BC Ferries got it all backwards on Friday, April 16 and as of Monday, April 19, it still is.
In an unusual manoeuvre noticed by passengers on Route 3, the Queen of Surrey turned around after leaving the Langdale terminal and sailed in reverse to Horseshoe Bay.
The reason turned out to be a problem with the propeller.
“We [are] experiencing an issue with the controllable pitch propeller on one end of the Queen of Surrey so we are ‘end for ending’ right now,” public affairs executive director Deborah Marshall told Coast Reporter in an email on April 16.
No delays were initially reported and the problem was expected to be resolved over the weekend, however on April 19 Marshall confirmed the vessel will continue “end for ending” until repairs are completed on April 21 or 22.
A service notice on Monday indicated the Queen of Surrey is operating about half an hour behind schedule between Langdale and Horseshoe Bay, “due to accumulated delays associated with loading and unloading the vessel as well as an ongoing mechanical issue that requires the vessel to turn around before going into the dock at Langdale.”
