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

TSAWWASSEN (NEWS 1130) — A broken BC Ferries vessel is contributing to sailing delays as people try to get away for the weekend.

BC Ferries still doesn’t know when the Spirit of Vancouver Island will be sailing again, but it will be “until at least the end of the month,” says the organization’s executive director, Deb Marshall. “Without the ability to put on an extra sailing in the afternoon we are seeing some heavy traffic right now.”

Still, an extra sailing will run at the end of the night, around 11 p.m. out of Swartz Bay and 1 a.m. out of Tsawwassen.

The Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay run is going to be busy, so it’s important to book a reservation, adds Marshall.

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She assures customers crews are working hard on repairing the Spirit of Vancouver Island, but she doesn’t have a timeline for when it will be back in service.

With possible strong winds in the forecast for the weekend, she’s also encouraging people to keep an eye on possible cancellations.

“We will be closely monitoring that and we would advise customers if there is any impact to our service due to high winds,” says Marshall.

To avoid long waits, Marshall suggests travelling off-peak times. Saturday mornings and Sunday nights are the busiest, she adds.

“Reservations are always a great idea if you want to be certain of the sailing of your choice,” she says. “Drive-up customers do face overloads at peak times.”