||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES |||
Washington’s ferry system hit a low point over the weekend as yet another boat had to be taken out of service, leaving the fleet with just 14 working ships out of 21 owned by the state.
As Monday arrived, agency officials continued their struggle to piece together workable schedules on every route, a challenge they’ll likely wrestle with through the week and beyond.
The Chimacum ferry, among Washington State Ferries’ newer boats, was docked Saturday morning after a rod broke in one of its engines, said spokesperson Ian Sterling. The Chimacum was the sole vessel sailing between Seattle and Bremerton due to previous service cuts; when it broke down Saturday, the route briefly had no service between the two cities.
