BC Ferries says all remaining Friday sailings from Metro Vancouver’s Horseshoe Bay and Nanaimo’s Departure Bay have been cancelled due to severe weather.
The ferry service announced the cancellations on social media shortly after 4 p.m. Friday.
Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, and much of B.C.’s South Coast are are seeing torrents of rain Friday as the first atmospheric river of the season bears down on the region.
B.C.’s River Forecast Centre has issued a flood watch for the south and central coasts, and Environment Canada announced Thursday afternoon that it has upgraded a previously issued special weather statement over the region to a rainfall warning.
BC Ferries says it cannot risk the high winds, and has cancelled all remaining sailings for Friday, Oct. 18.
Earlier Friday morning, there were a pair of cancellations affecting Haida Gwaii, but the service told 1130 NewsRadio it didn’t anticipate pulling any other vessels at the time.
“We’re in constant communication with our teams at terminals, on our vessels and we’re ready to adapt if anything changes,” said Ceilidh Marlow of BC Ferries Friday morning.
She says if you are taking a sailing this weekend, it may be a rocky ride and you may be asked to stay inside.
“Be mindful when you’re walking across the decks, those waves can come up quickly and knock people off their feet. Just listen to the safety instructions from crews.”
If you’re a customer who has a reservation and a sailing is cancelled due to weather, Marlow says you’re not entitled to a refund.
“While compensation is not provided for sailing cancellations that are outside of our control (e.g. weather, medical emergencies, rescue operations, natural disasters, security, and law enforcement issues, etc), if a cancellation within our control occurs (e.g. mechanical issues, crew availability, human error) that prevents you from reaching your final destination on the same day, as planned, you can submit a compensation request with your receipts to our Customer Relations department.”
The first sailings Saturday morning, from the same locations, are currently sold out.
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