Five ferries that are part of Canada’s marine heritage and remain in active service today are featured in Canada Post’s latest release: “Let’s Take the Ferry!”
The stamps feature five vessels: Spirit of British Columbia, Chi-Cheemaun, Trillium, Alphonse-Desjardins and Grand Manan V.
“Harkening back to a more leisurely mode of travel, these stamps featuring Canadian ferries still in service, are sure to inspire both nostalgia and wanderlust,” states the June-July issue of Canada Post’s Details magazine. The five stamps were released on July 12.
Below are details on each ferry in the issue:
• The Spirit of British Columbia was built in 1993 and accommodates 2,100 passengers and crew and 350 vehicles. It provides regular ferry service between Vancouver (Tsawwassen) and Victoria (Swartz Bay), which takes 95 minutes to cross each way.
• The Chi-Cheemaun – also known as the “big canoe” in Ojibwa – was built in 1974 by Collingwood Shipyards. The ferry operates from May to October crossing Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay between Tobermory, on the Bruce Peninsula, and Manitoulin Island. The ferry can carry 638 passengers and 140 vehicles.- • The rare side-wheeled paddle steamer Trillium was launched in 1910 and retired in 1956. However, it returned to service in 1976 after a two-year restoration. It now carries up to 800 passengers between Toronto and the Toronto Islands.
- • Built in 1971, the Alphonse-Desjardins is named after the founder of North America’s first credit union. It can transport up to 590 passengers and 54 vehicles. It provides a year-round service across the St. Lawrence River between Quebec and Levis.
- • New Brunswick’s Grand Manan V was
built in 1990. According to Details, it “travels some of the highest tides in the world.” The ship can carry up to 300 passengers and 60 vehicles. The ferry crosses the Bay of Fundy, linking Mainland New Brunswick in West Isles Parish in Blacks Harbour at the southern terminus of New Brunswick Route 176 to the largest island in New Brunswick at the northern terminus of New Brunswick Route 776 in the neighbourhood of North Head on the east side of Grand Manan Island. The crossing takes one-and-a-half hours.Designed by Lionel Gadoury and Owen Gabany of Context Creative, the stamps depict postcard-perfect photos of the ferries in their home waters. Printed by Lowe-Martin, the Let’s Take the Ferry series is available in a booklet of 10 P-denominated stamps with a print quantity of 200,000. The release includes a souvenir sheet of five stamps with 60,000 available, along with 7,000 first-day covers with a Tobermory, Ont. cancellation.
