Updated 3 p.m.
The 10:50 p.m. sailing of the Queen of Coquitlam from Langdale has arrived in Horseshoe Bay.
The ferry, which had seen an issue with its "pitch control" and was stranded outside of Horseshoe Bay for several hours, was escorted by tug boat into dock.
"The vessel will conduct sea trials using the available tug while the crew awaits final approval from Transport Canada to resume service with the 4:20 pm sailing to Langdale," said a service notice.
Three 12-passenger water taxis in shuttle mode will provide passenger service between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale in the meantime.
Rohana Rezel and his wife and son were visiting the Sunshine Coast from Vancouver for the long weekend and were pleased that they managed miss Friday's chaos in Horseshoe Bay. They caught the 10:50 a.m. boat today, which left "pretty much on time."
"We got to within a couple of nautical miles of Horseshoe Bay. We could see it, right? We could see Horseshoe Bay. And then suddenly, the boat stopped, and the pilot, the captain, came on the PA system and said they were having some trouble."
"After about an hour and a half, they came back and said, 'Unfortunately, the engineers have not been able to fix it, so they're going to have to call for a tug.'" Rezel said the passengers waited another 45 minutes for the tug boat. "Then they pushed us to the terminal."
Asked whether this would discourage him from returning to the Sunshine Coast, Rezel, erred on the side of "it's all part of the adventure."
"Generally, we've had good luck getting Sunshine Coast. We've had issues getting to the island, but never to the Sunshine Coast. So that's the key reason we chose Sunshine Coast over the island. But these things happen."
Rezel added he feels sorry for people who missed flights from YVR, but otherwise he thinks everyone's doing OK.
"It's a beautiful day out, and people are feeling holiday mode, so people were chilling out on the decks."
"When the tug came...there were three cheers and clapping and it was a pretty happy occasion."
Updated 2:30 p.m.
According to the ferry tracker, the Queen of Coquitlam is headed into Horseshoe Bay now.
According to BC Ferries on X (formerly Twitter), the "pitch control issue" has been repaired. "The vessel will do sea trials while we wait for final approval to resume service with the 4:20 pm sailing to Langdale."
Original story
Evidently, the Easter Bunny didn't bring improved ferry service to the Sunshine Coast.
Several sailings between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale are cancelled Monday, April 21 due to "a mechanical difficulty with the vessel’s pitch control," according to a service notice issued at 1:08 p.m.
The ferry departed Langdale at 10:52 a.m. and has not yet docked in Horseshoe Bay because of the mechanical difficulties.
"We continue to investigate the issue while the vessel awaits assistance from a tug to help the vessel into the Horseshoe Bay," said the service notice. "For those currently on board, the tug is expected to arrive to the vessel's current location at approximately 2:00 pm. The vessel will continue to communicate with passengers directly about the expected time of arrival into dock."
Cancelled sailings:
11:55 am departing Horseshoe Bay
1:05 pm departing Langdale
2:10 pm departing Horseshoe Bay
3:15 pm departing Langdale
Sailings at risk of cancellation:
4:20 pm departing Horseshoe Bay
5:25 pm departing Langdale
BC Ferries says it's sourcing a passenger water taxi "should the regular scheduled service be cancelled."
"If you have a booking on one of these cancelled sailings, you will hear from our Customer Service Centre who will let you know if we can fit you on an alternate sailing later today, or if your booking must be cancelled. In the case of a cancellation, we will refund your fees and/or fares," the service notice added.
