by Kyle Wells reporter@prpeak.com A number of passengers were left stranded in Earls Cove overnight on Friday, September 30 after a vehicle smelling of fuel caused traffic to be late arriving for the last sailing.
Powell River resident Ann Parker wrote to BC Ferries on Monday, October 3 to complain about the ferry leaving behind vehicles on the Earls Cove to Saltery Bay route.
Parker said that it took a half hour to unload the Queen of Surrey on arrival at Langdale ferry terminal. BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall explained the delay was caused by a car that smelled of fuel. The crew stood by the vehicle with fire suppression equipment until a tow truck could arrive to remove the vehicle.
As passengers were already in their vehicles the chief steward did not know how many were bound for Powell River. Word was passed to the Island Sky crew that late vehicles would be arriving. After several late cars were loaded onto the Island Sky it set sail, assuming that all passengers had arrived.
This turned out to not be the case and Parker, despite an “unlawful sprint up the Peninsula,” and at least six other cars ended up missing the ferry despite only arriving five minutes late for the scheduled sailing. Parker and others ended up sleeping at the ferry terminal to catch the first sailing the next morning.
“For the master of the Island Sky to only wait four minutes past scheduled sailing time, knowing that vehicles would be trying to catch the last ship to Powell River, is ridiculous,” wrote Parker. “At the very least he could have waited a mere 10 to 15 minutes more to ensure that no one would be left behind.”
Marshall said policy is for the Island Sky to wait on its last sailing for passengers arriving late from Langdale when informed of a late arrival there. In normal circumstances the chief steward relays the number and type of vehicles to the Island Sky captain so that crew there know how long to wait. In this situation, that was not possible.
