Victoria Clipper
Encyclopedia
Clipper Navigation, Inc. is a privately held company based in Seattle, Washington that provides multiple transportation and vacation
packages, many of which are offered under the name Clipper Vacations.
The company operates the popular Victoria Clipper high-speed passenger-only ferry service between downtown Seattle
and the Inner Harbour
in downtown Victoria, British Columbia
. The various Victoria Clipper catamaran
s typically complete a one-way trip in less than three hours.
. Both boats were sold and the Victoria Clipper III provided that service and continued onto Victoria. The Clipper III ran between Seattle and Friday Harbor
and provided whale watching
out of that port, but is currently being contracted to the United States Navy as a passenger ferry. As Clipper Navigation grew, it launched Clipper Vacations.
Clipper Vacations provides hotel and tour packages not just in Victoria, but also in Seattle, Vancouver, Friday Harbor, Portland, Oregon
, Whistler, British Columbia
, Whitefish, Montana
, Rocky Mountain
Rail tours, and many spas and fishing resorts on Vancouver Island
.
The Victoria Clipper IV was added to the fleet in the mid-1990s and holds approximately 40 more passengers than the Clipper I. While the Clipper IV is capable of reaching an overall faster top speed, both vessels cruise at 30 knots between Seattle and Victoria. The Clipper IV is also one of the fastest passenger vessels in the western hemisphere. The Clipper fleet currently consists of three high speed catamaran
s: the Victoria Clipper I, III and IV that serve Seattle, Victoria, and Friday Harbor.
Clipper Navigation was also responsible for operating the Princess Marguerite III, a car ferry between Seattle and Victoria. Its operation was discontinued a decade ago due to the extremely high costs associated with the six hour trip between ports. Currently, there is no car service between Seattle and Victoria. The primary choice for passengers with cars is either the Coho
ferry out of Port Angeles
or the Washington State Ferry
from Anacortes, Washington
to Sidney, British Columbia
about 30 minutes from Victoria. Clipper Vacations can book passengers who wish to take the Coho in conjunction with a hotel stay.
Between 2005 and 2006, Clipper Navigation also operated the Mosquito Fleet out of Everett, Washington
. This boat was the primary whale watching service in Friday Harbor. Its operation was ceased at the end of 2006, however. Whale watching is still available with the Victoria Clipper out of Seattle.
service between Seattle, Washington and Victoria, BC.
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
packages, many of which are offered under the name Clipper Vacations.
The company operates the popular Victoria Clipper high-speed passenger-only ferry service between downtown Seattle
Downtown Seattle
Downtown is the central business district of Seattle, Washington. It is fairly compact compared to other city centers on the West Coast because of its geographical situation: hemmed in on the north and east by hills, on the west by the Elliott Bay, and on the south by reclaimed land that was once...
and the Inner Harbour
Victoria Harbour (British Columbia)
Victoria Harbour is a harbour, seaport, and seaplane airport located in the Canadian city of Victoria, British Columbia. It serves as a cruise ship and ferry destination for tourists and visitors to the city and Vancouver Island. It is both a port of entry and an airport of entry for general...
in downtown Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
. The various Victoria Clipper catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
s typically complete a one-way trip in less than three hours.
History
Clipper Navigation Inc. was founded in 1986 with the original Victoria Clipper on the Seattle/Victoria route. The Victoria Clipper II was actually two different boats that ran to the San Juan IslandsSan Juan Islands
The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the northwest corner of the contiguous United States between the US mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of the U.S...
. Both boats were sold and the Victoria Clipper III provided that service and continued onto Victoria. The Clipper III ran between Seattle and Friday Harbor
Friday Harbor, Washington
Friday Harbor is a town in San Juan County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,162 at 2010 Census. Located on San Juan Island, Friday Harbor is the major commercial center of the San Juan Islands archipelago and is the county seat of San Juan County.-History:In 1845 the Hudson's Bay...
and provided whale watching
Whale watching
Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and other cetaceans in their natural habitat. Whales are watched most commonly for recreation but the activity can also serve scientific or educational purposes. A 2009 study, prepared for IFAW, estimated that 13 million people went whale watching...
out of that port, but is currently being contracted to the United States Navy as a passenger ferry. As Clipper Navigation grew, it launched Clipper Vacations.
Clipper Vacations provides hotel and tour packages not just in Victoria, but also in Seattle, Vancouver, Friday Harbor, Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
, Whitefish, Montana
Whitefish, Montana
Whitefish is a city in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,032 at the 2000 census. It is home to a ski resort on Big Mountain called Whitefish Mountain Resort. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer hails from Whitefish....
, Rocky Mountain
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
Rail tours, and many spas and fishing resorts on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
.
The Victoria Clipper IV was added to the fleet in the mid-1990s and holds approximately 40 more passengers than the Clipper I. While the Clipper IV is capable of reaching an overall faster top speed, both vessels cruise at 30 knots between Seattle and Victoria. The Clipper IV is also one of the fastest passenger vessels in the western hemisphere. The Clipper fleet currently consists of three high speed catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
s: the Victoria Clipper I, III and IV that serve Seattle, Victoria, and Friday Harbor.
Clipper Navigation was also responsible for operating the Princess Marguerite III, a car ferry between Seattle and Victoria. Its operation was discontinued a decade ago due to the extremely high costs associated with the six hour trip between ports. Currently, there is no car service between Seattle and Victoria. The primary choice for passengers with cars is either the Coho
MV Coho
The M/V Coho is an auto ferry operated by Black Ball Line. Black Ball owns and operates this single ferry between Victoria, British Columbia and Port Angeles, Washington.-Construction and design:...
ferry out of Port Angeles
Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,038 at the 2010 census. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-19th century the name had...
or the Washington State Ferry
Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries is a passenger and automobile ferry service owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation that serves communities on Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. It is the most used ferry system in the world and the largest passenger and automobile...
from Anacortes, Washington
Anacortes, Washington
Anacortes is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is a consolidation of the name Anna Curtis, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Anacortes' population was 15,778 at the time of the 2010 census...
to Sidney, British Columbia
Sidney, British Columbia
Sidney is a town located at the northern end of the Saanich Peninsula, on Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is one of the 13 Greater Victoria municipalities. It has a population of approximately 11,300. Sidney is located just east of Victoria International Airport,...
about 30 minutes from Victoria. Clipper Vacations can book passengers who wish to take the Coho in conjunction with a hotel stay.
Between 2005 and 2006, Clipper Navigation also operated the Mosquito Fleet out of Everett, Washington
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
. This boat was the primary whale watching service in Friday Harbor. Its operation was ceased at the end of 2006, however. Whale watching is still available with the Victoria Clipper out of Seattle.
Amtrak Service
The Victoria Clipper ferry provides Amtrak Thruway MotorcoachAmtrak Thruway Motorcoach
Thruway Motorcoach is Amtrak's system of Amtrak-owned intercity coaches, locally contracted transit buses, through-ticketed local bus routes and taxi services to connect Amtrak train stations to areas not served by its railroads...
service between Seattle, Washington and Victoria, BC.