Horseshoe Bay is a major ferry terminal owned and operated by

BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company. BC Ferries provides all major passenger and vehicle ferr ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Located in the community of Horseshoe Bay, a neighbourhood of

West Vancouver West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, West Vancouver is to the northwest of the city of Vancouver on the northern side of English Ba ...

, the terminal provides a vehicle ferry link from the Lower Mainland to

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

, the Sunshine Coast, and to

Bowen Island Bowen Island (originally Nex̱wlélex̱m in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh), British Columbia, is an island municipality that is part of Metro Vancouver. Bowen Island is within the jurisdiction of the Islands Trust. Located in Howe Sound, it is approximate ...

, a small island in the southern part of

Howe Sound Howe Sound (french: Baie (de /d')Howe, squ, Átl'ka7tsem, Nexwnéwu7ts, Txwnéwu7ts) is a roughly triangular sound, that joins a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia. It was designated as a UNESCO Biosph ...

. Comprising three berths, Horseshoe Bay is the third largest BC Ferries terminal, after

Tsawwassen Tsawwassen ( ) is a suburban, mostly residential community on a peninsula in the southwestern corner of the City of Delta in British Columbia, Canada. It provides the only road access to the American territory on the southern tip of the peninsul ...

and

Swartz Bay Swartz Bay, located on the north end of the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island, is primarily known for being the location of one of BC Ferries' main terminals, the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal. Swartz Bay was named after John Aaron Swart, purchas ...

Establishment and expansion

In 1951, the Black Ball Line leased a wharf and began a service to

Gibsons Gibsons is a coastal community of 4,605 in southwestern British Columbia, Canada on the Strait of Georgia. Although it is on the mainland, the Sunshine Coast is not accessible by road. Vehicle access is by BC Ferries from Horseshoe Bay in West ...

(later relocated to

Langdale Great Langdale is a valley in the Lake District National Park in North West England, the epithet Great distinguishing it from the neighbouring valley of Little Langdale. Langdale is also the name of a valley in the Howgill Fells, elsewhere ...

). In 1953, a new route to

Departure Bay Departure Bay is a bay in central Nanaimo, British Columbia, on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The surrounding neighbourhood is also referred to as "Departure Bay" —once a settlement of its own, it was amalgamated into the City of Nan ...

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...

was established. In 1956, services to Bowen Island began when Black Ball replaced the

Union Steamship Company of British Columbia The Union Steamship Company of British Columbia was a pioneer firm on coastal British Columbia. It was founded in November 1889 by John Darling, a director of the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, and nine local businessmen. The company be ...

. In 1961, the provincial government purchased the various Black Ball operations. In the late 1960s, the terminal was reconstructed and expanded. In 1976, a new upper deck loading ramp was built. In 2002, substantial improvements were completed at a cost of $39 million, which primarily addressed traffic awaiting embarkation on ferries. Holding stalls increased from 650 to 1,265 by absorbing former highway, removing a freeway bridge and truck runaway lane, and reconfiguring a highway interchange. Additional construction included a 450-car underground parkade and new buildings for foot passengers, amenities and maintenance. A $250 million upgrade of the terminal is planned for the 2020s. On March 28, 2022, the first seismic sensor for British Columbia's

earthquake early warning An earthquake warning system or earthquake early warning system is a system of accelerometers, seismometers, communication, computers, and alarms that is devised for notifying adjoining regions of a substantial earthquake while it is in progress ...

system was installed at the Horseshoe Bay terminal.

Incidents and accidents

* 1966: '' Langdale Queen'' ran over a nearby rowboat, on which both occupants survived. * 1982: '' Queen of Surrey'' rammed the dock causing significant damage. * 1985: Three occupants were killed when ''

Queen of Cowichan MV ''Queen of Cowichan'' is a BC Ferries vessel, built in Victoria, British Columbia in 1976. It joined the other two C-class ferries built that year, and , and was followed by and . The ship, like all C-class ferries, is double-ended. This mea ...

'' ran over a pleasure boat near the terminal. * 1989: A structural steel load on an arriving truck shifted, striking seven parked vehicles and injuring two women in the holding lot. * 1990: After brakes failed, a loaded truck struck a parked van and spilled hot asphalt, killing two of the occupants and injuring others. The truck driver received an 18-month sentence, increased to five years on appeal. At a new trial, the driver was found guilty of dangerous driving but not criminal negligence. * 1991: Robbers stole $12,000 in coin from a safe at the terminal. * 1995: ''

Queen of Coquitlam MV ''Queen of Coquitlam'' is a in the BC Ferries fleet, launched in 1976. She first operated on BC Ferries' Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay route. For most of her life, she has been a replacement/relief vessel on all the major routes serving Metr ...

'' slammed into pilings, damaging its bow. * 2005: ''

Queen of Oak Bay MV ''Queen of Oak Bay'' is a double-ended roll-on/roll-off ferry in the BC Ferries fleet, launched in 1981 at Victoria, British Columbia. The long, 6,969-ton vessel has a capacity for 362 cars and over 1,500 passengers and crew. She normally o ...

'' lost control and smashed into a number of private boats at the marina in Horseshoe Bay; no fatalities were reported. * 2019: A crew member was significantly injured after being hit by the ''Queen of Cowichans bow door which was having trouble opening at the terminal. * 2022: A minor rock slide on January 2, 2022 closed the parkade for rock removal and structural repairs. May 19 is the target reopening date.

Gallery

File:Horshbay-ferry-lineup.jpg, Cars lining up at the terminal. File:Horshbay-ferry-dep.jpg, A ferry departing the terminal. File:Queenofoakbay-horshbay.jpg, ''Queen of Oak Bay'' departing the terminal. File:Horshbay-ferrytermin-entrance.jpg, Entrance to the terminal. File:Queenofcapilano-horshbay.jpg, ''Queen of Capilano'' arrives at the terminal.

Notes

References

{{BC Ferries , state=expanded BC Ferries Transport in Greater Vancouver Transport in West Vancouver Ferry terminals in British Columbia