While it didn’t cause delays in service, the snowstorm that impacted the Comox Valley last week did create an unusual (and rare) dilemma for BC Ferries - slush.
As most of the area was digging out from heavy snowfall, some residents on Denman Island took to social media to show what appeared to be parts of Baynes Sound ‘freezing over’ due to freshwater runoff.
According to BC Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall, the Baynes Sound Connector - the cable ferry connecting Buckley Bay on Vancouver Island to Denman Island - did not encounter ice on the ocean, but rather sailed through slush.
She noted while the ocean did appear to have ice on the surface, the ferry did not have to act as an icebreaker. The company’s marine superintendent coincidentally was on the ferry as it was having a routine safety inspection by an external agency.
“The crew did however have to clean the slush out of the sea strainers, which are part of the engine cooling system, frequently for a couple of hours,” Marshall said.
More than 20 cm of snow blanketed parts of the Comox Valley last Tuesday, causing road closures and power outages.
erin.haluschak@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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