BC Ferries warns of possible cancellations amid holiday storms

Posted December 24, 2024 2:17 pm.

Last Updated December 24, 2024 5:59 pm.

If you have a ferry to catch to or from Vancouver Island on Christmas Day, you might want to double-check your booking.

BC Ferries has cancelled several Wednesday sailings across the Strait of Georgia ahead of a major storm set to hit B.C.’s South Coast Tuesday.

As of Tuesday at 6 p.m., the following sailings have been cancelled for Wednesday, Dec. 25:

11:00 a.m. departing Tsawwassen 11:00 a.m. departing Swartz Bay 1:00 p.m. departing Tsawwassen 1:00 p.m. departing Swartz Bay 3:00 p.m. departing Tsawwassen 3:00 p.m. departing Swartz Bay 5:00 p.m. departing Tsawwassen 5:00 p.m. departing Swartz Bay 10:40 a.m. departing Departure Bay 10:40 a.m. departing Horseshoe Bay 1:00 p.m. departing Departure Bay 1:00 p.m. departing Horseshoe Bay 3:20 p.m. departing Departure Bay 3:45 p.m. departing Horseshoe Bay 5:55 p.m. departing Departure Bay 6:35 p.m. departing Horseshoe Bay 9:55 a.m. departing Little River 11:50 a.m. departing Powell River 3:25 p.m. departing Little River 5:15 p.m. departing Powell River

Sailings from those terminals between 7 and 11 p.m. are “at risk” of cancellation as well.

All Wednesday sailings between Tsawwassen and Duke Point have been cancelled.

Sonia Lowe, a senior communications advisor for BC Ferries tells 1130 NewsRadio that the company is closely monitoring potential weather impacts. 

“Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement forecasting high winds in the Strait of Georgia starting this evening. The safety of our passengers and crew is always a top priority, and we obviously don’t want to fail if it’s unsafe to do so, but we want customers to know that they should be prepared for the possibility of cancellations,” said Lowe.

She encourages travellers to check the BC Ferries website for up-to-date service notices.

“You can go online or on our app to make any changes, and your reservation would be cancelled and refunded automatically if we do need to cancel for weather,” Lowe advised.

Listen live to 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver ferry and weather updates every 10 minutes with traffic on the ones. You can also follow Meteorologist Michael Kuss on X and subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.