Ferry passengers on the Spirit of Vancouver Island travelling from Vancouver to Victoria had to reverse their cars off the ferry when the upper car deck door wouldn’t open, leading to delays and cancellations Saturday morning.
The 9 a.m. sailing from Tsawwassen docked in Swartz Bay around 10:35 a.m. as scheduled, but the door on the upper car deck wouldn’t open due to a mechanical issue. The ferry had to leave the berth, turn around and reverse into the dock. It took about two hours to get all cars off the upper deck, said Astrid Braunschmidt, manager of communications and media relations for B.C. Ferries.
The 11 a.m. sailing from Swartz Bay and the 1 p.m. out of Tsawwassen were both cancelled as a result of the delay.
Braunschmidt said passengers travelling with reservations were accommodated on the next sailings.
The Spirit of Vancouver Island was back in service for the 3 p.m. departure from Swartz Bay.
