— from Washington State Ferries —
UPDATE: 5:30 p.m., August 16, 2017
Repairs are completed and the Elwha returns to service with the Anacortes 4:45 p.m. sailing to Friday Harbor. This restores the regular schedule to the Anacortes/San Juan Island routes. Reservations are now available for the remainder of the day. The Friday Harbor 5:30 p.m. interisland sailing to Orcas, Shaw and Lopez will be delayed up to 45 minutes. Updates will occur as more information becomes available.
UPDATE: 1:30 p.m., August 16, 2017
After experiencing extreme vibration on the M/V ELWHA, divers discovered a significant amount of rope entangled in the boat’s propeller shaft. Divers are currently working to remove the rope and inspect the vessel for further damage. In the meantime, WSF has modified its sailing schedule to and from the San Juan Islands, which is as follows:
Canceled sailings:
1:50 p.m. Friday Harbor to Anacortes, 2:15 p.m. Interisland service departing Friday Harbor (modified Sunday schedule, see note below: stops at Orcas and Shaw are cancelled), 2:40 p.m. Lopez to Anacortes, 3:45 p.m. Interisland departing Lopez, 4:45 p.m. Anacortes to FridayHarbor, 6:30 p.m. Friday Harbor to Anacortes.
Supplemental Sailings:
Anacortes to Friday Harbor at 4 p.m., Anacortes to Friday Harbor at 6:45 p.m., Friday Harbor to Anacortes at 8:05 p.m.
Additional Schedule Adjustments:
The interisland vessel will operate on a Sunday schedule beginning at 2:15 p.m. It will depart Friday Harbor at 2:15, with a stop at Lopez Island at 3:05 p.m. before going to Anacortes. It will not stop at Orcas or Shaw Islands.
The 9:00 p.m. sailing departing Anacortes will leave approximately 45 minutes late, delaying scheduled stops at Lopez, Shaw, Orcas, and Friday Harbor.
All reservation holders will be prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis. Those reservation holders who are unable to travel today will not be charged a “no-show” fee.
WSF recognizes that this is the first day of the San Juan Island County Fair, and a diminished interisland schedule during the midday hours may impact island residents who are planning to visit San Juan Island. However, given the high volume of travelers visiting the islands from the mainland at this time of year, WSF felt that there is a greater need to move traffic between Anacortes and the islands.
WSF apologizes for the inconvenience and appreciates your patience and understanding.
UPDATE: 10:45 a.m.
Divers are on site in Anacortes investigating a possible obstruction in the propulsion system on the Elwha. Vessel status will be provided pending results of the investigation. In order to accommodate Lopez to Anacortes traffic from cancelled sailings the 11 a.m. eastbound departure will make an unscheduled stop at approximately 11:40 a.m.
Reservation holders will continue to be given priority loading and will be loaded first come/first serve. Reservation holders who choose not to sail today will not receive a no show fee.
We apologize for the inconvenience. Updates will occur when more information is available.
Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 9:45 a.m.
The M/V Elwha is experiencing excessive vibration issues and will be temporarily taken out of service to investigate the problem. This will cancel the 9:35 a.m. departure from Anacortes to Lopez and the 10:45 a.m. departure from Lopez to Anacortes.
All reservation holders will be given priority loading and will be loaded first come/first serve. Reservation holders who choose not to sail today will not receive a no show fee. We apologize for the inconvenience. Updates will occur when more information is available.
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Might it be time for the Legislature to authorize the building of several more ferries by competent shipyards? For many of us this is simply an inconvenience. But at the rate we are going, residents who have urgent appointments and businesses who depend on transport will be compromised.
I’m starting to think all this ferry stuff is a weird sign that we just need to be a self-sustaining community and not deal with tourism. :)
Having lived on Orcas for nearly 43 years, I have experienced too many disruptions of service withe the ferries. I must admit that I can’t recall a State ferry being disabled by a prop being fouled by a crab-pot line.
That having been said, and having been in the crush of travelers in Anacortes yesterday afternoon, I am, once again, frustrated that WSF is not better prepared for such service disruptions. Granted that this disruption was a short term issue, over the course of time it is apparent that the lack of relief vessels is a continuing problem.
I spoke to the senior agent in Anacortes yesterday who I have known for many years, and he confirmed that WSF has insufficient boats to provide for any unexpected breakdowns. How can that be? Having served the County on the Ferry Advisory Committee for over twenty years, I am fully aware of the politics of this issue. Even with that perspective, I have never understood the logic of retiring a ferry as soon as a new one is commissioned. WSF has never caught up with the increasing demand.
The fault doesn’t rest with WSF, however. Rather the Legislature has always been reluctant to fund those programs, on many issues, that have been important to the citizens of our State.
As I sat in the ferry lot yesterday and looked around at the rows and rows of cars, many which carried visitors to our islands, I wondered why anyone would ever want to return to the place we call home. Some of us would say that such a situation would be good for the islands. I disagree, because an effective, efficient ferry system is the link to a bigger world for all of us.