WSF Weekly Report | Seahawks flag to fly; Wenatchee pulled from service

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

A message from Steve

This week, a second large ferry had to be removed from service, leaving us with just 15 boats when we need 17 to run our full winter schedule. Yesterday, Wenatchee hit a log while sailing from Bainbridge to Seattle in the fog, bending one of its propellers. This morning, we moved Sealth to join Tacoma on our busiest route. This leaves both our Fauntleroy/Vashon/ Southworth and Seattle/Bremerton routes down a vessel. Repairs to Wenatchee are expected to take a few days, with a return to Seattle/Bainbridge service possible Sunday. That would allow us to relocate Sealth to our Bremerton route for the Seahawks playoff game, when we expect heavy travel to and from Seattle. Then late Sunday night, we plan to shift Sealth back to Vashon Island. This allows us to restore our “Triangle” route’s full three-boat weekday schedule on Monday. If Wenatchee is not ready, we will keep all ferries where they currently are. To stay updated about any service changes this weekend, sign up for our rider alerts.

Underwater photo of Wenatchee’s bent propeller blade after it struck a log yesterday. Divers are scheduled to repair it underwater on Saturday.

This incident is another reminder why we need to keep investing in new ferries. A larger fleet gives us a bigger “bench” of boats ready to step in when unexpected issues occur. Until those new vessels arrive, we’ll continue to make tough decisions to balance service across all routes. That’s why we’re updating our Service Contingency Plan and closely reviewing customer feedback as part of that work. The plan guides how we adjust service if we lose one or more vessels and we can’t operate full service. As with past plans, we will be transparent about how decisions are made.

Damaged propeller on Walla Walla, shown while the ferry is out of the water in dry dock at Everett Ship Repair. Crews are replacing both propellers, with work expected to be finished by the end of the month. The vessel will then move straight into its scheduled annual maintenance and inspection.

Recap of yesterday’s online community meetings

Thank you to everyone who joined our two online community meetings yesterday. We began each session with a short presentation. We shared the latest updates on new ferry construction and the terminal upgrades needed for vessel charging. Other topics included our Service Contingency Plan, workforce development efforts and how our employees are “Turning the Tide.” We also provided an overview of our current budget and what to expect in the 2026 legislative session. Most of the time was spent answering questions from attendees. Nearly 200 people attended the meetings. If you missed them, recordings are posted on our community participation page.

I kicked off each meeting with a look back at 2025 and outlined our top priorities for 2026.

Spring vehicle reservations release moved to 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10

We have postponed our two-month release of vehicle reservations for spring travel (March 22 to June 13). It’s been pushed back two weeks to 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, instead of Jan. 27. The delay is needed while we finalize the sailing season’s schedule. For our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route, we will release 30% of vehicle reservations space. Another 30% will become available two weeks before each sailing, and the final 30% will open 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 Feb. 10. For both routes, the remaining space is held for emergency and stand-by vehicles.

Daytime pile driving work at Bremerton terminal through Saturday, Jan. 24

Expect loud noise from pile driving at and around our Bremerton terminal from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today through Saturday, Jan. 24. This impact hammering work will be louder than the construction over the past two weeks, when crews used vibratory hammers to drive piles. While the pile driving will take place offshore, noise may be heard on board our ferries and at nearby homes and businesses along the shoreline. Our terminal employees will offer free earplugs to all transit riders at the Bremerton Transportation Center. To reduce underwater noise, crews will use a sound-absorbing bubble curtain. This work is part of the same construction project that has brought temporary changes to our Seattle/Bremerton route schedule for the winter sailing season.

Our contractor is replacing the two outer dolphins at slip 2 at Bremerton terminal. They condensed the project to our winter sailing season. This makes schedule changes easier for customers and crewing and fueling adjustments simpler.

Mukilteo/Clinton route late weeknight cancellations underway

We’re taking advantage of overnight low tides to make critical repairs to an in-water structure at our Mukilteo terminal. Because of this work, the final round trip on our Mukilteo/Clinton route is canceled on Monday through Friday nights this week (Jan. 19-23), next week (Jan. 26-30) and Feb. 16-20. The last sailings will be the 11:30 p.m. from Clinton and the 12:15 a.m. from Mukilteo, which is 10 minutes later than usual. This is part of the same project that requires a four-hour service suspension from midmorning to early afternoon on nine weekdays. We’re more than halfway through those midday cancellations. The remaining dates are Tuesday, Feb. 3; Wednesday, Feb. 4; Friday, Feb. 6; and Monday, Feb. 9. On these days, the last morning sailings are 8:30 a.m. from Clinton and 9 a.m. from Mukilteo. Service resumes at 1 p.m. from Clinton and 1:30 p.m. from Mukilteo.

Construction crews are working overnight on these vertical stabilizing piles at our Mukilteo terminal. They were driven last week as part of a project to repair and reposition the dock’s west wing wall, which was damaged in 2022.

WSF the focus of recent community podcast episode

We were recently featured on the Bainbridge Island Senior & Community Center’s “Something to Talk About” podcast. My deputy, Assistant Secretary John Vezina, talked about several key topics. He explained the recent service strain caused by not having enough vessels available. He also shared updates on building new ferries and how we are working with the Legislature to clearly explain what we need in the years ahead. It’s a thoughtful and informative conversation, and I encourage you to check it out. You can watch the episode on YouTube or listen on Spotify.

12 Flag to fly on downtown Seattle ferries this weekend, Jan. 23-25

Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks on advancing to the NFC Championship Game. To celebrate, we’ll proudly fly the 12 Flag on all four vessels serving Colman Dock for Blue Friday on Jan. 23. The flags will be raised again each morning throughout the weekend on our Bainbridge and Bremerton route ferries. On Sunday, Jan. 25, the Seahawks take on the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field, with the winner advancing to Super Bowl LIX. Go Hawks!

Sailing stats for week of Jan. 12-18

For the week of Jan. 12-18, we completed 97.6% of our 3,003 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the 72 cancellations, 32 were due to terminal-related issues, 17 for crewing, 14 because of vessel-related issues and nine due to other miscellaneous reasons

For comparison, during a similar week last year (Jan. 13-19, 2025), we completed 99% of our 2,728 scheduled sailings. Of the 30 cancellations that week, 10 were for vessel-related issues, eight because of tidal currents, six due to weather, four 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 two because of crewing.

Customer kudos

“I wanted to express my gratitude to the ferry and terminal crews who were working at the Clinton terminal on Sunday, December 7th. While waiting in line for the 12:30 ferry, I realized that my car would not start, every ferry rider’s nightmare. As soon as a crew member realized that I needed help, they were there within minutes. I was convinced that my battery was fine, but the crew member talked me into trying a charge, and she was correct! My car started right up.

“The crew member also let me know that I had some corrosion on my battery cable that might indicate a problem. I was then directed to move my car and wait for instructions about when to load the next ferry as I had missed the 12:30 by then. Everyone was so helpful and gave me very clear instructions about how to get on the next ferry and where to park.

“Once I was on the ferry, a crew member checked in with me to make sure I was okay and my situation was monitored for the trip, to make sure I could disembark at Mukilteo. I am a regular ferry rider, and I was really touched by how kind, professional and helpful all of the crew members were during this experience. I know how much they probably have to put up with on a day-to-day basis, and I just wanted to say thank you.

“By the way, I did need a new battery and was glad the crew member had passed on the recommendation to get it checked!”

-Mukilteo/Clinton route customer