Editor:
It has to be one for the B.C. Ferry history book.
On Friday, Sept. 14 I was at the Horseshoe Bay terminal an hour before the 1:35 p.m. sailing to Langdale. Over the booth a message "a possible sailing wait." The booth attendant remarks, "I doubt if you will get on." So there we are. From past experience well conditioned for a two hour and a half wait.
Our line moves. We get closer and closer. We are stopped six cars from the front of the line. Then we are waived down the slope to the bottom deck. Sigh of relief. We made it. Then we see the ferry drawing away. Strange. Our experience has always been that once you have been waived down that slope you will get aboard.
But within about six minutes, we are directed to the empty bottom deck of a ferry in berth two. The Queen of Cowichan a peaceful unscheduled voyage in a half empty ferry. Quick thinking on somebody's part, so thank you ferry workers.
A wee bit of research follows. The Queen of Cowichan left Nanaimo at noon as scheduled. It was scheduled to return to Nanaimo at 4:20 p.m. Nothing scheduled for Langdale, but an empty ferry at hand. A lesson to be learned here maybe B.C. Ferries? Include this sailing in next year's September/October schedule.
Friday afternoons' traffic from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale does not have to be in the distressed state next year that is how it has been this year.
Bernard McGrath
Langdale
