Travellers trying to travel to Vancouver Island need to wait up to seven sailings to set off to the other side of the Salish Sea on the long Easter weekend.
1130 NewsRadio has heard from BC Ferries customers who were being turned away at Horseshoe Bay on Good Friday as lines far exceeded the average wait times.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!George, calling the newsroom while waiting in line at Horseshoe Bay, says it is frustrating.
“There are a lot of people coming to Horseshoe Bay that don’t have reservations that they’re turning away, thinking that they can get on board without a reservation right now,” he told 1130 NewsRadio.
“It’s pretty nutty right now.”
The delays are partially caused by two malfunctioning ferries.
The Spirit of Vancouver Island was taken out of service temporarily already on Tuesday after experiencing issues with the starboard generator.
In an update Thursday morning, President and CEO Nicolas Jimenez told the media that the Queen of Surrey will also not be operational after “additional work” needed was identified during its refit.
Passengers travelling from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay in Victoria need to wait for seven sailings before boarding a ferry, according to BC Ferries. The next available sailing is at 8 p.m.
Tsawwassen to Duke Point is a three-sailing wait, and passengers trying to get to Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay – the only route requiring passengers to have a reservation – need to wait at least three sailings. The next available sailing is at 10:45 p.m.
Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay is a four-hour sailing wait. The last sailing is at 10:40 p.m.
“Definitely a Yikes situation,” said 113 NewsRadio traffic anchor Leah Holiove.
“Honestly, if you don’t need to take a ferry today, you’d better not. Because all you’ll end up doing is waiting for hours at the terminal, and there’s no guarantee you’ll even get on a vessel.
Alternatives to cross the Salish Sea are Hullo Ferries and Harbour Air.
Spirit of Vancouver Island back in service
Shortly after 2:30 p.m., BC Ferries announced that the Spirit of Vancouver Island will resume service on Friday, adding more needed sailings to the schedule.
The starboard generator issue has been repaired, and the vessel is currently on its way to the terminals to assist passengers with getting from and to Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen, adding more sailings to
“Sailings added today will be used to accommodate standby customers already at the terminals and will not be available for advance booking. Standby space will be limited, and customers without a reservation should expect delays,” BC Ferries said.
The company adds that customers whose reservations were cancelled due to the mechanical issue will be contacted with the option to rebook their original sailings.
“Additional space will be made available for booking as capacity is confirmed.”
Listen live to 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver ferry and weather updates every 10 minutes with traffic on the ones. You can also subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.