More N.S.-P.E.I. ferry sailings cancelled due to wind Monday
High winds have led to the cancellation of some round trips for the ferry service connecting Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
The MV Saaremaa did not make the 10 a.m. Monday sailing from Caribou, N.S., or the 11:45 a.m. from Wood Islands, P.E.I. At around noon, Northumberland Ferries Ltd. announced the 1:30 p.m. crossing from Caribou and 3:15 p.m. crossing from Wood Islands have also been cancelled.
MV Confederation will continue to operate on its usual schedule, and will take on the passengers from the cancelled boats.
Environment Canada has a strong-wind warning in place for the eastern Northumberland Strait, with winds forecast to blow at 40 km/h with stronger gusts at times. Those winds are expected to ease Monday afternoon.
Northumberland Ferries had at one point cancelled Saaremaa's first round trip of the day due to the weather forecast, but the boat did end up making that run.
Saaremaa is a temporary replacement on the service, leased from Quebec's ferry service, and is not designed for the kind of rough weather often seen on the Strait.
It was brought in as a replacement for MV Holiday Island, which caught fire during a run in 2022 and had to be scrapped. Holiday Island was due to be replaced at the time, but that new ferry is not expected before 2028 at the earliest.
Transport Canada has purchased another ferry, the MV Fanafjord, to take the place of Saaremaa. That ship had been due to arrive in Canada some time late this year, but earlier in September, Transport Canada confirmed it would not be delivered in time to make any ferry runs before the service shuts down for the winter.
