County Ferry Advisory Group Seeks Comment on Fall Schedule

By Howie Rosenfeld, County Council Liaison to Ferry Advisory Committee

San Juan County Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) and Washington State Ferries (WSF) have begun reviewing the ferry schedule for this fall, and are seeking public comment through July 8. The proposed schedule is basically the same as the just-completed spring schedule and last fall’s schedule, with some small adjustments in sailing times to relieve congestion, and some changes in vessel assignments.

Each schedule has its particular challenges. The spring and fall schedules represent the “shoulder seasons” for visitors, with traffic varying quite a bit between the beginning and end of the schedules. The reduced traffic is also the opportunity for rotating vessels into the shipyards for needed service. The smaller 96-car Sealth will again serve the islands in place of a 148-car Super, but not until the latter part of the fall schedule when traffic is lower.

The FAC and WSF would very much like to hear from riders regarding the proposed schedule. Constructive comments are especially appreciated, and please remember that boats and dollars remain limited. So asking for more service for one island means someone else winds up with less.

A draft fall schedule will be posted for comment on the WSF website. Links to the proposed schedule in various formats and links for comments can be found on the FAC website, at www.sanjuanco.com/fac