Image: Strong winds kept B.C. Ferries vessels from travelling across the Salish Sea for much of Monday. CBC
Strong winds swept across coastal British Columbia on Monday, forcing ferry cancellations and leaving travellers stuck on both sides of the Salish Sea during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. The sudden disruption added stress for families and workers trying to move between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland ahead of the holidays.
Environment Canada warned that damaging winds and rough waters would arrive by late afternoon. Forecasts showed wind speeds climbing between 70 and 90 kilometres per hour, making crossings unsafe.
As a result, B.C. Ferries cancelled all daytime sailings on several major routes.
Passengers Left Waiting and Frustrated
Britney Dale of Nanaimo learned about the cancellation only after spending an hour travelling to Horseshoe Bay.
“I want to go home and it's super inconvenient,” Dale said. “I actually had some work stuff that I needed to get to today, but now that has to be put on hold.”
She planned to try again Tuesday morning, hoping the weather would calm.
B.C. Ferries spokesperson Shiryn Sayani said crews continued to monitor conditions before deciding on evening sailings.
“We totally recognize it's such a busy holiday period and everyone has important places to be, so travel disruptions are frustrating,” she said.
“We really just appreciate everyone's patience. Our teams are working through the conditions and as soon as they improve and it's safe to do so, that service will be restored.”
Booking System Overwhelmed
As cancellations mounted, thousands of travellers rushed online to rebook. By early afternoon, more than 6,000 people waited in the digital queue, with delays stretching beyond 45 minutes.
Victoria resident Michelle Kirby said her parents travelled from the Kootenays hoping to cross to Vancouver Island. They spent hours trying to book a sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay.
Each attempt ended with an error page. Phone lines also failed to connect.
“For them to come all the way across the province and then get stuck in Vancouver would be very sad,” Kirby said.
“All of our Christmas plans are a little bit up in the air and I have too much cheese for just our family. We need my parents and my sister to get over here to eat it all.”
After five hours online, Kirby finally secured seats for early Christmas Eve.
Missed Plans and Late Notices
Some travellers only discovered cancellations at the last moment. Joel Stephanson said he saw the notice for his cancelled 11 a.m. sailing from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen on a roadside sign while driving to the terminal.
“So I paid their inflated cost of $104 to get my small car to the mainland this morning, and they can't be bothered to email about the cancellation,” he said.
Stephanson hoped to rebook in time for a holiday reading event he described as a yearly highlight.
Gradual Return to Service
By Monday evening, conditions improved enough for some sailings to resume. Earlier cancellations affected routes between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen, Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay, Duke Point, and several Southern Gulf Islands.
Other operators also paused service. Hullo Ferries cancelled trips after 9 a.m., while Helijet added extra flights from Nanaimo to meet demand.
B.C. Ferries said staff rebooked most affected passengers and continued to contact those still waiting.
