'Extremely inopportune timing': Hullo forced to cancel all sailings this weekend

Travellers booked on a passenger ferry between Vancouver and Nanaimo this weekend will have to make alternative plans. Hullo has cancelled all of its sailings on Saturday and Sunday.

The fledgling downtown-to-downtown ferry service blamed the cancellations on "minor weather damage" and "extremely inopportune timing."

One of the company's two vessels, Sthuqi', "received minor damage as a result of yesterday's gale-force winds," Hullo said in a statement on its website Saturday.

At the same time, the other ferry, Spuhéls, "was pre-scheduled for work that requires a dry docking over the next week," according to the company.

Hullo launched in August of this year, but not without challenges. Strong winds and a power outage caused it to cancel all of its sailings on its first two days of planned operation, Aug. 14 and 15.

Normally, Hullo operates four sailings a day in each direction, with special late-night sailings running on nights when there are major events – such as concerts and professional sports games – in downtown Vancouver.

The company says all guests booked on this weekend's cancelled sailings will receive refunds to their original payment method. If payment is not received in five business days, guests should contact the company's help desk by emailing [e-mail].

"We appreciate your understanding as we work diligently to rectify this situation as quickly as possible," Hullo's statement reads.

"We will provide a further update on the status of Monday's sailings schedule by 5 p.m. on Sunday evening."