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About Fundy Rose

The History

The history of the Maritimes and its people is as consistent and powerful as the tides of the Bay of Fundy. Which is why in 2015, when Bay Ferries began operating a renewed ferry service between the Annapolis Basin in Digby, Nova Scotia, and the historic port of Saint John, New Brunswick, they selected a name for their new vessel—the former Blue Star Ithaki from Athens, Greece—that paid homage to the legacy and trailblazing spirit of Rose Fortune. Born the child of runaway slaves in Philadelphia, Fortune and her family fled during the American Revolutionary War, becoming Black Loyalists and pledging their loyalty to the British Monarchy. Among some 3,000 Black Loyalists, Rose, age 10, and her family arrived in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia in 1783. Not one to take her freedom lightly, Rose made a successful life for herself and her children. First, operating a luggage transportation business from the Annapolis ferry docks to nearby hotels and houses, then as Canada’s first female police officer. Rose died at the age of 90 on February 20, 1864, leaving a modest grave, but bold impact on the history of the Fundy region.

The mv Fundy Rose as she was christened, replaced the mv Princess of Acadia in May 2015. Marrying the resilience of this region with the people who have built it, the mv Fundy Rose connects passengers to the festivals, forts, and southwestern fishing communities of the ‘Scallop Capital of the World,’ Digby, and the parks, heritage sites, and natural wonders of Canada’s oldest incorporated city, Saint John.

Did You Know?

  • Fundy Rose is a Roll On-Roll Off (Ro-Ro) passenger ferry vessel
  • Built in 2000 by Daewoo Industries
  • 400 feet (124 metres) long, 62 feet (19 metres) wide
  • Separate car (Deck G5) and truck/car (Deck G3) decks
  • Capacity for 774 passengers
  • Usual cruising speed 20 knots (maximum 24 knots)
  • 4 Wärtsilä main engines

Ferry Terminal Contact Information

Saint John, New Brunswick
170 Digby Ferry Road
Saint John, New Brunswick
E2M 0B2
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506.649.7777

Digby, Nova Scotia
680 Shore Road
Digby, Nova Scotia
B0V 1A0
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902.245.2116