(Note to our readers: We at Orcas Issues posted this information as quickly as we could after we received it from Washington State Ferries on Friday afternoon, July 25. However, that wasn’t until AFTER our 5 p.m. cutoff when messages posted within the previous 24 hours are sent as “headlines” to our subscribers. So those who may not have checked out the Orcas Issues site until after Saturday’s 5 p.m. “headlines” went out, may well be frustrated that the notice was too late. We realized that even for those who check the site periodically through the day, the announcement was indeed last minute notice. But we decided that it may help those who did look at the site earlier. Knowing that readers may well be upset at the “last minute notice,” as are we, we wrote WSF — and copied our council members — our request for timely notification as follows:
Thank you for sending this important announcement to Orcas Issues so that we can notify our readers. If possible in the future, could you please send similar notices to us with as much “lead time” as possible? Our readers get frustrated when the notices come with such short notice.
Thanks for your cooperation in getting important WSF messages out to the public!
— from Washington State Ferries —
Washington State Ferries will be doing outreach in the San Juan Islands and in Anacortes for our vehicle reservation service throughout the summer. Locals are invited to meet WSF staff and learn more about upcoming vehicle reservations on the Anacortes-San Juan Islands ferry route. Please add the following dates to your events calendar, or feel free to contact Marta Coursey, marta.coursey@wsdot.wa.gov, if you’d like more information. Thanks!
This weekend (July 25-27) – WSF will be here:
- Friday, July 25 – 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Friday Harbor Art Market
- Saturday, July 26 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Orcas Farmers Market
- Sunday, July 27 – 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Lopez Village Market
in August (Aug.2-24) – WSF will be here:
- Saturday, Aug. 2 – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Lopez Farmers Market
- Sunday, Aug. 3 – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Friday Harbor Terminal
- Sat. Aug. 9 – 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Library Fair (Eastsound, Orcas)
- Wednesday, Aug. 13 through Saturday, Aug. 16 – San Juan County Fair
- Friday, Aug. 22 – 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. – Anacortes Ferry Terminal
- Saturday, Aug. 23 – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Anacortes Walgreens
- Sunday, Aug. 24 – 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Lopez Ferry Terminal
For more information on vehicle reservations coming the San Juan Islands, please visit www.TakeAFerry.com.
If you visit the San Juan Islands, you’ll never want to leave! Now, you’ll never be able to.
Please note that those who will be here (and were here today at the saturday market) to discuss the reservation system– are from WSF, and are not those who work “on the ground” at island terminals or at Anacortes. They have a vested interest to present the reservation system in a positive light, since the reservation system is a “done deal.” I find it interesting and telling that they didnt ask any local ferry workers to be at the booths explaining/extolling the reservation system. Joy Hughes in her comment gets it– its not for islanders, its for mainlanders.