DEH CHO
The run across the Liard River – the one-kilometre trip takes around seven minutes – is the shortest Graham Cox has had to navigate during his more than three decades on the water.

Graham Cox, one of the captains of the MV Lafferty this season, has been working professionally on the water for more than three decades. During his nine years at the helm of the Liard River ferry, Cox has crossed the river thousands of times. - Jeanne Gagnon/NNSL photo

Cox, one of the captains of the MV Lafferty this season, recounted his nine years on the Liard River one day while leaving the Fort Simpson dock to pick up a vehicle across the river.

The ferry gets busier each year, with about 75 per cent of the traffic being pickup trucks from the highways, he said. The boat's capacity is 12 cars, and needs to be refueled every three days.

"You don't get too many fancy cars on these highways," Cox said.

"You get four-wheel drives and people who don't realize what they are getting into, so they shouldn't be here with their little funny cars."

For each eight-hour shift, Cox does about 30 crossings of the river, which translates to approximately 36,000 crossings with the ferry over nine years, he said.

Cox is no stranger at the helm, having previously worked at five other crossings during his career, including the Johnny Berens across the Mackenzie River at the N'Dulee crossing, which he describes as the slowest run in terms of traffic he has done.

"There are more fun boat jobs, obviously (than crossing the Liard)," he said.

"The nice ones are where, let's say we were going down and around the island – a little bit of driving."

Typically, the MV Lafferty ferries passengers and vehicles across the Liard for six months of the year, from May 13 to Nov. 3, depending on the weather.

"We're recommending this year that if you've got business on the other side or if you need a vehicle, get it over there by the 25th of October because there is no guarantees after that," said Cox.

"Although it may be open after that, there is no guarantees after that."

Both low water levels and ice can slow or even shut the ferry down, he said.

"The ice is difficult. That's when we really earn our money," he said.

"You've got to go up a quarter of a mile to get straight across. We don't go across."

Cox started his career on the water as a commercial fisherman on the west coast, catching salmon and halibut. Throughout the years, he worked as a mate for NTCL (Northern Transportation Company) on the Hudson Bay and for the Canadian Coast Guard on the Mackenzie River. He also packed fish on Great Slave Lake, ran freight on Great Bear Lake and operated cruise boats in Ontario and Manitoba.

He now lives in a cabin overlooking Lake Winnipeg near Gimli, Man.

Asked whether he had a motto, Cox had a simple answer: "Don't make them wait."

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