Side Loadin’
Wonders will never cease. Top: Ongiara, doing a work run, ties up beside Ward’s dock in a perfect position to side load, something that they seem incapable of doing in winter when the dock becomes unusable due to ice. Bottom: Something I’ve never seen before, two ferries (Ongiara and William Inglis) at Ward’s dock. Excuse […]
Unlucky Clover
Not much remains of one of Ongiara’s props after the winter of 2014-15: only one blade is left. Heavy harbour ice sheared all of the other blades clean off. The damage is much worse than this image, taken during the winter of 2011-12. Image provided by one of the deckhands.
Ongiara Warning
A whimsical sign adorns the new fencing (aka ‘The Cage’) at the Ward’s Island ferry docks.
Positive Negative
The changing face of Spring ice in the inner harbour reflects the darkness of an early morning and the lightness of an overcast midday.
Oh Beautiful Boat
Ongiara makes the first successful docking of 2015 at Ward’s Island, on March 18. This was a trial run without passengers, but heralds a potential return to service after four brutish weeks of commuting through the Island Airport.
In the Media
CBC tweets and articles note problems with the ferry service during a February cold snap in the winter of 2014/15. Link to original article, and to the original tweet.
Algosteel on Ice
The Algosteel arrives in Toronto Harbour, one of the last ships of the season, after the ice storm of December 2013.
One Winter Evening
William Inglis makes her way through the frozen inner harbour, with the Toronto skyline as backdrop.
Dock Formations
William Inglis sits in dock at Wards Island, the frozen lagoon visible in the foreground.
Snowtrack
William Inglis makes her way through the frozen inner harbour, now completely covered in snow after a December blizzard.
The Strangest of Sights
William Inglis, navigation lights ablaze, approaches Wards Island through snow, ice, and winter ducks.
Ice Track
William Inglis approaches Wards Island through thickening ice in the frozen inner harbour.
Ice Track II
William Inglis approaches Wards Dock through a track kept open in the ice, as twilight settles over the skyline.
Ghost Ship II
Passengers depart William Inglis at Wards Island dock in a driving blizzard. The lights on her second deck have been turned off to provide power to heaters in the wheelhouses, the William Inglis and her sisters were never designed to operate in winter.
Cold Approach
William Inglis slowly approaches Wards Island dock through accumulating ice, her bow adorned with icicles and snow.
A Wintery Inglis
Islanders wait to board the William Inglis in a December snowfall. Click image to view larger.
Ongiara Drydock
Ongiara finally makes her way into drydock, almost a month behind schedule. Pumpout of the drydock was estimated at 1-2 hours, but ended up lasting over four hours, finishing up long after dark.
Harbour Dawn
After going through Hanlan’s and the airport for almost six weeks in 2004 the ice was pretty thick, and the City contracted out one of the largest tugs in the harbour to break up the ice as much as possible. After six weeks of relative silence the crunchy tinkling sound woke me up, in time […]