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whale watch tours to see the humpbacks fi nbacks, pilot whales and critically endangered right whales of Stellwa- gen Bank Marine Sanctuary. Finally, the creative minds at Boston Harbor Cruises have come up with Codzilla, a 40-minute ride on an open boat with a top speed of 35 knots. A scripted show blasts Bobby Darin, The Standells (“Dirty Water, no doubt) and AD/DC. The disclaimer reads, “Before boarding, secure all headwear, eyewear, wigs, and pitiful comb-overs. No refunds issued for bad hair days.” BC Ferries With an extensive area of service and pressure to turn a profi t after being privatized in 2003, British Columbia Ferries has endured its share of criticism in the past few years. Now the company has shown profi ts plus awarded contracts for three new intermediate-class vessels. One of the largest roll-on/roll-off ferry operators in the world, BC Ferries’ 25 routes and 47 ports of call reach south near the U.S. border and as far north as remote Haida Gwaii (for- merly the Queen Charlotte Islands), some 300 miles. BC Ferries’ 36 vessels range from pint-sized sixteen-car boats up to 470-car giants. BC Ferries has not only made modest profi ts in the past two years, it has just announced that it has awarded con- tracts totaling $155 million (US dollars) to Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. of Gdansk, Poland, to build three new intermediate class vessels. One new vessel will replace the 50-year-old Queen of Nanaimo used on the southern BC route from Tsawwassen to the Southern Gulf Islands. An- other will retire the 49-year-old Queen of Burnaby, which sails between mid-Vancouver Island town of Comox and Powell River on the mainland. The third vessel will fi ll in on the Southern Gulf Islands route, plus provide spot relief around the fl eet. The vessels are due in 2016 and 2017. Showing real leadership, and in an effort to keep fares from rising and to use a cleaner fuel, the new vessels will operate as dual-fuel capable, using Liquefi ed Natural Gas (LNG) or diesel fuel for propulsion and power generation. BC Ferries is a hybrid: a Crown corporation owned and subsidized by the federal and provincial government, but independently managed and operated for profi t. Between increased fares in recent years and increased subsidies, the system was in the black in 2013 and 2014. Earnings were $18.0 million for fi scal 2014, an increase of $2.5 million from 2013’s net earnings of $15.5 million. MN 00 NORTH AMERICAN FERRIES Feature 42 MN August 2014 32-49 MN Aug14.indd 42 7/18/2014 1:34:01 PM
