Wednesday 28th April 2010

Dear Commuter

For those of you with your noses to the grindstone we’re nearly a quarter of the way through 2010 already! The late summer has treated us pretty well and March & April have been sunny with not so much wind! Niwa’s outlook is that the El Nino pattern is weakening and although they haven’t said we’re moving to La Nina, that’s my pick as the eternal weather optimist, so a mild winter is before us??? Let’s hope!

Now if you haven’t had a break this summer we think you should, so we’re putting up for grabs a double “Day Return Excursion† on the Interislander with a half day Marlborough Wine Tour  with Sounds Connection included! All you have to do is fill out the form on the boat with the crew or email Amy in the office with your email details and your mobile phone number and state “Yes Please!†in the subject line. Either way you’ll be in the draw which we’ll draw live on the 7.45am sailing on Tuesday May 11^th! You have to be in to win so keep the entries coming!!

Now our friends at the Interislander are also offering us a very special deal for May, especially for our commuters! They‘re offering 20% of any “saver fare†for travel in May! Now that’s cheaper than the cheapest web fare with full refund or change options prior to day of travel. So why not take advantage of it and perhaps slip away for a long weekend. Just visit www.interislander.co.nz and book online.  Our commuter code is Eastbywest1. Just type the code into the promocode box on the Payment Details page and [enter] to recalculate the fare before adding your card details. So go on, treat yourself and visit the mainland!

Next up I would like to let you know we have scheduled a bit of a spruce up for the Cobar Cat including underwater hull antifouling.  She’ll be coming off service from Saturday 5^th June till Thursday 10^th June inclusive. That weekend is Queens Birthday so with Monday’ being a holiday and it will mean on just Tuesday 8th through Thursday 10^th  June we will be operating our restricted sailing service in the peak morning and evening. ie departing Days Bay at 6.50am, 7.45am & 8.35am only and returning from Queens Wharf at 4.30pm, 5.30pm & 6.30pm. Unfortunately for our Seatoun commuters we’ll be off on those days but re our Scots students it should only affect one day, Thursday 10^th, as I believe there is no school on Tuesday & Wednesday! Some people are lucky aren't they??

All other weekday & weekend services including the public holiday Monday will run as normal but obviously there will be no Round Harbour Explorer tours with the 2^nd ferry. We’ll send out a further reminder closer to the time but just wanted to keep you informed of plans!

Another important matter we’d like to clarify is in respect of any replacement minivan services we put on in the case of full cancellation of services due to weather. From hereon in, these services will run from outside the Mojo / Wagamama area at the rear of the Meridian building. This allows the vans to get out onto Jervois Quay quicker and you on the way home sooner. The departure point has caused some confusion last year about where the vans will come so this should clarify matters and there is good shelter close by for those waiting if Huey decides to let the heavens go!

                                                                                                                        Contd overleaf…..

Congratulations also to our lucky draw winner for this month, Liz Halfacre, who won a ten-trip concession ticket. This could be you - simply make sure you put your used 10 trip tickets or monthly passes in the draw at the bar on board (either ferry) and you could be this month’s winner. Monthly tickets stay in the draw for 4 months so again be in to win!

If you have just joined us onboard as a commuter or are thinking of it, do sign up for our free mobile text service re cancellations due to weather or otherwise. Commuters find this invaluable to receive up to the minute notification direct to your phone of any disruptions to the service. Just inform the crew of your mobile number or alternatively you are welcome to email the office on info@eastbywest.co.nz. Also if you want to receive our newsletters and updates by email, again just email us your address.

 Also, as you may have noticed, if you are receiving this by email, that we have just started using a new mail service for our newsletters and commuter database. It’s called Mailchimp and hopefully it will give you the option to unsubscribe or change your details when you receive the email. If there are any problems with it or you have any comments please let myself or Amy know by emailing us as above.

Until next time….Happy Sailing

Dear Commuter

Wellington’s humming again this weekend with the news that the Wellington Phoenix have made the finals series in the A league football series and are hosting the semi final right here on Sunday at the Stadium.  It really is a major achievement so we’re right behind them and have a late night sailing to get you to and from the game.

We’ve actually got quite a few events in the coming weeks for which we have late night sailings so we’ve listed them for you below. If the event’s not your cup of tea, take the opportunity to make a night of it in town and catch a late ferry home!

Also for those who hadn’t heard, Ben Knill was our lucky punter who won himselves 2 day double passes to the Rugby Seven’s! Congratulations Ben and we trust you enjoyed it!

Late night sailing events coming up:

Rugby Super 14                                 Saturday 20^th February

Hurricanes v Western Force                 7.35pm to 9.15pm

Catch the 4.15 or 5.30pm over from Days Bay and ferry departs Queens Wharf for DB @ 10.00pm

Football A League semi                                 Sunday 21^st February

Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory                     5.00pm to 7.00pm

Catch the 3.00pm or 4.15pm over from Days Bay and ferry departs Queens Wharf for DB @ 7.30pm or half an hour after game finishes ( if busy we will wait a few mins for stragglers)

Cricket            Twenty /20                              Friday 26^th February

NZ v Australia                                                 7.00pm to 10.00pm

Catch the 5.20 or 5.55pm from Days Bay and ferry departs Queens Wharf for DB at 10.30pm or half an hour after game finishes ( if busy we will wait a few mins for stragglers)

Rugby            Super 14                                  Saturday 27^th February

Hurricanes v Lions                                           7.35pm to 9.15pm

Catch the 4.15 or 5.30pm over from Days Bay and ferry departs Queens Wharf for DB @ 10.00pm

Rugby            Super 14                                  Saturday 27^th March

Hurricanes v Sharks                                         7.35pm to 9.15pm

Catch the 4.15 or 5.30pm over from Days Bay and ferry departs Queens Wharf for DB @ 10.00pm

Rugby            Super 14                                  Good Friday 2^nd April

Hurricanes v Crusaders                                    7.35pm to 9.15pm

Catch the 4.15 or 5.30pm  over from Days Bay and ferry departs Queens Wharf for DB @ 10.00pm

Until next time….Happy Sailing

Jeremy Ward

Manager

East By West Ferries

And The winner of our Rugby Seven's competition was Ben Knill of Eastbourne.

Here's Ben being presented with the Double Pass for both days by Jeremy Ward,

Manager of East West Ferries on the 8.35am sailing on Thursday 4th February.

Ben's thrilled as he had tried to get tickets but they were all sold out!  Hope you enjoy Ben! 

Dear Commuter

A warm welcome back on board for 2010 to all our regular commuters and a special welcome on board to any new commuters. It’s a real pleasure having you on board and we hope you enjoy your sailings and our East By West crew hospitality! We know the weather hasn’t been the greatest over January but being optimists as we are, its surely going to be an Indian summer from hereon in! The next few days look superb!!

As we’ve done in some past years, we consider one of our highly valued regulars should at least enjoy another day off, namely this Friday (and also Saturday) to experience the fun and excitement of the Wellington Rugby Seven’s at the Stadium. In that regard I have, in my hot little hands, a double pass for both days and its up for grabs for one lucky punter from our esteemed club of regulars! It also comes with a complimentary food and beverage voucher for $15!

All you have to do to be in to win is drop us an email (to info@eastbywest.co.nz) with Rugby Sevens in the title, and contact name and mobile ph number and you’ll be in the draw. Otherwise you can give in a business card or  fill out your contact details on the forms with the crew on board the ferries and we’ll make sure you’re in the draw.

We’ll make the lucky draw from all entries on the 8.35am  Cobar Cat sailing from DB  on Thursday 4^th Feb and immediately contact the lucky winner so make sure your mobile is on!!!  The odds for this raffle will be as good as you’ll get so make sure you’re in to win!!

The only condition is you must be a regular traveller with East By West! Good Luck!

Please do note though, we are not providing late night sailings this weekend. The nature of the all day event means some people leave early, and a late night sailing is not unfortunately viable.

While on winning,  make sure you’ve put your used10 trip tickets or monthly passes in the draw at the bar on board (either ferry) and you could be this month’s winner. Congratulations to Tony Cranston who won this months draw! Monthly tickets stay in the draw for 4 months so again be in to win!

If you have just joined our commuting club or are thinking of it, do sign up for our free mobile text service re cancellations due to weather or otherwise. Commuters find this invaluable to receive up to the minute notification direct to your phone of any disruptions to the service. Just inform the crew of your mobile number or email the office on info@eastbywest.co.nz. Also if you want to receive our newsletters and updates by email, again just email us your address.

Until next time….

Happy Sailing

Jeremy Ward

Manager

East By West Ferries

Friday 12th December 2009

Dear Commuter

Are we ready for Christmas?? Well it’s coming up fast, so whether it’s Kirks, Real Groovy, Good as Gold, or Rumbles Wines, get on to it now and don’t forget to treat yourself as well!!!!

With the holiday season coming there’s a bit of news to let you know about and also some pretty sharp offers we’ve managed to secure for you – our most valued commuters.

Before leaving Xmas presents, here’s one you might like to consider for friends & family. Why not buy a family ferry voucher for a return trip to either Days Bay or Matiu Somes Island. That’s a great treat for those not fortunate enough to use the ferries everyday! Either call in to the office or phone or email us with credit card details and we can package it up, post it out, with a brochure and timetable in a nice coloured envelope and you’ll be back on their A list !  So simple and different!!! Amy’s manning the phone as we speak…… ph 499 1282.

Now the next offer is a real beauty that we’ve managed to secure uniquely for you guys, our commuters! A deal with our good ferry friends, The Interislander. Book an Easychange fare over to the South Island on the Interislander Website, www.interislander.co.nz , for travel anytime between 1^st Feb 2010 and 15^th March 2010 and you’ll get 15% discount.

It’s for new bookings only from 01NOV09, 15% off Easy Change fares, travel 01FEB10 to 15 MAR10. The code is Eastwest1. Just type the code into the promocode box on the Payment Details page and [enter] to recalculate the fare before adding your card details. So go on, treat yourself and visit the mainland!

Also the Interislander is running some great wine trail day excursion deals with Sounds Connection from $137 per adult. Book one of these superb excursions visiting 4 vineyards and present your East By West concession ticket once you get there with Sounds Connection and they’ll give you a super Marlborough bottle of wine to go home with! Again you can book online with Interislander.

Lastly The Lifeboat Tavern in Eastbourne has been coming alive lately with so much happening with Tara Merriman running the show.  New menus & a great line up of entertainment.  Flyers are with the crew on the ferries so do check them out.  Go and thirst a cold ale there & for every pint you  might enjoy between now and end of January, present your EBW concession ticket and you’re in their draw for 2 tickets to the Rugby Sevens in February!

And now to more sailing matters, our amended Xmas New Year Holiday timetable. We're operating to a special timetable from Xmas Day through to Sunday 11th January so please do check it out. We'll be distributing the holiday timetable on board next week for commuters to pick up but otherwise it's now up here on our website, see timetable page, for everyone to view. If you're one of those working through, don't be caught short, see how it works for you! Hey don't despair; it's a great time to be in Wellington. It's like working on holiday as its quiet and the weather always comes right after Xmas! 

Happy Sailing and wishing you the very best of Xmas’s from all the team here at East By West.

Jeremy Ward

Manager

East By West Ferries

13th November 2009

A reminder to all our Days Bay football fans. Tomorrow Saturday 14th November the All Whites play Bahrain for the spot in the World Cup! A game not to be missed!

If you're coming over to the game from Days Bay catch our regular 4.15pm or 5.30pm sailing and after the game we'll take you home departing 10.30pm from Queens Wharf back to Days Bay! Go the All Whites!

Friday 30th October 2009

 Dear Commuter

Just a quick note to advise unfortunately we will not be running a late night sailing this weekend for the Rugby Semi final Wellington/Southland as both ferries are committed to previously booked evening charters. Hopefully if we are fortunate enough to secure a home final we will be on for that event!!  So apologies on that front for our fervent rugby supporters.

Also another item of interest that I would like to share with you. We have recently signed an agreement to trial “Snapper†cards on board for ticketing. We believe electronic ticketing is the way of the future and there are many benefits to both our patrons and the company in seeing this technology introduced. It’s not quite as clear cut as it is for bus use and for this reason we are proposing that for the initial stage of the trial we will invite a group of selected commuters to assist us and use it on board. In essence only those assisting will use Snapper (for all others it will be ‘business as usual’) and as and when we get things working successfully we’ll roll out “Snapper†to more of our patrons. We’ll be putting out our feelers for those interested in assisting us for the trial shortly and be in touch……!! Here’s a link to the press release for those interested: http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=14365

Next week as well we have the Guy Fawkes fireworks extravaganza. We still have a few spaces left on this popular cruise we run for our commuters so do let the crew or Amy in the office know if you’d like to book. Tickets are adults $30, children $17.50 and we’ll pick you up from Days Bay at 8.00pm and have you home just after 10.00pm. Sausage sizzle on board as well!

The weather later has been a mixed bag. We had a cracker long Labour Weekend and everyone enjoyed the sunshine and superb weather. Then this week we experienced those really gnarly southerlies and this has disrupted a few sailings. A few of you have queried that sometimes you feel we could have operated when cancellation advice has come through on our text service.

Believe me, we do not make the decision to cancel lightly and while conditions may appear reasonable in the inner harbour, out in the main channel, it can be a completely different kettle of fish and quite often our skippers are out there experiencing it first hand when they make the call! And it is their call alone, based on their experience, with safety being always paramount.  Having said that, occasionally we can get it wrong as conditions can deteriorate (or ameliorate) within an hour, especially as wind and tide change. This possibly can be after a decision has been made and alternate arrangements are in place.  Tide alone can make a huge difference to the sea state. And then further it can be a little of a catch 22, as we know you like as early notice as possible of disruptions to sailings but if we wait possibly things can improve. If they don’t  improve, you get later notice and this can cause even more inconvenience and frustration. It’s not a simple science but we do our utmost to sail where we can and on the odd occasion we might get it wrong we apologise but rest assured, we are always making the call with your best interests at heart!

We have to leave the weather to the Gods, but looking on the bright side, as we always do at East By West, the weekend prognosis is for another great weekend of sun and we are optimistically forecasting as always a very fine summer ahead!

Happy Sailing

Jeremy Ward

Manager

East By West Ferries

Dear Commuter

It’s close to that time of year again when Wellingtonians surround the inner harbour to stare at the skies for the annual Guy Fawkes display! Thursday November 5th’s the date and the display starts at 9.00pm. We putting on a special commuter cruise and we’d like to invite you and your families to enjoy it with us. The ferry will depart Queens Wharf at 7.30pm, head over to Days Bay for a pick up at 8.00pm and then back to Oriental Bay for the show.

The crew will have a sausage sizzle on board for you and the bar will be open for your beverage of choice! Tickets are $30 per adult and $17.50 per child. Booking are essential and it’s on a first in first served basis as numbers are limited. Either email Amy at the office or book on board with the crew! See you there!

Other upcoming events to watch for firstly this weekend, Wellington Lions play North Harbour at the stadium. The game is scheduled from 2.35pm to 4.15pm so our regular weekend schedule will get you to and from the game. Last ferry departs Queens Wharf on weekends at 5.00pm so perfect timing there!

The next exciting event is Saturday November 14th when The All Whites take on Bahrain for the FIFA World Cup play off spot next year. This is going to be a huge game and they’re predicting a sell out crowd so get your tickets early. The game is scheduled for 8.00pm to 10.00pm so we’ll be running a late night sailing for that one at 10.30pm from Queens Wharf.

It’s unbelievable that we are now approaching cruise season with Xmas party bookings coming in fast. You know the score, drop us an email with a contact name to send our cruise brochure to, and if they book a cruise with us we give you a complimentary monthly pass. There’s no pressure sales pitch, just a brochure sent out with covering letter saying this may be of interest for something different this year and we won’t even mention your name! Couldn’t be easier so fire in a name to us please!

I know a lot of you are boaties in your own right so you’ll be very interested to know the new antifoul which we trialled in July during our "makeover" seems to be doing the trick. It a copper based product called Coppercote and for the first time, after 3 months, we have little evidence if any of growth on the hulls. Summer will be the telling time but no other product we’ve used in past years has performed as well to date so that good news for ferry speed and diesel consumption!

Congratulations also to our lucky draw winner for last month, Kevin Small, who won a ten-trip concession ticket. This could be you - simply make sure you put your used 10 trip tickets or monthly passes in the draw at the bar on board (either ferry) and you could be this month’s winner. Monthly tickets stay in the draw for 4 months so again be in to win!

If you have just joined us onboard the East By West as a commuter or are thinking of it, do sign up for our free mobile text service re cancellations due to weather or otherwise. Commuters find this invaluable to receive up to the minute notification direct to your phone of any disruptions to the service. Just inform the crew of your mobile number or alternatively you are welcome to email the office on info@eastbywest.co.nz. Also if you want to receive our newsletters and updates by email, again just email us your address.

Until next time….

Happy Sailing

Jeremy Ward

Manager

          Friday 3rd July 2009

 Dear Commuter

 Well we’re over the mid winter hurdle and school holidays are upon us. And with this we would like to remind you all that our Survey and refurbishment work is now also upon us.

As previously mentioned we are scheduling to do the work on both boats back to back commencing firstly with the City Cat this Saturday 4th July 2009. We anticipate the City Cat work will take us through to approx Tuesday 14^th July and then she’ll come back into service and the Cobar Cat will come off service with her work scheduled to finish by Sunday 19^th July latest. Both boats will be back to normal full service on Monday 20^th July.

During the next 2 weeks we will be running a restricted sailing service with three sailings in the morning at 6.50am, 7.45 and 8.35am from DB and in the evenings from QW at 4.30pm, 5.30pm & 6.30pm. We would like to apologise extensively to our Seatoun commuters as unfortunately during this period we won’t be able to run to Seatoun.

All weekday sailings off-peak between 10.00am and 3.30pm will be as normal over this survey period. In the weekends it will be business as usual and normal timetable. However the round Harbour Explorer Tours will be not be running, with only the one boat operating.

The restricted sailing schedule operating over this time is detailed on the timetable departures page of this web site,  (We’ve been having a few problems with this page so at this stage the restricted schedule is showing however the normal schedule (as from 20^th July) is still to be added back!)

We realise this will be an inconvenience to you, our valued commuters, but boat overhaul and survey is a very necessary part of our operation and in particular to our survey and safety regime. We have chosen this time as the least disruptive for everyone and we will have the ferries back to normal service and fully reinvigorated and revitalised as soon as possible and I’m sure you’ll all notice the difference!

Jeremy Ward

Manager

East By West Ferries

  Monday 9th June 2009

Dear Commuter

I hope you are all keeping warm and well. What a run of weather we’ve seen lately! From gale force southerlies to the beautiful week we’ve just had. With the shortest day upon us, one can only hope its plain sailing and sunny skies from here.
 
We thought we could all do with a bit of winter cheer and so the crew would like to invite you all to join us tomorrow Wednesday 10th June for an evening of mulled wine sailings, Join us onboard from 4.30 pm and receive a complimentary glass of mulled wine with cheese and crackers while you chat to your fellow commuters on the way home – who could ask for more? Perhaps just calm seas and clear skies would also go down nicely as you mull over your wine!  Cheers & hope you enjoy Amy’s mulled wine recipe!!!
For all our Rugby fans, as you’ll know the All Blacks are kicking back into action, with their first Wellington match vs. France on Saturday June 20th. We will be putting on a special late sailing after the match to get you home, departing Queens Wharf at 10 pm. We look forward to seeing you all in your supporter’s outfits (and no doubt wrapped up warm).
At this time we’d also like to inform you of our upcoming Survey and refurbishment work which we will be carrying out during the July School holidays. We are scheduling to do the work on both boats back to back commencing firstly with the City Cat on Saturday4th July 2009. We anticipate the City Cat work will take us through to approx Tuesday 14th July and then she’ll come back into service and the Cobar Cat will come off service with her work scheduled to finish by Sunday 19th July latest and back to normal full service on Monday 20th July.
So for the duration of those two weeks, we will be running a restricted sailing service with three sailings in the morning at 6.50am, 7.45 and 8.35am from DB and in the evenings from QW at 4.30pm, 5.30pm & 6.30pm. Unfortunately during this period we wont be able to run to Seatoun so apologies to our Seatoun commuters. (I know we need that 3rd boat!!!)
All weekday sailings off peak between 10.00am and 3.30pm will be as normal over this survey period. In the weekends in will be business as usual and normal timetable. However the round Harbour Explorer Tours will be not be running with only the one boat operating.
We realise this will be an inconvenience to you, our valued commuters, but boat overhaul and survey is a very necessary part of our operation and in particular to our survey and safety regime. We have chosen this time as the least disruptive for everyone and we will have the ferries back to normal service and fully reinvigorated and revitalised as soon as possible and I’m sure you’ll all notice the difference!
We’ll have further reminder updates on the survey work and timetable over that period closer to the commencement on July 4th.
Hey but on positive welcoming news, many of you have been asking for ages for a commuter pocket timetable. We have been working on this for a while and we should have them available for distribution next week. They’re a handy business card folded size and will be well received I’m sure!
Also congratulations also to our lucky draw winner for last month Corrine Tompson, who won a ten-trip concession ticket. This could be you - simply make sure you put your used 10 trip tickets or monthly passes in the draw at the bar on board (either ferry) and you could be this month’s winner. Monthly tickets stay in the draw for 4 months so again be in to win!
 
If you have just joined us onboard the East By West as a commuter or are thinking of it, do sign up for our free mobile text service re cancellations due to weather or otherwise. Commuters find this invaluable to receive up to the minute notification direct to your phone of any disruptions to the service. Just inform the crew of your mobile number or alternatively you are welcome to email the office on info@eastbywest.co.nz. Also if you want to receive our newsletters and updates by email, again just email us your address.
 
Until next time…
  
 27th March 2009

Dear Commuter

Our 20th birthday celebrations last Friday certainly appeared to be enjoyed by everyone who sailed with us. It was a lot of fun! Even those who got a soaking on the top deck by Centreport’s tug, Tiaki, under the water cannon, as we came into Queens Wharf, were all in good spirits as they left the boat looking like drowned rats!! Helicopters, tugs, jazz and a lot of fun prizes, it was a magic day! Make sure you hold on to those commemorative East By West key rings we gave to all commuters, they could be worth a few bob in a few years!!  Already selling on Trade Me! –Just kidding!

But if you’d like to view a selection of the superb shots of the day from helicopters, support vessels, commuters and wharf viewers just click on (or paste into your web browser) the link to our Picasa photo gallery http://picasaweb.google.com/jerryeastbywest.  It was a truly memorable day and I’d personally like to thank all of you, our commuters, for not only your comments and good wishes but for just being part of the day and supporting us to reach this milestone!

Now to other matters. Just a reminder our new later afternoon/evening timetable changes come into effect from next Monday 30th March. So please do familiarise yourself with the changes. Basically, the main change being 5.00pm & 5.30pm are now the new times from QW direct to DB, with the new 5.50pm sailing from QW now via Seatoun to DB, and with the 6.30pm & 7.00pm (5 mins earlier) both direct to DB. We are printing new pocket timetables and these should be available next week!  I know these changes will be well received and not a moment to early!!

Also I promised to inform you of the results of the recent on board survey we carried out. We did have a huge response and the results (and comments) were very positive indeed. The timetable change questions speaks for itself with an overwhelming preference for the changes instigated above. The other summary results I have detailed at the end of the newsletter. Overall we are very pleased with the results but there’s always room for improvement and you can be assured we will continue to work on improving our services to you! We also had some interesting suggestions, both constructive and wacky but the one I liked was “free Margaritas on the 5.30pm sailing†All I can say is “yeh right!!!â€

And to our lucky survey respondent for the free 10 trip! Amy in our office drew out the winner from all respondents and the lucky winner was Richard Wijininckx, and Richard a 10-trip ticket will be winging its way to you with our compliments!

As always if you have just joined our merry band of commuters or are thinking of it, do sign up for our free mobile text service re cancellations due to weather or otherwise. Commuters find this invaluable to receive up to the minute notification direct to your phone of any disruptions to the service. Just inform the crew of your mobile number or email the office on info@eastbywest.co.nz. Also if you want to receive our newsletters and updates by email, again just email us your address.

In the meantime…

Happy Sailing!

Jeremy Ward

 19th March 2009

Dear Commuter

Well tomorrow Friday 20th March is a very auspicious day indeed for East By West – and for you, our loyal commuters!

Its our 20th birthday! Yes it’s 20 years to the day that we first sailed Wellington Harbour. It’s absolutely unbelievable how that time has flown! I know a quite a few of you sailed on that first day with us and are still travelling with us today and for that I feel most humbled and grateful! And many of our other commuters have been travelling with us as well for many many years and you know that without your support we would not have the ferry service we have today! So today it’s a celebration for all of our commuters, new and old,  as well as us, and we do want to have a bit of fun.

So we’ve got a few surprises planned on board the morning commuter sailings with prizes, giveaways and a few more surprises so I do hope you can join us! Hopefully we’ve also get a bit of media coverage but you’ll have to wait and see what transpires!

Also coming home in the evening from 4.15pm onwards on Queens Wharf we’ll have a sausage sizzle on the pontoon prior to boarding and the Jazz band “Functional Jazz†playing their tunes! And also a 2 for 1 bar on all evening sailings to put a smile on your dial on the way home!  I do hope you can join us!

Now for some other good news, and very eagerly awaited I believe. After thorough canvassing  your preferences we are now making some much needed changes to the afternoon evening timetable, primarily to relieve congestion on the 5.15pm sailing.  Yes the 5.30pm from Queens Wharf on the Cobar is being reinstated as a direct sailing QW/DB. And that’s good news too from all accounts for our Seatoun commuters as your sailing will now leave Queens Wharf at the later time of 5.50pm to Seatoun arriving 6.10pm and onto DB 6.25pm This will also give our Seatoun commuters a longer working day which was the popular request.

So for our Days Bay commuters we will also now have an earlier direct sailing from Queens Wharf at 5.00pm (on City Cat) together with the 5.30pm (Cobar Cat). This will certainly relieve the pressure we had been experiencing on the 5.15pm sailing. The only other effected sailing is the 6.10pm which will now leaves at the earlier time of 5.50pm and travels to DB via Seatoun.

These changes will come into effect from Monday 30th March and the new afternoon/evening peak schedule from Queens Wharf will be as follows:

3.40pm QW/ Seatoun 4.00pm / DB
4.30pm QW/DB
5.00pm QW/DB
5.30pm QW/DB
5.50pm QW/Seatoun 6.10pm / DB
6.30pm QW/DB
7.00pm QW/DB

We will be distributing temporary timetables on board next week whilst awaiting printing of the new ones and we do trust the new schedule works for you!  I also do thank everyone for their responses to the surveys and on board discussions I had leading to these changes.
          Contd overleaf….
Speaking of surveys, I had promised you a summary of the recent February survey and I will forward this out to you next week once things quieten down, together with the lucky winner of the 10 trip drawn from all the responses.

Also just a reminder of our late night sailing as well this Friday 20th March for the Hurricanes / Bulls match at the stadium. We’ll be departing Queens Wharf at the usual time of 10.00pm for Days Bay so do come on over, enjoy the game or just have an evening in town and let us take care of your trip home!

 26th February 2009

Dear Commuter

We’re racing through the best months so quick I reckon it’s high time we slowed it down and really enjoyed the rest of the summer. Least daylight saving is still a wee way off yet so there’s still plenty of time to take a picnic to the beach after work and enjoy a swim or catch some sunshine! …………….Race you to the water….!!!

But onto to ferry happenings. First up tomorrow Friday 27th February, after talking to the good people at the Eastbourne Cricket Club, we decided to schedule a late night ferry for the one day match Black Caps v India. The game is scheduled to run 7.00pm to 10.00pm so the ferry will depart Queens Wharf at approx 10.30pm. (half an hour after the finish of the game to give everyone time to get there). So do support it if you can or perhaps use the opportunity to come over to town and enjoy and drink and a bite out, without the hassles of worrying about getting home!

A few people have been asking about the results of our recent on board survey. I apologise for the delay but the responses are still being collated but don’t worry, we will be sharing these with you very shortly, together with announcing the winner of the 10 trip ticket.  We were really pleased with the number who responded so thank you if you were one of them!

One of the questions was to do with the 5.15pm direct to DB & 5.30pm to DB via Seatoun. Everyone has an opinion on this, as was evidenced by the responses, and it’s certainly not as clear cut as many may think. We do want to look after everyone’s interests, that’s both our Days Bay & our Seatoun commuters, as we believe it’s vital to do this, if we are to increase services for all and target that 3rd ferry! We have a new option we’re working on and we will be asking for some feedback on that week after next.  As someone bright once said  “There are no problems, only solutionsâ€, so we plan to adher to that logic!!

For those watching anniversaries we have a couple of milestones coming up. Firstly next Tuesday 3rd March marks our one-year anniversary of commencing our Seatoun service. Therefore we think that’s definitely worth celebrating and to say thank you to our Seatoun supporters. So we’ll have a bit of fun on the 8.05am sailing departing DB calling into Seatoun 8.20am and on to Queens Wharf. Also we wont forget the 5.30pm going home! Unfortunately I’m unavoidably out of town that day but I know our friendly City Cat crew will take care of you on the day!

Now our second upcoming milestone is really a big one! Come Friday March 20th 2009, its been 20 years to the day since we commenced the Days Bay service!. (First day was actually Monday 21st March 1989!) Now in anyone’s books that a pretty eventful milestone and we plan to celebrate the day as such. So mark it in you diaries and we’d love to see you on board. If anyone was on board that first day back in 89 do please let me know has it would be great to recognise those who have sailed through two decades with us!

As always, if you want to be on our free text message service for up to minute cancellations weather or otherwise, do let the crew know and also your email address if you would like to receive our newsletters, such as this covering ferry news, other offers or events forthcoming. 

18th December 2008

Dear Commuter

Christmas 08 is only a tad over a week away so I trust you’ve done your Xmas shopping and are set for the turkey! Or are you one of those (like me usually!) who will leave it to Xmas Eve and do the panic run! Whatever your preference here’s wishing you and your families a very Merry Xmas and a sunny bright New Year!

Now to East By West and important matters. Tomorrow, Wednesday 17th Dec, we thought we’d bring you a bit of Christmas cheer on your way home. We’re holding a special wine tasting, weather permitting, on the floating pontoon as you board for your afternoon evening sailing. (4.30pm to 6.35pm). Now, this is no ordinary wine tasting, as we will be sampling the superb Poverty Bay 2008 Riverpoint Rose! This wine is produced by our esteemed co director of the company, Mr Klaus Sorensen, from his Bridge Estate Vineyard in Gisborne. Rose is such a lovely wine for the summer weather and this one certainly won’t disappoint! Further it will be on offer at our on board bars for the summer. Also tomorrow only, there will be the opportunity to buy a single bottle or order a case lot for Xmas at a special commuter price!  Look forward to seeing you there!

Now moving to ferry matters, I know a few of you have contacted me re the congestion on the 5.15pm City Cat sailing and the possibility of changing with the 5.30pm sailing via Seatoun to a direct sailing to Days Bay on the larger Cobar Cat. Its not quite that simple just to change as we have to ensure all the evening sailings are evenly spaced and if one travels via Seatoun we have to ensure they don’t all end up at Queens Wharf together figuratively speaking! But that aside we do recognise the need to change this somewhat and it is our intention to canvas fully your preferences in the New Year with a view to making any changes early February. At the same time that survey will be your opportunity to tell us what we are doing right and wrong for you! Watch this space….

Turning to our holiday period timetable, which will be running from Boxing Day through to Sunday 11th January, we now have the pocket holiday timetables on board so do please take one and check the schedule as it affects you. Basically all the public holidays and weekends are running to weekend timetable and the weekdays are slightly amended to take account of the reduced commuter patronage over the holiday period. For your information and for friends family staying, we will also be running our Round Harbour Explorer Tours on most of these days. Get hold of one of the timetables or check out our website for full details www.eastbywest.co.nz or Ridewell on 801 7000. And also check our daily status line if you are in doubt 494 3339.

In the meantime, thank you for your patronage in 2008 take care out there and have a relaxing holiday break and we look forward to having you back on board with us in 2009!
Until next time….

  Happy Sailing

18th October 2008

Dear Commuter

Labour Weekend 2008 is upon us! The weather might not look too flash for Saturday but hey it’s still a long weekend and we’ve had word from Huey Monday’s looking pretty good! Also I’m always optimistic when it comes to weather and I reckon we’re between El Nino & La Nina and that makes for pretty settled weather till Xmas without the equinoctial winds! That means smooth sailing and calm seas to Xmas! Bring it on!

This weekend to cheer us up, we’re going to win the Air NZ cup when the mighty Lions take on  Canterbury at home. We’ve got a late night ferry on for you so you can go to the game and home again after on the ferry without the hassle of driving. The game kicks off 7.35pm so if you’re coming over from Days Bay catch the 4.15pm or 5.30pm, and we’ll return from Queens Wharf at 10.00pm and back to Days Bay!

The other event coming up is Guy Fawkes 5th November. As usual we’re putting on a special commuter sausage sizzle excursion for it. You can book on board with the crew or by email or call into the office and see Amy. Tickets are $30 adults, $17.50 children. Leaving QW 7.30pm,pick up at DB @ 8.00pm returning to DB after the show approx 10.00pm. Should be fun so do join us on board. NB due to the popularity of this, booking only confirmed when payment received.

Also you are probably aware the City Cat has been off service for a day while we replace the head gasket on the starboard engine under our regular maintenance programme. Hopefully all is back to normal by the time you read this and we do apologise if that has inconvenienced your travel. I know most of you appreciate the difficulty in carrying out slightly larger jobs as this does necessitate taking a vessel off service. We do strive to ensure it’s completed as quick as possible to least disrupt your travel schedules and we do thank you for your patience.

The other great news of late is that all SuperGold pass holders, that’s all NZ citizens over 65, are eligible for free ferry travel off peak! There really couldn’t be a better deal. So that’s for all ferries weekdays between 9.00am and 3.00pm and again after 6.30pm. And weekends and public holidays are free all day!! So get the oldies (and the youngies) together and have a picnic and explore Matiu Somes Island. (Yes Matiu Somes Island fares included as free as well!) NB please note all other senior concession fares are phased out and will no longer be available after 31st October 2008.

That’s all the news for now, do email us if you have any suggestions brickbats or bouquets, we always love getting feedback from you!

Until next time….

  Happy Sailing

22nd August 2009

Dear Commuter

It’s been a cold old month and as we used to say, we now look forward to the “ber†month, that’s September, October, November & December for those not in the know! Certainly can’t get colder anyway!!

We’re really enjoying our new waterfront offices with a view so if you haven’t called in to say hello and have a look, please do! Also just an update on our floating pontoon facility in front of our new office. We hope to be back berthing there for embarking and disembarking sometime next week. All the fendering stanchions have been removed for modification with the installation of improved rubber fendering so hopefully it will be more comfortable whilst at the berth and the ferries will be able to absorb the swell and tide impact better.

Another development is Rachel in our office is leaving in 2 weeks after over 2 years with us. Rachel has been a wonderful asset to EBW and she is going to be sorely missed, but we wish her all the best as she embarks on her OE!  To assume Rachel’s big shoes we have appointed Amy Hanlon as our new person in the office.  We welcome Amy as she starts on Monday and will be working with Rachel to learn the ropes so to speak.

Good news is our Seatoun service is here to stay. The Regional Council approved the Seatoun stops as a permanent addition to our service at its last meeting. So we look forward to promoting and increasing patronage as summer approaches and it brings us one step closer to our goal of having 3 ferries in our fleet and more services for Days Bay & Seatoun!!

Not such great news is, as you probably are aware, the Metlink regional transport fare increases come into effect on Monday 1st September and this includes the ferry fares. No one likes increases but significantly the fuel price increases we have experienced over the last 18 months have had a huge impact on our business and like all transport operators we cannot continue to absorb them internally. A full schedule of our new fares effective 1st Sept is detailed overleaf.

We are now also opening our bookings for our Xmas Cruises and if you haven’t heard about our new cruise option, Curry Cruising, you might like to think about it for promoting for your company function this year. We do it all…. casino cruising, dinner cruising, cocktail cruising and now curry cruising! And don’t forget our special offer. Just email us with the name of a contact to send our new cruise brochure to, and if they book a cruise with us, we’ll give you a free monthly pass on the ferry - $245 value!! (We wont even tell them your name if you prefer!) Now that’s a good deal!!!
 
Speaking of free, do make sure you’ve put your used10 trip tickets or monthly passes in the draw at the bar on board (either ferry) and you could be this month’s winner. Monthly tickets stay in the draw for 4 months so again be in to win!                 Contd overleaf……

As always don’t forget to sign up for our text message service. It’s an invaluable way to receive up to the minute notification direct to your phone of any disruptions to the service. Just inform the crew of your mobile number or email the office on info@eastbywest.co.nz. Also if you want to receive our newsletters and updates by email, again just email us your address.

Until next time….

  25th June 2008

Dear Commuter
 
We are on the move! Yes finally we are moving offices into the smart new waterside Meridian Building. We're over the moon about this as we'll be a lot closer to our ferries and far more visible and accessible to our commuters and the public in general. Not too also mention we, at long last, have an office with a window and some of the best views in Wellington!
 
Also we are now ready to utilise the floating pontoon for our boarding and disembarking which should be good news for you guys, our commuters. So the first date we are going to test the pontoon for our commuter sailings will be this Thursday 26th June. This should speed up turnaround times at peak hours significantly with the ability, on the busy sailings, to utilise both the mid cabin door and the top gangway at the same time. There will no doubt be a few teething issues to work out, and possibly with rougher weather and swells we may not be able to, but we are looking forward to getting started and using it. Do let me know what you think after a few days.
 
Also we are to officially open the new office on Wednesday 2nd July and we’d like to invite you, our loyal commuters, to have a preview on Tuesday 1st July. We therefore extend a warm invitation to you to come and have a glass of cheer  with us prior to boarding your afternoon evening sailing home. We’d look forward to welcoming you anytime from 4.00pm to 7.00pm  and we’ll show you around. ( It won’t take long, it might be small but the facilities are excellent and pretty smart we think!)
 
Our new neighbour, Wagamama, also opened last weekend. Having visited it for lunch in the weekend I can thoroughly recommend it! It’s fun, vibrant and the food’s superb! The new Kumutoto precinct and spaces which surround the Meridian Building is very people friendly and with all the attractions, including of course our ferry services, it’s very much a happening place!
 
The winter weather of late has been a little disrupting, going from gales southerlies to gale northerly with a smidgen of fine weather in between. Overall we've kept the sailings running and from comments received, everyone is pleased with our text messaging service informing of cancellations. In rougher weather we do always try to at least run a restricted service with the larger Cobar Cat, and notification of amended reduced sailing schedules to you seems well received. Please do let us have feedback on this if you think there's room for improvement. Bring on the fine weather please……!!!!
 
Also, with the price of fuel skyrocketing, you may have just joined our merry band of commuters or are thinking seriously about it! If so do sign up for our free mobile text service re cancellations due to weather or otherwise. Commuters find this invaluable to receive up to the minute notification direct to your phone of any disruptions to the service. Just inform the crew of your mobile number or email the office on info@eastbywest.co.nz. Also if you want to receive our newsletters and updates by email, again just email us your address.
 
 
Until next time.
 
 
Happy Sailing