Ferry titbits Odds and ends related to ferries
What is the definition of ferry?
What the dictionary thinks a ferry is
What the dictionary thinks a ferry is
This is the
definition of the noun ferry (as I write)
- A ship used to transport people, smaller vehicles and goods from one port to another, usually on a regular schedule.
- A place where passengers are transported across water in such a ship.
- The legal right or franchise that entitles a corporate body or an individual to operate such a service.
I make a slightly wider cut, including aircraft and other devices that operate in a similar way.
From the same source its etymology is
From Middle English ferien ("to carry, convey, convey in a boat"), from Old English ferian ("to carry, convey, bear, bring, lead, conduct, betake oneself to, be versed in, depart, go"), from Proto-Germanic *farjaną ("to make or let go, transfer, ferry"), from Proto-Indo-European *per- ("to bring or carry over, transfer, pass through"). Cognate with German dialectal feren, fähren ("to row, sail"), Danish færge ("to ferry"), Swedish färja ("to ferry"), Icelandic ferja ("to ferry"). Related to fare.
From Middle English ferien ("to carry, convey, convey in a boat"), from Old English ferian ("to carry, convey, bear, bring, lead, conduct, betake oneself to, be versed in, depart, go"), from Proto-Germanic *farjaną ("to make or let go, transfer, ferry"), from Proto-Indo-European *per- ("to bring or carry over, transfer, pass through"). Cognate with German dialectal feren, fähren ("to row, sail"), Danish færge ("to ferry"), Swedish färja ("to ferry"), Icelandic ferja ("to ferry"). Related to fare.
In French
Traversier is the most commonly used word for the ferry boat and the ferry service. Bac is also often used, as this refers to a small, rectangular flat bottomed boat such is often used as ferry in calm waters. Traverse is the ferry crossing.
Ferries since replaced by a bridge or tunnel
Some ferry friends no longer with us
Some ferry friends no longer with us
Except for romantics like me, most people who use a ferry hope that it gets replaced by a "fixed link"—a bridge, causeway or tunnel. As time passes and money becomes available, some ferries do get replaced—generally the shorter and busier routes, or perhaps the more politically valuable ones. Many ferries co-exist with nearby bridges, serving a small local market, or perhaps as a backup for when the bridge is forced to close. And in many cases the long distance that the ferry covers means that it would be all but impossible to build a bridge or tunnel to replace it.
These are the ferries I've used that have since been replaced.
- Cape Tourmentine NS to Borden PE, Canada
- Replaced by the Confederation Bridge in 1997 - Grove Ferry, Kent, England
- Replaced by a bridge in 1963 - Kylesku, Sutherland, Scotland
- Replaced by a bridge in 1984 - Kyle of Lochalsh to Kyleakin, Skye, Scotland
- Replaced by a bridge in 1995 - Ballachulish (Loch Leven) Scotland
- Replaced by a bridge in 1975 - Dover cross-Channel ferries
- The Channel Tunnel opened in 1994 and replaced many of the cross-Channel ferries, but some still run. - Vlissingen (Flushing) to Breskens, The Netherlands
- Replaced by the Westerscheldetunnel in 2003. A passenger and bike ferry still exists.
Links to other ferry websites
Articles and information about ferries
Articles and information about ferries
I guess ferries and links go hand in hand! These are some general ferry-related links to other websites that I have found useful or of interest, and which don't belong on any of the individual ferry pages. See the individual page for each ferry for the links specific to that ferry. It's very difficult to keep up to date on external links, so some may be broken.
Use these at your own risk—not responsible for their content or accuracy.
The Wikipedia overview of ferries, with definitions of the different types, history and some notable facts.
A fairly comprehensive listing of all the crossings of the Ottawa River, from beginning to end, including ferries, road and rail bridges, and dams.
A fairly comprehensive listing of all the crossings of the Saint Lawrence River and Great Lakes, including ferries, road and rail bridges, and dams.
This is the official website for all the provincially run ferries in Québec, covering from Montreal down to the Lower North Shore of the Saint Lawrence.
It's a very well done and complete site, with interactive maps, schedules, rates and full technical details on the boats. And the photos, though promotional, are excellent—giving me good competition!
The portal to Newfoundland and Labrador's provincially operated ferries. Quite comprehensive.
The portal to Nova Scotia provincial ferries
A quite comprehensive list of the world's ferry companies. It's a commercial site oriented to making paid ferry bookings but the list of ferry companies is useful.
The industry body representing Canadian ferry operators. Lots of information buried in here.
An article by Outaouais Heritage about bridges and ferries in the Gatineau area in the 1800s.
An impressive list of all ferries in Canada. I noticed some broken links, and I'm not sure of the publication date. And a quick look shows it's missing several on the Ottawa and Saint Lawrence. Part of Tom Howder's Twelve Mile Circle travel blog site.
Ferry related books
Not a bibliography
Not a bibliography
Just a few I've come across …
Entry Island
by Peter May
Not so much a book about a ferry, but one where the ferry features prominently in the action. My review is here on the Entry Island Ferry page.
The Ferryman
by Thomas William Simpson
A cute little yarn, set around a day in the life of a ferryman, and leading us to consider the better ways to live our lives.
Farewell to a Queen
by Don Douglass
An account of the sinking of the BC ferry Queen of the North in 2006. My review is here on the Inside Passage Ferry page.