Mechanical problems with the Kwuna Monday afternoon (March 31) left travelers to Sandspit stranded in Skidegate Landing for several hours.
As the Kwuna arrived from the 4:30 pm Alliford Bay sailing, it "came in harder than normal to the ramp and could not get off the ramp with the tide dropping," said ferry spokesperson Ann Carpenter.
The ferry corporation posted someone at the Alliford Bay landing to tell people what was happening, said Ms Carpenter.
The tide rose enough by 9:30 pm for the ferry to reverse off the ramp and make one last sailing to Sandspit.
The exact nature of the mechanical problem is not yet clear, said Ms Carpenter. The captain "could not stop up as effectively as they would normally, so that resulted with harder than normal contact with the ramp and they became lodged there," she said.
Once incident reports are filed, ferry corporation officials will assess the situation and determine if an inquiry is necessary, says Ms Carpenter. A decision should be made within a couple of weeks.