Staple and Mainstay aswell as a Symbol and Icon of British Columbia and our Ferry Fleet and they are also the Largest Ferries in the Fleet and in Canada, Unfortunately due to politics at the time they were given a Whistle that is very quiet and the only ships in our fleet with a whistle so quiet no announcement is made to warn passengers and in my opinion is a Liability and Safety Hazard, I personally have witnessed countless extremely close calls with other boats nearly being hit by the Spirit Class due to the inability to hear the Airchime whistle so I am also making this petition for the safety of other vessels on the water, now Transport Canada ordered a new whistle be added during the Spirit Classes Mid Life Upgrades in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 respectively and the whistle is a lovely three tone Kahlenberg T4A whistle yet it is rarely used due to the supposed noise, having rode and been raised in a family where ferries are in our DNA and having sounded and listened to ferry horns my entire life the Kahlenberg T4A whistle is not any louder than the Whistles used aboard the Coastal Class ferries, despite my efforts to push for the regular use of the Kahlenbergs which is a proper sound for the Largest Ferries in The Fleet they continue to use the extremely quiet and boring Single Tone Airchime whistle, therefore I ask that you sign my petition to have the Airchime removed or at minimum only used on the first and last sailings of the day and that they use the Kahlenberg T4A Whistle which is a proper sound that Has come to represent BC Ferries.
- Did you know that The required amount of time sounding the Ships Whistle as a Prolonged Blast is 5-10 seconds and on Route 1 they are supposed to sound the whistle a total of 3 times sailing from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen and then a total of 7 times sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, the reason for the difference is due to the Spirit Class being Single ended with a bridge on only one end they are required to back out at one end and at Tsawwassen they do the back out and so the Regulations state they must sound One Prolonged Blast of the whistle to signify their departure and then 3 short blasts of the whistle to signify that the ship is operating astern propulsion.
- the other blast is arriving at Swartz Bay as they normally arrive via Fircone Pass which has a blind spot where small boats are known to come through similar to a hidden driveway hence why they sound one prolonged blast of the whistle arriving at Swartz Bay provided they are arriving via Fircone pass.
- Did you know that the Spirit Class vessels are over 556 feet long and Carry over 410 vehicles and 2200 Passengers and Crew.
- The Spirit Class are the workhorses of BC Ferries Route 1 which is more commonly known as The Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen ferry and since their conversion to Dual Fuel LNG Engines they are now used Year Round as the Number One vessels on Route 1
- Did you know that Since it's Creation in 1960 BC Ferries vessels have come to be distinguished from the neighbouring fleets in Washington and Alaska by the use of 3 Tone Whistles on the majority of vessels and currently only the Spirit Class vessels of the Major or Large Vessels have a Single Tone Whistle built on.
- Also the Spirit Class Vessels Kahlenberg T4A Whistle has a Single Tone option that can be used for early morning and late night when noise may be a issue single tone means only one horn.
- Did you know that The Spirit Class vessels are not only the Largest Ferries in the BC Ferries fleet but also are the Largest vehicle and passenger ferries in the Americas.
- BC Ferries is the Largest ferry operator in the world with 35 ships working 47 different routes, coincidentally the Second largest Ferry operator in the world is our neighbors to the south Washington State Ferries with 21 ships on just 12 different routes.
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The MV Spirit of Vancouver Island arriving at Swartz Bay
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Spirit of Vancouver Island arriving at Swartz Bay showing her Size
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The Spirit of British Columbia which is the slightly older Twin sister of the Spirit of Vancouver Island arriving at Swartz Bay
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The Spirit of Vancouver Island approaching Swartz Bay Berth 1
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- The Spirit of Vancouver Island entering active pass
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The Spirit of British Columbia and Spirit of Vancouver Island Off the Entrance to Active Pass
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- The Spirit of Vancouver Islands Kahlenberg T4A Whistle Set and Airchime Whistle photo courtesy of Joshua Yeung
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Jimmy CarlosPetition StarterProfessional ⚓ Ferry spotter⚓
Av Geek and Bus fan from:
Victoria British Columbia
Instagram profile: @danieljamescarlos_
Facebook profile:
@Jimmy Daniel Carlos
Petition Closed
This petition had 83 supporters
The Issue
-
The Spirit of British Columbia which is the slightly older Twin sister of the Spirit of Vancouver Island in Active Pass
- Since 1993 and 1994 Respectively the Spirit Class Ferries have been a Staple and Mainstay aswell as a Symbol and Icon of British Columbia and our Ferry Fleet and they are also the Largest Ferries in the Fleet and in Canada, Unfortunately due to politics at the time they were given a Whistle that is very quiet and the only ships in our fleet with a whistle so quiet no announcement is made to warn passengers and in my opinion is a Liability and Safety Hazard, I personally have witnessed countless extremely close calls with other boats nearly being hit by the Spirit Class due to the inability to hear the Airchime whistle so I am also making this petition for the safety of other vessels on the water, now Transport Canada ordered a new whistle be added during the Spirit Classes Mid Life Upgrades in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 respectively and the whistle is a lovely three tone Kahlenberg T4A whistle yet it is rarely used due to the supposed noise, having rode and been raised in a family where ferries are in our DNA and having sounded and listened to ferry horns my entire life the Kahlenberg T4A whistle is not any louder than the Whistles used aboard the Coastal Class ferries, despite my efforts to push for the regular use of the Kahlenbergs which is a proper sound for the Largest Ferries in The Fleet they continue to use the extremely quiet and boring Single Tone Airchime whistle, therefore I ask that you sign my petition to have the Airchime removed or at minimum only used on the first and last sailings of the day and that they use the Kahlenberg T4A Whistle which is a proper sound that Has come to represent BC Ferries.
- Did you know that The required amount of time sounding the Ships Whistle as a Prolonged Blast is 5-10 seconds and on Route 1 they are supposed to sound the whistle a total of 3 times sailing from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen and then a total of 7 times sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, the reason for the difference is due to the Spirit Class being Single ended with a bridge on only one end they are required to back out at one end and at Tsawwassen they do the back out and so the Regulations state they must sound One Prolonged Blast of the whistle to signify their departure and then 3 short blasts of the whistle to signify that the ship is operating astern propulsion.
- the other blast is arriving at Swartz Bay as they normally arrive via Fircone Pass which has a blind spot where small boats are known to come through similar to a hidden driveway hence why they sound one prolonged blast of the whistle arriving at Swartz Bay provided they are arriving via Fircone pass.
- Did you know that the Spirit Class vessels are over 556 feet long and Carry over 410 vehicles and 2200 Passengers and Crew.
- The Spirit Class are the workhorses of BC Ferries Route 1 which is more commonly known as The Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen ferry and since their conversion to Dual Fuel LNG Engines they are now used Year Round as the Number One vessels on Route 1
- Did you know that Since it's Creation in 1960 BC Ferries vessels have come to be distinguished from the neighbouring fleets in Washington and Alaska by the use of 3 Tone Whistles on the majority of vessels and currently only the Spirit Class vessels of the Major or Large Vessels have a Single Tone Whistle built on.
- Also the Spirit Class Vessels Kahlenberg T4A Whistle has a Single Tone option that can be used for early morning and late night when noise may be a issue single tone means only one horn.
- Did you know that The Spirit Class vessels are not only the Largest Ferries in the BC Ferries fleet but also are the Largest vehicle and passenger ferries in the Americas.
- BC Ferries is the Largest ferry operator in the world with 35 ships working 47 different routes, coincidentally the Second largest Ferry operator in the world is our neighbors to the south Washington State Ferries with 21 ships on just 12 different routes.
-
The MV Spirit of Vancouver Island arriving at Swartz Bay
-
Spirit of Vancouver Island arriving at Swartz Bay showing her Size
-
The Spirit of British Columbia which is the slightly older Twin sister of the Spirit of Vancouver Island arriving at Swartz Bay
-
-
The Spirit of Vancouver Island approaching Swartz Bay Berth 1
-
- The Spirit of Vancouver Island entering active pass
-
-
The Spirit of British Columbia and Spirit of Vancouver Island Off the Entrance to Active Pass
-
- The Spirit of Vancouver Islands Kahlenberg T4A Whistle Set and Airchime Whistle photo courtesy of Joshua Yeung
-
Jimmy CarlosPetition StarterProfessional ⚓ Ferry spotter⚓
Av Geek and Bus fan from:
Victoria British Columbia
Instagram profile: @danieljamescarlos_
Facebook profile:
@Jimmy Daniel Carlos
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Petition created on October 13, 2024