Reviews & Ratings for the Coastal-Inspiration

**Title: Coastal Inspiration Faces Steering Issues, Leading to Major Delays** In the early hours of May 19, 2026, the ferry 'Coastal Inspiration', which operates between Duke Point and Tsawwassen, encountered a steering malfunction that disrupted its service. The vessel's steering transfer control issue was promptly addressed; however, the 7:45 a.m. sailing from Tsawwassen was delayed by over two hours, resulting in a cascade of rescheduling throughout the day. Due to the initial delay, subsequent sailings were affected significantly. The 10:15 a.m. departure from Tsawwassen, the 12:45 p.m. sailing from Duke Point, and the 3:15 p.m. journey back to Tsawwassen all encountered postponements. Throughout the day, B.C. Ferries remained vigilant, closely monitoring the situation and providing continuous updates on the schedule as they worked towards restoring normal operations. Passengers holding reservations were encouraged to arrive within their designated check-in periods to ensure their bookings remained valid. This protocol allowed for reserved vehicles to be prioritized ahead of standby traffic as well as subsequent sailings, easing the flow of travelers once operations resumed.

**Title: 'Coastal Inspiration' Back on Course After Galley Smoke Incident** On April 21, 2016, the ferry 'Coastal Inspiration', which runs the route between Duke Point and Tsawwassen, experienced a brief delay at the Duke Point terminal in Nanaimo due to concerns over a potential fire in its galley. Crews quickly sprang into action to investigate the source of the smoke, ultimately tracing it back to an overheating bearing in the galley ventilator shaft. Fortunately, this issue was manageable and could be isolated without further incident. Following an assessment, Transport Canada granted the vessel permission to resume its journey shortly after 5 p.m., though it departed approximately two hours later than scheduled. Importantly, the incident posed no risk to passenger safety, allowing travelers to continue their journey with peace of mind.

The 'Coastal Inspiration' was set to be back in service for the 1 p.m. sailing on Feb 10 from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, after being pulled out for a week because of a mechanical issue. There was a problem with the drive motor number one on the vessel, resulting in the replacement of key components. The 'Salish Heron' was brought into service on the route while the 'Coastal Inspiration' was repaired. There was no indication the mechanical issue was affecting the two other Coastal-class vessels.

For the third day in a row, B.C. Ferries has cancelled sailings of the 'Coastal Inspiration' due to mechanical issues with the vessel's main engine on Feb 6. All sailings of the vessel between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen are cancelled: 7 a.m. departure Tsawwassen 9 a.m. departure Swartz Bay 11 a.m. departure Tsawwassen 1 p.m. departure Swartz Bay 3 p.m. departure Tsawwassen 5 p.m. departure Swartz Bay 7 p.m. departure Tsawwassen 9 p.m. departure Swartz Bay Other sailings on this route were expected to proceed as scheduled, starting with the 7 a.m. departure from Swartz Bay and the 9 a.m. departure from Tsawwassen. B.C. Ferries added a vessel to the route on Feb 5. Anyone with a booking on one of the cancelled sailings wast to be contacted by the B.C. Ferries’ customer service centre, which would then try to arrange travel on an alternate sailing. In the case of a cancellation, the ferry corporation says it will refund fees and/or fares. Alternate service was available via the Tsawwassen (Vancouver) – Duke Point (Nanaimo) route.

On Feb 3, 2025, the scheduled 7 a.m. departure of the 'Coastal Inspiration' from Tsawwassen and the sailing at 9 a.m. from Swartz Bay had to be cancelled due to mechanical issues. Other sailings on the route wer eexpected to run as scheduled, starting with the 7 a.m. departure from Swartz Bay and the 9 a.m. sailing out of Tsawwassen. The first run to Vancouver Island was cancelled because of a mechanical difficulty with the drive motor. An engineering team investigatedthe issue on board.