Ferry Advisory Committee Comments on 2011 Summer Schedule

By SJC Ferry Advisory Committee

The Anacortes/San Juan Islands/Sidney B.C. summer ferry schedule has been finalized, and released by WSF. The San Juan County FAC would like to join WSF in thanking everyone who submitted comments and suggestions. Working closely with WSF staff, we were able to make some significant improvements over the draft schedule in response to the suggestions received. Unfortunately there are many constraints on ferry schedules so it is not possible to satisfy everyone’s needs and desires.

There are three significant changes from the draft that were incorporated in the final summer schedule:

1)    The 1:35 p.m. Anacortes to Friday Harbor sailing was shifted to 2:00 p.m. to better accommodate commercial schedules and resident needs. This will now be a dedicated sailing to Friday Harbor rather than the shared boat with Lopez last summer, which was made possible by adding a direct sailing to Lopez in the afternoon.

2)    The westbound Sidney ferry will now stop in Friday Harbor in the morning, at 9:40 a.m., rather than the afternoon. This provides the opportunity for a day trip to Sidney, returning on the 5:55 p.m. sailing from Sidney (arriving in Friday Harbor at 7:20 p.m.).

3)    A 6:25 a.m. stop at Lopez was added to the early (5:45 a.m.) Friday Harbor to Anacortes sailing, to accommodate Lopez commercial traffic.

The summer schedule is the most difficult of the year, with large numbers of visitors joining increased resident, commercial and commuter traffic. Again, thanks to the feedback, FAC and the WSF scheduling staff were able to create some new solutions for some of the concerns raised during the public comment process.  We would also like to pass along a sincere thank you to WSF staff for their efforts on our behalf, and to the maritime unions for their recent concessions and flexibility in work shifts, salaries and overtime.

On Monday, May 16, from 5:15-6:30 p.m., members of the San Juan County FAC will host a public meeting on San Juan Island at the Library. A public meeting was recently held on Lopez Island, and an Orcas Island meeting will be scheduled soon.

WSF is also planning a public meeting for the San Juan Islands on June 8, from 5:30-7:00 p.m. in the Council chambers in Friday Harbor. David Moseley (head of WSF), and other WSF management, will do a presentation on current issues and then be available for questions. This meeting will be streamed live from the county website, and questions will be taken via email.

For further information about the San Juan Islands ferries see the county FAC website at https://sanjuanco.com/fac/