Using the local ferries:
If you have arrived in Port Alberni you have to option of taking a scenic boat ride out to us. This is mainly for individuals and small groups outside of our pick up schedule. The Lady Rose and the Francis Barkley are two local ferries which run scheduled transits between Port Alberni and Ucluelet. Both of them pass by our pick up point Haggarts Cove. This is where you get off!
The ride is about 2½ -3 hours ride through a stunning scenery and often wildlife such as bears, eagles, sealions and occasionally whales are spotted. For more information: www.ladyrosemarine.com
MV Lady Rose:
The M.V. Lady Rose, originally christened “Lady Sylvia” at her 1937 launching, was built by A & J Inglis Limited of Pointhouse Shipyard in Glasgow, Scotland, and was designed by W.D. McLaren of Vancouver.
She was built for the Union Steamship Company. She measures 105 foot (35 meter) and 22 foot (7 meter) wide. She operates on a 385 horse power 6 cylinder Caterpillar engine, producing a service speed of 11 knots. The Lady Rose can carry up to 100 passengers and 25 tons of cargo.
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.
In 1960, she returned to Port Alberni under lease to Captains Dick McMinn and John Monrufet and their newly acquired company, Alberni Marine Transportation, Ltd. They purchased the ship in 1969 and operated the freight, passenger and mail service from Port Alberni to Bamfield and Ucluelet until their retirement in 1979 when the Lady Rose was sold to Diversified Holdings Ltd. of Victoria.
In 1982, Captain Brooke George, along with two (now former) partners, was ready to take on ownership and operation of the Lady Rose and Alberni Marine Transportation. In 1997 Roland Smith joined Brooke as a part owner of the company which they now call Lady Rose Marine Services. Today, with her small crew, the Lady Rose is continuing maritime history by servicing the Alberni Inlet and Barkley Sound, carrying cargo, mail and up to 100 passengers on her day trips in the same manner as she did when she began her life on the B.C. coast nearly 70 years ago.
MV Frances Barkley:
The M.V. Frances Barkley was built in 1958 and launched on November 7 as the M/S Rennesoy in Stavanger, Norway. Later renamed the M/S Hidle, she was commissioned to be used in the Norwegian ferry fleet operating out of Stavanger.
The Frances Barkley has an overall length of 128 feet (40 meter) and 24 feet wide (7.5 meter). She is powered by a 400 horse power diesel engine giving her a speed of 11 knots. She can carry up to 200 passengers and 100 tons of cargo.
Early in 1990 Brooke, accompanied by Chief Engineer Bill, inspected the now for sale Hidle and deemed her to be in good condition. The deal was closed in March of that year and the ship’s registry was changed from Norwegian to Canadian as was her name which became Frances Barkley, named after the wife of the famous explorer of the Barkley Sound
The Frances Barkley spends her summers on the Port Alberni to Ucluelet/Broken Group Islands run and eagerly accepts coastal charters during the spring, fall and winter.