Magdalen Islands | When the crossing is like a cruise…

The ferry Magdalene II which connects Souris, in Prince Edward Island, and Cap-aux-Meules, in the Magdalen Islands, is entering its second year of activity. For Madelinots and tourists, this new boat acquired by Ottawa has completely changed the crossing experience, which is more like a cruise. The Press boarded.

Posted at 11:30 a.m.

Eric Clement

Eric Clement
The Press

the Magdalene, built in Ireland in 1981, had operated between Souris and Cap-aux-Meules since 1997. After 24 years of service, the vessel was dismantled and replaced by a 2018 ferry purchased from the Spanish shipping company Naviera Armas. Baptized on Magdalene IIshe arrived in the Islands on March 23, 2021. Less polluting, less energy-intensive, she was acquired by the federal government for CTMA, the Madelinien cooperative that has provided the Magdalen Islands maritime transport service since 1944.


PHOTO PROVIDED BY CTMA

the Magdalene II docked at the port of Cap-aux-Meules

The Madelinot crew went to get the Magdalene II in the Canary Islands in the midst of a pandemic. The 30 crew members stayed there for weeks to inspect it in dry dock and tame it! The crossing of the Canary Islands to Cap-aux-Meules lasted 11 days, with a stopover in Bermuda for supplies. This made it possible to test the boat in the open sea, with waves of 6 m and winds up to 60 knots (111 km/h), and to see that the boat is “stable and efficient”, according to the captains at the controls during delivery, Steeve Leblanc, Valmont Arsenault and Luc Leblanc.


PHOTO JASON PONGRACZ, PROVIDED BY CTMA

the Magdalene II arriving for the first time in the Islands, March 23, 2021

“It’s a boat that’s easier to maneuver even though it’s bigger,” says Captain Bernard Langford, who has been piloting it for a year. But the basis is the same. We had it modeled before buying it. We worked on a simulator in Quebec to learn how to fly it. »


PHOTO ÉRIC CLEMENT, THE PRESS

Captain Bernard Langford

the Magdalene II can accommodate 300 vehicles and 1,500 passengers per crossing instead of 190 vehicles and 770 passengers for the Magdalene. It is 139 m long, 15 m longer than the Magdalene. It is longer than its mooring quay at Cap-aux-Meules! It is also more powerful than the Magdalene. The crossing now takes less than five hours, although it takes longer to load vehicles and passengers given its greater capacity.

The interior of the boat, which employs around sixty people, is decorated to the taste of the day. The spaces are bright thanks to generous windows. A mezzanine, on the upper deck, gives an impressive view through a huge bay window. Four lounges, two at the front, two at the rear, provide entertainment (with four programs broadcast on screens: sports, news, children, films) or rest in reclining seats.

  • Well settled to enjoy the maritime spectacle…

    PHOTO NIGEL QUINN, PROVIDED BY CTMA

    Well settled to enjoy the maritime spectacle…

  • Another living room to admire the landscape.  On the photo, in the distance, the cruise ship Vacancier, which makes the shuttle, in two days, between the Islands and Quebec and Montreal.

    PHOTO ÉRIC CLEMENT, THE PRESS

    Another living room to admire the landscape. Pictured in the distance is the cruise ship Vacationerwhich makes the shuttle, in two days, between the Islands and Quebec and Montreal.

1/2

There are 32 private cabins, each with a bathroom and 4 beds. You have to pay $40 more per cabin. Two others, larger ones, are intended for people with reduced mobility.


PHOTO NIGEL QUINN, PROVIDED BY CTMA

The interior of a cabin

Three dining areas are offered. Le Café, where you can taste local Madelinot products (smoked fish, lobster, Island cheeses). The Pub, which offers a “small menu on the go”. And the Restaurant, which offers a daily menu with meat and fish, hot meals such as pork tenderloin with Pied-de-vent cheese sauce or seafood penne, or sandwiches and salads. An entertainment area is reserved for toddlers, with game modules, and a corner for teenagers to have fun with their video games. There is a souvenir shop and a kennel for a peaceful crossing for cats and dogs.

  • Restaurant

    PHOTO NIGEL QUINN, PROVIDED BY CTMA

    Restaurant

  • Coffee

    PHOTO NIGEL QUINN, PROVIDED BY CTMA

    Coffee

  • The pub

    PHOTO NIGEL QUINN, PROVIDED BY CTMA

    The pub

  • A corner for toddlers

    PHOTO NIGEL QUINN, PROVIDED BY CTMA

    A corner for toddlers

  • The command post

    PHOTO ÉRIC CLEMENT, THE PRESS

    The command post

  • Captain Langford in front of a maritime chart

    PHOTO ÉRIC CLEMENT, THE PRESS

    Captain Langford in front of a maritime chart

  • One of the wheelhouse stations

    PHOTO ÉRIC CLEMENT, THE PRESS

    One of the wheelhouse stations

  • The Virgin, in the wheelhouse, protects the boat.

    PHOTO PROVIDED BY CTMA

    The Virgin, in the wheelhouse, protects the boat.

1/8

One of the improvements over the old ferry is the access to four exterior decks, instead of two, to enjoy the view lying on a deck chair or sipping a drink at a table. “Last summer, we even had musicians on a terrace,” says Captain Langford.

  • One of the terraces

    PHOTO NIGEL QUINN, PROVIDED BY CTMA

    One of the terraces

  • Another terrace

    PHOTO ÉRIC CLEMENT, THE PRESS

    Another terrace

1/2

We visited the wheelhouse and its navigation equipment. Everything is electronic: the control of the two engines, the fuel consumption (3000 L per hour), the two propellers, the rudder system, the radars, the charts and the anemometer to measure the wind speed. There is even a statuette of the Virgin Mary in the command post!

“She is the patroness of Spanish sailors,” says Captain Langford, who points to cloves of garlic hanging from the ceiling in Spanish ships for good luck. Bernard Langford has worked at the CTMA since 1995. We feel that he is very attached to his job, which is not his only profession. When he is not sailing, he raises oxen in Havre-aux-Maisons! “Yes, I am also a farmer! he laughs.


PHOTO ÉRIC CLEMENT, THE PRESS

the Magdalene II at dock

If you feel like taking advantage of his sailing skills, know that in high season, the departure from Souris is at 2 p.m. That of Cap-aux-Meules is at 8 am. We can’t plan to take the Magdalene II at the last moment. Either way, it’s risky. The Îles-de-la-Madeleine destination is still very popular this year. It also becomes so out of season. At the end of last September, the Magdalene II welcomed 600 passengers in one day. For the coming summer, many departures are already full. So remember to reserve your tickets as soon as possible…


source site-50

Latest