It held 16 vehicles (tied with the MV Nimpkish), 138 passengers and crew, and operated at a maximum speed of 9 knots (17 km/h).

The Mill Bay terminal was used for a scene during the filming of the 1970 movie Five Easy Pieces that starred Jack Nicholson and Karen Black.

The subsequent investigation discovered that the captain at the time had fallen asleep since he had just participated in the Swiftsure Yacht Race.

[6] On July 5, 1989 the Mill Bay was crossing Saanich Inlet when a problem arose with the fuel line and the engine lost power.

[6] In 2001 the Mill Bay was removed from service for two months in the summer to undergo refurbishment that included replacement of several sections of steel plating in the hull, extension of the bridge, and the addition of radar.

[4] Raymond J. Parker reported in 2009 that the Mill Bay was used by cyclists in a significant shortcut for a Vancouver Island 300 km bike route known as "Tsunami II".

The Mill Bay is powered by an L Gardner & Sons model 8L3 straight-eight engine that generates 152 hp (113 kW).