A look inside the BC Ferries operations at Swartz Bay Terminal

As islanders, we've all been there. Sitting in line waiting patiently for the BC ferry to begin loading. Or, as we are now into the summer rush, white knuckling the steering wheel, hoping, praying, and counting the cars in front that there is space on the next boat. And seemingly from out of nowhere, a voice rings out… “The white car in lane 10, you are in the wrong lane. Move back to your lane.”

Now rather than that voice being an all-powerful, all-seeing entity, it is instead an all-seeing BC Ferries employee, with an eagle eye, a bank of TV monitors, a radio, and a well-practised and refined system that keeps the Swartz Bay end of the busiest route in the BC ferry system running as smoothly as possible.

As far back as 1889 there were discussions around the use of Swartz Bay at the tip of the Saanich Peninsula as a possible ferry terminal to connect the South Island with the mainland. Decades later on June 15, 1960, the first scheduled sailing departed from the terminal for what was then the BC Ferry Corporation.

Much has changed in the 60-plus years since that first departure, with 6,000 cars and approximately 20,000 passengers moving through the Swartz Bay terminal and its five berths on a busy summer day. With such potentially high levels of traffic and passengers, coordination is key to maintaining safety.

“The Spirit Class [vessels] unloads close to 400 vehicles, and 2,000 passengers, and then reloads the equivalent in 25 minutes,” says Camrin Hillis, the regional manager for terminal operations. Along with controlling the flow and movement of cars into and out of the terminal, the tower has the important final call for each sailing, says Hillis. “One of the most important parts of their job is shore closure, it’s basically the terminal giving approval for the ship to sail. It’s kind of like an airport.”

Swartz Bay is also the hub for all things travellers might need or want on a BC Ferries vessel. Below the passenger terminal, ticket booth, and waiting lounges, is the warehouse that is responsible for nearly every consumable that is used on a BC ferry from Swartz Bay to Chemainus. All the food, drinks, books, toys, magazines, alcohol, and soft serve; move through this tight space of boxes, carts, and floor to ceiling shelves.

Island living can be challenging at times. There's no bridge to the mainland, and the rainy season storms can do a number on any and all modes of transport. But the five berths at the tip of the Pat Bay Highway are some of the most well-trodden routes off the island and to the rest of Canada. And while stressful at times, a cruise through the Salish Sea is something to enjoy.

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Banks of monitors, displaying camera feeds from around the terminal, sit above BC Ferry staff in the Swartz Bay control tower that oversees the departures and arrivals at the terminal. Photo: James MacDonald / Capital Daily

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One of the five ferry berths at the Swartz Bay terminal. Photo: James MacDonald / Capital Daily

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An empty loading ramp at one of the five berths at the Swartz Bay terminal during a lull in the daily operations. Photo: James MacDonald / Capital Daily

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Camrin Hillis, the regional manager for terminal operations, closes a gate to a loading ramp at the Swartz Bay terminal during a lull in the daily operations. Photo: James MacDonald / Capital Daily

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A BC Ferries staff member directs traffic off the MV Salish Raven, and out towards the Patricia Bay Highway. Photo: James MacDonald / Capital Daily

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The warehouse that collects and distributes all of the food, drinks, and merchandise for all BC Ferry vessels from Swartz Bay to Chemainus. Photo: James MacDonald / Capital Daily

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A view from the Swartz Bay control tower of ferry traffic disembarking from a ferry and traffic waiting to load. Photo: James MacDonald / Capital Daily

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Bikers and walk-on passengers disembark the MV Salish Raven at the Swartz Bay terminal. Photo: James MacDonald / Capital Daily