Qajaq W, Strait of Belle Isle crossings cancelled for a week straight
It's been nearly a full week without ferry service across the Strait of Belle Isle with bad weather forcing the new Qajaq W vessel to remain dockside in St. Barbe.
Passengers on both sides of the water have been stranded and unable to make the 36-km trek by ferry since February 8. The service was again cancelled on Thursday due to a gale warning in effect with winds forecast to 45 knots.
"It's frustrating, and I'm just as frustrated as everybody else. I have a couple businesses that rely heavily on traffic and the ferry is what moves traffic through," said Chad Letto, president of the Combined Councils of Labrador.
"Expectations are always high when you get something new, and I won't disagree with that. But it is the Strait of Belle Isle and the tides and the ice pressure that we have [here] makes it difficult for any kind of ship."
We live in Labrador and we have to put up with that stuff … Mother Nature's kind of cruel to us sometimes. - Chad Letto
On Wednesday, the MHA for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair, Lisa Powell Dempster, took to social media to assure her constituents she was working with the minister of transportation to arrange a flight service. A flight departed from Blanc Sablon to St. Anthony later that evening.
"We understand the frustrations of ferry users who need to cross the Strait of Belle Isle and will continue to maintain readiness to sail as soon as it is safe to do so," wrote Rodney Drover, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Works in an email.
"Temporary air service has been in place since yesterday, but has been unable to operate so far today due to high winds and poor visibility. The department works to provide supplementary air transportation services on a case-by-case basis."
He added that although the Qajaq W is class 1A certified and equipped to operate in heavy ice conditions, it is common for harsh weather across the straits to make travel unsafe by both air and sea.
Absent icebreaker
Letto said it was possible the Qajaq W could have sailed Wednesday with the assistance of icebreaker vessel CCGS Harry Larson, but the ship was in Corner Brook to allow for a new crew to come on board.
According to marine tracking sites, it arrived in St. Barbe on Thursday morning.
The Department of Transportation and Works made a similar observation stating they initially requested icebreaker service on February 8.
"Had the vessel arrived earlier, there is a strong possibility the Qajaq W could have made the run across the straits yesterday," said Drover.
"We will continue to work with the Coast Guard to ensure services continue to run as smoothly as possible throughout the winter season."
Chad Letto said although it is frustrating, the cancellations haven't come as a surprise given the harsh weather conditions hitting the province this year.
He referenced the Trans-Labrador Highway from Red Bay to Lodge Bay that had been blocked with snow since a storm last week, before finally opening to a single lane on Wednesday.
"We live in Labrador and we have to put up with that stuff I guess, because Mother Nature's kind of cruel to us sometimes."