Author: Brad Morrison, Citizen Journalist

     A grand send-off was given to the MV Mill Bay on May 1, on its retirement after 55 years of service plying the 3 ½ mile distance between Brentwood and Mill Bay up to 18 times a day.  Dubbed by BC Ferries as, “The Island’s Most Beautiful Shortcut,” the 37.5 metre (123′ 10″) ferry arrived at the Brentwood dock at 7:15 pm on Sunday evening completing its final run with its last load of passengers and vehicles, entering the history books as an icon in Brentwood and Mill Bay history.

     Built at the Victoria Machinery Depot in 1956 for Coast Ferries, the MV Mill Bay was added to the run with the ageing MV Brentwood to take up the extra traffic caused by the reconstruction and paving of the Malahat Hwy. The two ships remained together on the route for two years, when the Brentwood was retired.  

     The history of the Brentwood and Mill Bay route began about May 1921, when it was discussed and proposed by the Sidney Board of Trade. The idea was not clearly acted upon until 1924, when the decision was made to build the two wharves at Brentwood and Mill Bay. The construction of the Mill Bay wharf however had its problems. The Malahat First Nation protested that part of their reservation was being used without permission. They claimed that, “construction crews had dumped lumber and other equipment on their property without even consulting them” reported the Daily Colonist. The wharf would also, “deprive them of one of the best clam beds in the bay – an important factor in their means of livelihood and sustenance.” The problem apparently was solved, and the wharves were completed.

     The first crossing occurred in October 1924 by the wooden Steamer Cascade (built in 1902 and later renamed Brentwood in 1933). It was not long before trouble occurred. During the evening of December 20th, some of the caulking was knocked out of the vessel’s seams by shell ice, and the Cascade sank at the Brentwood wharf.

     Bert Clow, (Chief Engineer 1924 to 1964) related that on the morning of the 21st, as he approached the dock on his first day of work, “The first I saw of my ship was the funnel. The rest was underwater.” Salvage operations were begun on Christmas Eve, and the Cascade was again plying the waters shortly after. She would continue on the run for almost 35 years.

     The MV Mill Bay was put into service on July 20, 1956, and ran continuously for the next 55 years. It was on this date that Captain W. Glenn Ryder first took the helm and then spent the next 31 years chugging across the inlet – more than 51,000 times. One would think that he would have got bored with the job, but that was not the case. “There’s always something new, something different going on” he related before retiring in 1987.

    The MV Mill Bay and its run was added to the BC Ferries fleet in June 1969, and over the years there have been several occasions (1977, 1985 and again in 2000) when service was threatened to be cancelled because of rising costs and repairs. Action taken by local residents, groups and businesses prevented the cancellations. “In 2001, the Provincial Government committed 10 years to this route” expressed Pam Alcorn, a leading figure in the saving of the route, “and here we are 10 years later.” According to the Coastal Ferry Act, “they are required to review the subject every 10 years.” When queried on the future and possible cancellation of the run, BC Ferries President and CEO David Hahn replied, “The Government will decide, but again, we’re spending five, six million dollars bringing in a different vessel, I think the decision would have been made sometime ago, but they still could do it.”

     At the send-off, Captain William Froud said, “The run is almost 87 years old and is the oldest continuous ferry service on the coast of British Columbia… There is hardly a person you can speak to who will not relate back to a story of when they were last on board the ship, and what that day was like to them. We will remember this ship for a really long time.”  

     Shortly after the MV Mill Bay docked for the last time, Captain Ryder expressed that the final trip was, “very satisfying. We had a great life on her.” The MV Klitsa will be taking over the route beginning June 1.

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