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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.