WSF Weekly Report

||| FROM JOHN VEZINA for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||

A message from John

With my boss Steve on a well-deserved break, I’m using this space to share gratitude for colleagues – many of whom you never see – in this five-minute video. I hope you share not only my appreciation for our employees’ hard work, but behind-the-scenes shots of where they work.

One year later: How Wenatchee is charting our course toward a cleaner future

Saturday is the one-year anniversary of Wenatchee returning to service as our first hybrid-electric ferry. It was a major milestone for us and an important step toward building a cleaner, more reliable fleet for the future. Over the past year, Wenatchee has carried nearly 2 million passengers and hundreds of thousands of vehicles. It has also helped us learn more about operating hybrid-electric technology in real-world conditions. What we’ve learned is helping guide the next generation of vessels and charging infrastructure as we continue moving forward with our Electrification Program. Read more about Wenatchee’s first year back in service and the progress we’re making to bring cleaner, more sustainable ferry service in our recent blog post on this electrification milestone.

The hybrid-electric logo on Wenatchee represents more than a new technology. It reflects one year of real-world experience that’s helping us build a cleaner, more reliable ferry system for the future

Inspiring our next generation of employees

Getting young people interested in the work we do is key to our future success. I’m incredibly appreciative of our captains, chief engineers, terminal supervisors, Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility leadership and others who welcome students and interns into their workplaces. They explain how their roles help make WSF successful. Sharing the many different parts of our organization is an important part of that experience. Last Thursday, I joined my colleagues from our Terminal Engineering Department in showing our civil engineering interns another side of our work. We took them on a tour of both ferries on our Seattle/Bainbridge route. Thank you to Chief Engineers John Raybar and Jered Depoe aboard the Wenatchee and Tacoma, respectively, for welcoming us into their engine rooms. They provided excellent overviews of their roles and responsibilities.

With, from left to right, civil engineering interns Blake Bundesmann and Maggie Ward, and my terminal engineering colleagues Charlie Torres, Maria Briceno and Lars Rucke

Building on a strong partnership with the Coast Guard

I was proud to represent WSF at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound’s change of command ceremony on Friday. The USCG is both our regulator and a key partner in providing reliable service, helping ensure our operations meet the highest safety standards. I appreciate how they take the time to understand the unique challenges of operating the nation’s largest ferry system and work with us to find solutions. Outgoing commander, Capt. Mark McDonnell, has been an incredible ally to our organization. I look forward to working with incoming Capt. Michael Hunt as we build on that relationship. Thank you everyone in the Coast Guard for your commitment to keeping our customers, crews and everyone on the water safe.

With Capt. Mark McDonnell, outgoing commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound on Friday.

Thanking the teams who help keep our system moving

Last Thursday, I visited our Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility for their summer potluck and thanked employees for all they do. I joined department directors and other WSF leaders in celebrating the teams who keep our vessels and terminals working. Their efforts help us provide reliable service for our customers every day. This was especially important during the recent FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches in Seattle, when we had increased demand. I’m thankful to our Eagle Harbor employees and all our maintenance teams for their hard work and dedication to keeping our system operating.

Our Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility’s summer potluck was held aboard the tied up Walla Walla. The ferry is one of two relief boats currently available to provide backup service. In the months leading up to the World Cup, teams at the facility worked closely with our engine room crews to make sure these vessels were ready to step in if another had a mechanical issue that could not be repaired quickly.

Fall vehicle reservations available at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 21

Vehicle reservations for our fall sailing season (Sept. 20 to Jan. 2, 2027) open on Tuesday, July 21. Starting at 10 a.m., customers can save a spot for travel on our Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes. To keep our website from getting overloaded, we’ll use a virtual waiting room, just like in past seasonal releases. If you are sent to the waiting room, you’ll see your place in line, the estimated wait time and an option to get a notification when it’s your turn to book.

For our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route, we will release 30% of vehicle reservations space, with another 30% becoming available two weeks before each sailing and the final 30% opening two days before each sailing. Both the two-week and two-day releases are at 7 a.m. For our Port Townsend/Coupeville run, 80% of vehicle reservations will open on July 21. For both routes, the remaining space is held for emergency and stand-by vehicles. Photo courtesy Greg Bell.

Vashon Island Strawberry Festival

Our Vashon Island ferries will be very busy this weekend. The community’s annual Strawberry Festival is happening, and it brings thousands of visitors. We recommend that festivalgoers walk on at our Fauntleroy, Southworth or Point Defiance terminals if they can. King County Metro’s Route 118 and 119 serves the dock at both Vashon and Tahlequah and stops at the festival.

Connecting communities when it matters most

We know we provide an important connection and lifeline for the communities we serve. That’s why we made an unscheduled stop on Lopez Island during Monday’s 2:20 p.m. Orcas Island to Anacortes sailing to help deliver critical firefighting resources. The stop allowed Orcas Island Fire and Rescue vehicles and personnel to respond to a wildfire on Lopez Island and support local firefighters. Lopez Island Fire also received help from San Juan Island Fire and Rescue and the state Department of Natural Resources. I’m grateful to all the firefighters and emergency responders who worked together to protect the community. I’m also proud our teams were able to help get resources where they were needed most.

Orcas Island Fire and Rescue vehicles depart Chelan during an unscheduled stop on Lopez Island Monday to help deliver critical resources and personnel for wildfire response efforts.

Sailing stats for week of July 6-12

For the week of July 6-12, our systemwide on-time performance (sailings that left within 10 minutes of their scheduled departure) was 78.9%. By comparison, it was 72.6% during a similar week last year (July 7-13, 2025). To view our on-time performance by month going back to 2017, visit our on-time performance reports page.

Customer kudos

“RAVE to the employee at the lost and found desk at Colman Dock, who not once, but twice, went well out of her way and beyond the call of duty to track down my bag, unwittingly left on the Wenatchee from Bainbridge the other day. Pleasant and courteous, she was a huge credit to her whole organization and transformed what could have been a real disaster into a minor inconvenience (and a lesson learned!). Thank you for making my day, and for being such a great representative for all the hard workers on the ferries!”

-Seattle/Bainbridge route customer in The Seattle Times