M.V
Frances Barkley docking in Ucluelet |
The MV Frances
Barkley is a 200 passenger and cargo vessel based in Port Alberni
that serves the communities of Barkley Sound and the Broken Group
Islands on the west coast of Vancouver island BC. Ports of call include
Bamfield, Ucluelet, Kildonan, and Sechart.
This passenger,
mail and freight service has been a part of the West Coast for over
60 years. The Frances Barkley and the Lady Rose have
a relaxed, friendly atmosphere rather reminiscent of yesteryear.
The heritage
vessel Lady Rose can carry up to 100 passengers and 25 tons
of cargo. She was originally christened "Lady Sylvia" at her 1937
launching at Pointhouse Shipyard in Glasgow, Scotland. Although
not the last vessel acquired by the Union Steamship Company, she
was the last commissioned to be built for them. Designed for the
sheltered coastal waters of British Columbia, this stocky little
vessel soon proved capable of much more, becoming the first diesel
powered vessel to cross the Atlantic driven by a single propeller.
The Lady Rose was temporarily withdrawn from service during
the summer of 2009.
Join the crew on the Frances Barkley for a day trip down
the Alberni Inlet to Barkley Sound, and have a truly memorable experience.
In the course of a day's trip the packet freighter drops mail, groceries,
supplies and up to 100 passengers along the way at float homes and
the Sechart Whaling Station - in the same manner as when the service
started on the B.C. Coast over 60 years ago.
The Frances Barkley spends her summers on the Port Alberni
to Ucluelet/Broken Group Islands run, but also provides service
on our Bamfield route. At times you'll definitely feel the motion
of the ocean swells, but the better part of the journey through
Barkley Sound is not as exposed as that experienced when you travel
out of Gold River on the MV
Uchuck III. The trip makes for a pleasant outing in itself,
or it can be a link for paddlers wishing to get to the Broken Group
Islands.
Barkley Sound
and the Broken Group Islands comprise one of the three main recreational
components in Pacific Rim National Park. The popularity of these
islands with paddlers and boaters has soared over the past decade.
One of the main reasons that the Broken Group Islands are so popular
is that they provide a true west coast experience in sheltered water.
Barkley Sound is not normally subject to the extreme ocean conditions
farther west in the open waters around Ucluelet and exposed sections
of the two other areas that attract visitors to the Pacific Rim
National Park, the West Coast Trail and the Long Beach Unit. The
ease with which less-experienced sea kayakers can reach the Broken
Group Islands on the Frances Barkley contributes greatly
to the allure and charm of the vessel.
|
|
Click
on the map to view a large scale map of the North and Central
Vancouver Island Ferry Routes. |
| The
ferry service to Bamfield/Ucluelet is a private service. B.C
Ferries is therefore not able to provide information for this
route. |
 Visit:
Port Alberni, Bamfield,
Ucluelet, Broken
Group Islands
View a map
of the Pacific Rim
Schedule
Bamfield & Waypoints (Kildonan) - Year Round (Tuesday, Thursday,
Saturday)
Ucluelet & Broken Group Islands (Sechart) - June to September (Mon,
Wed, Friday)
Bamfield & Broken Group Islands (Sechart) - July to September (Sundays)
Lady Rose Marine
Services can be contacted for current schedules, fares, reservations
and further information.
Lady Rose Marine
Services
5425 Argyle Street (Next
to Alberni Harbour Quay in south Port Alberni)
Box 188
Port Alberni
BC, V9Y 7M7
Tel: (250) 723-8313
|
Web
Design by Sage
Internet Solutions.
