Weekly update

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Each January, there is a special edition recapping the previous year. View the 2022 Year in Review (PDF 1.7MB).

Here is the latest edition of the WSF Weekly Update:

April 13, 2022

Service restoration update

Our latest Service Restoration Plan (PDF 794KB) Progress Report (PDF 634KB) shows that we’re maintaining at least 95% reliability on our restored routes. Just like prior to the pandemic, there are still some sailing cancellations due to crewing or vessel repairs. Our Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route is next in line for restoration. Unfortunately, we don’t have the crewing necessary to start trialing pre-pandemic three-boat weekday service there just yet. We now anticipate a trial to begin in May.

As outlined in our recent timeline for restoring the remaining routes (PDF 1MB), we plan to restore partial two-boat service on our Seattle/Bremerton run before the start of summer by adding additional morning and midday sailings. We anticipate having crewing available to restore the route to full two-boat service in October. We’re aiming to trial two-boat service on our Port Townsend/Coupeville route in spring 2024.

Oh baby!

There was a good – and unusual – reason for a slight delay in the departure of a Bainbridge to Seattle morning commute sailing last week. A passenger alerted our Bainbridge terminal staff that his wife was in labor while they were parked in one of the holding lanes. Our employees leapt into action by immediately contacting and coordinating with emergency medical technicians and our vessel crews. Crews held up our 7:55 a.m. departure, so an ambulance with the new family could board first and exit first in Seattle to head to Swedish Medical Center. Congratulations to the new mom and dad and a ferry happy birthday to their baby!

Assisting SWAT team off Vashon Island

From babies being born to famous celebrities, our employees have seen it all. Our Vashon terminal staff and vessel crews on our “Triangle” route had a busy morning late last month coordinating transport for a large SWAT team off the island. This is one of many scenarios that show what our frontline workers do to ensure emergency responders get where they need to go.

Joint agency security drill at Port Townsend terminal

Our security team regularly holds drills with law enforcement to be prepared for a variety of incidents. During a tidal cancellation last month on our Port Townsend/Coupeville route, Fleet and Facility Security Officers David Jokinen and John Litzenberger led a joint security drill involving our crew aboard Kennewick, terminal staff, the Port Townsend Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. The drill involved a passenger refusing to disembark the vessel during a security sweep at Port Townsend. Our employees worked to identify, investigate and respond to the situation. The vessel crew simulated a 911 call and coordinated law enforcement access with terminal staff. Officers responded to the scene and coordinated with our employees to successfully deescalate the situation and assist the individual with leaving the vessel. Thank you to all who participated in the drill. The safety of our employees and customers is our top priority!

Where’s Patty?

Assistant Secretary Patty Rubstello is currently going through two weeks of our Deck New Employee Orientation. All our deck crews must pass this intensive training to work on our vessels as an ordinary sailor. The orientation includes firefighting, personal safety and survival, classroom time and job duty familiarization out in our fleet. Her goal is to experience firsthand what it’s like to work out in the fleet, and to learn more about the extraordinary training that our crews have. Patty will be back with our May 4 edition.

Vehicle reservations for summer season available 7 a.m. Tuesday, April 25

Vehicle reservations for our summer season (June 18 to Sept. 23) on our Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes will be available at 7 a.m. Tuesday, April 25. For our Anacortes/San Juan Islands runs, another batch of reservations will be released two weeks before each specific sailing. The remaining space on each sailing will be available two days before.

Biennial process to review and update fares

Every two years, we work with the Washington State Transportation Commission to review and update our fares. This week, we held our first meeting with the Ferry Advisory Committee on Tariff. The group provides us with advice, input and feedback to develop a fare proposal to the Commission, which sets our fares based on targets determined by the state Legislature. You can comment on our tariff proposal at an online open house and public meetings in late May through early June.

Apply for task force on San Juan Islands route schedule update

The sailing schedule for our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route needs to be updated to improve on-time performance and reliability. Planning is about to get underway for a rewrite of the run’s four-season timetables, which have not been changed in more than a decade.

Interested community members can apply for our schedule update task force by 5 p.m. Friday, April 21. This advisory group will examine current sailing schedules, review options and make recommendations on how community input should be considered throughout the update process. The task force will be in place for about a year, as we must implement a new sailing schedule before our 2024 summer season.

Weekday delays across Hood Canal Bridge

Be prepared for another week of possible delays if your weekday ferry plans include travel across the State Route 104 Hood Canal Bridge! Crews are conducting an in-depth inspection of the bridge that requires several 15-minute to 1-hour draw span openings between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Work began on Monday and is scheduled to wrap up next Friday, April 21.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and I thought this would be a good time to remind our customers to be safe, attentive drivers on our vessels and at our terminals, where many of our employees work right in the middle of lanes of traffic. A particular concern I’ve heard from my colleagues is the use of cell phones while driving. Please remember that as an extension of the state highway system, all state laws on distracted driving apply on our ferry system.

National Work Zone Awareness Week

And next week is National Work Zone Awareness Week, which brings attention to motorist and worker safety and mobility issues in work zones. Our vessels and terminals are very much a work zone as drivers maneuver around and through our employees. Please remember to slow down, be kind, pay attention and stay calm near all work zones.

Nicole McIntosh
Chief of Staff, WSDOT/Ferries Division