Passenger-only ferry service between Vancouver and Victoria could resume in December
Spring launch marred by mechanical problems in August but new engines now being installed in Victoria
Passenger ferry service between Victoria and Vancouver harbour could resume next month.
V2V Vacations launched a new service in the spring that faltered in August when its ship ran into mechanical problems.
The catamaran has been on blocks in a Victoria shipyard ever since waiting for new engines.
Hume Campbell, the CEO for V2V Vacations, says it was tricky to find replacements, but engines that fit the bill were tracked down in the southern U.S. and have now been shipped to Victoria.
"We had to find two engines, and then test those engines, modify them, and they are now in Victoria being installed as we speak," he said.
The company is hoping to resume service in time for the busy Christmas travel season, Hume added.
On top of mechanical problems, V2V is trying to overcome a difficult history on the Vancouver to Victoria route.
Passenger-only ferry service between the two cities was tried in the past without success.
But Hume says the tourism market has changed and with nearly $20 million invested to launch the V2V service, the company plans to overcome the early setback.
"We will be setting out to be reliable and be part of the storyscape of how you get from here to the mainland and from the mainland back to Victoria," he said.
For now, V2V Vacations is taking bookings for trips beginning in February.
But if the repair work goes as planned, Hume says the company will start selling tickets for trips at the end of December.