Pain in the boat: BC Ferries cancels loads of long weekend sailings
Several BC Ferries sailings from Vancouver to Victoria have been cancelled, so if you plan on just showing up and travelling this Canada Day long weekend, think again.
BC Ferries is expecting a busy weekend ahead and are warning folks who plan on showing up without a booking to expect delays, especially if they’re trying to travel from Vancouver (Tsawwassen) to Victoria (Swartz Bay).
BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall explained to Daily Hive this is because one of its major vessels, the Coastal Celebration, is undergoing its annual refit, but “that work is taking longer than we had expected.”
“It was scheduled to be completed its refit on [June 15]. So it would have been back in service in time for the long weekend,” Marshall said. Due to the delay, BC Ferries has had to cancel a number of sailings with the Coastal Celebration.
Marshall said eight sailings per day were cancelled because of the extended repair time.
There are three other vessels operating on that Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route, so Marshall said more than 6,000 bookings were put onto other vessels that will be in operation for the long weekend.
“At this point, we expected [Coastal Celebration] to be back on Tuesday, July 4, but that is contingent on the completion of the refit. So we will be hearing more from the shipyard over the weekend,” she said.
BC Ferries said historically the busiest times to travel are Thursday and Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, as many leave the Tsawwassen and Horseshoe Bay terminals. Monday and Tuesday mornings are usually busy with people returning to the mainland.
“Be prepared for sailing waits if a booking has not been made in advance of travel – sailing waits are common during popular travel periods,” BC Ferries advises. “If bookings are sold out, the best option to avoid waiting at the terminal is to travel during less busy times. These are typically mid-week days and early morning or late evening sailings.”
If you can, it’s best to travel by foot over the long weekend.
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