BC Ferries sees multiple-sailing wait on Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route

Those wishing to get between Vancouver and Victoria on Monday will have to wait a while, with BC Ferries reporting a multiple-sailing wait on its Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route.

Around 11 a.m., the ferry service’s website showed a four-sailing wait on that route. The next sailing with available vehicle space is not until 7 p.m.

In the other direction, the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen run is out of vehicle space until 9 p.m.

The delays are largely due to the Spirit of Vancouver Island being out for repairs. The ferry corporation says the vessel is supposed to return to the water on Thursday.

The Spirit of Vancouver Island is not the only vessel undergoing repairs, as the Coastal Renaissance — which splits time between the Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay and Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay runs — is also in dry dock.

Last week, BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall recommended those wishing to travel to Vancouver Island without a reservation consider going to Nanaimo via Horseshoe Bay or Tsawwassen.

“Currently, because we have two vessels operating between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay, instead of the three, we would suggest customers travelling without a reservation might want to consider travelling Tsawwassen to Duke Point, or Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay,” she told CityNews on Oct. 13.

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With files from Robyn Crawford and Charlie Carey