WSF Weekly Update |

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

A message from Steve

WSF’s employees commitment to our customers keep us operating, with Friday being a great example. Let’s begin with our dedicated dispatchers. With several key vessel positions unfilled across the system, our dispatch team went into overdrive – working the phones, rerouting crew members and pulling in reliefs to avoid what could have been significant disruptions on multiple routes. Because of their quick thinking and determination, all our boats in Puget Sound stayed in service (we canceled one round trip on our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route), right as thousands of people were heading to Mariners, Reign FC and University of Washington games in Seattle. Then there’s the vessel crew members who changed their personal plans to step in. They filled critical roles so that others could take their earned time off. Like any job, our crew members call out for a variety of reasons, including illness, childcare, injury, medical appointments or emergencies. Unfortunately, we can’t safely sail until every position is filled.

Despite our best efforts, we had to cancel one round trip from Anacortes to Shaw and Orcas Islands Friday evening. We know this was very disruptive for those who depended on those sailings. We adjusted service on our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route that night to get customers where they needed to be.

Early Friday afternoon, we sent out a rider alert and posted to social media to warn of potential service impacts, urging people to make alternate plans just in case. While we hoped for the best, we felt it was important to keep customers informed. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our employees, just a few hours later we were able to share the welcome news that service disruptions were no longer expected. While we still have work to do on improving our crewing situation, Friday’s outcome shows we are on the right course – and it’s our workforce making that progress possible.

Recap of this Tuesday’s online community meeting

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our two online community meetings on Tuesday. We began each session with the same short presentation about this summer’s increased service, our new vessel build program and recent updates at WSF. The rest of the time was dedicated to answering questions from the audience. More than 200 people attended the meetings. If you missed them, recordings are posted on our community participation page.

WSF in the spotlight as ferry leaders converge in Seattle

Today, Seattle is hosting the annual FERRIES Conference. Maritime professionals from across the country have come to our region. As the nation’s largest ferry system, many attendees are interested in how we operate. This conference is a great chance to share our experiences. It’s also a good time to meet leaders from other ferry systems. We can talk about ideas and lessons learned. Yesterday afternoon, Assistant Secretary John Vezina, System Electrification Administrator David Sowers and I met Capt. John Garvey at Colman Dock. He’s deputy commissioner for ferries at New York City Department of Transportation and chief operations officer for the Staten Island Ferry. Earlier in the day, John and David welcomed Director of the Maine State Ferry Service Edward J. “EJ” Dupont and Multimodal Director for the Maine Department of Transportation William Geary Jr. aboard Wenatchee to showcase our hybrid-electric ferry. With so many ferry leaders in town, the Public Ferry Coalition is also using this opportunity for its members to check out our operations tomorrow, along with Kitsap Transit and King County Water Taxi. It’s always inspiring to meet other ferry leaders. Hearing about their challenges and solutions helps us all do better for the people we serve.

With New York City Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner for Ferries and Staten Island Ferry COO Capt. John Garvey (center) and Assistant Secretary John Vezina (left) at our Seattle terminal yesterday.

Winter vehicle reservations available 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28

Vehicle reservations for winter (Dec. 28 to March 21, 2026) on our Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes open at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28. We’ll use a virtual waiting room, as in past seasonal releases, to keep the website from getting overloaded. This system also helps make sure everyone has a fair chance to get a reservation. In the San Juan Islands, we’ll have more service than previous winters as our fall timetables will stay in place through spring. This single, nine-month “off-peak” schedule comes from community feedback. For our Anacortes/San Juan Island route only, 30% of vehicle reservations will be released on Oct. 28. Another 30% will open at 7 a.m. two weeks before each sailing and another 30% at 7 a.m. two days before. The last 10% is kept open for emergency and stand-by vehicles.

On our Port Townsend/Coupeville run, all vehicle reservations space (80% for each sailing) will be available on Oct. 28, with the remaining 20% set aside for emergency and stand-by vehicles.

Changes to Seattle/Bremerton route schedule this winter

For our upcoming winter sailing season starting Dec. 28, there will be changes to our Seattle/Bremerton route schedule. With construction crews replacing two in-water terminal structures at Bremerton in January, we cannot tie up two boats there overnight. The route’s #1 boat will now dock in Seattle during this work, which brings the following schedule changes through to March 21, 2026:

• No 4:50 a.m. Bremerton departure (early morning commuters can take the Kitsap Fast Ferry’s 4:40 a.m. sailing).
• 3 p.m. out of Bremerton will leave at 2:40 p.m.
• Added 10:15 p.m. Bremerton to Seattle sailing.
• On Sundays, the 8:35 a.m. Seattle and 9:50 a.m. Bremerton departures are canceled for refueling (normally done overnight in Bremerton).

Our contractor will replace 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

Community input guides Fauntleroy terminal replacement project recommendation

After years of community input and studies, we are recommending a concept for further study our Fauntleroy terminal replacement project. The plan is based on the footprint of B alternatives (PDF 3.5MB) . It would expand on-dock vehicle space to hold 124-155 vehicles, up from 80 today. More space will help the terminal run more efficiently. It will also reduce environmental impacts by moving the ferry slip to deeper water. Staying within the B alternative footprint will also avoid affecting nearby Cove Park. At last night’s final Community Advisory Group meeting, we shared details from the recently completed Planning and Environmental Linkages study. We also talked about planned upgrades at the Fauntleroy Way Southwest intersection and next steps. A recording of the meeting is on our project webpage.

Major construction is scheduled to begin in 2028. But some improvements could happen as soon as next spring. That’s when we’ll start building a new traffic signal at the intersection of Fauntleroy Way Southwest and the terminal. This signal will make it safer and easier for people walking, biking or rolling to get on and off the ferry. Looking ahead, after we publish the Planning and Environmental Linkages study, we will work with the Federal Highway Administration. Together, we will move the project into National and State Environmental Policy Act review. During this phase, we will start preliminary design, complete environmental review and permitting, and keep looking for funding opportunities. The new terminal is expected to open around 2031.

Visual rendering of the new traffic signal at Fauntleroy Way Southwest and the terminal.

Flags and whistle salute in honor of the Mariners

We’re proud to be flying the Seattle Mariners flag on our downtown Seattle ferries that serve Bainbridge Island and Bremerton. It’s our way of showing our spirit for the team’s home stand against the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series. Then, at noon tomorrow, Oct. 17, all ferries underway across our system will sound their whistles in unison to rally the team ahead of Game 5 at 3:08 p.m. From the Salish Sea to T-Mobile Park,  Washington State Ferries is cheering the Mariners full steam ahead toward the World Series!

All four of our ferries serving downtown Seattle are flying a Seattle Mariners flag through tomorrow, Oct. 17.

Hyak telegraph now part of Kraken pregame tradition

If you watched the Seattle Kraken game on Saturday night, you may have seen a piece of our history helping to fire up the crowd. But I’m not talking about the whistle from the retired Hyak, which the team has used as their goal horn at Climate Pledge Arena since day one. The Kraken debuted an old engine order telegraph from our same decommissioned ferry in a new pregame tradition called “The Surge.” Right before the puck drops, a special guest turns the telegraph’s handle to start the game – just like a captain giving the order to get underway. We’re proud to help the Kraken get this piece of maritime history, which once sent commands from the bridge to the engine room. It’s fitting that a symbol of movement and teamwork is now inspiring energy and excitement across the region – both on the water and on the ice.

Former Seahawks player Kam Chancellor lead the Kraken’s first “Surge” Saturday night before a home game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Photo courtesy Seattle Kraken.

Sailing stats for week of Oct. 6-12

For the week of Oct. 6-12, we completed 98.4% of our 3,065 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the 58 cancellations, 39 were due to crewing, six because of tidal currents, 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), four due to vessel-related issues, four because of other miscellaneous reasons and for an emergency.

For comparison, during a similar week last year (Oct. 7-13, 2024), we completed 99.9% of our 2,797 scheduled sailings. Of the nine cancellations that week, three were due to other miscellaneous reasons, two because of vessel-related issues, two for security-related issues and two due to weather.

Customer kudos

“Just wanted to send a message to thank one of the ferry workers (Able-Bodied Seafarer Josh Miller) who was on the 9:35am Kingston to Edmonds ferry on Wednesday morning. I was on the right side ramp, nose up on the back of the ramp. When this employee removed the block from my back tire, he came to my window to tell me I had a screw in that tire. I got that tire replaced shortly after getting off the ferry. I don’t know how long the screw had been in there or when it would have become a problem but I still had a long drive ahead of me and this ferry worker may have saved me from a disaster.

Replacing a tire was not on my list that day but I managed to catch the 9:35 when I thought I was going to be on the 10:20 and then I ended up on the ramp which I hate. And yet, all of that had to happen for your employee to see that screw in my tire.

“I wish I had gotten his name but I just wanted to thank him somehow for being so kind that day. I ride our WS Ferries very often and always appreciate all of you who keep us safe and make this lovely part of Washington State transportation run so seamlessly ”

-Edmonds/Kingston route customer