Severe weather has disrupted travel plans for many on Saturday as BC Ferries cancels multiple sailings across several routes due to high winds and challenging sea conditions.
BC Ferries cited Environment Canada’s forecast of strong winds and an unfavourable sea state as the reason for the cancellations.
“We know you have important places to be. We are currently monitoring the weather conditions with the goal of getting you underway as soon as it’s safe to do so,” said BC Ferries in a statement. “If conditions do not improve, additional sailings may need to be cancelled, and we will let you know if that happens.”
High winds in the Strait of Georgia are expected to persist throughout Saturday, December 14th, resulting in cancellations and delays on the following routes:
•Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay
•Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay
•Tsawwassen to Duke Point
•Tsawwassen to the Southern Gulf Islands
•Comox to Powell River
For one of the busiest routes, Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, six sailings have been cancelled:
•7 a.m. departing Swartz Bay
•7 a.m. departing Tsawwassen
•9 a.m.departing Swartz Bay
•9 a.m. departing Tsawwassen
•9:40 a.m. departing Tsawwassen
•12 p.m. departing Swartz Bay
Additional sailings at risk of cancellation:
•11 a.m. departing Swartz Bay
•11 a.m. departing Tsawwassen
•1 p.m. departing Swartz Bay
•1 p.m. departing Tsawwassen
Cancelled sailings on the Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bayroute include:
•6:15 a.m. departing Horseshoe Bay
•6:15 a.m. departing Departure Bay
•8:25 a.m. departing Horseshoe Bay
•8:25 a.m. departing Departure Bay
Additional sailings at risk of cancellation:
•10:40 a.m. departing Departure Bay
•10:40 a.m. departing Horseshoe Bay
•1 p.m. departing Departure Bay
•1 p.m. departing Horseshoe Bay
BC Ferries continues to monitor conditions and may announce further cancellations if the weather does not improve. Passengers are encouraged to check BC Ferries’ website or Twitter feed for real-time updates before heading to the terminal.
While the cancellations may be inconvenient, BC Ferries emphasizes that safety remains its top priority.
On Friday, BC Ferries issued a warning of strong winds capable of causing damage are expected to sweep through the area Friday night and continue into Saturday morning.
The winds are set to begin this afternoon, with southeast winds reaching 70 km/h and gusts of up to 90 km/h.
As a deep low-pressure system approaches Vancouver Island, the winds will shift to southwest by noon on Saturday, with gusts intensifying to 100 km/h.
Additionally, Environment Canada has issued a coastal flooding warning for the Greater Victoria coastline, including areas from Cordova Bay to East Sooke.
