Winds expected to hamper ferry service for at least 48 hours

The MV Caribou spent Thursday morning in a holding pattern off Port aux Basques.

The ferry left North Sydney about 15 minutes late Wednesday evening at 11:45 p.m., but high winds hampered the voyage to Port aux Basques.

The vessel managed to dock around 3:30 p.m. Thursday when the wind died down to 28 km/h, according to the Environment Canada website.

It was scheduled to leave Port aux Basques around midnight if the captain decided the weather was co-operating.

Meanwhile, the MV Leif Ericson and the MV Atlantic Vision are tied up in North Sydney waiting for the winds to die down enough for the vessels to depart.

The MV Joseph and Clara Smallwood is not currently in service.

Tara Laing, communications officer with Marine Atlantic, said the winds were expected to impair service today through into Saturday.

Laing said it would be impossible at this time to estimate the amount of traffic backup that would be waiting for the first available crossing.

"Based on current (Thursday) weather forecasts we are anticipating this wind event will be an extended wind event," Laing said. "We anticipate being affected by this weather system for at least 48 hours."

Once the winds become reasonable, the three operating vessels will run on a load-and-go basis until the traffic backlog is cleared. Up to this point, there have been two major wind delays this fall which is less than normal, she said.