Passengers and crew on two BC Ferries vessels were delayed on the long weekend, with one incident involving a swimming bear and the other a naked human.
On Monday, Coastal Celebration, set to leave Swartz Bay at 4 p.m., was delayed about 30 minutes after a woman was reported to be intoxicated and naked in a vehicle.
RCMP responded and an investigation continues.
On Saturday morning, Queen of Oak Bay was held up briefly at Departure Bay in Nanaimo to give a swimming bear a chance to pass.
BC Ferries spokeswoman Astrid Braunschmidt said the ferry was set to leave at 8:45 a.m. for Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, when the crew noticed the swimming bear.
“She had to slow down because some of the crew noticed a black bear swimming just outside the berth,” Braunschmidt said.
“So they took a few minutes to let the bear pass and docked in Horseshoe Bay about 10 minutes late,” she said. “There was a bit of a delay but they had to let the [animal] pass.”
Otherwise, ferry travel on the long weekend was relatively smooth. A few passengers without reservations had to wait for a sailing or two to leave Vancouver Island.
But reserved passengers all travelled without delays, Braunschmidt said. “It’s been a pretty good long weekend for us.”
BC Ferries laid on extra sailings for the long weekend: 66 extra sailings between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen, 15 between Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay, and 11 between Horseshoe Bay and the Sunshine Coast.