1994
June 29 - Ten Year Plan announced by the government and BC Ferries with plans to improve northern routes, upgrade terminals, build the new Duke Point terminal, build 3 Century class vessels, and build 3 fast ferries for the Horseshoe Bay - Departure Bay route.

1995
June - Fast ferry prototype testing completed in Norway.

1996
March - Catamaran Ferries International Inc. (CFI) is created by the government and BC Ferries for directing and building the new fast ferries.
April - Construction begins on sections of the first PacifiCat at different locations around BC.
September - Construction of CFI assembly facility in North Vancouver begins.
End of year - First projected completion date for first fast ferry.

1997
End of year - Projected completion time for last two fast ferries.

1998
January - Andrew Hamilton, vice-president and general manager of CFI is removed from/leaves his position.
June 20 - PacifiCat Explorer launched and commissioned at CFI's North Vancouver facility.
October - Problems arise with the PacifiCat's wake during trial runs of the new fast ferry.
December - Problems with the engines take the new fast ferry out of "service" (trial runs) for several weeks.

1999
May 25 - Second fast ferry is launched but still under construction.
June 17 - Pacificat Explorer makes inaugural run between Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay and continues with limited service until July.
October - Reports emerge of fast ferry crewmembers being abused by irritated passengers.
November 6 - Second fast ferry, PacifiCat Discovery is commissioned.
November 22 - PacifiCat Discovery begins regular service for three days before being dry-docked to fix engine problem.

Delivery Time
3 Years Late. The government that had the fast ferries built promised that the first one would be launched by the end of 1996 and be in service by the end of 1997. The other two would be in service by the end of 1997. The first PacifiCat was launched in 1998 and entered service a year later in the summer of 1999. The second one was launched at the end of 1999 and entered service a few weeks later.

Cost
$250 Million Too Much. First projected to cost $70 million per ferry at a cost of approximately $210 for the whole project, the final cost was over $460 too much including many additional costs following the completion. They are now for sale for approximately $40 million each (2002).

Fuel Consumption
Gas-Guzzlers. The PacifiCats burn more than twice the amount of diesel fuel per passenger per trip than any of the other ferries in the fleet. In order to optimize speed, they had to be refueled in the middle of the day so they didn't have to sail with full tanks. This large fuel consumption was also a concern in regards to air and water pollution in the Georgia Strait Basin.

Engines
Eats Gas and Logs. Not only do the PacifiCat engines consume copious amounts of gas, but the water intakes for the water jet propulsion have an appetite for logs as well. BC's local waters are full of stray logs and wood from the lumber industry along the coast and the flotsam has been a problem, albeit comparatively minor (to the other problems), for the fast ferries.

Speed
FatCats Save 10 Minutes. For several reasons, the PacifiCats are not very much faster than conventional vessels on the Departure Bay - Horseshoe Bay route. First of all, the PacifiCats are not double-enders and have to turn around at each end of every other trip in order to load/unload. Secondly, the route is simply not long enough to get the full benefit of the FastCats speed advantage. Bob Ward, a well known fast ferry critic rightly pointed out that "[i]t's like trying to run the Concord between Victoria and Vancouver" (Vancouver Sun, February 7, 1996, B5.). This is complicated even more by the wake problem (below) which required the PacifiCats to slow down when not in open waters.

Wake
FastCat Tsunamis. One of the major and seemingly unforeseen problems was discovered during the sea trials of the PacifiCat Explorer. The wake left behind by these ships was blamed for considerable damage to docks and marinas along the shores near where the PacifiCats operated. Large waves could even be seen at Point Grey, some 10 kilometers from the passing ferries. A report was published on this problem in 2000 and recommendations were made including slowing the ferries down when not in open seas to reduce the wake.

Size
Little Kittens. It was planned that the fast ferries would be able to make more trips daily because of their speed and make up for their smaller size. The PacifiCats have a smaller capacity than the conventional vessels they were built to replace. For example, the C-class ship, Queen of Oak Bay, can carry 362 vehicles and 1,442 passengers to the PacifiCat Explorer's 250 cars and 1000 passengers. Not faster, not bigger, and a lot more costly to operate. The PacifiCats were hoped to be the answer to congestion at Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay ferry terminals and prevent the need of expanding them. Both terminals are now in the process of being expanded.

Vehicle Capacity
No Trucks Allowed. Because of weight restrictions and size, the PacifiCats are not able to carry large trucks or campers and only 2 buses at a time. Truck traffic was to be fully routed through the Tsawwassen - Duke Point (Nanaimo) run, away from Horseshoe Bay and its wealthy outspoken residents. Although BC Ferries has always encouraged trucks to use the southern route since it was created in 1990. With the PacifiCats, BC Ferries could no longer boast "if it's licensed for the road, it can be driven onto our ferries" (Choice Sailings to Victoria and Vancouver Island, BC Ferries, pamphlet).

Link	Description
PacifiCat Fast Ferries	The official PacifiCat page with the purpose of selling them. From what I can tell this page a joint project between BC Ferries and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
BC Ferries	The official BC Ferries website. BC Ferries owns and operates the first two PacifiCats.
PacifiCat Safety	This page is part of the BC Ferries website and has specific information regarding saftey on the PacifiCat ferries.
Wake and Wash Study	This document is available through the BC Ferries website using Acrobat Reader. This report looked at the PacifiCat wake problem.
Wright Report	The Wright Report, "A Review of the BC Ferry Corporation and Alternative Uses for the Fast Ferries." This is available through the BC Ferries website using Acrobat Reader.
PacifiCat Pictures	This website has some interesting photographs of the PacifiCats including pictures of the ship construction, interior, engines, and safety. There are also pictures of the other ferries in the fleet on this site.
Mark Heine	The homepage of BC artist, Mark Heine, who is the designer of the "cat" logo on the side of the PacifiCats. To see his ferry paintings go to the "Main Gallery" and then to the "Vehicles" section.
Prank eBay PacifiCat Page	This site which is a copy of the eBay PacifiCat prank, has been put up by a radio station on Vancouver Island.
The PacifiCat Experience	My own comments about the PacifiCat experience from the point of view of a passenger.