HarbourLynx

HarbourLynx was a company based in Nanaimo, British Columbia that provided passenger-only high speed ferry service between the city centres of Nanaimo and Vancouver. She was originally built by Fjellstrand in 1996 and retro-fitted in the Philippines prior to sailing between Vancouver and Nanaimo.

HarbourLynx began its services on October 9, 2003, using one Kvaerner Fjellstrand 40 m "Flying Cat". The voyage across the Strait of Georgia lasts 80 minutes, as opposed to 95 minutes for the vehicle-carrying conventional ships operated by BC Ferries. While the BC Ferries service operates between Departure Bay, near Nanaimo, and Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, the ferry docks that HarbourLynx used were located directly in the downtown cores of the two cities. The vessel carried approximately 300 passengers, and bicycles were permitted. The typical fare for one passenger was $26.75.

HarbourLynx was actually the third venture to attempt such a ferry service. The second venture, Royal Sealink Express, operated for only 11 months in the early 1990s, using the MV Orca Spirit - the same model of ship used by HarbourLynx. The first service was operated using a passenger-only hovercraft in the 1980s.

After several cancelled sailings due to mechanical issues, on February 2, the Harbourlynx vessel was pulled from service due to major engine problems. On Feb. 20, 2006, it was announced that Harbourlynx had filed for bankruptcy. At midnight March 20, the deadline passed with no resolution.

As of October 23, 2006 the company's website indicated that the ferry service may be revived by December under new ownership. No word on who the new ownership is. This never came to fruition.

The vessel left the safe confines of Nanaimo's harbour on January 1, 2008. She was bound for Ireland, to serve the passage between Galway and the Aran Islands. She was purchased by Fjellstrand, a Norwegian ship building company who will retrofit the vessel and make her seaworthy once again.