High winds in the Strait of Georgia caused B.C. Ferries to cancel of six Saturday sailings between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay.
Affected sailings include the the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. out of Swartz Bay and the 8 a.m. and noon out of Tsawwassen.
Shortly after 3 p.m., Spirit of British Columbia’s final two sailings, the 7 p.m. out of Tsawwassen and the 9 p.m. out of Swartz Bay, were cancelled.
The 8:45 p.m. from Departure Bay and 10:10 p.m. from Horseshoe Bay were also cancelled due to winds.
B.C. Ferries said that it would try to fit customers with reservations onto other sailings and that it would refund fees and fares if a reservation is cancelled.
The cancellations were announced after Environment Canada issued a number of gale warnings for Vancouver Island due to a Pacific front moving across B.C.’s South Coast.
The weather agency warned of southeasterly gusts of 80 kilometres an hour on the Strait of Georgia south of Nanaimo, which was forecast to peak at 90 km/h on Saturday evening when a second Pacific front was expected to hit.
Strong southeasterly winds were expected along most of eastern Vancouver Island from Parksville to Victoria until at least Sunday morning.
The capital region and the Southern Gulf Islands were forecast to receive southeasterly winds of 70 km/h peaking to 100 km/h starting Saturday and continuing overnight.
A storm warning is in effect, with Environment Canada advising of potential visibility drops to as low as 1.6 kilometres during periods of heavy rain.
There is a potential for minor flooding during the Sunday morning high tide in coastal areas, as well the possibility of injury or damage caused by loose objects tossed by the wind, it said.
B.C. Ferries sailing and departure information can be found at bcferries.com.
