Port Alberni ferry company offers rides by donation this December
Travel aboard the Frances Barkley ferry in Port Alberni, B.C., is being offered for free or by donation this December, with funds going towards local charities.
The sailings will take place every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday as the boat travels up the Alberni Inlet to Bamfield and back during the month of December.
The special sailings are being offered by Port Alberni's Lady Rose Marine Services with the intention of giving back during the holiday season.
"There’s probably some people that would like to go but maybe they can’t afford it, or they just talked about it and never got around to doing it," said Greg Willmon, president of The Lady Rose Marine Services.
Donations raised by the sailings will go to two local charities: The Ty Watson House Port Alberni and the Salvation Army.
"Both are great causes and they help out the needy in the Alberni Valley," said Willmon on Wednesday.
The Lady Rose Marine Services will match up to $5,000 raised, and the company hopes to raise at least $10,000 in total through the campaign.
Willmon says that Port Alberni Budget Car Rental has donated $250 to the fundraiser and is challenging other local businesses to get involved.
The Frances Barkley is a passenger and freight vessel that travels up the Alberni Inlet to Bamfield, making stops at remote communities along the way.
One of the ferry's stops is at Canada’s only floating post office twice a week. Marine life and wildlife can be seen throughout the trip as well.
The Frances Barkley ferry is pictured. (Lady Rose Marine Services/Facebook)
"Lots of people I’ve met have said it’s always on their bucket list," said Willmon.
The sailing is an all day excursion, leaving Port Alberni at 8 a.m. and returning around 4:30 p.m. with about an hour stop in Bamfield.
Reservations are recommended but walk-ons are welcome if space is available.
The ship can take a maximum of 80 passengers per trip.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.