METRO VANCOUVER -- A ferry serving the Gulf Islands from the mainland will be out of commission for at least a week after it was damaged Saturday in high winds at Mayne Island.

BC Ferries has cancelled all sailings between Tsawwassen and the southern Gulf Islands until further notice. Service is still available from Vancouver Island.

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The Queen of Nanaimo being out of service will cause no real hardship, said one veteran Mayne Island resident.

“It’s going to be an inconvenience. There’s no doubt about it, but that’s living on the island,” said Wayne Bryan, who owns Miners Bay Trading Post, a general store that sells groceries.

Service to the islands will be provided from Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island. However, for travellers going to or from the mainland, transit time will be increased significantly.

With a long weekend coming up, his business could be hurt a little bit, noted Bryan. “It would normally be a busy time for us. People may think going through Swartz Bay to here is too awkward — the heck with it,” he said.

Supplies will not be an issue, as they come from Vancouver Island, he added.

Bryan, a 40-year resident on Mayne Island, said there were heavy winds and rain Saturday morning during the ferry incident.

While that kind of weather is not unusual on the B.C. coast, there was about an hour when it was the worst Bryan had ever seen. “It was incredible. It just seems when the wind comes out of the west or the northwest it does the most harm when it comes to ferries,” he said.

The Queen of Nanaimo was damaged as the ferry left the Village Bay terminal at Mayne Island about 10:45 a.m. on Saturday.

The corporation says inspection pers found damage to the propeller, shafting and hull.

On Sunday, BC Ferries expected the Queen of Nanaimo to be out of service for at least a week.

No injuries were reported.

BC Ferries says an investigation is underway into what caused the vessel to strike a private floating dock as it backed out of the terminal with two passengers and 22 crew on board.

High winds in the region led to the cancellation of other sailings between Vancouver Island and the mainland on Saturday.