WSF Report | One third of our 21 ferries are unavailable right now

||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||

Edmonds/Kingston route on one-boat service due to limited vessel availability

Chimacum went out of service Saturday after one of its main engines threw a rod. The significant engine failure will take several weeks to fix, leaving us with just 14 available ferries to operate a system that needs 15 to run our current sailing schedules. To quickly restore our Seattle/Bremerton route’s reduced one-boat service, we moved another vessel there within a few hours. That ferry came from the latest run to be restored in our service restoration route-by-route prioritization, Edmonds/Kingston.

Spokane is likely to be the only boat on our Edmonds/ Kingston run until at least December, when Chimacum or Walla Walla may return from unplanned repairs.

With another five vessels out for much-needed maintenance, a third of our 21 ferries are unavailable right now. We have no room to spare, and if we lose another boat unexpectedly, service on one or more of the three other restored routes will be affected. We expect our vessel availability to remain very tight throughout the winter. We understand this is frustrating news. Please understand that we are working hard on options to avoid further service disruptions.

Bremerton Ferry Coalition meets with vessel crew

A group of Bremertonians gathered to support the crew of Chimacum on Saturday. The Bremerton Ferry Coalition met with members of the vessel’s crew to show appreciation and begin efforts to establish a relationship with the ferry staff. The coalition is looking to “bring accountability and solutions to Bremerton’s ferry service issues.”

Members of the Bremerton Ferry Coalition were aboard Chimacum Saturday to support the route’s vessel crewmembers. Photo courtesy Bremerton Ferry Coalition.

Active Transportation Division tours Colman Dock

Colleagues from our agency’s Active Transportation Division toured our recently dedicated Seattle Multimodal Terminal at Colman Dock Project on Monday. Deputy Director of Terminal Engineering Bryant Bullamore and Seattle Terminal Supervisor Dan Brown led the tour, explaining the design and construction of the project and showing how features at the facility comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The group was particularly interested in learning about the terminal’s biking access and availability.

Members of WSDOT’s Active Transportation Division pose for a photo at Colman Dock following a tour of the facility on the Seattle waterfront.

Orcas Island terminal improvement project celebration 

We joined San Juan County today in celebrating the recent completion of a project that improves Americans with Disabilities Act and pedestrian access at our Orcas Island terminal. In partnership with the county, the project included the construction of ADA-accessible parking stalls, ramps and sidewalks, as well as a pedestrian pickup and drop-off area. We thank San Juan County for its support to better serve the needs of our ridership.

Terminal Engineering Director David Sowers joined San Juan County Public Works Director Colin Huntemer and  staff members to plant two trees to mark the occasion.

Next Weekly Update will be Thursday, Nov. 16

There will be no Weekly Update on Thursday, Nov. 9, as I will be attending the 47th Annual Interferry Conference in Australia. We’ll catch up in our next Weekly Update on Thursday, Nov. 16!

Vehicle reservations for winter season available 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7

We’re five days away from the opening of winter (Dec. 31 to March 23, 2024) vehicle reservations for our Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes. As a reminder, this two-month season release time of 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, is three hours later than previous releases. For our Anacortes/San Juan Islands run, we’ll open 25% of vehicle reservations space. Another 25% will be available two weeks before each specific sailing and the final 25% two days before. Those release times remain at 7 a.m. As always, all vehicle reservation space for our Port Townsend/Coupeville route (80% for each sailing) will be available after next week’s two-month release.

New Marion Street Pedestrian Bridge opens in Seattle Monday, Nov. 6

The city of Seattle announced Tuesday that the new Marion Street Pedestrian Bridge connecting our newly rebuilt Colman Dock with First Avenue will open at 6 a.m. Monday, Nov. 6. Before that can happen, the walkway will need to close this weekend so crews can remove a piece of the temporary bridge. From 6 p.m. tomorrow until the new bridge opens Monday morning, pedestrian access between our Seattle terminal and downtown will be at street level only. With no elevated crossing over Alaskan Way this weekend, walk-on passengers must use the elevators and stairways in the new entry building and next to the passenger-only facility, along with crosswalks and city streets to and from First Avenue. A signed detour will be set up.

Maritime Washington spotlights Terminal Supervisor Elena Zachry 

Anacortes Terminal Supervisor Elena Zachry is featured in Maritime Washington National Heritage Area’s Women on the Waterfront series. Maritime Washington supports a network that strengthens the maritime community and connects people with the stories, experiences, resources and cultures of our state’s saltwater shores and waterways. Relief Captain Genevieve Fritschen was also recently featured.

Daylight saving time and our schedules

Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 5. The full sailing day of Saturday, Nov. 4, will start and end on Pacific Daylight Time. Terminals and vessels will turn their clocks back one hour after the end of the full Saturday sailing schedule. The sailing day starting on Sunday, Nov. 5, will be under Pacific Standard Time.

Sounders flags fly on downtown Seattle vessels

Congratulations to the Seattle Sounders FC for advancing to the Major League Soccer Playoffs! In honor of their success, we flew the team flag Monday on all our ferries serving Colman Dock in downtown Seattle. That evening, the Sounders defeated FC Dallas at Lumen Field in the first of a best-of-three Round One series. The two teams play in Dallas Saturday, Nov. 4.