Many questions in wake of Northern Adventure's return to port

"This was not severe weather, this was a poor judgment call,"-- Lee-Al Nelson, passenger on the Northern Adventure, commenting on Sunday nights adventure on the high and rolling seas.

"It's not meant for us, it's meant for the Mediterranean." -- North Coast MLA, Gary Coon, outlining one of his main concerns about the Northern Adventure's introduction to service on the North coast.

What started out as a simple notice of postponement of service on the BC Ferries website is turning into a much larger issue, that as more and more details come out about Sunday nights harrowing attempted crossing of Hecate Strait.

To read of the perspective of BC Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall, Sunday's turn back to Rupert was simply a matter of the Northern Adventure finding the seas a little too raucous for it's Captains thoughts, requiring a change of course back to the shelter of Prince Rupert harbour.
Then again Ms. Marshall wasn't on the ferry...

Anecdotal information about the crossing began to filter into Prince Rupert through Monday afternoon, as details about sea conditions and uncomfortable sailing conditions started to gain some interest by the larger media outlets of Vancouver.

By far the most descriptive story of the event thus far comes from the Queen Charlotte Islands Observer, which paints a rather different version of events than that offered up by the Ferry Corporation thus far.

Numerous passengers have provided their account of events from the overnight period, a review of events that left many shaken by their experience and questioning the sea worthiness of the recent addition to the BC Ferries fleet given the occasionally dramatic conditions that the North coast offers to mariners.

This is the Northern Adventure's first full fall and winter season in service on the north coast's Prince Rupert to Skidegate run.

North Coast MLA Gary Coons, has long been a watchdog on the Ferry Corporation and its plans for the North coast, he once again on Monday outlined some of his concerns over the style of vessel that the Ferry corporation chose for the Queen Charlottes/Prince Rupert service, suggesting that the second hand vessel was not suited to the challenges of North coast navigation. He presented his thoughts on the issue in the Observer story and on CKNW News at 4 pm. (listen in at the CKNW audio vault 4 to 5 pm hour)

It's a concern that probably is shared by a number of passengers from the Northern Adventure who are now stranded in Rupert, BC Ferries having cancelled the scheduled Monday night attempt at another crossing.

One thing is certain, BC Ferries will have to provide much more detail on the happenings of Sunday night/Monday morning, their response so far has not meshed with the impressions of the passengers on that sailing. A full account of the night's passage, including damage reports, injury reports and impressions of those in command should be made public so as to reassure the travellers of the North coast, that indeed this was an extraordinary weather event and not some indication of the shortcomings of the vessel in service.

That upcoming BC Ferries community meeting at the end of the month may have an additional topic to add to the agenda beyond the planned development of the Vancouver to Prince Rupert idea. A good number of local ferry users may be inclined to ask questions about the existing service and what the Ferry Corporation might have to say about this recent incident.

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Our previous Podunkian postings on the topic of the Northern Adventure have provided for much in the way of reading on the ship from it's early days in the Caribbean to the Mediterranean and then to some of the concerns as it was introduced to the North coast, we offer up just a few of those past items which can be found below.

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August 2009-- Not so fast for the Northern Adventure

May 2009-- Northern Adventure to be sidelined again for repairs

March 2009-- Safety first, or into service first?
March 2009-- More adventures for the Northern Adventure?

October 2008-- Ferry issues continue to be of concern to Haida Gwaii
May 2008-- More North coast Ferry woes

January 2008-- “An honest mistake”

April 2007-- Northern Misadventures

April 2007-- It's shiny and new, and apparently not working so well!
January 2007-- Sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful ship
December 2006-- Northern Adventure requires a northern modification

The full Queen Charlottes Observer story is provided below.

Sailing a Northern Misadventure-vessel does not belong on route, says MLA Coons
Queen Charlotte Islands Observer
Monday, November 23, 2009

By Alex Rinfret--Sunday night's Prince Rupert to Skidegate ferry sailing turned into a nightmare for passengers after the Northern Adventure got caught in high winds and waves in the middle of Hecate Strait.

The ship was stuck in waves as high as 10 metres for several hours, then turned back to Prince Rupert in the early morning, finally docking around 1 pm, 14 hours after it left.

At least one passenger, Lee-Al Nelson of Queen Charlotte, said the ship should never have left Prince Rupert Sunday night, given the weather conditions and wind warning.

"This was not severe weather, this was a poor judgment call," said Mr. Nelson, who was returning from a tournament with the Queen Charlotte Secondary girls' volleyball team and spoke to the Observer Monday afternoon from Rupert's Crest Hotel. "It almost flipped the boat. I have never felt that before."

Mr. Nelson, who has travelled the Rupert-Skidegate route many times, said this sailing was unlike any other he has been on. The ship left Rupert around 11:10 pm, he said, much to the surprise of many passengers. The first couple of hours were somewhat rough.

"At around one o'clock, pandemonium broke loose," said Mr. Nelson, who was in a cabin during the sailing. "Everything was falling... It was listing, horribly listing."

To add to the confusion, the captain did not make a single announcement about the situation until the early morning, when he announced that the ship would return to Prince Rupert, Mr. Nelson said.

The return to Rupert took much longer than usual because the ship could only use one engine, he said.

"The girls were traumatized," Mr. Nelson said. "People were crying."

Talk among the passengers was that seven crew members had been hurt, four crew rooms had been flooded and four vehicles were damaged, he added.

When the ferry docked in Rupert, the passengers were told to get off and go to the terminal, he said. At the terminal, he said, ferries staff blamed the incident on weather and said passengers had two options: to get a refund or rebook their trip. Staff did not offer the traumatized passengers any compensation for accommodation or food.

Mr. Nelson said he spoke up in the terminal, disputing the idea that the entire incident was the fault of unexpected weather conditions.

"This is a captain who left when he shouldn't have left and put people's lives in danger," he told terminal staff and passengers. Mr. Nelson said there was no response from staff, but he felt he had to say something.

Grade 11 student Kelsey Lore, a member of the volleyball team, said the trip was absolutely terrifying and she could not imagine getting back on the ferry.

"We could hear the vehicles crashing together downstairs, and we could hear all the dishes breaking," she said. "The gift shop was absolutely ruined, everything had fallen over... The cash register was smashed on the ground."

Ms Lore said she is hoping that BC Ferries will fly the team back.

"Everybody is freaked out," she said. "I'm scared to go on the ferry tonight. I don't think it will be fixed and it's supposed to be stormy tonight."

Tory Roberts, another member of the volleyball team, said she started crying once she got off the Northern Adventure and was in the terminal, and so did several other passengers.

"Once we were off the boat I bawled and freaked," she said from Prince Rupert this afternoon. "I am exhausted and I'm upset about missing school... I am not getting back on that boat, I will have hysterics."

BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall said two crew members were injured in the sailing, one bumping his knee and one bumping his head, and there was some minor damage to vehicles.
She said the captain headed out into Hecate Strait, then decided between 3 and 4 am that the weather was too rough to continue. The ferry held its position until 8 or 9 am, then headed back to Prince Rupert, she said.

"The winds were worse than what was predicted," she said of the decision to head out despite a wind warning. "They were hoping for a break in the weather."

The wind early Monday morning was over 60 knots, she said.

Meanwhile, North Coast MLA Gary Coons said he'd heard up to seven crew members had been injured and that he was worried about whether the Northern Adventure is really the right ship for Hecate Strait.

BC Ferries purchased the ship second-hand after the Queen of the North sank and it started serving the north coast in 2007, mostly on the Port Hardy-Prince Rupert route. However, this is its first winter season as the regular Rupert-Skidegate vessel.

"I keep bringing up that we shouldn't even have this vessel in our waters," Mr. Coons said. "It's not meant for us, it's meant for the Mediterranean."