The welcome mat will be rolled out a little later than first thought as Hullo braces for more wind and operational changes in its opening few days. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

cancelled sailings

Hullo further delays opening, cuts scheduled sailings through August

Aug 14, 2023 | 8:36 PM

NANAIMO — After years of planning for a new, reliable fast-ferry service, the debut of Hullo has hit a major roadblock.

Sailings for its long-scheduled debut on Monday, Aug. 14 were cancelled as a result of overnight power outages and continued blustery winds making travel across the Salish Sea unsafe for the brand-new boats.

Now, the company has preemptively cancelled sailings on Tuesday, Aug. 15 and reduced their schedule to two daily round trips through at least the end of the month.

“Every new operation has a bedding-in period to effectively set its systems and procedures for long term stability. [Monday’s] conditions gave us better insight into several processes that we could better operationalize,” Rupesh Amin, co-founder of Hullo said in a statement.

Beginning Wednesday, Aug. 16, weather permitting, boats will leave Nanaimo at 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., with return legs from Vancouver at 12 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

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Hullo said travellers already booked on the early morning and late night crossings which were previously scheduled will be refunded or rebooked.

“Our long-term vision is not only to be a transportation provider but a pillar of reliability and trust in the community,” Alastair Caddick, CEO of Hullo, said. “With this commitment in mind, we eagerly await the moment when we can welcome you aboard.”

Hullo eventually plans up to seven daily round trips, including late night sailings to coincide with special events in Vancouver.

Winds continued to gust upwards of 50 kilometres per hour all day Monday, with similar forecasts in place for overnight and into Tuesday.

Environment Canada issued a strong wind warning as a result of the conditions.

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