The BC Ferry Langdale terminal offers constantly changing photo opportunities. The light is constantly reflected between the water and the sky. This makes the shadows keep changing. As they do, what is revealed changes.
As the seasons go by, I love to shoot from the same spot, over and over again. I have done that for years. Every time is unique.
Sadly, this scene is about to be forever changed. Change is inevitable. More and more people are discovering British Columbia’s secret gem, the BC Sunshine Coast. That means more sailings and bigger ships are needed. The ferry terminal, itself, is designed for a much quieter time. Little has changed to the loading area for more than thirty years.
A new overhead foot-passenger ramp will soon obscure this view. The apple trees to the left will almost certainly disappear, as will most of the vegetation, at least in the near term. When the new growth appears after the upgrade, it will almost certainly be managed. The look will no longer have its natural charm.
These photos at the BC Ferries Langdale terminal were taken December 23, 2019. It is actually of two ferries. One is moving to the right in the photos toward Berth 2, and then the other one is landing in Berth 1.
The ferry moving from Berth 1 to Berth 2 is the Queen of Surrey. It is the ferry most commonly used for this route. There are heavy loads in and out of Horseshoe Bay to and from Vancouver Island and to and from the Sunshine Coast. One of the Super C ferries being out of commission and in drydock for repairs after a crash landing. Our Queen of Surrey is the largest and newest of the regular Class C ferries, so it is used for the heaviest runs to and from Nanaimo. Then it is switched back over to our run for the heavy commuter traffic coming from Vancouver in late afternoon.
Our traffic is now heavy enough that we need two ferries to keep things moving smoothly. Both the Cowichan and the Coquitlam are also used on this route and as spares for other routes.
