While lineups appear to have virtually disappeared since Island Nagalis took over the BC Ferries Cortes–Quadra run, there are often three-ferry waits at midday for people sailing between Quadra Island and Campbell River.

My personal experience of this comes from a trip to Campbell River on Monday, June 28. The lineup to leave Whaletown Terminal at 9:55 AM seemed normal, but we only filled half the ferry.

No Lineups on the Cortes–Quadra Run

A ferry worker, who it would not be fair to name as I did not identify myself as a reporter, said they have not left any cars behind since Island Nagalis took over.

Sheila Reynolds, a Senior Communications Advisor with BC Ferries, later emailed, “It’s still early, but our initial experience following the introduction of Island Nagalis has been encouraging. The larger vessel is providing significantly more capacity on the Cortes Island–Quadra Island route, and early customer feedback has been positive.”

“During on-vessel engagement earlier this week, many Cortes Island residents told us they were pleased with the additional capacity. Several commented that everyone waiting at Whaletown was accommodated that day, which they said had not always been the case previously. While it’s too early to say what longer-term trends will look like, the initial feedback has been favourable.”

Three-Ferry Waits from Quathiaski Cove at Noon

However, when I turned onto Harper Road in Quathiaski Cove, the lineup was backed up halfway to the garage. Two ferry sailings later, we reached the main parking area, only to find out the crew had just gone on lunch break. We finally boarded around 12:40 PM.

One of the crew explained this was normal right now. There are often three-ferry waits both ways at this time of day, but after 12:40 PM, it goes down to one wait or no waits.

Reynolds emailed: “The introduction of the higher-capacity Island Nagalis is expected to increase the number of vehicles continuing from Cortes Island through Quadra Island to Campbell River. At the same time, vehicle staging space at Quathiaski Cove remains limited. For many years, those travelling from Cortes to Quadra on the first sailing of the day on Mondays and Thursdays received priority loading at Quathiaski Cove to connect to Campbell River. As of June 29, vehicles arriving from Cortes on those mornings are being staged with other vehicles travelling the route and loaded on a first-arrive, first-load basis. This change is needed to safely manage the potentially higher volume of vehicles within the available terminal space.” 

“We’re currently reviewing our June operational data, so we can’t yet confirm overall traffic patterns or wait times on the Quadra Island–Campbell River route, including whether there is a recurring pattern of longer waits at specific times of day.”

“We did observe heavier traffic at Quathiaski Cove later in the afternoon during our recent visit. It’s also possible travel patterns this week were influenced by Canada Day falling mid-week, which can affect when and how people choose to travel. However, it’s too early to determine what factors contributed to those volumes, and we don’t yet have the operational data needed to draw conclusions.”

“Wait times on the Quadra Island–Campbell River route can vary depending on travel demand, vessel loading and normal operational requirements. As we complete our review of the June data and continue monitoring operations, we’ll have a clearer picture of traffic patterns and how the introduction of Island Nagalis is affecting both routes and the overall customer experience.”

The Trip Home

Our trip home, on July 1, was a breeze. Forewarned about the busy time, we caught the 8:30 AM from Campbell River, but needn’t have worried. It was Canada Day and traffic was light anyway. The only thing worth reporting is that, after I identified myself as media, they allowed me to take some photographs on the bridge.

Links of Interest:

• Island Nagalis Takes Over This Friday – Cortes Currents
• Construction at Heriot Bay and Whaletown terminals ending, new ferries coming – Cortes Currents
• Island Class – BC Ferries
• Articles about, or mentioning, BC Ferries

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