Weekly update

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Each January, there is a special edition recapping the previous year. View the 2023 Year in Review (PDF 4.7MB).

Here is the latest edition of the WSF Weekly Update:

June 27, 2024

A message from Steve

As we celebrate Pride Month, it’s worth noting the significance of diversity and inclusion in the maritime industry. Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging are focused on making sure everyone has the same opportunity to succeed. It’s not about disrespecting the contributions of others. It is about acknowledging and addressing systemic inequalities that have persisted over time. The goal is to create a more inclusive and fairer environment where everyone is valued and respected.

Pride Month is a time to honor and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, recognizing the contributions and talents they bring to all sectors, including maritime. Diversity is essential for innovation and progress. By fostering an inclusive environment within Washington State Ferries and the maritime industry at large, we can better serve our communities and navigate towards a brighter future together.

Fourth of July holiday ferry travel

We’re expecting about 700,000 people to ride our ferries from Friday, June 28, through Sunday, July 7. To help navigate this July Fourth travel rush, customers are encouraged to download and use the WSDOT mobile app. The app and our website allow visitors to see sailing schedules, 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 or Port Townsend/Coupeville runs. We run a complex operation of roughly 400 daily sailings. Our online tools let customers take control of their ferry travel to help plan a trip and know what to expect before they get in a ferry waiting line.

Our busy Seattle/Bainbridge, Edmonds/Kingston and Mukilteo/Clinton crossings are operating with two boats on each route. One of the two boats assigned to each route has a smaller-than-normal summer season car capacity due to a lack of available ferries (PDF 832KB). Boarding wait times for customers in vehicles may be longer than previous July Fourth travel periods, especially if car capacity is downsized further for unexpected vessel maintenance, which includes ongoing repairs for crab pot line damage to the 144-car Suquamish.

Crab pots and ferries don't mix

Speaking of crab pot lines, crabbing is synonymous with the Pacific Northwest, just like our ferries. But they sure don’t go well together. With many areas of the Salish Sea opening for recreational crab fishing Monday, July 1, we want to remind crab fishers to avoid our ferry lanes. The Northwest Straits Initiative has more strategies for a successful crabbing experience.

Digital ORCA card now available in Google Wallet

You can now pay for your ferry ride through Google Pay. On Monday, ORCA rolled out digital transit cards in Google Wallet, where customers can pay fares, fund accounts, purchase passes, view transactions and see trip history. Those with plastic ORCA cards can easily convert them at no extra charge, but once converted, the physical card will no longer work. New digital ORCA cards will cost $3, the same as purchasing a plastic card. Unfortunately, tap and pay is not compatible with handheld ORCA card scanners or in bicycle lanes. So, if you’re an ORCA user who typically scans at these locations, we recommend keeping your plastic ORCA card.

Southworth terminal building reopens

Roof and concrete maintenance work on our Southworth terminal building wrapped up ahead of schedule and reopened Monday morning. Crews also finished work earlier this month replacing the wooden decking of the walkway along the south side of the dock and laying down concrete beside the vehicle lanes.

Learning about sea level rise at Bainbridge terminal

New infographics about sea level rise are up inside our new Bainbridge terminal overhead walkway. Hyla School students partnered with EcoAdapt to create the visuals. They were designed to help customers waiting in line learn about the effects of sea level rise. At 9:30 a.m. tomorrow, June 28, the team behind the project will be at our Bainbridge terminal to celebrate the new educational installation and discuss their work.

Students with disabilities tour ferry Tacoma

Several North Beach Elementary School second-to-fifth graders got a behind-the-scenes ferry tour last week. We hosted the students with disabilities aboard Tacoma for a sailing from Seattle to Bainbridge. The crew showed them the wheelhouse and answered their questions, which included everything from searchlight controls to how our ferries compare to the Titanic. “Each question was answered with care and completeness,” said the school’s Special Education Assistant Jessica Bjorklund. “The kids all had a wonderful time, and we’ve heard reports from their families about how much they talked about the pilothouse tour at home that evening.” Thank you to all our employees who made this happen.

Nonprofit hands out food on Vashon route vessels

A food distribution nonprofit offered everyone aboard Kittitas free watermelons during an afternoon sailing from Fauntleroy to Vashon last week. One in the Spirit Ministries says food is donated to them and they hand it out to the food bank and other programs on the island and sometimes when they have excess, they hand it out on the ferries. Thank you for providing our customers and crew with this sweet, welcome surprise.

Loaning our dock to a worthy community cause

Each summer, we loan our Vashon passenger-only dock to Camp Goodtimes. This 35-year partnership allows campers to take a fun boat ride donated by Argosy Cruises. It’s often the highlight for hundreds of children with cancer and siblings during their weeklong stay at Camp Burton on Vashon Island. The camp offers children the chance to grow, belong and rejuvenate while surrounded by peers who understand the effects of childhood cancer.

Sailing stats for week of June 17-23

For the week of June 17-23, we completed 98.1% of our 2,829 scheduled sailings. We were able to replace three of our 58 canceled sailings that were due to crewing (31%), tides (24%), security reasons (1%) and schedule resets (43%), when a boat is so far behind schedule, we cancel a sailing to get it back on schedule, providing predictability for customers.

Next Weekly Update will be Thursday, July 11

There will be no Weekly Update on Thursday, July 4. We wish everyone a safe Independence Day. Deputy Assistant Secretary Nicole McIntosh will be sending out our next Weekly Update on Thursday, July 11.

Steve Nevey
Assistant Secretary, WSDOT/Ferries Division