Diminishing winds saw sailings resume for some B.C. Ferries routes that had been at risk of cancellation on Sunday while poor weather kept other vessels in dock.
The Queen of New Westminster was back in service at 3 p.m. Sunday between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay after eight sailings had been cancelled earlier because of weather.
Reserved traffic was moving normally at 3 p.m. and ferry staff were ticketing stand-by traffic for the 7 p.m. departure from Swartz Bay.
But adverse weather saw B.C. Ferries announce that it was cancelling all sailings of the Klista between Brentwood Bay and Mill Bay as of 4:45 p.m.
B.C. Ferries was faced with a glitch in its online booking system for an hour on Sunday during one of the busiest long weekends in the year. It was resolved by 2 p.m.
By 1 p.m. on Sunday, the long-term parking lot at Tsawwassen was full and B.C. Ferries was recommending using other transportation options such as taxis, buses or being dropped off at the terminal.
B.C. Ferries said its customer service department will contact passengers with bookings about the possibility of taking another sailing or cancellation. Refunds are issued for cancelled sailings.
Meanwhile, improved weather allowed sailings to resume mid-afternoon from Quadra Island but crew could only be found for the Island Nagalis, one of two ferries serving the route. The Nagalis will run Sunday afternoon on a shuttle basis. The Island K’ulu’ta could not operate because it did not have enough staff available.
Several Campbell River and Quadra Island sailings had been cancelled earlier in the day because strong winds have made docking unsafe at Campbell River.
B.C. Ferries put on 180 extra sailings on major routes to handle demand.
