A lengthy $3-million engine repair to the Queen of Surrey will leave the Coast with a limited summer ferry schedule and no Tuesday and Wednesday evening commuter sailings until late July.
Deborah Marshall, B.C. Ferries' director of media relations, said the company normally dedicates both the Surrey and the Queen of Coquitlam to the Langdale route for its ramped up summer schedule, which this year would have run from June 30 to Sept. 6.
But until repairs to the Surrey are complete in late July, the Langdale route will operate only the Coquitlam full-time, plus share the Nanaimo route's Queen of Cowichan.
The resulting "modified" summer schedule will include nine extra sailings per week instead of 12. It eliminates some midday sailings plus the long-sought Tuesday and Wednesday 5:50 p.m. commuter sailing from Horseshoe Bay.
Marshall called that commuter sailing "near and dear to the commuters' hearts" and called it "unfortunate" that the Tuesday and Wednesday sailings won't be available until July.
Marshall said that while the modified schedule provides the same number of round trips on Sundays, sailings will be shifted later in the day, including the addition of 10:40 and 11:40 p.m. sailings.
To address midday Sunday congestion at Langdale, B.C. Ferries is providing free reservations, at 1-888-BCFERRY, for the 6:20 a.m., 8:30 a.m. and 11:40 p.m. Langdale sailings. Free reservations are also available for an 11:30 p.m. Friday sailing from Horseshoe Bay.
Marshall said that when the Surrey suffered a crankshaft failure May 4, causing one of its two main engines to seize, engineers first expected repairs to be complete by month end. That timeline, she said, changed when engineers realized both the crankshaft and a bed plate had to be replaced, with the latter getting shipped in from Germany.
"It's a huge job," Marshall said. "We've got engineers and we've also got contractors. We've been consulting with the engine manufacturer. There's been a lot of people focusing on the Queen of Surrey."
Barry Cavens, who sits on the Ferry Advisory Committee for the Langdale route, voiced disappointment that the long-sought commuter sailing will be delayed, adding he wasn't sure that the new late Friday and Sunday sailings will serve Coast residents.
"That'll be good for the tourists, for the people coming over for the weekends, but I'm not sure that it does much for the people who are having to use it during normal hours," he said.
But he said he felt B.C. Ferries is doing what it can to handle the problem.
"I guess the boat is broke and we're going to have to do the best we can because there's no other spare capacity in the system," he said.
Gibsons council, which frequently bemoans B.C. Ferries' lack of on-time performance, voiced exasperation with the situation.
"All we can say is it's going to be a real hardship for the travellers, for the businesses that receive the travellers and the people like my family who depend on the ferries running and running on time," said Mayor Barry Janyk at Tuesday's council meeting.
Janyk added that B.C. Ferries' scheduling problems are exacerbated by inadequate communication with the public, citing the Coquitlam's June 4 breakdown and oil leak as an example.
"We understand that ferries break down," he said. "We understand there's going to be disruptions in service. But the whole communications piece is so vital. That's all people ask for: 'Just let us know what the situation is so we can plan around it.' That aspect of it didn't take place and there's no reason for that. There's no excuse for that." with files from Brent Richter
