British Columbia

3-sailing waits for some BC Ferries routes as Easter travellers head home

The next available sailing from Duke Point to Tsawwassen is 8:15 p.m. PT, according to the ferry service.

Next available sailing from Duke Point to Tsawwassen is 8:15 p.m. PT, according to ferry service

Cars lined up at BC Ferries' Duke Point terminal around noon Monday, waiting to get to Horseshoe Bay. The route had a three-sailing wait, leaving some waiting until the evening to catch a boat. (BC Ferries)

Travellers heading between Vancouver Island and the mainland with BC Ferries should prepare for chock-full terminals and potentially long waits Monday, with at least one route seeing a three-sailing wait by midday.

As of 12:30 p.m. PT, the next available sailing for anyone travelling from Duke Point in Nanaimo to Tsawwassen is at 8:15 p.m. Sailings at 12:45 p.m., 3:15 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. are already full, according to the BC Ferries website.

Afternoon sailings from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen were already about three quarters full by noon, which could leave late passengers waiting until 4 or 5 p.m. for a boat.

The Easter long weekend is a notoriously busy time for BC Ferries. On Friday, passengers trying to leave from Horseshoe Bay on Friday showed up to find a long line of vehicles winding back onto Highway 1 and a crush of foot passengers milling around the parking lot, with some corporation staff reportedly in tears trying to direct crowds.

Many travellers ended up sitting through a two- to three-sailing wait Friday, with some waiting four sailings between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay.

A BC Ferries staffer speaks to a passenger at the Horseshoe Bay terminal on April 19, when traffic lineups stretched back onto the highway. (Denis Dossman/CBC)