BC Ferries warns of ‘busy travel days’ this weekend while major vessel docked for retrofit

Travellers headed for Vancouver Island are being warned about a busy weekend ahead on a major BC Ferries route.

One of its major vessels, the Queen of Surrey, is out of the water and in dock for a retrofit. The ship won’t be back in service until May 6.

“Spring is our busy retrofit season, so we do have a number of vessels out to get them in great shape to prepare for the upcoming busy summer season,” spokesperson Sonia Lowe said Thursday. “When we’ve got those vessels out for refit, it really does challenge us to make sure that we’re able to get people to where they need to go in a timely manner.”

BC Ferries says there’s not a vessel available to help with extra service over what it expects to be a very busy weekend.

“There’s just not a lot of capacity in the system to be able to move vessels around when we have one ship out,” Lowe explained. “So that’s why we’re obviously pursuing building four new vessels, which was just recently approved by our BC Ferries Commissioner, in order to build in that extra capacity that we need and that we’re going to see in the future.

The ferry service is spotlighting the Departure Bay – Horseshoe Bay route, with predictions for heavy traffic beginning Friday through Monday.

“We saw a lot of backups over Easter long weekend, and we’re just really encouraging travelers to make a reservation or choose another route,” Lowe said.

To cope with the challenge, BC Ferries will be operating the two available vessels on an extended schedule Thursday evening:

• 8:05 p.m. departing Horseshoe Bay 
• 10:10 p.m. departing Departure Bay 

BC Ferries is also offering the usual advice — make bookings ahead of time, and if you are unable to make a reservation, consider travelling as a foot passenger or using a different route.

BC Ferries says you may have a better chance of getting on a ferry during the early mornings or late-night sailings, as they typically have more room.

“We understand that weekends like this can be stressful, and we appreciate your patience as we work to accommodate all travellers. We look forward to welcoming you on board this weekend,” BC Ferries added.

The ferry being in dock is only temporary.

“The good news is the Queen of Surrey will be back in service next week, so we’ll have all of our vessels ready to go and operational in time for the busy summer season,” Lowe said.