Coastal Renaissance
Well, I was in Nanaimo over the weekend to visit friends and attend a fundraising concert on Gabriola Island for my foster mom Jo-Anne Fowler. That was awesome.
On the way home I sailed on the Coastal Renaissance, the newest ferry in BC Ferries’ fleet. I was impressed. It’s a nice, spacious boat that isn’t a dramatic departure from the older C Class vessles like the Queen of Oak Bay or the Queen of Cowichan. There are two full decks of indoor seating as well as two floors of outdoor spaces. It seems to be a lot less crowded than the older boats.
Here it is berthed at Horshoe Bay.
The smokestack.
The outer deck is extremely spacious. Lots of room for relaxing, writing and thinking. I’m sure many great novels will be written on these decks.
These stairs kind of freaked me out. Nothing between me and the sea but a bit of grated metal…
An interior view showing the magnificent view from the floor-to-ceiling windows. There are a lot of new, fresh features to this ship. Unfortunately it comes with all the same passengers.
If you want to avoid the riff-raff you can travel in the exclusive lounge!
The fabulous spread of newspapers and complimentary snacks in the exclusive lounge. Nothing spells luxury and class like a collection of CanWest publications fanned out on a granite counter.
I totally forgot about the “exclusive” lounge. I should go there next time and try it out.
Did you also try a “light snack” during your brief visit?
I just walked right in and took the photo! There’s no way in hell I’d pay $10 to be parted from my beloved people!
As an islander who has taken the ferry so many times I could recite the old safety announcement I have been curious about the new ship. All the construction in Departure Bay and the rising costs of ferry fare have had me wondering if we would be getting our moneys worth on this one.
I’m stunned by the “floor to ceiling” windows and “vip lounge”. Great post!
I must know… did you pay the $10 or did they allow you in for a quick picture as you’re the media?