You can tell fall has arrived when BC Ferries starts battling the wind.
Several sailings between Vancouver and Victoria were cancelled early Friday morning, and more could be called off as gusty weather continues to sweep across the Strait of Georgia.
Just after 7:30 a.m., BC Ferries announced that the 8 a.m. sailing departing Swartz Bay and the 10 a.m. sailing departing Tsawwassen had been cancelled due to Environment Canada’s severe weather forecast for high winds in the region.
The company says four more sailings along the busy route are at risk of cancellation on Friday, October 24th:
- 9 a.m. departing Tsawwassen
- 9 a.m. departing Swartz Bay
- 11 a.m. departing Tsawwassen
- 11 a.m. departing Swartz Bay
BC Ferries said it’s keeping a close eye on conditions and will provide updates as the day goes on.
“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,” the company said in its morning notice.
“If conditions do not improve, additional sailings may need to be cancelled and we will let you know if that happens.”
Passengers with reservations on cancelled sailings will be contacted directly by BC Ferries’ customer service team. Depending on availability, they may be rebooked on another sailing later in the day or offered a refund.
The high winds aren’t just affecting the major routes. Four sailings between Shingle Spit (Hornby Island) and Gravelly Bay (Denman Island East) were also cancelled Friday morning.
The wind warnings align with a special weather statement issued by Environment Canada at 5:10 a.m. Friday, which warns of strong winds and possible power outages in Greater Victoria.
According to the weather agency, a strong frontal system will cross southern Vancouver Island this morning. Southeast winds of 60 gusting to 80 km/h near Haro Strait will ease by late this morning.
BC Ferries is reminding travellers to check its current conditions page or @BCFerries on X (formerly Twitter) before heading to terminals for the latest sailing information.
