High winds, long weekend traffic lead to full ferries, some cancellations on major routes

Adverse weather conditions and additional traffic from the long weekend led to several full ferries on Monday, along with a handful of cancelled sailings on some major routes.

Between 6:15 a.m. and 8:15 a.m., BC Ferries cancelled service between Departure Bay in Nanaimo and Horseshoe Bay in Vancouver due to high winds, and rebooked impacted customers.

Later in the day, most sailings between Nanaimo’s Departure Bay and Duke Point to Vancouver’s Horseshoe Bay and Tsawwassen were fully-booked, with limited availability on sailings after 7 p.m.

“Typically Monday is one of the more popular days of the Easter long weekend for travel,” said Astrid Chang, BC Ferries communications manager, in an interview.

“We’re advising people to give themselves extra time, to consider travelling as a foot passenger, and if they can make bookings, please do so, and maybe consider travelling at off-peak times for people who have flexibility in their travel plans.”

Off-peak hours include early mornings and late evenings, said Chang.

BC Ferries added several extra sailings on Monday between Vancouver and Victoria, and Vancouver and Nanaimo, to increased demand.

As of Monday afternoon, Chang said traffic for those with reservations had resumed at a normal pace, but those without tickets were encouraged to check the BC Ferries website or Twitter page for updates on available sailing space.