Great Video! I took the CAT Ferry from Portland to Yarmouth in my 41-foot RV. The staff was awesome! The 1st piece of advice that they gave me was listen to our advice and you won’t damage your RV, anyone else’s property or our ship.
I could feel the anxiety of Phil hit defcon 10 as he started to back out of the high speed ferry. That is definitely not for the faint of heart. Well done shipmate! Awesome that they provided you guys access to the bridge while underway. I’d pay extra to just sit in the control room myself during the transit. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us. Beat Army!
When backing up, keep yourself close to your left side, use it as your guide, your right side should be fine, but always check your backing up first, knowing what you have to deal with is a plus, 35 plus years of driving trucks has taught me a few things. 😊
You can cook up whatever you want to keep, just refrigerate or put in freezer as food already prepared. We buy less and less as we approach the border. We even freeze our frozen liquor drinks, they don’t mess with that. And yes, more is less when it comes to talking when you’re doing a border inspection. Safe travels! 🎉
The ferry trip from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth was our first visit to Canada, we traveled on the original Fast Cat in 2009. It’s an amazing journey! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Hey guys, great video. That was nice that they took you on a "special" tour. Impressive for a ferry boat. That sucks to have to back off the ship and down the dock. At least there wasn't a lot of twists and turns. Looked like you had it, no white knuckles, no seat squirming, and no excessive sweating. Looked good there. Glad to see ya'll back in the U.S.. it was a crappie deal that your ferry ride was in the fog, price you pay being around water. God bless ya'll and stay safe out there on your travels.
When I visited Seattle once, I’ve been on a car ferry over the Puget Sound from Seattle to the other side where Olympic National Park is, but the interior of this ferry looks a lot better than the one out in Seattle did
I feel your anxiety Phil - I did this back up with my travel trailer this past June.. I see Capt Stu is still at the helm. He graduated from the same high school as myself. Small world. This ferry between Bar Harbor and Yarmouth is totally with It.
Thanks for the great video. We take the Cat on average 4 times each summer. We live in yarmouth 6 months a year. I was totally intrigued watching you back off. Never realized what they had to do to help you get off. Also great time on the bridge with the captain.
Thanks for taking us along with you on The Cat. We Love Yarmouth and our favorite boondocking spot is out by Forchu lighthouse where we can watch The Cat arrive and depart each day. This year it was so foggy we could only actually see The Cat 1 of 4 opportunities. Looks like that was the case for your departure too. We just left Canada ourselves and had our easiest border crossing into the US ever at Sault Ste Marie, MI
Wow you aced that!! What a team getting your home out of the ferry❤...we will miss you here in Canada ❤❤hope you come back soon. GOD bless both of you❤🇺🇸🇨🇦
Yall are way cool. I can see us being besties. I've just discovered yall and I'm hooked on watching all and any videos. Both of us are retired law enforcement in Texas. I often wondered what life on the open roads and by golly, yall are the ones we thought, who are these people that up and sell everything and get the heck out of dodge. Priceless indeed.
This episode was very informative. When we returned to the states, customs gave us a bad time about eggs, but they were not on the exclusion list at that time. Interesting that they are now. Surprised to see the requirement to back off the ferry. The support team was very helpful in getting you off and having eyes from the front looked quite helpful as well. Appreciated you sharing your experience.
Great interview with the Capt'n of the ship and the bridge ! - Thanks! Nerves of steel backing up Phil! (Well, almost...) - Great video guys! - Cheers!
Much love for our service men and women. 🙏 Brother & several nephews in the Navy! Guess what! We just left Bar Harbor and are here @ the Walmart in Ellsworth for the night. Very nice place to visit.👍
Thank you so very much for sharing that! I'm not a water fowl and will only start spreading my wings over land with a new to me 5th wheel and big truck in a few weeks for the first time ever in my home state of Florida to start with. But who knows what adventures I will look forward to. Alaska is on my bucket list though so very cool that you even got to tour the operation center. The terminology was way over my head but right in your wheelhouse 😊 get it! Such great teamwork you two along with their crew had which made you look like a total pro. Thank you again and stay safe.
Coming from the ACB and ACU "deck" community, I was totally geeking out on this episode when you were on the bridge. Thanks for taking us where all the salty folks wanna go. The only way this could have been better is to go into the Engineering spaces. Thanks for the tour Shipmates!
Oh man Phil! I was holding my breath with you!! Good job backing out! Another great video…. Thank you Stacy for all the hard work that comes with sharing your adventures!
Another informative and entertaining video. Thanks. One observation. I'd hate to be the owner and driver of a tow behind on the ferry. Backing off of the ferry would be very nerve wracking.... LoL Safe travels!
That backing off does not look fun! We took the Portland/Falmouth ferry in the 70s and it was NO fun. We have gone to the Maritimes most every year since,and other than the Digby boat once have always driven. So much to see in NB,worth the time to us.
OMG Loved the tour of the ship! BUT that look on Phil's face on the first hit/stop had my stomach drop! I thought he hit something and so did he. Glad it all came out well.
I did that trip with a bus several years ago. The waters were very choppy and Catamarans aren’t least bit fun in those conditions. All of my passengers were seasick. I don’t normally have problems but the stomach was pretty uneasy.
I don't know if I'll ever take that ferry or go to Nova Scotia but I sure did enjoy the video. The entire thing was very interesting to me. We're going to Bar Harbor in a month and it's neat to know about the ferry.
Wow. We have a travel trailer and have been on a number of ferries. Each time, we were able to tow out going forward and even that was stressful. I can't imagine backing out. We have a rule that we don't back the trailer - even one inch - without a rear guard in comm with the driver using walkie talkies. No exceptions. If we do this trip we'll have to go the long way or the Ferry will have to let us do it our way. Probably the high way...
When I was in the Navy I didn't serve on a ship or sub. I was a hospital corpsman and 8404 so I was either in hospital, clinic, and last duty station at Camp LeJeune was out in the field with the Marines.
Interesting ferry ride! Tour of bridge was fantastic! Sure had plenty of help backing up. ;) I think we better get us some walkie talkies too! Good video. :)
Great job! I had to do it in my 40 footer....Stomach was in a knot....love the ramps they put down. We took a ferry across the Mississippi river (against my better judgement) but was told by the Deck hand they do it all the time. It was not a BIG FERRY...more like a barge with a Tug Boat. The Angle was too steep (like a V) and i got stuck with the front bumper on the ferry and the back bumper on land!...took 1.5 hours and 2 - F3560's and finally a large farm tractor to get me off....and a lot of 2 x 6 's....The ferry runs every 20 minutes so the schedule was off! People were not happy.....After we got free the Deck Hand said come back on at an angle...I said ""no thanks and we drove 3 hours more to get across......RVing is so much of an adventure
A current list of items prohibited through US border crossings is difficult to come by. Uncooked eggs and chicken were prohibited last year - please share a list of other prohibited items if you can. Thanks. Great videos.
Nice 1 Phil. I have a Crab Button up shirt.(To let everyone know I'm CRABBY today). So only you will know when your Crabby. :) Thanks for another great video.
I'm trying to figure out what I'd have to do on that ferry. My wife doesn't drive so I guess I'd have to walk back and drive my toad off too. Pretty high-tech bridge there. Keep the good stuff coming guys.
We've crossed the Canadian border many times with our RV and have not experienced any intrusive onboarding inspections. Seems like the female customs agent wanted to take a look inside your RV.😉
I live in a small fishing village in Nova Scotia (handy the Cape Breton causeway) the opposite end of Nova Scotia from Yarmouth .. Most people in Nova Scotia think the Cat Ferry was/is a waste of money .. Nova Scotia taxpayers pay upwards of 2 million a year to operate the ferry and we also paid between 8-9 million on the terminal in Bar Harbour ..
On another note, please share what you did with your RV when you traveled to Italy. We parked ours at the airport when we traveled to Europe in the spring but I wondered what other full timers do.
I would be very interested in knowing what type of bike rack you have. We have the exact same Lectric bikes as you, and are looking for a RV friendly rack that can sit between the RV and toad.
We have the Thule Easyfold XT. Now, I must warn you that Thule says (in rack description on the Thule site) it is nor recommended for an RV hitch. However, We have had it on since 2020 with no issues. I friend of ours has the same set up and he called Thule and they said we could have it on the RV. I was/am ready to assume that risk. I check the hitch tightness before each trip.
To be clear, on the Canadien side, they collect the food to donate, but on the American side, it's trashed? I understand why, but just trying to get that the food you thought you had to get rid of could have been collected for donation. Thanks for sharing the process.
Great Video! I took the CAT Ferry from Portland to Yarmouth in my 41-foot RV. The staff was awesome! The 1st piece of advice that they gave me was listen to our advice and you won’t damage your RV, anyone else’s property or our ship.
I could feel the anxiety of Phil hit defcon 10 as he started to back out of the high speed ferry. That is definitely not for the faint of heart. Well done shipmate! Awesome that they provided you guys access to the bridge while underway. I’d pay extra to just sit in the control room myself during the transit. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us. Beat Army!
I did have sweaty palms. Slow and steady wins the day!
I felt even worse for the guy ahead trying to back up the airstream...yikes
When backing up, keep yourself close to your left side, use it as your guide, your right side should be fine, but always check your backing up first, knowing what you have to deal with is a plus, 35 plus years of driving trucks has taught me a few things. 😊
My hands were sweaty just watching Phil back up! Great job
Mine too!!! LOL
You can cook up whatever you want to keep, just refrigerate or put in freezer as food already prepared. We buy less and less as we approach the border. We even freeze our frozen liquor drinks, they don’t mess with that. And yes, more is less when it comes to talking when you’re doing a border inspection. Safe travels! 🎉
Phil is the Bestest, backing that big RV. I have trouble with my little car backing up
Your Canadian videos have been your best so far imho. I really enjoyed them. Thank you!
Glad you like them!
That first bump and the look on Phil's face... Priceless
ALL Stop!!! LOL
As gnarly as backing off the RV was, can’t imagine doing that with a fifth wheel. Thanks for showing our little part of the planet to the world!
Our pleasure!
Kudos on the pilot shot, kudos on the bridge episode, kudos on disembarking backward, making Texas proud..!
👍
I just think Phil likes being on a ship he feels at home he looked like he was in love getting the tour lol 👍
100% correct!! I spent many a watch on the bridge of the USS Midway.
The ferry trip from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth was our first visit to Canada, we traveled on the original Fast Cat in 2009. It’s an amazing journey! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
So much security! Yet non on our boarders south U. S. A. So sad! Thank You for sharing! Great video 👍
Hey guys, great video. That was nice that they took you on a "special" tour. Impressive for a ferry boat.
That sucks to have to back off the ship and down the dock. At least there wasn't a lot of twists and turns. Looked like you had it, no white knuckles, no seat squirming, and no excessive sweating. Looked good there.
Glad to see ya'll back in the U.S.. it was a crappie deal that your ferry ride was in the fog, price you pay being around water.
God bless ya'll and stay safe out there on your travels.
Thank you!
When I visited Seattle once, I’ve been on a car ferry over the Puget Sound from Seattle to the other side where Olympic National Park is, but the interior of this ferry looks a lot better than the one out in Seattle did
We head to the Maritimes in mid-June. Backing up that far sure had me white-knuckling the armrest of my captain's chair. Bravo Zulu, Phil!
Slow and steady was the name of the game that day.
I feel your anxiety Phil - I did this back up with my travel trailer this past June.. I see Capt Stu is still at the helm. He graduated from the same high school as myself. Small world. This ferry between Bar Harbor and Yarmouth is totally with It.
WOW ALL the Ferry personnel are ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING!! Love the High Speed Ferry what a wonderful ride, thank you for sharing 🤩🙌🤩🙌🤩🙌
Thanks for the great video. We take the Cat on average 4 times each summer. We live in yarmouth 6 months a year. I was totally intrigued watching you back off. Never realized what they had to do to help you get off. Also great time on the bridge with the captain.
Thanks for taking us along with you on The Cat. We Love Yarmouth and our favorite boondocking spot is out by Forchu lighthouse where we can watch The Cat arrive and depart each day. This year it was so foggy we could only actually see The Cat 1 of 4 opportunities. Looks like that was the case for your departure too.
We just left Canada ourselves and had our easiest border crossing into the US ever at Sault Ste Marie, MI
Wow you aced that!! What a team getting your home out of the ferry❤...we will miss you here in Canada ❤❤hope you come back soon. GOD bless both of you❤🇺🇸🇨🇦
We will!
Yall are way cool. I can see us being besties. I've just discovered yall and I'm hooked on watching all and any videos. Both of us are retired law enforcement in Texas. I often wondered what life on the open roads and by golly, yall are the ones we thought, who are these people that up and sell everything and get the heck out of dodge. Priceless indeed.
Thank you!! This is one great lifestyle!
This episode was very informative. When we returned to the states, customs gave us a bad time about eggs, but they were not on the exclusion list at that time. Interesting that they are now. Surprised to see the requirement to back off the ferry. The support team was very helpful in getting you off and having eyes from the front looked quite helpful as well. Appreciated you sharing your experience.
Great interview with the Capt'n of the ship and the bridge ! - Thanks!
Nerves of steel backing up Phil! (Well, almost...) - Great video guys! - Cheers!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Much love for our service men and women. 🙏 Brother & several nephews in the Navy!
Guess what! We just left Bar Harbor and are here @ the Walmart in Ellsworth for the night. Very nice place to visit.👍
That is awesome!
Outstanding job of backing down that ramp. You made it look easy. Really enjoyed the thorough tour of the bridge. That Captain is awesome.
Glad you enjoyed it
Nice job backing squid! From a a sparky!
That backing experience would have given me heartburn. Well done!
I saw one of her sisters in Naha port on Okinawa. The Marines were headed to S Korea for exercise. Amazing ships with amazing capabilities.
We rode the Cat many years ago at night! What a ride! Great job backing her off. Did you stay to watch the folks with the Airstream? Thanks.
That was really cool. Having a special tour of the bridge was really cool very nice crew of people.
Welcome back to good ole USA 🇺🇸👍🏼
Yes it was!
Thank you so very much for sharing that! I'm not a water fowl and will only start spreading my wings over land with a new to me 5th wheel and big truck in a few weeks for the first time ever in my home state of Florida to start with. But who knows what adventures I will look forward to. Alaska is on my bucket list though so very cool that you even got to tour the operation center. The terminology was way over my head but right in your wheelhouse 😊 get it! Such great teamwork you two along with their crew had which made you look like a total pro. Thank you again and stay safe.
Coming from the ACB and ACU "deck" community, I was totally geeking out on this episode when you were on the bridge. Thanks for taking us where all the salty folks wanna go. The only way this could have been better is to go into the Engineering spaces. Thanks for the tour Shipmates!
We totally wanted to go there but we were turned down. Something about safety and insurance blah blah! :)
Oh man Phil! I was holding my breath with you!! Good job backing out! Another great video…. Thank you Stacy for all the hard work that comes with sharing your adventures!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I did that ferry ride like 35 years ago. On a motorcycle. It was 8-9 hours. That new boat is fast!
I love this! One day we will find the right RV for us and hit the road again.thank you for taking us along with you.
Another informative and entertaining video. Thanks. One observation. I'd hate to be the owner and driver of a tow behind on the ferry. Backing off of the ferry would be very nerve wracking.... LoL
Safe travels!
Phil you did awesome backing that big thing up. I love yalls videos they are so informative.
Thanks a ton!!!
That backing off does not look fun! We took the Portland/Falmouth ferry in the 70s and it was NO fun. We have gone to the Maritimes most every year since,and other than the Digby boat once have always driven. So much to see in NB,worth the time to us.
I know it wasn't easy for Phil to back off but can you imagine the poor guy with the Air Stream.
Right!
My first wife and I rode the ferry from Maine to Yarmouth, never got off, and rode back to Maine. 1983? We live on Old Town then.
Cool helm station! Gotta love reverse.
You were right by us! I work in Downtown Bar Harbor.
Way to go Phil! That was making me nervous for you watching you back out. Great job!
You and me both!
OMG Loved the tour of the ship! BUT that look on Phil's face on the first hit/stop had my stomach drop! I thought he hit something and so did he. Glad it all came out well.
I don't have a poker face at all! LOL
I did that trip with a bus several years ago. The waters were very choppy and Catamarans aren’t least bit fun in those conditions. All of my passengers were seasick. I don’t normally have problems but the stomach was pretty uneasy.
Phil, it’s about time you grew that ponytail!
Not!
That was an awesome interview with the CAPT! Hope you ate your weight in oysters while you were up there! Enjoy the drive down...
Thanks!!
Marry Christmas sut stu I missed you very much Sally
The bridge tour was awesome. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
Great video. So glad you got the tour of the bridge.
Glad you enjoyed it
I don't know if I'll ever take that ferry or go to Nova Scotia but I sure did enjoy the video. The entire thing was very interesting to me. We're going to Bar Harbor in a month and it's neat to know about the ferry.
We had a blast. I would recommend you seriously consider it.
Wow. We have a travel trailer and have been on a number of ferries. Each time, we were able to tow out going forward and even that was stressful. I can't imagine backing out. We have a rule that we don't back the trailer - even one inch - without a rear guard in comm with the driver using walkie talkies. No exceptions. If we do this trip we'll have to go the long way or the Ferry will have to let us do it our way. Probably the high way...
Come back soon...hope you had a truely great visit. Held my breath as you were backing up that rig...lol
We did!
When I was in the Navy I didn't serve on a ship or sub. I was a hospital corpsman and 8404 so I was either in hospital, clinic, and last duty station at Camp LeJeune was out in the field with the Marines.
cool another wonderful video with the RV traveling. 617 Days for me NO coffee or caffeine today
Interesting ferry ride! Tour of bridge was fantastic! Sure had plenty of help backing up. ;) I think we better get us some walkie talkies too! Good video. :)
Glad you enjoyed it
The CAT ferry was your vacation break from your "working vacation" and well deseved ! !
Great job! I had to do it in my 40 footer....Stomach was in a knot....love the ramps they put down. We took a ferry across the Mississippi river (against my better judgement) but was told by the Deck hand they do it all the time. It was not a BIG FERRY...more like a barge with a Tug Boat. The Angle was too steep (like a V) and i got stuck with the front bumper on the ferry and the back bumper on land!...took 1.5 hours and 2 - F3560's and finally a large farm tractor to get me off....and a lot of 2 x 6 's....The ferry runs every 20 minutes so the schedule was off! People were not happy.....After we got free the Deck Hand said come back on at an angle...I said ""no thanks and we drove 3 hours more to get across......RVing is so much of an adventure
That’s absolutely awesome. We took the ferry from Whittier to Valdez. If you haven’t tried that one.
I'll check it out!
Oh, by the way, you won’t have to back out to the ferry
A current list of items prohibited through US border crossings is difficult to come by. Uncooked eggs and chicken were prohibited last year - please share a list of other prohibited items if you can. Thanks. Great videos.
Boy you looked nervous backing up! Job well done.
I was
Ferry across the Bay of Fundy from Digby to Saint John would have also saved a little time.
Hey Phil...bet all that time playing with dinkies came in handy !! Good job lol.
Good job Phil! I know you know how to drive that beast, but it seemed a little scary. Jayman...
Ferrys with rvs for Don't get along. I took my awning off a trailer we had in a ferry to start our holiday.
Yikes!!!
Nicely done 😮💨
Awesome team work.
They ran a catamaran from NS to NL one summer, cut the trip in half but got the nickname of the vomit comet.
Yikes!!!
I'd definitely say that's worth it. Phil... omg I was nervous for you backing your house off that ferry ⛴️ 😳
By taking the ferry shortcut you missed the reversing falls at St John and the Hopewell rocks. Both were highlights of our trip.
I was hoping you made oak island part of your trip.
Next time!
I looked into that ferry, after watching your early videos, and it seem a little prices.
It can be.
❤ thank you for sharing
Nice 1 Phil. I have a Crab Button up shirt.(To let everyone know I'm CRABBY today). So only you will know when your Crabby. :) Thanks for another great video.
Too funny!!!
I'm trying to figure out what I'd have to do on that ferry. My wife doesn't drive so I guess I'd have to walk back and drive my toad off too. Pretty high-tech bridge there. Keep the good stuff coming guys.
They may have driven the toad for you. The Captain has been known to drive RV's off for folks.
We've crossed the Canadian border many times with our RV and have not experienced any intrusive onboarding inspections. Seems like the female customs agent wanted to take a look inside your RV.😉
The pic he just showed of Navy ships They are built in Mobile, Al.
That's crazy, making u all back out and down the ramp. Wondering how many ppl have hit the side of the ramps with a trailer???
Fun trip!!
I live in a small fishing village in Nova Scotia (handy the Cape Breton causeway) the opposite end of Nova Scotia from Yarmouth .. Most people in Nova Scotia think the Cat Ferry was/is a waste of money .. Nova Scotia taxpayers pay upwards of 2 million a year to operate the ferry and we also paid between 8-9 million on the terminal in Bar Harbour ..
You should try Canada’s west coast…very different. Much more a PNW vibe than a New England vibe
On another note, please share what you did with your RV when you traveled to Italy. We parked ours at the airport when we traveled to Europe in the spring but I wondered what other full timers do.
We parked at our daughters place in TX.
So the ferry is a Navy Reservist? Does it have to do one week end a month and two weeks in the summer?
LOL
Whoa, we are Airstreamers and watching that Airstream back down the ramp made me add the ferry to the “not to do” list! Yikes!
I would be very interested in knowing what type of bike rack you have. We have the exact same Lectric bikes as you, and are looking for a RV friendly rack that can sit between the RV and toad.
We have the Thule Easyfold XT. Now, I must warn you that Thule says (in rack description on the Thule site) it is nor recommended for an RV hitch. However, We have had it on since 2020 with no issues. I friend of ours has the same set up and he called Thule and they said we could have it on the RV. I was/am ready to assume that risk. I check the hitch tightness before each trip.
Good job!!!!
To be clear, on the Canadien side, they collect the food to donate, but on the American side, it's trashed? I understand why, but just trying to get that the food you thought you had to get rid of could have been collected for donation. Thanks for sharing the process.
Always wondered if folks with dogs have this as a traveling option (doggie potty area?)
I believe they all had an area for pets.
How long was your ferry ride?
3 hours'ish this time.
How is it on your knee replacement, my doctor told me to stay off ships because it is hard on the knee replacement.
No problem at all. You can't keep a Sailor off boats!!! LOL
If you did your Canada trip again, would you tow your car again? We left ours at the Bangor airport but we only were there 2 weeks.
Yes, we would. We went all through Gros Morne in the Jeep. We could not have done that in our rig.
Wow!!
The "Vomit comet"! LOL!
Not for some old salty Sailors! LOL
Great
GO ARMY
Wow, no way would I do that with our travel trailer.
That looked like an expensive trip but probably not for 2 retired navy officers
Pretty sure only Phil retired from the Navy. Stacey is/was a traveling nurse (I think).
Stacy was a Nurse Practitioner. She was in the Navy to get her college money for school.
We budgeted correctly. I like to save money just as much as the next person!
@@todayissomeday I stand corrected. :)
Lot's of respect for NPs (my primary care is a FNP, love her).
Very interesting be an ex navy reservist
I definitely will not take the ferry now that if you need to back out.