BC Ferries shuts down service on all Northern Routes ahead of approaching storm

Holding in Port Hardy ... the Northern Expedition is going to ride out
a major storm at port in Port Hardy, with no service on the Northern routes
anticipated until at least Monday

With heavy seas and strong winds in store for the next 72 hours, BC Ferries has already shut down service to both Haida Gwaii and Northern Vancouver Island with the Ferry service issuing its Service Notice for passengers earlier today.

The service shut downs with the delay of the Port Hardy to Prince Rupert sailing scheduled for 6PM tonight until Monday morning at 10 AM.

That has had a domino effect on service to Haida Gwaii, with the next sailing across Hecate Strait to take place on Tuesday, December 18th at 11 AM.

You can access updates to the BC Ferry Schedule here.

The decision to keep the Northern Expedition in port comes as the waters off Haida Gwaii and the North Coast are set to receive Hurricane force winds, with the winds increasing to 65 knots by noon on Saturday. 

Seas will range from 6 to 8 metres by Saturday afternoon in the North, 7 to 10 metres in the southern half of Hecate Strait.

Updates on the Marine Forecast can be found from the Environment Canada website.

Fore more notes related to BC Ferries on the North Coast see our archive page here.