||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||
Three-boat service to return to “Triangle” route
Our Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route is scheduled to return to its normal three-boat schedule tomorrow, June 11, after being down a boat since late March 2020 due to COVID-19. I extend a warm thank you to those who rely on our “Triangle” run for your patience and understanding as I know we serve as a vital transportation link for many. View our Fauntleroy/Vashon, Fauntleroy/Southworth and Southworth/Vashon sailing schedules.
Cathlamet is scheduled to return to our “Triangle” route tomorrow, June 11,
restoring three-boat service to the route for the first time since the early days of the pandemic.
Systemwide, we’re working to build back service to pre-pandemic levels. However, this will continue to be a gradual process as we deal with a shortage of working vessels following April’s fire aboard Wenatchee and long overdue preservation needs on many of our aging ferries. We’re still operating one-boat service on our Port Townsend/Coupeville route (at least through June 27), and will operate smaller vessels than normal on three more runs (Seattle/Bainbridge, Mukilteo/Clinton and Anacortes/San Juan Islands) through the summer.
With reduced vessel capacities on multiple routes, be prepared for the possibility of long waits if coming aboard by vehicle, especially during peak travel times. If walking on, be aware that we will enforce reduced occupancy in terminals and on sailings to comply with the state’s directive on physical distance standards for public transportation.
Shortage of available vessel crews
In addition to vessel availability challenges, we’re also experiencing crewing issues related to the pandemic. While many of our employees have been vaccinated, we’re still seeing occasional COVID cases among vessel crews. Following health department guidelines, anyone in contact with them must quarantine, shrinking our pool of available crewmembers, particularly those who work in the confined quarters of our vessel engine rooms. We also have employees out for a day or two to receive or deal with side effects from the vaccine.
It has been difficult to train new crewmembers in large numbers over the past year
due to state COVID-19 restrictions and limitations on large indoor gatherings.
Knowing we would face these constraints, we worked to hire additional engine room crew this spring. Unfortunately, our first hiring event only yielded two new oilers. We just completed a second round of interviews and hope to bring on eight more oilers by mid-June. We’re always looking for new employees, not just for our fleet. If you’re interested in working for us or know someone who may be, check out our employment page!
Governor visits new Mukilteo terminal
Gov. Jay Inslee stopped by our new Mukilteo terminal on Monday. WSDOT Secretary Roger Millar, Chief of Staff Nicole McIntosh, Terminal Supervisor Genevieve Black and I were proud to show him, First Lady Trudi Inslee and his staff around the green and LEED-certified facility. Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, Rep. Strom Peterson and Mukilteo Mayor Jennifer Gregerson also joined us for the walkthrough. We discussed the construction project’s recent Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) International 2021 Innovative Transportation Solutions Award, how the terminal serves our busiest route for vehicles, as well as the many improvements the facility provides for both riders and the surrounding community.
WSDOT Secretary Roger Millar and I had a discussion with Gov. Jay Inslee
inside our new Mukilteo terminal building on Monday.
Photo courtesy of Office of the Governor.
Crew aboard Sealth rescues canoe paddlers
It takes a lot of vigorous training to become a crewmember on one of our ferries and that’s because they must be ready for all types of emergencies. Late Friday night, the U.S. Coast Guard asked our crew aboard Sealth to help look for canoe paddlers in distress near Vashon Island. It was a long search, but they eventually spotted the victims just south of Blake Island and rescued them out of the water. The crew provided medical attention until EMS took over upon arrival in Southworth. Safety is our top priority and I salute all my colleagues who were involved in this rescue!
Our crew aboard Sealth was involved in the successful rescue of some
canoe paddlers late Friday night near Vashon Island.
COVID-19 vaccine clinic returning for two days on Seattle/Bremerton route
Staff from Peninsula Community Health Services will be back on board both of our Seattle/Bremerton vessels Saturday, June 12, and again next Saturday, June 19, offering COVID-19 vaccines on sailings departing from midmorning through late afternoon. No insurance information or any form of identification are needed, and riders can be from anywhere. PCHS plans to have both Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines available.
Orca Month
June is Orca Month and a good time to share how we’re helping to protect and spread awareness of southern resident killer whales. In addition to our continued partnership with Orca Network, we’re one of the top whale reporters for Ocean Wise’s Whale Report Alert System (WRAS), which we also use to provide our crews with accurate and updated location information for large marine mammals.
More than 1,300 of our employees have successfully completed the
Whales in our Waters online training tutorial.
We’re also part of the planning team for Quiet Sound, a proposed program to reduce the effects of vessel noise on orcas in Washington state. Finally, we’re a member of the Port of Vancouver’s Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program’s Advisory Working Group and serve on several of the ECHO’s technical committees.
Olympia sixth grader designs “Ferry of the Future”
A sixth grader’s project on the “Ferry of the Future” recently crossed my desk – and let me tell you, I was very impressed! Cassidy Smith of Olympia interviewed our Government Relations Director John Vezina for the school assignment and shared her finished product with us. She designed a battery-powered ferry fueled by a wind turbine and solar power that would travel between Olympia and Seattle. We would love for you to join our ferry family one day!
Cassidy’s model of the “Ferry of the Future,”
which also features sustainable elements on land at the terminal.
