Department of Transportation spokesman Roger Wetherell said the Chenega, one of the Alaska Marine Highway System's fast ferries, was heading to Cabin Bay, about 75 miles east of Whittier, to anchor and let the storm subside.
The ferry carried 30 passengers and a crew of 10.
"They're just going to wait it out and have somebody established as an anchor watch to make sure the anchor's not drifting," Wetherell said.
The 235-foot, catamaran-style vessel can carry 36 vehicles and 250 people and can reach a top speed of 32 knots, or nearly 37 mph, though not safely in high waves.
The vessel left Cordova at 9 a.m. today and reached Whittier at 12:15 p.m. It left Whittier about a half hour later for the three-hour, 15 minute return trip but ran into 10-foot waves and winds of 45 to 50 mph.
Wetherell said crew members considered turning around, but Whittier was in the eye of the approaching storm.
"We don't need any slips, trips or falls on the ship in that kind of weather," Wetherell said.
The crew instead altered its course for the protected bay.
The vessel is essentially a day boat, Wetherell said. It has no staterooms, so passengers will spend the night in seats or on the deck.
"It's a very comfortable ship and it's going to be a lot warmer, a lot safer, than being out in the open air," he said. "The crew will take care of them, as far as making sure they're fed, their needs are met."
The vessel is equipped with a galley that Wetherell compared to a snack bar, offering hot dogs, sandwiches and soup.
Wetherell said the ferry expects to depart Cabin Bay at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Crew work rules figure into waiting that long, he said.
The vessel will be in constant communication with the Coast Guard tracking system, he said. The delay will cancel Saturday's Cordova to Whittier sailing, he said.
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