WSF Weekly Update | Converting depts. to 5 teams; Labor Day traffic, of course; Crew rescue; more Colman Dock awards

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

A message from Steve

As I enter my sixth month as assistant secretary and we evolve and position Washington State Ferries for future success, we’ll be making a big change next week by combining our 11 departments into five strategic teams. This new structure is designed to streamline our operations, helping us work more efficiently and stay focused on providing the best service. The new teams are Fleet Operations; External Relations; Finance, Administrative & Employee Services; Quality, Health, Safety & Environment; and System Electrification.

Each team plays a crucial role in our success. Fleet Operations will focus on making sure we’re prepared to meet daily challenges. Finance, Administrative & Employee Services will ensure we have the resources we need. External Relations will effectively tell our story, both externally and internally. Quality, Health, Safety & Environment will learn from our experiences, enabling our staff to make better decision. Finally, System Electrification will lead our move toward a more sustainable future.

Whether it’s ensuring smoother operations, enhancing communication or advancing our sustainability goals, these changes are all about delivering service excellence. Photo by Able-Bodied Sailor Gregory Hitch.

We must plan our future while handling current challenges. For our customers, this means a more reliable, responsive and forward-thinking ferry system. By aligning our efforts across these five strategic teams, we can better address daily service issues while simultaneously laying the groundwork for long-term improvements. With this new structure, we’re not just meeting today’s needs – we’re shaping the future of Washington State Ferries to stay strong for years to come.

Busy Labor Day weekend ferry travel

We’re expecting more than 300,000 people aboard our ferries today through Monday, Sept. 2. The Labor Day weekend travel crowds will create longer-than-normal vehicle boarding lines and wait times. I encourage all our customers to download and use the WSDOT mobile app or visit our website before heading to the dock. Both allow you to view live terminal conditions and traffic cameras, check for rider alerts that provide service updates by route, monitor a real-time map for the location of each operating vessel and make vehicle reservations for our Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville runs. On Labor Day, Sept. 2, there will be a few holiday schedule changes. Holiday sailings are marked on the schedules for each route.

The busiest Labor Day weekend sailings will likely be westbound (or onto an island) today through Saturday, Aug. 31, then eastbound (or off island) Saturday, Aug. 31, through Tuesday, Sept. 2.

We wouldn’t be able to do what we do if it weren’t for the support of labor organizations. Our employees benefit from the efforts of 16 unions. I extend my deepest thanks to each of them for advocating for the rights and well-being of our workforce. I also have a deep appreciation for the dedication and hard work of our frontline staff, who often sacrifice time with their family and friends – especially during holiday weekends – to keep our system running.

Puyallup crew members rescue divers off Edmonds

For the second weekend in a row, our highly trained vessel crews went above and beyond to save lives. While docked at Edmonds terminal Sunday afternoon, Puyallup Quartermaster Zachary Larson spotted two divers drifting toward the vessel in a strong current and one of them signaling to him. Capt. Al Furst’s crew members immediately launched a rescue boat and towed both divers ashore. They were both OK and did not need medical assistance. Shout out to not just the Puyallup crew, but also Spokane Capt. Reid Caulkins for alerting them to be on the lookout for divers near our Edmonds dock and our terminal staff for their efforts and communication. Our crew members working aboard Suquamish rescued a watercraft enthusiast off Mukilteo on Aug. 18.

Puyallup Able-Bodied Sailors Sylvanus Koudougnon and Evan Hess in a rescue boat assisting divers in distress off our Edmonds terminal.

Ever wondered what our ferries look like under the water line?

The 57-year-old Kaleetan is taking a well-deserved break at Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes. The vessel is required to occasionally go into dry dock to ensure it’s in safe, working order and comply with U.S. Coast Guard requirements. Being out of the water allows for comprehensive inspections, repairs and maintenance that help prevent breakdowns and extend a boat’s lifespan. Kaleetan is scheduled to return to the water this fall.

While in dry dock, we can address essential maintenance needs such as hull inspections, painting and structural repairs, which are vital for preventing long-term wear and tear.

Colman Dock wins construction and architecture awards

Our new flagship Seattle terminal won two more awards in the last week. Engineering News Record Northwest selected contractor Hoffman Construction as one of their 2024 Best Projects Winners in the Best Airport/Transit category. Meanwhile, the American Institute of Architects chose our Colman Dock Project architect NBBJ for one of its Washington Council’s 2024 Civic Design Awards, which celebrate design excellence in publicly funded projects in our state. Our Mukilteo terminal project received similar recognition in 2021. Congratulations to Hoffman Construction and NBBJ!

AIA Washington Council is recognizing our new Seattle terminal for the project’s design, sustainability, innovation, client satisfaction, building performance and overall integration with the community. Photo courtesy NBJJ.

Sailing stats for week of Aug. 19-25

For the week of Aug. 19-25, we completed 98% of our 2,829 scheduled sailings. We replaced two of our 58 cancellations, of which 25 were 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), 16 due to crewing, eight for tidal currents, four because of miscellaneous reasons and one due to service delays.

Customer kudos

“I would like to compliment the crews of the ferries I rode today. They were friendly and worked hard to get as many cars on as possible. I rode the 6:25am from Kingston and the 3:55pm from Edmonds. This is true every day!”

-Edmonds/Kingston route customer