An icon of Vancouver IslandB次元官网网址檚 West Coast is poised to take its final voyage.
Lady Rose Marine Services will close its doors as of Aug. 31, after 75 years of freight and passenger service down the Alberni Inlet.
The company is yet another victim of the coronavirus pandemic and the economic strain of extended closures and restrictions, owner Mike Surrell said Monday, Aug. 9. The company posted a brief statement on its Facebook page after rumours started circulating about the closure.
B次元官网网址淪eventeen months of basically no income going into the winter, which is traditionally slowB次元官网网址aintaining and running these vessels is very, very expensive,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淲ith COVID-19 we managed to hang on for 17 months. WeB次元官网网址檙e not able to maintain this pace. Unfortunately, the Frances Barkley will stop sailing at the end of the month.B次元官网网址�
Surrell bought the company and all its operations in 2008. He said while COVID-19 was the final strike, it has also been difficult finding employees with the proper certification to help keep the ship running. Working as a mariner is a specialty, and government regulations demand a certain amount of current training and certification. Surrell said he is not the only company hurting for staff: even BC Ferries is looking for employees.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e done everything we can to survive,B次元官网网址� he added. He said the business is not for sale, it will just cease to operate as of Sept. 1.
Alberni-Pacific Rim MLA Josie Osborne called the closure a B次元官网网址渢ough blowB次元官网网址� for coastal communities. B次元官网网址淲hile I was very pleased to help deliver provincial government bridging supports to the company, this outcome is certainly not what anyone hoped for,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淢ike Surrell and his team have poured their heart into this company and have been so dedicated to serving residents, businesses and visitors to Barkley Sound. I also want to acknowledge the employees and clients who will be impacted by this change.B次元官网网址�
The news has sent shock waves around the community, and people who depend on the service to move goods as well as people are scrambling to make other arrangements.
Surrell said he has done everything he could to keep the business operating throughout the pandemic. He sold the former BC Ferries car ferry MV Tenaka to an American buyer in March 2021 (it was then reportedly re-sold to another buyer and moved to Ucluelet Harbour). He purchased the ferry in 2016 and it sat for five years as government officials wound the red tape tighter and tighter, the idea of car service to Ucluelet and Bamfield sinking further and further.
He sold the former Sechart Lodge to Phil and Shannon Williams from Cowichan Valley and their partners Arnie and Janet Melissen of Pitt Meadows. They renamed the lodge, located down the Alberni Inlet, as Broken Islands Lodge. The new lodge owners are scrambling to figure out how to get staff and groceries to their tourist operation as of Sept. 1.
The lodge already had to come up with a plan to get tourists to their dock, Shannon Williams said, since government restrictions meant Lady Rose Marine Services could not transport people (for non-essential reasons). B次元官网网址淏ecause of COVID they werenB次元官网网址檛 allowed to take any guests. We purchased a water taxi so weB次元官网网址檝e been collecting our guests from Secret Beach and Bamfield. Now, luckily, we have a plan in place.B次元官网网址�
The lodge owns two water taxis, and they have someone living at the lodge year-round. Whether or not they could put their water taxis to use for people needing service up and down the Inlet remains to be seen. B次元官网网址淭his is new for us. We havenB次元官网网址檛 done a feasibility study at all. What weB次元官网网址檝e looked at is our short-term needs.B次元官网网址�
The lodge has still been able to use the Frances BarkleyB次元官网网址檚 services to bring staff to and from the lodge each week, as well as their grocery delivery. Now they will have to figure out different logistics, she said.
B次元官网网址淚t is an end of an era. It is a loss to our guests, for sure; people have enjoyed their services. ItB次元官网网址檚 a romantic notion, to take a big boat down the Inlet.B次元官网网址�
The Frances Barkley has always brought freight as well as passengers to Bamfield and a few remote points in between, like Kildonan. The vessel has also been known to make regular stops in Ucluelet during the busy summer season, pre-COVID-19.
The loss will be keenly felt by residents in Anacla, the Huu-ay-aht First NationsB次元官网网址� village that is next to Bamfield, said an executive council member. Trevor Cootes said residents rely on everything from building materials down to prescriptions to come down on the Frances Barkley.
B次元官网网址淥ur citizens will often take the Frances Barkley for medical appointments in townB次元官网网址� instead of driving, he added. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a well-used mode of transportation for our citizens. WeB次元官网网址檒l definitely be feeling it.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 another example of why itB次元官网网址檚 essential to upgrade the Bamfield Road.B次元官网网址�
Peter Mieras of Rendezvous Dive Adventures said the lack of passenger service will affect their business, which is located in Rainy BayB次元官网网址攐ne of the Frances BarkleyB次元官网网址檚 occasional stops. B次元官网网址淔or us, we rely on smaller groups and film crews with lots of gear coming up on the local ferry,B次元官网网址� Mieras said. B次元官网网址淭hat will affect our business substantially too.
B次元官网网址淲e are devastated for the amazing crew and staff who have rendered a great service for decades to this remote area.B次元官网网址�
Roland Smith, who was part of the ownership group that sold the company to Surrell, said he was sad to hear the news. Smith worked for the company for 32 years and was an owner for 11.
B次元官网网址淔rom a legacy aspectB次元官网网址tB次元官网网址檚 sad news to us. I thought it would go a lot longer than this.
B次元官网网址淚 went there for a summer job and I ended up exiting as an owner,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e did a lot of interesting things with the company.B次元官网网址�
He echoed SurrellB次元官网网址檚 comments about government regulations causing difficulties to marine-based businesses. B次元官网网址淚 have empathy for Mike,B次元官网网址� Smith said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 no reflection on current ownership. Times have changed.B次元官网网址�
For more news from Vancouver Island and beyond delivered daily into your inbox, please
susie.quinn@albernivalleynews.com
Like us on and follow us on
