Having heard many people rave about the Victoria Clipper, a hydrofoil high speed boat that travels between Seattle and Victoria in just less than three hours (when the weather cooperates), I was quite excited to take my first trip on it. My first trip will be my last. Given the fairly minimal price difference between the Clipper and flights to Victoria, it just doesn't pay to sit in what amounts to a bus on the water for three hours. Passenger embarkation and debarkation was a long slow process not helped along by the inefficient set-up. The layout of the boat does not allow a good view if you're not one of the first few people on, with the view being markedly obstructed by the low ceilings and scratched windows on the lower deck. When it comes down to it, the Clipper is transportation, nothing more. Certainly it's much better than the alternative drive to the San Juans or Olympic Peninsula, but certainly nowhere as good as a slightly more expensive Kenmore Air flight that takes one-third as long.
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