Active Pass

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Active Pass
Western part of Active Pass
Western part of Active Pass
Connects waters Strait of Georgia
(to the north)
with water Trincomali Channel
(in the south)
Separates land mass Galiano Island
of land mass Mayne Island
Data
Geographical location 48 ° 51 ′ 31 ″  N , 123 ° 19 ′ 9 ″  W Coordinates: 48 ° 51 ′ 31 ″  N , 123 ° 19 ′ 9 ″  W
Active Pass map
length 5.5 km
Smallest width 500 m
Greatest depth 34ft (Miners Bay)
Active Pass as seen from the deck of a ferry
Active Pass as seen from the deck of a ferry

The Active Pass is a strait of the Pacific Ocean in the southwestern part of British Columbia in Canada . The short waterway is formed by Galiano Island and Mayne Island of the 'Outer Gulf Islands-Group'. The strait is only 5.5 kilometers long, but only around 500 meters wide at its narrowest point.

In terms of traffic, it is of considerable importance, as various ferry connections run through it, including one between the mainland and Vancouver Island . The passage is problematic on the one hand because it changes its course twice very abruptly and on the other hand because the ferries coming from the mainland and from Vancouver Island have to pass each other regularly. Due to the tide, the current changes direction with it and the current sometimes runs at 3 to 4 knots north and then at 3 to 4 knots south.

history

The Active Pass is named after the US warship USS Active , the first steam-powered ship to sail the Passage in 1855. Until 1858 the bottleneck was still under the name Plumper Pass , named after the British ship HMS Plumper .

Wildlife

In addition to seeing seals , sea ​​lions and bald eagles in the Active Pass , the area is very important for birds. Here, for example, the Pacific diver , the Bonaparte gull or, from the family of the cormorants, the paintbrush pod breed or hibernate .

Accidents

Due to the narrowness of the passage and its abrupt course, there have been several ship accidents in the strait. The main accidents are:

  • August 2, 1970; during a confrontation between the Russian freighter Sergey Yesenin and the ferry Queen Victoria of BC Ferries three people were killed and there was property damage amounting to 1 million C $.
  • August 9, 1979; the ferry Queen of Alberni BC Ferries ran in Active Pass due. In addition to significant property damage and a killed racehorse, fortunately no people were killed.

Web links

Commons : Active Pass  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Flow table in the Active Pass, English
  2. ^ John T. Walbran: British Columbia Coast Names, 1592-1906: their origin and histor . Ottawa 1909.
  3. ^ Andrew Scott: The Encyclopedia Of Raincoast Places Names: A Complete Reference to Coastal British Columbia . Habour Publishing, Madeira Park (BC) 2009, ISBN 978-1-55017-484-7 , pp. 32 (English).
  4. ↑ a b Bannerman, Gary and Patricia. The Ships of British Columbia. Hancock House, 1985, pp. 109-110