There will be more disruptions today of the B.C. Ferries schedule after a damaged propeller blade on the Spirit of B.C. caused afternoon sailing cancellations between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen Monday.
B.C. Ferries said the difficulties aboard two ships Monday - there was also a problematic electronic component in the engine of the Coastal Celebration - caused both ferries to run behind schedule Monday.
The Coastal Celebration had been fixed by about 3 p.m. However, the Spirit of B.C. propeller problem slowed it down throughout the day.
The mechanical problems caused a chain reaction, prompting the cancellation of the Queen of New Westminster's 4 p.m. scheduled departure out of Tsawwassen and its 6 p.m. trip from Swartz Bay.
The Queen of New Westminster replaced the Spirit of B.C. on the busier 7 p.m. sailing out of Tsawwassen and at 9 p.m. out of Swartz Bay.
The Spirit of B.C. will be pulled out of today's rotation for two round trips (the 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. sailings
from Tsawwassen and the 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. sailings out of Swartz Bay) while divers repair the propeller blade.
To make up for the lost sailings, B.C. Ferries will add an 8 p.m. sailing out of Tsawwassen and a 10 p.m. sailing out of Swartz Bay to catch displaced travellers.
"We want to get this fixed before the long weekend," B.C. Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said.
