The Ferry to Newfoundland

Marine Atlantic operates two ferries from North Sydney to Newfoundland.  The trip to Port aux Basques is 106 miles and 6-8 hours.  The trip to Argentia is 312 miles and takes 17 hours.  We took the Argentia ferry to Newfoundland, and the Port aux Basques ferry returning to Nova Scotia.

   Big gears near the ferry terminal.

In the four hours before departure, the parking lot fills up with cars, RVs, motorcycles and trucks waiting for the ferry.

Vehicles are measured (fare is based on size), ID is checked, and boarding passes are issued.  Loading begins about an hour before departure.  Propane must be turned off and the tank tagged.

                      We were amazed at the long column of motorcycles.

The MV Atlantic Vision was built in 2002.  It is 667 feet long and 82 feet at the beam.  It has ten decks.  The holds have capacity for 531 cars or 132 rigs the size of ours.  But the lanes are only six and a half feet wide and our rig is eight feet wide.  Rest assured, we did exactly what we were told by the crew giving loading instructions.

We made sure a window was open for the cat to get ventilation, that she had food and water and that we had our own gear before we made our way to our cabin.  [Owners can rent kennel space for their pets on passenger decks, but we thought Kaela would be more comfortable for the crossing in her own coach than in a strange cage surrounded by dogs.]

We joined other caravan members for a buffet dinner and then settled in for the night.  We brought some reading materials; the cabin had TV and a nice on-board publication.  We woke to rain and fog but docked on schedule at about 10 a.m.  We made our way to the coach, greeted Kaela, and prepared to roll-off for our Newfoundland adventure.