WSF Weekly Report | Women in leadership; summer schedule; fighting human trafficking

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

A message from Steve

Throughout my maritime career, I’ve had the honor of working with many women who have charted new courses and broken barriers in this traditionally male-dominated industry. Women in leadership roles drive innovation, foster inclusivity and create a culture that reflects our entire organization.

With that in mind, I am pleased to announce that Human Resource Manager Sarah Lynn Smith is moving into the newly created position of deputy director of operations. Along with Operations Director Beth Stowell, the two will serve as our dynamic female leadership duo of our largest department.

I know they will create inclusive environments and provide equal opportunities so we can pave the way for more women to ascend to leadership roles, enriching our industry with their talents and contributions. Together, we can sail towards a future where women’s leadership in maritime is not just celebrated but is an integral part of our success.

First-ever deputy director of operations

Human Resource Manager Sarah Lynn Smith was named deputy director of operations late last week. This newly established position will support our operations department in achieving our strategic goals: service excellence, improved communications and empowering people. She will also help our operations department with innovative solutions, enhancing our service delivery and operational capabilities. Sarah’s comprehensive knowledge of our policies, safety management systems and her active advocacy for a diverse and equitable maritime workforce are invaluable to her new role. Congratulations Sarah.

Sarah has an impressive track record with more than 16 years in transportation and maritime operations, demonstrating a profound dedication to leadership, team development and strategic planning.

Have a question? Ask us at virtual public meetings

Don’t forget – we’re hosting two virtual community meetings next week to provide a summer service update, the latest on new ferries and details about our crewing initiatives. Advance registration is required for the noon Monday, June 17, and 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 18, meetings by clicking either the time and date. Both meetings will cover the same material. Participants will be able to ask questions and provide comments. A recording of both meetings will be posted to our Community participation page late next week.

Email us if you would like to send in questions ahead of the meetings.

Summer schedule begins Sunday, June 16

Our summer sailing schedule starts Sunday, June 16. The change in season will bring modifications to our daily four-boat timetables on our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route and an added roundtrip sailing between Vashon and Fauntleroy midday on Fridays.

Vehicle reservations are available for our Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville runs through Sept. 21, the end of our summer schedule.

Unscheduled third boat on “Triangle” route to run weekdays when crewing, vessel available

Also beginning with our summer schedule, we will operate an unscheduled third ferry weekdays on our Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route when crewing and a vessel are available. This boat will sail around the other two scheduled vessels to help move more riders and keep the two-boat schedule on time. You can use our real-time map to track all our ferries in service.

Temporary closure of Southworth terminal building

Our Southworth terminal building is temporarily closed for maintenance work. The self-service ticketing kiosks inside are unavailable, so customers must buy tickets online or at the tollbooths. Portable restrooms are available near the bus stop in the parking lot. During this closure, crews are repairing the roof and replacing wooden decking around structure. Work is expected to wrap up with the building reopening in early July.

Crews recently finished work replacing the wooden decking of the walkway along the south side of the dock and laying down concrete beside the vehicle lanes.

Fight against human trafficking

We hosted the Pedal the Pacific team aboard Walla Walla on a Seattle-to-Bremerton sailing Saturday for the first leg of their bicycle ride down the West Coast. They are biking to raise awareness about sex trafficking. To help stop this serious crime, we’ve put up human trafficking awareness signs from our partner Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking in our vessels and terminals. All our new fleet employees must also complete BEST’s course on human trafficking prevention.

Capt. Scott Schrader with the Pedal the Pacific team aboard Walla Walla.

Sailing stats for week of June 3-9

For the week of June 3-9, we completed 97.5% of our 2,793 scheduled sailings. We were able to replace 14 of our 83 canceled sailings, which were due to a vessel being out of service (54%), tides (24%) and schedule resets (22%), when a boat is so far behind schedule, we cancel a sailing to get it back on schedule, providing predictability for customers.