'It's going to have an effect': Horse owners in P.E.I. raise concerns about ferry service
Last-minute cancellations causing horses to miss races, endure longer trips
Horse owners on Prince Edward Island are raising concerns about this year's frequent ferry cancellations, which they say are causing horses to miss races or endure longer rides across the Confederation Bridge to the mainland.
With the MV Confederation ferry now out of commission, they fear the situation could get even worse as the industry heads into one of its busiest periods.
"With cancellations, especially early mornings on the weekends, a lot of those Nova Scotia horses trying to get to Prince Edward Island, it's been a challenge," said James Perrot, president of the P.E.I. Standardbred Horse Owners Association.
"I know in a couple of instances this year there's been horses scratched in Nova Scotia [races] because they didn't have enough time after the cancellation of the ferry to get around [using the Confederation Bridge]."
A mechanical issue earlier this week led to the Confederation striking the dock in Wood Islands, which left a hole in its bow visor, the front door that opens to allow passengers to drive onto the ferry. Northumberland Ferries does not have a timeline for when the repairs might be complete.
The accident leaves only one ship, the MV Saaremaa, to do a limited schedule of sailings between P.E.I. and Caribou, N.S., in the meantime.
Perrot said owners travel with their horses on a regular basis between P.E.I. and places like Cape Breton and Truro, N.S., especially at this time of year.
"It's potentially our biggest month in harness racing on Prince Edward Island.... When we get into this time of year with the stakes program, Atlantic Classic Yearling Sale, Atlantic Breeders Crown weekend," he said.
"There's a lot of money on the table for not just competitors, but a lot of breeders with the Atlantic Classic sale."
Perrot said the MV Saaremaa being the only ferry currently crossing the Northumberland Strait could mean more cancellations to come.
The Saaremaa is a temporary replacement for the MV Holiday Island, which caught fire during a run in 2022. The ferry was beyond repair, and had to be scrapped. The Saaremaa is not designed for the rough weather conditions on the strait, and its crossings are regularly cancelled due to high winds.
"I would think that there will be no crossings when we have a windy day, and this time of year, as we know, we get into some windy days," Perrot said.
"In years gone by, we've seen with bridge delays due to wind, people can't get their horses here to Prince Edward Island to race because [of] the high-side vehicle [restriction]. So it's going to have an effect."
Smaller breeding operations in eastern P.E.I. that have horses in the yearling sale, which takes place Oct. 11 in Crapaud, are concerned potential buyers won't make the trip to their farms, said Perrot.
"The next three weeks leading up to the sale, pretty well every trainer and owner would be out looking at the standardbreds in a farm setting in the field where they can actually see them run and move versus being walked around in a stall or an arena at the sale," he said.
"If people have to drive around [using] the bridge, will they go the extra distance to drive an extra two hours to eastern P.E.I. to view these horses prior to the sale?"
'Not ideal'
Julie Jamieson of the P.E.I. Harness Racing Industry Association said there is lots of inter-provincial travel at this point in the racing season, and it's challenging to travel with horses.
"It's not ideal to have them on the trailer for long periods of time," she said.
"We're generally planning the route with the least amount of time in the trailer because weather is really something you can never prepare for."
Jamieson said it's not as simple as pulling into a hotel for the night if a trip gets disrupted.
"You've got to find somewhere to offload your animals that are willing to take you overnight," she said. "So that just adds a little bit more to the stress with with your travel."
Jamieson is also co-organizer of the Atlantic Classic Yearling Sale, where 150 horses are listed this year.
I realize these things take time," she said.
"But in a perfect world, if we could have the ferry service operational before our sale weekend ... that would be fantastic."
In a statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for Northumberland Ferries said it's working with its contractors to repair the damaged ferry as soon as possible.
"MV Saaremaa will continue to sail on a four-trip daily schedule and we will continue to do our very best to accommodate our customers until repairs to the MV Confederation are complete."
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