WSF Weekly Report |

||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||

A message from Steve

Our engine crews and vessel maintenance employees did outstanding work last weekend. Our three largest boats were sidelined for unexpected mechanical issues. They responded with urgency, skill and professionalism to get each Jumbo Mark II ferry back into service as quickly and safely as possible. Their efforts minimized service disruptions. The following work shows their expertise, determination and commitment:

• Wenatchee: Saturday morning at Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility, our crews worked with divers to fix a propeller that was bent when it hit a log while travelling through fog last Wednesday. This underwater repair avoided a long and costly dry dock. Wenatchee returned to service on our Seattle/Bainbridge route that afternoon.
• Tacoma: At the same time on Saturday at Eagle Harbor, our staff quickly addressed a propulsion problem that removed Tacoma from our Seattle/Bainbridge run around sunrise. We were able to return the boat to service by midday. We appreciate the U.S. Coast Guard providing two technicians to approve Tacoma’s and Wenatchee’s return to service at the same time.
• Puyallup: Then on Sunday morning, steering problems forced us to remove Puyallup from our Edmonds/Kingston route and move it to Eagle Harbor. Our employees were able to fix the ferry within hours and it was back in service late Sunday evening.

Our engine crews and vessel maintenance employees work to repair hydraulic equipment on Sunday aboard Puyallup, which was docked at our Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility.

These fast repairs allowed us to operate at full capacity on our Seattle/Bainbridge run on Sunday for the Seahawks’ home playoff game. That freed up Sealth to move to our Seattle/Bremerton route to provide two-boat service there. That ferry then relocated back to our Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route Sunday night after postgame demand dropped. There were a lot of boat moves over the weekend, and each one takes a lot of planning. Our marine operations staff, coordinated by our terrific watch center supervisors, adjusted crews and schedules to make it work. Meanwhile, our terminal employees did a great job managing the crowds and our customer service team kept our riders up to date with all the changes. I thank all my colleagues for working together and supporting our riders during a challenging January with many unplanned emergency repairs and service disruptions.

Looking ahead, we plan to move Sealth back to our Seattle/Bremerton run late tomorrow night. This helps us keep all 16 of our available ferries in service seven days a week. That’s because during winter weekends, our “Triangle” route does not run a third boat, so Sealth would otherwise be tied up. Like last weekend, we plan to shift Sealth back to Vashon Island late Sunday night. This allows us to operate that route’s full three-boat weekday schedule first thing Monday. Until we can return a second boat to the Bremerton route, we expect to use this same plan on future weekends.

Repositioning Sealth for the weekend requires a few late-night schedule changes so our crews can safely complete the move. On Fridays, there will be no #3 boat sailings on our Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route starting at 8 p.m. On Sundays, the 10:30 p.m. sailing from Bremerton to Seattle will not operate. Photo courtesy Ordinary Seafarer Alexandra Hieronymus.

Mukilteo/Clinton midday closures back next week

The last four of nine weekdays with sailing cancellations on our Mukilteo/Clinton route return early next month. Service will be suspended for four hours from midmorning to early afternoon for critical repairs to an in-water structure at our Mukilteo terminal. Those four days are scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 3; Wednesday, Feb. 4; Friday, Feb. 6; and Monday, Feb. 9. The final morning sailings will be 8:30 a.m. from Clinton and 9 a.m. from Mukilteo. Service will resume at 1 p.m. from Clinton and 1:30 p.m. from Mukilteo. This work is also affecting some late-weeknight sailings. The final round trip is canceled tomorrow night, Jan. 30 and again Monday through Friday nights, Feb. 16-20. The last sailings will be 11:30 p.m. from Clinton and 12:15 a.m. from Mukilteo, which is 10 minutes later than usual.

Construction crews recently installed two new piles (the tallest ones) at our Mukilteo terminal. This is part of a project to repair and reposition the dock’s west wing wall, which was damaged in 2022. The two yellow steel columns in the foreground are temporary piles and will be removed.

Help shape future sailing schedules for Seattle routes

We are getting ready to update the sailing schedules for our Seattle routes. The current timetables for our Bainbridge and Bremerton runs are outdated. They have caused delays over the past few years. To help with these updates, we want public input. That’s why we are creating a community task force. Members will review the current schedules and look at possible changes. They will also help advise how we collect and use feedback during the process. The task force will meet about once a month on a weekday evening in 2026. Interested community members have just four days left to apply by 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 2.
Feedback wanted for SR 305 safety improvements near Bainbridge terminal

Our agency wants public input on upcoming safety improvements on State Route 305 that will affect many of our Seattle/Bainbridge route customers. The project at the High School Road intersection about a mile north of our Bainbridge terminal is still in its planning stage. There will be an in-person open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, at Woodward Middle School to learn more and provide comments. If you can’t attend, an online open house will be available on our WSDOT Engage webpage starting Monday, Feb. 2, with the same information.

Sailing stats for week of Jan. 19-25

For the week of Jan. 19-25, we completed 98.3% of our 2,999 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the 55 cancellations, 36 were due to vessel-related issues, eight for crewing, six because of terminal-related issues, four due to schedule resets (when a boat is so far behind schedule, we cancel a sailing to get it back on schedule, providing predictability for customers) and for other miscellaneous reasons.

For comparison, during a similar week last year (Jan. 20-26, 2025), we completed 100% of our 2,728 scheduled sailings. Of the two cancellations that week, both of which were replaced, one was because of a schedule reset and one was due to other miscellaneous reasons.

Customer kudos

“My friend came over from Edmonds to Kingston on the 445 ferry on Saturday Dec 28th. As she was ready to depart the ferry in kingston, one of your ferry employees (Terminal Attendant Danny Monji) noticed she was having trouble with walking and carrying her luggage. He asked her if she was OK and then got on his walkie talkie to ask permission to help her. She waited until he got a wheelchair and brought her down the ramp in kingston all the way to my car in the handicapped area. … What a nice man and he even asked my friend if I was the person she was looking for as a safety precaution. WOW!! Thanks so much for the quick observation. This fellow really was a blessing.”

-Edmonds/Kingston route customer