WSF update on service restorations, naturalists on board, a rescue on Vashon

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

Service restoration update

This week’s Service Restoration Plan (PDF 794KB) Progress Report (PDF 579KB) shows we’re maintaining service reliability of 95% or more on our three restored routes, despite COVID-19 cases among our crews remaining elevated. We’re making every effort to add a second vessel on our Edmonds/Kingston run daily as crewing allows. However, as I’ve mentioned previously, we are unlikely to start trialing full service on that route until late this year.

We hosted students from Tacoma Public Schools’ Tacoma Tideflats – Merchant Mariner summer program on vessel tours  of Puyallup and Wenatchee yesterday.

While it remains important to continue hiring new crewmembers as we look to the future, our biggest short-term constraint is a lack of licensed deck officers (captains and mates), who require significant training time. We have a new program to encourage our current employees to take the necessary courses and exams to obtain a mates’ credential. More than 60 of our able-bodied sailors have shown interest in attending the local Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies, or MITAGS. A class of 12 will start at the end of July and it runs for four months. A second class of 12 will begin in the fall.

Marine naturalists return to select sailings on Anacortes/San Juan Islands route

Our popular onboard marine naturalist program has returned after a two-year pandemic pause! Throughout the summer, a marine naturalist volunteer from The Whale Museum will be aboard select sailings on our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route to provide riders with information about marine mammals and orca whales.

Trained volunteer naturalists will be in the passenger cabin on sailings between Anacortes and Friday Harbor on Fridays and Sundays this summer.

New Mukilteo terminal project wins another award

Our Mukilteo Multimodal Terminal Project recently earned recognition in the 2022 America’s Transportation Awards. The project tied for first place in the regional category of Quality of Life/Community Development for a medium-sized project. This award recognizes projects that better connect people to businesses, jobs, health care facilities and recreational activities while encouraging a mix of transportation modes.

This latest award for our new Mukilteo terminal is from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Kittitas, Cathlamet crews rescue two people in water off Vashon Island 

Crewmembers aboard two of our ferries worked together to save two people in the water off Vashon Island Monday night. The Kittitas crew was first to launch a rescue boat after spotting something in the water. After they found an overturned canoe, paddleboard and two individuals, the crew on nearby Cathlamet also deployed a rescue boat to assist. Both rescue boats were used to recover the canoe, paddleboard and two people, who were both in good health and not hurt. Great job crews!

“[…] My wife had spinal fusion surgery at Virginia Mason Seattle. […] We left the hospital in plenty of time to catch the 1745 ferry, but when we got to the terminal we saw the holding lot was already completely full. I explained the situation to the WSF worker, who asked if we had a “medical priority boarding certificate.” We had my wife’s hospital discharge papers, but since we had never been in this situation before we didn’t know the hospital needs to provide that special certificate[.]

“[…] We got to the [tollbooth] and again explained our situation. The young man again asked if we had the medical certificate. I said ‘No, but is there [any way] you can help us? Look at my wife’s wristbands.” […] Without hesitation he then got on the walkie-talkie radio and directed us to the line of cars that were now loading the ferry. I wish I had got his name so I could write a letter of thanks to WSDOT.”

-Seattle/Bainbridge customer on Nextdoor