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  #21  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2012, 1:47 PM
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Originally Posted by q12 View Post
This is still in the works.
This makes WAY more sense than a Yarmouth-Bar Harbour ferry.
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  #22  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2012, 3:45 PM
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Originally Posted by q12 View Post
This is still in the works.
The article mentions the poor state of the U.S. economy; however, I wonder how well Boston is doing, as well as its regional communities.

It's an awesome idea to link the two cities, but what are Nova Scotia's potential gains from this deal, realistically? This is another moment I wish the Canadian Dollar wasn't so artificially high, so more Americans would come and spend copious amounts of money!

Canada is a great place for Americans to cool off during the summer months. And for Bostonians to visit Halifax during the summer is reminiscent for them, considering Halifax's current climate is what Boston had a couple decades ago.
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  #23  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2012, 6:51 PM
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I guess its a question of volume. It works in Europe.

They are wanting a very large, fast, ship. This will be expensive. A ship that will "operate 12 months a year, travel at least 46 kilometres an hour and carry 1,300 passengers and more than 400 vehicles."

I sincerely hope it works. They are talking about it costing $300 per trip. With the high price of fuel, that'll be cheaper than driving many vehicles.

I'd love to try it.
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  #24  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2012, 6:54 PM
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Originally Posted by scooby074 View Post
I guess its a question of volume. It works in Europe.
The difference being that they generally ferry between cities of at least a million people, or at worst half a million. Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Stockholm..

If there were enough people in Halifax directly needing to go to Boston, or vice-versa, perhaps it would be immediately viable.
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  #25  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2012, 7:26 PM
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Originally Posted by GregHickman View Post
The difference being that they generally ferry between cities of at least a million people, or at worst half a million. Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Stockholm..
Well, Tallinn and Halifax have the same population and Boston is larger than any of those cities.

I think the dominating factors are the volume of trade and the alternative modes of transportation available. If you want to go somewhere quickly and don't need to take a car, flying is the better option. There's also the option of driving along decent highways for the Halifax-Boston route. Some of the detours around the Baltic are huge and since they sometimes go through counties like Russia (Tallinn-Helsinki) they might not even be possible or advisable.
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  #26  
Old Posted Oct 10, 2012, 11:38 PM
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Originally Posted by scooby074 View Post
I guess its a question of volume. It works in Europe.

They are wanting a very large, fast, ship. This will be expensive. A ship that will "operate 12 months a year, travel at least 46 kilometres an hour and carry 1,300 passengers and more than 400 vehicles."

I sincerely hope it works. They are talking about it costing $300 per trip. With the high price of fuel, that'll be cheaper than driving many vehicles.

I'd love to try it.
I find it hard to imagine that they would be able to fill such a ship on a regular basis. It would be somewhat similar in size to this ferry - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Atlantic_Vision
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  #27  
Old Posted Oct 11, 2012, 3:45 AM
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Originally Posted by fenwick16 View Post
I find it hard to imagine that they would be able to fill such a ship on a regular basis. It would be somewhat similar in size to this ferry - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Atlantic_Vision
Exactly. Matter of fact that ship came from one of the routes they are trying to duplicate and I'm not sure, but I believe that route wasn't profitable. They we're pulling passengers from three countries Estonia, Germany and Sweden.

Would there be enough traffic to run a ship like that 3 days a week to Boston.. I guess I dont see it, yet.
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  #28  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2013, 4:03 PM
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http://www.news957.com/2013/02/15/ma...ferry-service/

Quote:
Maine company ready to start Yarmouth ferry service

The Canadian Press
Feb 15, 2013 10:32:37 AM

A Maine company that wants to operate a ferry service between Maine and Nova Scotia says it has an agreement to lease a new vessel and could start the service this summer if it is awarded a contract.

Quest Navigation Inc. of Eliot is one of two companies proposing to operate the service between Portland, Maine, and Yarmouth, N.S.

Quest officials say the vessel has 162 cabins, two restaurants and capacity for more than 1,200 passengers.

The other company, Baltimore-based Maritime Applied Physics Corp., is an engineering firm that specializes in designing electro-mechanical systems for harsh environments.

The ferry’s former operator, Bay Ferries Ltd., announced in Dec. 2009 that it would cancel the money-losing service after the government said it could no longer provide an annual $6-million subsidy.

The Nova Scotia government issued a request for proposals in December for an operator of the ferry service.
http://www.questnavigation.com/files...hip_banner.jpg

http://www.questnavigation.com/

Another story from the press herald in Portland: http://www.pressherald.com/news/ferr...013-02-15.html
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  #29  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2013, 4:10 PM
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Only four lifeboats?
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  #30  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2013, 4:21 PM
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Originally Posted by MonctonRad View Post


Only four lifeboats?
It's brand new, it will have to meet Transport Canada standards for live-saving equipment.

Although it does look like it has a helideck which is cool.
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  #31  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2013, 5:16 PM
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It's brand new, it will have to meet Transport Canada standards for live-saving equipment.

Although it does look like it has a helideck which is cool.
Probably just a "Rescue Area". Likely "Winch Only"

The ship itself has a bit of a rocky history. It was originally for the English Channel but she was not accepted by the ordering company because of "deficiencies".

If they really want to make a go of it, Yarmouth-Portland likely isn't the best route, Halifax -Boston maybe? But then again this is a political thing isn't it?
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  #32  
Old Posted Oct 13, 2015, 7:36 AM
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So any more news? Either of the new routes any closer to launch yet?

What I'd really like is a Halifax-St. John's overnight cruise ferry. The drive to N. Sydney is rather long.
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  #33  
Old Posted Oct 13, 2015, 1:31 PM
OldDartmouthMark OldDartmouthMark is offline
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This website is still up, and was last updated in January.

http://boston-halifax-ferry.com/

So it looks like the idea is not dead, though I'm wondering how well-accepted it would be by the government/taxpayers given the Nova Star situation. That's assuming they will need subsidies to get it up and running.

While it is better in some ways, as it travels between major cities for their respective areas, it does also compete with the Nova Star in that they both cut off the drive around New Brunswick and most of Maine. To compare them straight up in going from Halifax to Boston, the Nova Star would take another 5 hours of driving from destination to destination. Given the political bonus of bolstering the south shore's economy a little, I question whether the government would allow such competition for a presently subsidized service that has political implications.

Would be interesting, though, the idea of driving on a ferry in Halifax and waking up in Boston is an attractive one, I'll admit.
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  #34  
Old Posted Oct 13, 2015, 5:17 PM
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Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark View Post
This website is still up, and was last updated in January.

http://boston-halifax-ferry.com/

So it looks like the idea is not dead, though I'm wondering how well-accepted it would be by the government/taxpayers given the Nova Star situation. That's assuming they will need subsidies to get it up and running.

While it is better in some ways, as it travels between major cities for their respective areas, it does also compete with the Nova Star in that they both cut off the drive around New Brunswick and most of Maine. To compare them straight up in going from Halifax to Boston, the Nova Star would take another 5 hours of driving from destination to destination. Given the political bonus of bolstering the south shore's economy a little, I question whether the government would allow such competition for a presently subsidized service that has political implications.

Would be interesting, though, the idea of driving on a ferry in Halifax and waking up in Boston is an attractive one, I'll admit.
Although really, If a person wanted to go to Boston itself or the general Boston or NYC vicinities, flying down and renting a car would be faster and maybe not much (if any) more expensive. I'd think it would be most appealing to someone planning a long trip such as down south as a snowbird, which would make an overnight ferry practical as one would save not only the gas, but also the hotel cost. And bringing one's own car would then be desirable.

I guess it all comes down to how much they charge.
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  #35  
Old Posted Oct 13, 2015, 5:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse View Post
So any more news? Either of the new routes any closer to launch yet?

What I'd really like is a Halifax-St. John's overnight cruise ferry. The drive to N. Sydney is rather long.
Wouldn't be overnight. The current North Sydney to Argentia sailing is 16 hrs (http://www.marineatlantic.ca/en/plan...ailing-Routes/), so already not an overnight jaunt. Adding another 10-15 hours on to that would probably not be very attractive to, well, anyone. Not to mention the extra cost of it.

Would be best to fly from Halifax and rent a car in St. John's.
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  #36  
Old Posted Oct 13, 2015, 5:51 PM
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Hard to imagine we're so much closer to Boston than to St. John's
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  #37  
Old Posted Oct 13, 2015, 5:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse View Post
Although really, If a person wanted to go to Boston itself or the general Boston or NYC vicinities, flying down and renting a car would be faster and maybe not much (if any) more expensive. I'd think it would be most appealing to someone planning a long trip such as down south as a snowbird, which would make an overnight ferry practical as one would save not only the gas, but also the hotel cost. And bringing one's own car would then be desirable.

I guess it all comes down to how much they charge.
Depends on your length of stay, your travel route and your mode of travel, IMHO. For example, rental car costs add up quickly if you are staying for two to three weeks, or more. If your mode of travel is by RV/camper, then rental is not really a good option. Plus, if you want to enter and exit the country in different locations (for example, ferry from Halifax to Boston and return through Maine) then a rental car is no longer a good option.

Also, there would be the possibility of commercial traffic, though with the proposed initial 3-day schedule it's hard to say whether it would be regular enough to be useful for trucking companies. There is the bonus of all that travel not affecting their logged time, though... i.e. sleep while traveling the equivalent of 10hrs of driving, then being able to get a full day's driving in after docking.
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  #38  
Old Posted Oct 13, 2015, 5:54 PM
OldDartmouthMark OldDartmouthMark is offline
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Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse View Post
Hard to imagine we're so much closer to Boston than to St. John's
Scaling it out on a map, as the crow flies, St. John's is about an extra 50% further away than Boston.
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  #39  
Old Posted Oct 13, 2015, 6:11 PM
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Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark View Post
Depends on your length of stay, your travel route and your mode of travel, IMHO. For example, rental car costs add up quickly if you are staying for two to three weeks, or more. If your mode of travel is by RV/camper, then rental is not really a good option. Plus, if you want to enter and exit the country in different locations (for example, ferry from Halifax to Boston and return through Maine) then a rental car is no longer a good option.

Also, there would be the possibility of commercial traffic, though with the proposed initial 3-day schedule it's hard to say whether it would be regular enough to be useful for trucking companies. There is the bonus of all that travel not affecting their logged time, though... i.e. sleep while traveling the equivalent of 10hrs of driving, then being able to get a full day's driving in after docking.
Lot of ifs and buts in that argument.

I think it is safe to say that if there was a profitable market for a cruise ferry between Halifax and Boston, one would exist.
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  #40  
Old Posted Oct 13, 2015, 6:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Keith P. View Post
Lot of ifs and buts in that argument.

I think it is safe to say that if there was a profitable market for a cruise ferry between Halifax and Boston, one would exist.
Pretty much agree with that.

Was just defending the idea that a ferry to Boston could be attractive to ME, as I have grown to despise air travel and the restrictions it brings (i.e. try to bring back a case of your favourite US craft beer on a plane and see how easy it isn't... ).
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