||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||
Staff and students from Seattle Jobs Initiative tour Tacoma, Eagle Harbor
A group from Seattle Jobs Initiative toured a vessel on our Seattle/Bainbridge route Tuesday as part of our workforce development program. They also visited our Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility. SJI works with individuals to provide skills training in the maritime industry. The SJI staff and students checked out both the inactive wheelhouse and engine room aboard Tacoma. Huge shout out to Capt. Rob Rothschiller and Staff Chief Engineer Thomas Fraczak for sharing their time and expertise with the group. Thank you to our workforce development/training team for helping attract prospective employees!
Assistant Engineer Ryan McLaughlin poses for a photo with the group of staff and students from Seattle Jobs Initiative in the engine room of Tacoma.
Walla Walla out up to 4 weeks due to propeller damage
Following a significant shudder felt aboard Walla Walla Friday, we sent divers to inspect the ferry’s propellers and they found damage to one of them. The vessel will need to go into dry dock so the prop can be replaced. If no other issues are found, the boat is expected to be out of service for up to four weeks. Until it returns, plan for reduced vehicle capacity on some routes. The 144-car Chimacum is filling in for the 188-car Walla Walla on our Seattle/Bremerton route and the 64-car Salish is filling in for the 202-car Puyallup on our Edmonds/Kingston run.
Damage to one of the propellers on Walla Walla seen during an underwater inspection done after strong vibrations were felt aboard the vessel as it approached Bremerton terminal.
Vashon Island School District Commuter Family Picnic
The Vashon Island School District invited us to their Commuter Family Picnic at Lincoln Park in West Seattle Tuesday. More than 250 students commute to schools on the island daily from our Fauntleroy and Southworth terminals. Community and External Relations Manager Hadley Rodero provided tips for riding our ferries and how to get service updates for our “Triangle” route. Superintendent Slade McSheehy was thankful for our participation and said, “More than a few parents let me know they appreciated seeing a ferry rep at the gathering and felt reassured by hearing how we’re working together and of course, working on solutions.”
Vashon Island School District faculty, staff and commuter students pose for a photo at their Commuter Family Picnic Tuesday near our Fauntleroy terminal.
Large wooden troll catches ride aboard Kittitas
Anyone aboard Kittitas on Friday may have noticed a rather intimidating passenger in their midst. A 15-foot-tall wooden troll traveled from Vashon to Fauntleroy en route to its eventual home in Ballard. The sculpture is part of a large-scale art project by Thomas Dambo. The artist has created roughly 100 trolls, with six arriving in the Pacific Northwest this year. You can see these sculptures in West Seattle, Bainbridge Island, Issaquah, Portland, Ballard and Vashon Island. The project is designed to encourage people to visit nature and consider conservation, as the trolls are made of recycled materials.
Fauntleroy terminal employee Kathryn Oliver snapped this photo of the troll rolling off Kittitas on Friday.
Fall sailing schedule starts Sunday, Sept. 24
We’re just three days away from switching over to our fall sailing schedules, which runs through Dec. 30. The season change will bring timetable adjustments to our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route and minor tweaks to our Edmonds/Kingston and Mukilteo/Clinton runs in the early morning and late evening. On our Port Townsend/Coupeville route, Saturday, Oct. 7, will be the last day we sail the peak season 10 and 10:40 p.m. Friday and Saturday final round trip until next spring.
San Juan Islands route schedule improvement task force meeting
A community task force advising us on Anacortes/ San Juan Islands route schedule changes met recently for the third time. Their first meeting in May kicked off a process that includes broad public engagement in identifying and prioritizing areas of focus. The schedule needs to be updated to improve on-time performance and reliability. The project webpage has recordings of past meetings and how to attend the next meeting on Zoom. I appreciate the input from this group both on future schedule updates and current operational adjustments to help improve on-time performance.
Half of parking stalls at Southworth terminal closed next 2 weekends
The amount of parking at our Southworth terminal will be greatly reduced the next two weekends for pavement resurfacing and restriping. The southern half of the lot will be closed tomorrow, Sept. 22, through Sunday, Sept. 24, followed by the northern half Sept. 29, through Oct. 1. Any vehicles left in the section of the lot that will be worked on over the weekend after 9 p.m. both Thursdays are subject to towing. With nearly half of the parking space closed, travelers are encouraged to use Kitsap Transit bus service between our Southworth terminal and several park and rides, including nearby Harper Church on route 85.
Lots of bicycles on our Edmonds/Kingston route Sunday, Sept. 24
We’re expecting a lot of bicyclists on our Edmonds/Kingston route Sunday, Sept. 24, for the 29th Annual Kitsap Color Classic. People boarding a ferry by vehicle should plan for delays and limited car capacity or consider alternate routes. Participants are asked to follow directions from our staff.
Dozens of motorcycles on Whidbey Island routes Sunday, Sept. 24
The 40th Oyster Run in Anacortes will attract many motorcycles onto our ferries Sunday, Sept. 24, especially on our Mukilteo/Clinton and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes. Motorcyclists arriving at our Mukilteo and Clinton terminals may be required to line up with all other vehicles and load on a first-come, first-served basis due to high demand. For those traveling on the Port Townsend/Coupeville run, a motorcycle reservation is strongly encouraged.
Pardon me as I roll my eyes in disbelief. With the abominable service that WSF has provided this summer, these feel-good items truly “miss the boat,” so to speak. We deserve some honest information as to what our ferry system management is doing to right this situation. ‘Nuf said.
Well said, Bob! If a private sector business was floundering as badly as the WSF system, head’s would roll. Inslee needs to fire the entire management team starting at the top and bring in people with a vision for the future that doesn’t include blithely taking 4 weeks to change the prop on a boat.