BC Ferries prepared for wind warnings

High winds are forecast over the Strait of Georgia Wednesday and Thursday which could very well lead to some cancelled BC Ferries sailings.

Deborah Marshall with the company says while they’re constantly monitoring the forecast, at this point, it doesn’t look like any of the major southern routes, between the mainland and Vancouver Island, will be affected. The Southern Gulf Islands may not be impacted either.

“It may affect our service in the Northern Gulf Islands. And then up north — Port Hardy, Prince Rupert, Haida Gwaii — we’re closely watching that because Thursday it does look like we will have some effect on those routes,” she told CityNews.

“Please keep in mind that weather forecasting is not an exact science. So we do have to closely monitor it and look at the forecast as we get closer.”

Related Articles: 

• BC Ferries anticipates busy, windy weekend, adds late-night sailing

• B.C. ferry travellers wait for hours to board amid busy long weekend

While the wind could lead to some cancelled BC Ferries sailings, Marshall adds there’s a lot to consider before making such a decision.

“Not only the wind speed, it would be the wind direction, the sea state, the sea height as well as the particulars of the vessel. So there’s a variety of factors that would go into cancelling a sailing,” she said. “Please keep in mind that we don’t take the decision lightly to cancel sailings. We know that people have places to go. But if we do cancel sailings due to high winds, it is because of safety reasons.”

If you’re planning on travelling Thursday,* Marshall suggests checking the BC Ferries website first thing in the morning. You can also call 1-888-BC-FERRY (1-888-223-3779) or check Twitter for updates.

“We are approaching the storm season now,” Marshall warned. “So there are already occasions where we will have service interruptions.”

Harbour Air says it’s also paying close attention to the forecast, and flyers will be notified about any delays.

“As we all know the weather can change quickly on the west coast and it is important that both our flight operations department as well as all of our Pilots have the most up-to-date information at all times,” a statement from Harbour Air reads.

– With files from Nikitha Martins