Wind warnings cancel ferry sailings between Vancouver Island, Lower Mainland

A BC Ferries vessel is seen in this undated image. (Shutterstock)

BC Ferries cancelled four sailings on its busiest route Saturday morning due to high winds in the Strait of Georgia.

The 8 a.m. and noon sailings departing Tsawwassen for Swartz Bay have been cancelled, as have the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. sailings scheduled for the opposite direction, according to a service notice from the ferry provider.

Other sailings scheduled for Saturday on the route are expected to proceed as scheduled, BC Ferries said.

Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued wind warnings for Greater Victoria, the Southern Gulf Islands, eastern Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

Sustained winds of 70 kilometres per hour, with gusts as high as 90 km/h, are expected in Greater Victoria and the Southern Gulf Islands through the morning, the weather agency said, adding that high winds are expected to extend across all of the regions subject to the warning by Saturday evening.

"High winds may toss loose objects or cause tree branches to break," ECCC's warning reads. "Utility outages may occur."

BC Ferries said it is monitoring weather conditions and aiming to resume sailing between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay "as soon as it’s safe to do so." Further cancellations may be necessary if conditions do not improve, the ferry service said.

"If you have a booking on one of these cancelled sailings, you will hear from our Customer Service Centre to let you know if we can fit you on an alternate sailing, or if your booking must be cancelled," the service notice reads.

"In the case of a cancellation, we will refund your fees and/or fares."

Sailings between Nanaimo and the Lower Mainland were running as scheduled Saturday, according to BC Ferries.