It was almost standing room only Tuesday morning as the Sicamous Ferry was anchors aweigh on an official tour of its daily run.
The ferry first set sail on July 2, with the bigger permanent boat currently being used hitting the water on July 24. Since then, the pilot project has been making waves among the community and visitors, generating a lot of positive feedback, with users already lining up for it at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning, Aug. 5, and a second group waiting when it returned to the boat launch.
香蕉视频直播淚 think the ridership is almost double what we originally expected. It香蕉视频直播檚 a convenient, safe and fun way to get over to the rail trail,香蕉视频直播 Sicamous Ferry Society director Ali Watson said.
She added the service is funded through sponsorship and donations, and is free to users with "just a smile" needed to board.
The ferry runs from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, and cruises back and forth from the Martin Street boat launch to the rail trail and Beach Park as needed, with no set sailing schedule. Designated ferry phones are provided so users can text the captain from the Beach Park to be picked up, whereas across at the rail trail they can generally see people waiting.
It will run until mid-September this year, depending on the weather and usage, and start up again next spring. While the ferry was established to provide rail trail and beach access during construction of the Bruhn Bridge, the society would like to see the service continue even after its completion.
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 really going to depend on a bunch of factors 香蕉视频直播 community engagement, community support, community funding... but so far, things are looking really, really great," Watson said. "We香蕉视频直播檝e surpassed all of our goals and dreams as far as what we expected to be able to offer this year. So we香蕉视频直播檙e going into the next season with optimism.香蕉视频直播
Fellow society director Richard Anderson agreed, adding if the support continues, so too will the service.
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 a pilot project, but if there香蕉视频直播檚 support from the community, we香蕉视频直播檇 love to keep it. We just wanted to see how this would work, and if it香蕉视频直播檚 successful, we香蕉视频直播檒l hopefully keep doing it," he said. "It香蕉视频直播檚 been surprising how positive the response has been. It's a shuttle, but it's not a bus... it's unique."
More information on the ferry and its rules and regulations can be found online at .