From the Washington State Ferries
Updated at 6:55 p.m.
The Hiyu, which is the Inter Island ferry, is out of service for necessary repairs.
Service for Wednesday evening is as follows:
The Hyak is operating approximately 1 hour behind schedule. This affects the 6:00 pm Anacortes to Lopez and Friday Harbor, and the 9:05pm arrival in Anacortes.
The Elwha is operating approximately 35 minutes behind schedule. This affects the 6:25pm Anacortes to Shaw and Orcas, and the 8:35pm arrival in Anacortes.
Inter-island route has resumed service provided by the 64-car Chetzemoka. This vessel is new to the islands so sailing times may vary.
Arrival and departure times are estimates. Please arrive in plenty of time to ensure loading. Updates will occur as conditions change.
When the inter-island ferry broke down this morning there was no communication to any of the terminals of a problem until the Hiyu arrived in port 50 minutes late.
The breakdown of an inter-island ferry is not unique. We need a “Plan B” inter-island ferry schedule when the boat breaks down (turn a mainland ferry into a milk-run for inter-island service).
WSF also needs to improve their communications with terminal operators-who were at a loss about what to tell people about alternative routes for half the day.
San Juan County is a ferry dependent county. Our citizens commute on the ferry to work, school, church, visit doctors, friends and family.
This schedule offers no mainland boats available for transferring between the islands.
It is the most limited schedule in my 10 years of commuting.
We need a plan in place before the next ferry breaks down.
Another reason to have one inter-island schedule that doesn’t change with the seasons.