WSF Weekly Report | Family ties; New thermal imaging camera for Orca Action Month

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

A message from Steve

For many of my colleagues, Washington State Ferries is so much more than just a place to work – it’s family. A lot of our employees are part of a maritime tradition in which generations of parents, children and even grandparents are or were part of our team. This shows people feel proud to work here and want to stay. It also means they believe this is a good place to build a career. We celebrate these family ties and are focused on adding more folks to come row with us.

Pete and Sam Shelton suit up during a firefighting training exercise – a requirement for all our engine room crew. The twins are among many family members building rewarding careers together at Washington State Ferries.

That’s why our Turning the Tide efforts are so important. We’re committed to our strategic priorities – Service Excellence, Improved Communication and Empowered People to make Washington State Ferries a healthy place to work. We’re excited to welcome new people – and new families – into our workforce. We want maritime jobs to be open to everyone, no matter their backgrounds. Check out our blog post about the Shelton twins, two of our highly skilled engine room crew members. It’s just one of many stories that show how special our ferry family really is.

Orca Action Month

June is Orca Action Month. This is a time to learn about, celebrate and take action to protect endangered southern resident killer whales. We are proud of our continued partnership with the Orca Network, which created this awareness month in 2007. Some of our marine mammal conservation efforts include reporting for Ocean Wise’s Whale Report Alert System, as well as participating in Quiet Sound, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program and the state’s Southern Resident Orca Recovery website.

Most of our crew members have completed the ECHO Program’s Whales in our Waters tutorial. Photo courtesy Mollie Segall.

Each Saturday through Sept. 6, you may see a marine naturalist and Orca Network volunteers on our Anacortes/Friday Harbor sailings. They’ll give talks and hand out information about southern residents and other marine mammals. We’re also excited to host a special event aboard our ferry Tokitae on Sunday, June 29. Orca Network will honor the orca Tokitae (also known as Lolita). The event will include a new mural and updated signs that tell the story of Tokitae and her family.

We recently teamed up with Quiet Sound to set up the state’s first thermal imaging camera to help detect whales at night. Now, orcas can be seen 24/7, giving our crews and other vessels more time to slow down and avoid them.

The Great Ferry Race on Seattle/Bainbridge route Sunday, June 8

Heading to Bainbridge Island Sunday, June 8? Be ready for a busy morning. Hundreds of people participating in The Great Ferry Race will be on our 7:55 a.m. sailing departing Seattle. Upon arrival at Bainbridge, they’ll begin a half marathon around the island. Plan for traffic delays. The event is scheduled to end at 1 p.m.

The Great Ferry Race begins aboard our vessel at Bainbridge terminal. Photo courtesy Orca Running.

Travel delays at Fauntleroy terminal Monday, June 16

Give yourself some extra time if you plan to travel through our Fauntleroy terminal on Monday, June 16. From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., crews will be drilling at the intersection leading in and out of the dock. This work is part of a terminal replacement project that includes a new traffic signal on Fauntleroya Way Southwest. During the work, there will be some lane closures, including the bike lane. Flaggers and a police officer will be there to help direct traffic in and out of the terminal.

Aerial view of the Fauntleroy Way Southwest intersection at our terminal. Plan for possible delays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, June 16, due to roadwork.

FIFA Club World Cup trophy kicks off Seattle tour aboard Puyallup

We were proud to have the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 trophy on board Puyallup last Thursday. Our Seattle/Bainbridge route was the first stop on the trophy’s tour of the Emerald City. Lumen Field will host six of the 63 Club World Cup games from June 15-25. Our hometown Sounders is one of the 32 teams playing.

Ordinary Sailors Brandie Almazan and Carly Maxstone with the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 trophy as it glistens in the sun on the outdoor of Puyallup on Thursday.

Sailing stats for week of May 19-25

For the week of May 19-25, we completed 99.7% of our 2,769 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the nine cancellations, four were due to tidal currents, two 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), two because of vessel-related issues and one due to other miscellaneous reasons.

Customer kudos

“RAVE to the ferry staff onboard the Kittitas. The other day, we were all set to disembark from the Vashon Island ferry at the West Seattle terminal when our old Volvo failed to start. Within seconds, two ferry workers raced over with a battery and cables — they had our hood up and managed to get the car running in short order, before we inconvenienced too many of the other drivers. Thanks, you two, for your speedy assistance!”

-Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route customer in The Seattle Times