Black Ball Ferry Purchases Victoria Express
Black Ball Ferry Lines, which operates the MV Coho, is purchasing the business operations of Victoria Express, which has been owned by Victoria Rapid Transit, Inc.
The principals of Victoria Rapid Transit, Inc. will be launching a new Explorer Series of tours out of Port Angeles. Jack Harmon, president of Victoria Rapid Transit, Inc. said:
“The Explorer Series sailings will present opportunities to explore the ecological and cultural wonders of our region, an area that is significantly under-recognized for its amazing beauty and opportunities.”
The principals of Victoria Rapid Transit, Inc. will be launching a new Explorer Series of tours out of Port Angeles. Jack Harmon, president of Victoria Rapid Transit, Inc. said:
“The Explorer Series sailings will present opportunities to explore the ecological and cultural wonders of our region, an area that is significantly under-recognized for its amazing beauty and opportunities.”
posted by Tom Harper at 7:24 PM
34 Comments:
So, are these going to be whale watching cruises? Tours of what, specifically?
And, what is Black Ball going to do with the Victoria Express? It isn't like the Coho is so full, these days. And, with gas closing in on $4 a gallon, and rising, is it realistic to think folks will be increasing their casual driving?
Oh, I get it. They anticipated this, which is why they bought the Victoria Express, a walk-on only ferry. No cars.
They figure the residents in Port Angeles will be flocking to Victoria via a walk-on ferry.
Great business plan!
every time a cargo ship enters our harbor, it destroys yet another part of our precious aquatic eco-system not to mention blighting the pristine view along our historic waterfront.
That mill for example; that's a real blight. Personally, I hate it and all that it represents. I hope you hate it too!
Anyhow, the Victoria Express is not a cargo ship in the full meaning of the word, but it does transport humans, so it could be thought of as a kind of a cargo ship. You know, sort of. And that Coho dock is kind of ugly. More blight!
So I'm against all of this and I hope you are too. The more of us against this, the less there will be for it.
anon 10:46
Black ball did not buy the boats, only rights to the route.
At the end of the day the foot ferry service is gone. If someone wants to take a ferry to Victoria they have to ride the Coho.
Good for Harmon, he's a smart business man.
Whoa! Did I smoke a little too much pot last night? I mean, I don't even remember making that post with my name on it, but I guess I did since it has my name on it, the post does. I must have been pretty toasted tho because I don't actually hate cargo ships. Some of my best friends are cargo ships, if you know what I mean.
What was I doing up at 5:20 in the morning? Whoa, gotta watch those doobies. Or did I say that already?
Hey, thanks for listening, even when its really, really early.
What a great day! Jack "Conservative Businessman" Harmon has decided that ECO-TOURS are where the money is at. AND the race track has had to shut down due to a lack of profits. Put these together and it looks like little ol' Port Angeles is finally starting to move into step with reality. Wasting money on fuel and polluting activities: Out. Making money from ecological protection and promotion: In.
There may be hope for our town yet. Now if we could just get some non-corrupt Port Commissioners...
Your right Jack Harmon is a good business person and I'm sure he'll be just fine.
As to the rest of you WHINERS can't you just give it up!!!!!!!
The race track shut down so Josh Armstrong can expand his aluminum boat building business. Heard he got a contract to build 500 boats for the feds.
Your right Jack Harmon is a good business person and I'm sure he'll be just fine.
As to the rest of you WHINERS can't you just give it up!!!!!!!
10:16 AM, March 04, 2011
....
Yes! Why be concerned that yet more businesses in Port Angeles have closed up shop? No concern for the town and its' future.
The best deal was for the Coho, which goes back and forth, regardless of how many paying customers are on it. Now, they are the only game in town, if you want to go to Victoria from here.
The next question will be to see if enough people have enough disposable income, after rising fuel and food prices, increases in taxes, etc to come to Port Angeles to keep this town afloat.
Yes! Great timing for Jack.
Just watching the news on TV, talking about gas hitting record highs by summer, and how the fallout from those high prices will send the economy back into recession.
Black ball did not buy the boats, only rights to the route.
Why would they buy anything when they were the only service to Victoria anyway?
I'm surrounded by idiots.
If you want a ride to Victoria on a fair weather day I'll take you there for 18 bucks and you can drink or smoke all the pot you want on the two hour trip over there.
BBC you need to think...use your brain....if you have one.
40 to 50 thousand people road the foot ferry every year.
Black ball bought out Harmon so those 40 to 50 thousand passengers have to buy thweir tickets from Black Ball now.... GET IT.
or are you too stupid to understand 6th grade economics.
"40 to 50 thousand people road the foot ferry every year."
Really? Where do these numbers come from?
If he had that kind of business, why quit?
BBC you need to think...use your brain....if you have one.
Sorry, I only have an IQ of 140 so I don't expect many here to understand me.
Black ball bought out Harmon so those 40 to 50 thousand passengers have to buy thweir tickets from Black Ball now.... GET IT.
Yeah, I get it, Jack is one smart cookie and got some money out of Black Ball. But if he quit the service those customers would have to use Black Ball anyway.
Unless another company came in to take the route with a walk on ferry and that is very unlikely.
Was the fast ferry making great bucks? Not likely or Jack wouldn't bail out of it, but he did a damn good job of running it.
BTW, you misspelled a word, wash your hands before taking your brain out to play with it, the oil on your fingers screws it up. :-)
I was just kidding about the misspelled word, we all screw up and make mistakes in our communications.
My IQ beside the point, my spelling is crap at times, spell check, which I have turned on here is great, yes?
"I was just kidding about the misspelled word, we all screw up and make mistakes in our communications."
Always excepting WTF, who ia always, always right. About everything. Period.
"Yeah, I get it, Jack is one smart cookie and got some money out of Black Ball. But if he quit the service those customers would have to use Black Ball anyway."
Yeah, that is what I saw. So, why DID Black Ball spend ANY money on what they were going to get, anyways?
Those bright educated folks at Oregon State University don't seem so bright! Right up there with the folks that negotiated the deal for the tank sale to the city.
What WERE they thinking??
Anon 11:11pm
Do the math,
If all the foot ferry passengers have to ride the Coho now, then the Back ball owners just got the ticket price times all the passengers.
That mean thousands of dollars in revenue.
Now do you know why they paid Harmon to stop?
Some of you are really simple.
"Now do you know why they paid Harmon to stop?
Some of you are really simple."
I guess you know that Harmon was going to continue, if they didn't pay him anything?
He sold off one boat last summer, if I remember correctly. Seems like he was wanting to get out of the ferry biz.
You know, "Why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free"?
Anon 12:11pm
He sold one of his boats last summer because he did not need it to support the foot ferry business.
like i said, smart business man, cashed out on an extra ferry last year, and sold the rights to the foot ferry business this year.
Capitalism at its best.....well done Jack Harmon.....i admire you!
My guess, since neither company would say how much was paid, is that black ball paid victoria express for the tickets that have already been pre-purchased and that was the end of it.
"Like i said, smart business man, cashed out on an extra ferry last year, and sold the rights to the foot ferry business this year."
I'm not getting why Black Ball had to pay for anything. They already have a ferry service for "walk-on" passengers. What "rights" did they need to buy? Without doing anything, anyone wanting to "walk-on" for a ride to Victoria will have no other choice BUT to use the Coho, when Harmon closes that service, and does his "eco-tourism" tours.
Yes, smart of Harmon to convince the University of Oregon /Black Ball to pay for something they were going to get anyways. But, I don't get WHY they had to pay for anything.
"Yes, smart of Harmon to convince the University of Oregon /Black Ball to pay for something they were going to get anyways. But, I don't get WHY they had to pay for anything."
It was to prevent him from selling the right to operate to some "other" operator. Classic capitalism: Buy out your competition = increased profit!
"It was to prevent him from selling the right to operate to some "other" operator. Classic capitalism: Buy out your competition = increased profit!"
You ARE kidding, aren't you? The existing walk-on only ferry goes out of business, as tourism declines, and you really think the Coho is worried about some new ferry operator moving to Port Angeles to compete against them?
Along those lines, I noticed the Butchart Gardens billboard out on Hwy 101 east of town is gone. That billboard has been there for many years. I guess their marketing folks figured it wasn't worth paying for, anymore.
Like the Victoria Express, if it was producing a profit, I think it would still be there.
Capitalism! Why must we live under the cruel yolk of hearltess capitalism?
The successful! I hate them and all they stand for and have achieved. Why must we praise them?
Anon 10:12 p.m. said: "You ARE kidding, aren't you? The existing walk-on only ferry goes out of business, as tourism declines, and you really think the Coho is worried about some new ferry operator moving to Port Angeles to compete against them?"
It never ceases to amaze me how lack of knowledge (and even common sense) never stops these anonymous posters from asserting their misguided beliefs at the top of their lungs. #1 tourism on the Olympic Peninsula is not declining. Hotel/Motel tax collections (Heads in Beds), across the County have increased every year, for 5 years in a row. Traffic counts (year over year), going past Seven Cedars are the highest they have ever been. People ARE coming. They may not be congregating in one or two obvious spots, now that salmon fishing continues to be in decline, but they ARE still coming.
"People ARE coming. They may not be congregating in one or two obvious spots, now that salmon fishing continues to be in decline, but they ARE still coming."
This must be true. Look at how many long time businesses have gone OUT of business in the last couple of years.
You may have some numbers, but it sure seems like those numbers are not supporting the real life businesses here in Port Angeles. The Victoria Express was pretty much ONLY a tourism based business, for example.
But, what do I know? I'm sure you're right, everything is wonderful, and getting better by the day.
Maybe long time businesses went out of business precisely because they had been here a long time. Societies and economies are fluid, evolving things. For most of our history we didn't have video rental stores. Then, they were everywhere. And now, they are probably short-timers due to video downloading and other technological and cultural changes. And that's just one example. (What this blog and others mean for the future of the PDN is another example.)
You can look at what Jack Harmon did as a sure sign that the tourism economy here is on the rocks. OR, you can look at what Jack Harmon did and say it's a sure sign that eco-tourism is not only alive, but doing well here. Being that Jack Harmon didn't get out of the ferry business entirely, I'd have to say the second perspective is probably the right one.
The only question is: How long will the good ol' boys here fight making money from preserving and promoting nature? How long will the resource extraction mindset hold sway? (Well, two questions...)
The only question is: How long will the good ol' boys here fight making money from preserving and promoting nature?
There's NO money in preserving nature, if there's no money in it, then who's going to pay for all your social services, the people?
HA
Business's pay the bills, payrolls and taxes.
"The only question is: How long will the good ol' boys here fight making money from preserving and promoting nature? How long will the resource extraction mindset hold sway? (Well, two questions...)"
I wish I could agree with you. For Port Angeles, "preserving and promoting nature" means burning a lot of fossil fuels to make it happen. Sure, a few locals will go out on tours, but not enough to keep any business afloat.
And, as fuel prices rise, people travel less, and certainly do less "casual driving".
I hope I'm wrong. But, I think we'll see quite a retraction in the coming months as the high fuel price impacts work their way through the economies.
Gas is close to $4/gallon, and it is only the beginning of March. What do you think it will be by June?
"There's NO money in preserving nature, if there's no money in it, then who's going to pay for all your social services, the people?
HA
Business's pay the bills, payrolls and taxes."
First of all, you spelled businesses incorrectly. Secondly, you're making a lot of assumptions that have been proven wrong.
First of all, according to you, there are NO people coming say, to the National Park here. And yet, the reality is, thousands upon thousands of people come here to visit the National Park every month. And those people buy gas, food, t-shirts, pay for hotel rooms, etc. So there's your money.
Secondly, and this should be of particular interest to you, Dick, it's pretty clear that places that do more to protect their natural environment (and thus improve their quality of life) have healthier, wealthier real estate markets. Put another way: No one wants to live next to a smelter, or a refinery. A LOT of people want to live in a place with parks, clean water, access to nature, etc. And those people generally pay more for that pleasure.
So, bodies in beds, dollars in businesses, jobs in communities, and houses that actualy sell. These are just some of the things that come from having good environmental protections in place. Please feel free to make your argument against these facts - I'd like to hear them.
Finally, you make another assumption that is incorrect. You equate an interest in preserving and promoting nature to support for social services. (Again ignoring the fact that ecology = economy = tax dollars/social services.) I am as green as they come, but I have no particular concern for the homeless, or unwed mothers, or any of the other myriad ways that people can choose to screw up their lives. Now, you'll doubtlessly feel free to paint me as a heartless, crazy eco-liberal, but the point I'm trying to make is that concern on one issue does not necessarily equate to concern on another issue. Only the far-right seems to need to walk in lockstep on any and all issues. Us liberals are a little more liberal on these matters. And a little more realistic.
anon 5:10pm
you make some good points, clearly people come to visit the park, but correct me if i'm wrong, but i'd guess a 100% of the revenue generated by the park goes to all it's employees and taking care of the park.
absolutley the park visitors buy gas, stay in hotels, eat at restaurants. But many camp at state parks and bring their own food, especially to young ones.
I do not see them moving here, just visiting. Our parks are the best in the world and our real estate market is one of the worst.
I'm glad to hear you are not a social service lover, this suprises me.
By the way, I'm no Dick
"And yet, the reality is, thousands upon thousands of people come here to visit the National Park every month. And those people buy gas, food, t-shirts, pay for hotel rooms, etc. So there's your money."
And, in the news today: Unemployment Spikes on the Olympic Peninsula.
The race track closed because of "financial problems". Joy's Bistro closed because of financial problems. The list is long.
We need to think about how to be more "sustainable", and less dependent on people driving 120 miles to get here, to do something.
"By the way, I'm no Dick ..."
If you promote capitalism or self-suffciency on this blog you have to be Dick, Edna, Kaj, Cody or one of their numerous trollish minions. You know, the people who disrupt this blog with common sense.
Just wait. If you're wrong in any way, however minscule, WTF will surely correct you. Just wait - the gloves will come off and then you'll be sorry!
.
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