by In recent years, it has been very frustrating for locals and tourists to get to and from the San Juan Islands by ferry.
Now, for the first time in more than a decade, Washington State Ferries (WSF) is rolling out a new schedule that begins in March.
“The current calendars have not been revised in 10 to 15 years and are so outdated that they are causing delays and frustration for everyone involved,” WSF Director Steve Nevey wrote in announcing the new change. .
John Vezina, WSF’s director of planning, customer and government relations, told KOMO News the agency is fully aware of the frustrations and difficulties that arise when a boat is late or cannot sail due to a lack of staff or a maintenance problem.
RELATED | Ferry workers awarded Life Ring Awards for more than 100 rescue efforts
FSM spent nearly two years working to resolve this problem on San Juan Island roads, Vezina added.
Vézina said he created a community task force to help and used public awareness to create a new sailing schedule.
It includes daily inter-island service during the winter, with state funding.
The new schedule aims to provide more reliable service to the San Juan Islands community.
“It’s really complex to reset a schedule,” Nevey said when asked why the WSF doesn’t adjust sailing schedules to eliminate the often-daily alerts telling passengers that a ferry is late.
“The law requires us to do a lot of community engagement and that involves a lot of things,” Nevey added. “Since there are bell hours at school, there are things you wouldn’t even think about.”
RELATED | 2 ferries taken off market return to market after WSF terminates previous sales agreements
Nevey said the WSF must take into account many variables, including crossing times, refueling time, relief time for the engine room and other WSF personnel on board the boats, and time stopping time, that is to say the duration during which the boat remains at the dock to unload and load the vehicles.
Vezina said these work schedules are set by the U.S. Coast Guard and if a boat is late and keeps employees longer, then they have to cancel sailings at night so they can get off work and have enough hours for the next morning.
The FSM also cannot schedule overtime, Vézina said.
Another factor beyond the FSM’s control is traffic around its ferry terminals and the timing of traffic lights.
In addition to this list of variables, a new blow to the system occurred when Vézina announced the departure of its service planner.
Vézina said it took time to hire someone new because maritime planning is very different from other transportation planning systems.
The piece of the puzzle, public engagement, also played an important role in this calendar reset.
RELATED | Ferry prices in Washington just increased. Here’s how much it will cost to ride
The community working group included 26 citizens who looked at all the variables and even pointed out a few things the experts missed, Vézina said.
Today’s dwell times and passenger numbers are much higher than a decade ago.
This new schedule also removes Wasp Passage, a narrow spot on the northwest tip of Shaw Island. Vezina said ferries will now bypass this passage to avoid unforeseen slowdowns, but he said a captain who feels comfortable in this passage can choose to use it.
Reservations are now open for the spring sailing program, which begins March 23, 2025. The new summer sailing program begins June 15, 2025.
Reservations will open for this, as for each season, two months before the start of the navigation program.
