WSF Weekly Report | Birthday on board; bring your own cup

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

A message from Steve

Our crew members are highly trained as first responders to handle emergencies, like the birth of baby Arlo aboard Samish a year ago. On Aug. 6, 2024, just before leaving Lopez Island, a crew member was told that a woman was in labor on the car deck. The crew, along with doctors and nurses who were passengers, quickly helped. They brought mom to the ferry’s medical room until Lopez Island Fire and EMS arrived. Arlo was born shortly after, weighing 7 pounds, 1 ounce. Yesterday we celebrated Arlo’s birthday on the 2 p.m. sailing from Anacortes to Friday Harbor. Arlo’s parents, Candice and Justice, invited their friends, family, our employees and emergency staff who helped with his birth. The party took place in the passenger cabin and included balloons, cupcakes and lots of smiles.  

Parents Candice and Justice with daughter Nora and 1-year-old Arlo on the outdoor deck aboard Samish yesterday.

We were happy to celebrate with them. It reminds we are much more than a ferry system – we’re part of our customers’ most meaningful moments. We don’t just carry people; we’re part of the lives and stories of the communities we serve. Our workforce is made up of your neighbors, friends and fellow Washingtonians who care deeply about our customers. Being able to celebrate Arlo’s birthday alongside his family and those who assisted with his delivery was a full-circle moment that reminded us why we do what we do.

Mom Candice and baby Arlo with Second Mate Amy Oliver, who was also working aboard Samish when Arlo was born.

New head of our technology services division

Jacob Hiatt joins our executive team as the new assistant director of our Technology Services Division. He brings 19 years of experience in information technology at WSDOT, all here at WSF. For the past six years, he has served as our TSD operations manager. He supervised many of our IT services and support systems. In his new role, Jacob is excited to lead the team through some significant modernization efforts. Major projects are already underway. These include replacing our aging ticketing, reservations and dispatch systems; launching a new proof of concept for free public Wi-Fi; and improving network connectivity on our vessels. These are big challenges. But they are present opportunities to create better, faster and more user-friendly systems for both our customers and colleagues. Welcome to your new role, Jacob – we’re excited to have your leadership.

Outside of work, Jacob likes to unplug. He enjoys hiking, traveling, watching local sports and working on do-it-yourself projects around the house.

SR 104 utility work delays near Kingston

Give yourself some extra time travelling to our Kingston terminal starting next week. Puget Sound Energy utility work along State Route 104 begins Monday, Aug. 11. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each weekday through Thursday, Sept. 25, one lane of the highway may be closed between the intersections at Hansville/Miller Bay roads and Parcells/Barber Cut Off roads. There will be traffic stops of up to 15 minutes as each direction of traffic alternates using a single lane. During this time, crews will cut back vegetation and address trees of concern along the SR 104.

Bring-your-own-cup discount now available on board

We’re always looking for ways to make our customers’ trips better while reducing our environmental impact. Now, thanks to our food service vendor, Sodexo Live!, passengers can get a discount when they bring their own clean, reusable cup. This offer is available at all our galleys, the espresso bars (on our Jumbo Mark II ferries) and at our Anacortes terminal. You’ll get $1 off a fountain soda or 75 cents off a cup of coffee. Using your own cup helps reduce waste from single-use cups. So next time you ride, bring your favorite mug or cup and fill it up.

This bring-your-own-cup discount offer is available in the onboard food galley on all our boats.

Sailing stats for week of July 28 to Aug. 3

For the week of July 28 to Aug. 3, we completed 97% of our 3,124 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the 95 cancellations, 43 were due to crewing, 30 were for 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 22 because of vessel-related issues.

For comparison, during a similar week last year (July 29 to Aug. 4, 2024), we completed 96.8% of our 2,829 scheduled sailings. Of the 90 cancellations that week, 38 were for schedule resets, 37 due to crewing, 11 because of vessel-related issues, three for emergencies and one for other miscellaneous reasons. This means we maintained 97% reliability with 9% more sailings (service restored on three routes in June and July).

Customer kudos

“My electric car key fob did not work as I tried to exit the westbound Edmonds to Kingston ferry. The crew IMMEDIATELY jumped into action, trying all the tricks they knew, gave me options, and finally jumped my car. That worked, but by then the ferry was loaded for the trip back to Edmonds so I rode back. I kept the car on was able to safely drive off once we returned to Kingston. AWESOME crew!!”

-Edmonds/Kingston route customer