WSF weekly report | Visits, tours, gifts, Spring schedule

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

Dispatch team visits Edmonds/Kingston route

Dispatch Coordinator Nigel Neaves, and Relief Dispatchers Luana Whitlock and Hannah Klabo in the Puyallup pilothouse.

A few of our dispatchers visited our Edmonds/ Kingston route last week for a familiarization tour aboard Puyallup. It’s important for them to know the ins and outs of our vessels as they’re the ones who dispatch crews out to our ferries. The small team often makes numerous phone calls to fill relief requests whenever a crewmember is unable to report to work. Their efforts are not seen by the public, but without them, we could not provide service to our customers.

Students tour Port Townsend/Coupeville route

We hosted 20 Salish Coast Elementary School students and their chaperones on a tour of our Port Townsend/Coupeville route last week. The class of first graders visited the pilothouse aboard Kennewick while the vessel was sailing Admiralty Inlet. Thank you to Capt. Jesse Rongo and crew for their hospitality and Terminal Supervisor Vern Rosbach for prepping the students in Port Townsend before they walked on board. We hope this visit inspired our little guests to become a captain, engineer or terminal supervisor with us in the future!

Chief Mate Jeff Reeves explains vessel operations to the class (in a kid-friendly way, of course) from inside the Kennewick pilothouse.

Vashon students send gifts to staff at two terminals

Employees at our Fauntleroy and Vashon terminals received a lovely and unexpected gift of gratitude last week. McMurray Middle School students brought in artwork, handwritten notes and treats to show their appreciation to our staff for helping them get to and from school on Vashon Island. This kind and thoughtful gesture was greatly appreciated. It’s always nice to see ferry love from our customers!

 Fauntleroy Terminal Supervisor Lisa Lennon and Ticket Seller Tom Parker share the students’ artwork and letters on the bulletin board in the passenger waiting area.

Vashon terminal employees Lindsay Morris and Jaesun Oetting with a box from the students in front of some of their artwork and letters.

Spring sailing schedule begins Sunday, March 26

Our spring sailing schedule starts Sunday, March 26. This year, the change in season will only affect our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route, where we will return to daily four-boat service similar to last fall. Vehicle reservations are available for our Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville runs through June 17, which marks the end of our spring sailing schedule.

Annual vessels and terminals report in latest WSDOT Gray Notebook

WSF is one of the main features in the 88th edition of WSDOT’s Gray Notebook, an agency tool that provides quarterly performance information for all divisions across WSDOT. The latest issue also includes an annual report on our vessels and terminals, which highlights our need to focus on preservation in years ahead.

A few notable results from the Ferries’ section include:

• Vessel preservation backlog increased 29.3% from $208.6 million in fiscal year 2018 to $269.7 million in fiscal year 2022.
• Just 43% of our fleet (nine of 21 vessels) is in a state of good repair at the end of fiscal year 2022.
• 93.6% of terminal assets were in state of good repair at the end of fiscal year 2022.

“This is a thank you message to the crew of the Tacoma and the two staff people in the Seattle Terminal [Carol and Mathis] who found my purse and got it back to me right away last Thursday (7:55 ferry to Seattle) just as I was headed out on an important business trip. They averted what could have been a big disaster, and were helpful and courteous beyond measure. Thank you!”

-Seattle/Bainbridge customer