B.C. Ferries sailings and terminal parking lots are reaching capacity this weekend.
Several morning cancellations have delayed B.C. Ferries sailings between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay during what was already anticipated to be a busy weekend for the ferry service.
The 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. sailings from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen were cancelled Saturday, creating a domino effect of delays and adding to the already full ferries scheduled for the rest of the day.
The 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. sailings from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay were also cancelled with a notice that the Coastal Celebration had a “crew member en route to assist with boarding.”
B.C. Ferries issued a service notice advising that the 11 a.m. sailing from Swartz Bay left the terminal 54 minutes behind schedule “due to accumulated delays from an earlier issue with the availability of crew that has since been resolved.”
The ferry service said another factor was the time to load and unload the vessel given the day’s heavy volume of traffic.
Standard vehicle deck space on sailings going both directions was nearly at capacity for the rest of the Saturday sailings and into Sunday morning.
Space was still available for foot passengers.
Pay parking facilities at Departure Bay in Nanaimo and Swartz Bay in Sidney terminals have also reached capacity, the ferry service advised late Saturday morning. Passengers travelling on foot are asked to consider taxis, public transit or rides from others.
B.C. Ferries issued a notice Wednesday alerting travellers of expected heavy traffic on the routes between Tsawwassen, Swartz Bay and Duke Point, and between Horseshoe Bay, Departure Bay and Langdale.
The ferry service advised travelling on after 2 p.m. on the weekend. “If you are planning to travel without a booking, arrive at the terminal as early as possible and be prepared for sailing waits and hot weather conditions.”
