BC Ferries says staffing 'looking good' for long weekend, but sailing waits expected

With many people targeting one final summer getaway this long weekend, BC Ferries warns passengers to be patient.

“If you don’t have a reservation expect sailing waits,” said Daniel McIntosh, BC Ferries communications manager. “I would say two, maybe three.”

Several passengers at the Tsawwassen terminal Friday morning told CTV News the wait times were tolerable.

“It’s pretty well what I expected, it’s been this way for a while now,” said Roy Mckee, who waited for an hour and a half to board a Victoria-bound ferry. “I had a nap.”

Darryl Dubuc waited a little longer, approximately two hours to board a Nanaimo-bound ferry.

“Sat over by the terminal a bit, watched people, got a coffee and off we go I hope,” he said.

Before the peak rush of Labour Day traffic began, BC Ferries already announced delays and cancellations as a result of crew availability issues.

Thursday night’s 6 p.m. sailing from Tsawwassen to Victoria was cancelled due to a crew shortage on the Coastal Celebration. As a result, the return 8 p.m. sailing from Victoria to Tsawwassen was also cancelled.

Also, Thursday night’s 8:30 p.m. sailing from Nanaimo (Departure Bay) to Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) was delayed one hour and 30 minutes due to a staffing issue.

However, BC Ferries says staffing isn’t a concern for the long weekend.

“Staffing right now is looking good,” said McIntosh. “I don’t have any reports of any delays or any issues or any sailings that are in jeopardy. That’s the projections as we head into the weekend as well.”

Vehicle reservations throughout Friday are sold out from popular routes including Tsawwassen to Victoria, Victoria to Tsawwassen and Tsawwassen to Duke Point. Reservations are nearly sold out from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo and vice versa.

Approximately 50 per cent of deck space is allocated for reserved vehicles on major routes during busy weekends, though that number is subject to vary, according to the BC Ferries website.