Story by Patrick Grapes, MyTriPortNow.com
VICTORIA, B.C. – As you’re gearing up for the unofficial kick-off to summer, so is BC Ferries.
It’s adding extra sailings for the upcoming Victoria Day Long weekend to help deal with the increased demand.
A grand total of 115 extra sailings will run between Thursday and next Tuesday.
Of those, 73 will be on the Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay route, with 18 added to Horseshoe Bay – Departure Bay, and the remaining 24 split evenly between Horseshoe Bay – Langdale and Earls Cove – Saltery Bay.
On top of that, the Queen of Cumberland will be back in service on Friday for the Southern Gulf Islands, so all of the regular schedules will be in effect.
The Queen of Cumberland was temporarily removed from service last month due to a malfunction with a rescue boat davit. The davit is being replaced and the vessel will be recertified before returning to service.
BC Ferries said that Thursday and Friday afternoon, along with Saturday morning, are the most popular times to travel for people heading out, while Monday is the most popular for returns. It said people travelling without a reservation should expect sailing waits during peak times.
