— from David Moseley for WSF —
I want to apologize to our Anacortes/San Juan Islands customers for the service disruptions this week due to mechanical issues experienced on both the Yakima and Sealth, and the temporary replacement of the 87-vehicle Evergreen State with the 34-vehicle Hiyu on the interisland route today [Jan. 24]. Please note that there is no passenger elevator on the Hiyu. A portable ADA accessible restroom has been provided on the car deck.
The mechanical issues on the 1982-era Sealth and 1967-era Yakima have been resolved and both vessels returned to service. We hope to efficiently repair the 1954-era Evergreen State, so her out-of-service time is minimal. Our experienced engine room crews do their utmost to maintain our aging fleet, which will need to be replaced over the next several years.
The oldest vessels in the system will be replaced when the two new Olympic Class ferries begin service in summer 2014 and early 2015.
It would be nice to have the new boats on our runs and not the hand me down boats.