Extra sailings will make the Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay crossing over the weekend, the first since non-essential travel restrictions were removed. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

WEEKEND TRAVEL

BC Ferries adds additional weekend sailings to Nanaimo-Vancouver route

Jun 16, 2021 | 2:17 PM

NANAIMO — The opening of non-essential travel across B.C. is set to pack ferries to and from Vancouver Island.

Demand for reservations on upcoming sailings was so intense, the BC Ferries website crashed nearly immediately after Premier John Horgan rescinded restrictions surrounding non-essential travel outside of a health authority on Monday, June 14.

To combat increased demand, BC Ferries has added six additional sailings between Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay for the June 18-20 weekend.

In addition to the regular schedule, boats will leave Nanaimo’s Departure Bay at 12 p.m. on Friday, June 18 and Sunday, June 20, as well as a 7:25 p.m. departure on Sunday.

Return sailings from Horseshoe Bay in Vancouver to Nanaimo will leave at 5:40 p.m. on Friday and 5:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Sunday.

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No additional sailings were added to the Duke Point to Tsawwassen route.

Eight extra sailings were placed on the Swartz Bay (Victoria) to Tsawwassen run.

“We will be moving to our regular summer schedules at the end of June through Labour Day,” Deborah Marshall, BC Ferries spokesperson, said. “Customers will see similar schedules like we had pre-pandemic summers.”

Marshall said no data was available on the volume of reservations made due to issues with their website issues earlier this week.

As of the morning of Wednesday, June 16, reservations could still be made on all but one sailing between Nanaimo and Horseshoe Bay on Friday.

The full schedule for BC Ferries sailings can be found on their website.

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