WSF Weekly Report | Even Orcas turkeys get noticed

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

Recap of recent virtual community meetings

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our recent virtual community meetings! Following a brief presentation about our service restoration progress, ongoing efforts to address workforce challenges and updates on key projects, members of our executive team and I answered questions from participants on a wide range of topics. Nearly 500 people attended the webinars. If you missed them, recordings are available online on our community participation webpage.

Members of the WSF Executive Team joined me in answering questions from webinar participants during a recent virtual community meeting.

Service restoration update

Two weeks into our Edmonds/Kingston route trial of pre-pandemic two-boat service levels, we unexpectedly lost one of the run’s two vessels last weekend. A propeller on Puyallup was bent after it hit something underwater, likely a log. Repairs are expected to take a week or two. With no spare boat to fill in, our latest Service Restoration Plan (PDF 794KB) Progress Report (PDF 606KB) shows our Edmonds/Kingston route at 92% reliability. Once the run reaches 95% reliability for a three-week period, we will announce it fully restored. At that time, we will then focus our efforts on trialing three-boat service on our Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route. The timing of full restoration on our Seattle/Bremerton and Port Townsend/Coupeville runs remains dependent on the number of captains and mates who complete training in spring 2023.

Underwater view of bent propeller on Puyallup after it likely hit an underwater log, as there is a lot of driftwood in the Sound due to recent high tides.

High schoolers tour Port Townsend/Coupeville vessel

We hosted 11 Port Townsend Maritime Academy students aboard Kennewick last week. The high school juniors and seniors toured the wheelhouse and engine room while the vessel was sailing on our Port Townsend/Coupeville route. Thank you to our deck and engine crewmembers for sharing their knowledge and experience with these bright young minds. We hope this connection inspired our visitors to consider a career with us in the future!

Port Townsend Maritime Academy students and instructors pose for a photo following a vessel tour of Kennewick on our Port Townsend/Coupeville route.

Relief Captain Gabe Gaubert speaks to the students about his experience and background in maritime during their tour of Kennewick.

Boy Scout raising money to replace flagpole at Bainbridge terminal 

Boy Scout Brad Staniewicz wants to see a new flagpole at our Bainbridge terminal. That’s why he chose to take on that task as his Eagle Scout project. He’s raising money to replace the flagpole, which is a memorial for the late Walter Keys, who was a Bainbridge citizen that had a profound influence on the modernization of the island’s infrastructure. Brad is part of Troop 1496, who recently helped move rocks in a creek at our Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility.

The flagpole and plaque at its base honoring Walter Keys (1882-1957) are located just east of the Bainbridge terminal building near the parking lot’s pickup and drop-off area.

Turkey “race” at Orcas Island terminal

A ferry rider shared with us the photo below of some unexpected live entertainment at our Orcas Island terminal on Monday – a turkey “race” in the holding lanes! They said that Lane 4 had a strong lead with 3 and 5 coming up fast and 6 having trouble staying in their lane.

Jump in walk-ons boosts year-to-year ridership

Our annual ridership was up in 2022, fueled by a rise in walk-on passengers as tourism and in-person work rebounded from the pandemic. With 17.4 million riders last year, we had an increase of roughly 100,000 over 2021. Last year’s total is roughly 73% of 2019 pre-COVID-19 numbers, with vehicles at 82% and walk-on customers up to 49% of pre-pandemic levels. While it is difficult to forecast trends in the still-evolving “new normal,” ridership is expected to steadily increase in the years ahead. Read more about last year’s ridership numbers and see route-by-route data in our recent news release.

2023 legislative session begins

The 2023 legislative session kicked off last week in Olympia. Transportation Secretary Roger Millar gave a “State of Washington Transportation” address to the Senate Transportation Committee last Thursday. Then on Monday, he presented to the House Transportation Committee, who I will speak to this afternoon to provide an update on our service, as well as our current and future challenges.

Gov. Jay Inslee’s 2023-25 budget plan (PDF 52KB) includes strong support for ferry system electrification, vessel and terminal maintenance and preservation, as well as resources and better tools for hiring and training. I look forward to working with legislators as they consider our budget.

Ship Harbor Interpretive Preserve Trail near Anacortes terminal closed

The trail between the beach at our Anacortes terminal and the nearby Ship Harbor Interpretive Preserve is closed indefinitely. Recent king tides and winter storms damaged the boardwalk and dramatically changed the fragile wetland, which the public is being asked to stay out of.

Mukilteo terminal wins 2022 American Architecture Award

Our Mukilteo Multimodal Terminal was recently recognized with a 2022 American Architecture Award. The facility won the Airports and Transportation Centers category for its inclusive and sustainable design. Congratulations to all involved with the project!

“I was on the 7:30 ferry from Clinton this morning and my car went dead in the parking lot. The ferry attendant (a woman) who was letting people on and off the ferry tried to help me but didn’t know how to jumpstart a Prius hybrid. I was very anxious about missing my appointment in Seattle.

“This woman [Terminal Attendant Chrystyl Levee Zwink] was so kind to me and kept me calm as we figured how to jump the car using a YouTube video as a guide. Way beyond the call of duty! […] Much appreciation to all of you who work so hard to transport us to and from all of the islands in Puget Sound.”

-Mukilteo/Clinton customer