m/v Gallipoli: 12 Aug - Island Lifeline

On Thursday morning I had the good fortune to meet Captain Leslie Cutler (photo left), skipper of the ferry Gallipoli, as he was walking to work from his home on a hill overlooking Ship Cove in the Ramea Islands. He was headed to the ferry wharf to begin another day in command of his vessel (photo right) and to continue the tradition of offering a vital service to communities like Ramea. The ferry system provides a lifeline for isolated out-ports along the Newfoundland South Coast, and it would be difficult to overestimate its importance. Obviously I was quite excited when Captain Les invited me on board to tour the bridge and learn more about Gallipoli (http://www.tw.gov.nl.ca/ferryservices/schedules/l_ramea.html).

The Gallipoli bridge (photo left) features every piece of modern electronic navigational equipment that one would expect, and most of the equipment is backed up by one or more spare instruments. Gallipoli also employs modern "pod" type propulsion units that rotate in all directions. They are controlled by a "joy stick," and this means the vessel can be maneuvered in close quarters in some of the smaller harbors. The ship's navigation station (photo right) contains electronic charting systems and a complete range of paper charts used to record up-to-the-minute positional and navigational data on the vessel and on nearby vessels.

Gallipoli carries up to 100 passengers and is furnished with life rafts capable of supporting the entire passenger manifest plus the officers and men of the vessel. The cargo bay can hold several large vehicles or many smaller vehicles, and all vehicles are backed onto the ferry cargo bay to allow fast unloading at the destination.

It is fair to say that without the services of these ferries, which operate in all seasons and all weathers, life in out-port communities would not be possible.