Ferries could face more delays
The ferry service that links Nova Scotia with Newfoundland is warning travellers to be ready for another round of delays as more rough weather is expected to descend on the region during the holiday weekend.
High winds in the Cabot Strait prompted cancellation of all departures on Wednesday and Thursday, stranding passengers and commercial truck traffic at ports in North Sydney and Port aux Basques in southwestern Newfoundland.
However, spokesman Darrell Mercer said the addition of an extra commercial crossing on Friday was expected to clear the backlog.
“At this stage, we think we’re going to be OK,’’ he said.
However, with more bad weather in the forecast for the weekend, Mercer said the company is reaching out to its customers.
“We are expecting a system to move in (Saturday) night into Sunday and we’ve asked our customers to look at the forecast and determine if their travel circumstances will allow them to move to an earlier crossing,’’ he said in an interview late Friday.
“The updated forecast models are still showing some problematic areas ... We’re not sure about the impact on our crossings, but there is the potential they could be delayed or cancelled.’’
The Environment Canada marine weather forecast issued for the Cabot Strait late Friday included a hurricane-force wind warning for this evening.