San Juan County Ferry Information

The Washington State Ferries (WSF) only have 16 boats running right now, even though a fleet of 26 is considered full service. Getting new boats on the water is essential, so what about the idea of building or buying some diesel boats quickly while we wait for the electric-hybrids?

The quick building of a few new Olympic Class ferries is a campaign talking point in the gubernatorial race. The candidates have all said they would consider the idea if it would get boats on the water faster.

Washington State Ferries Chief on feasibility of new diesel ferries - MyNorthwest.com

Contacts: Ian Sterling, communications, 206-714-1556 WSF media hotline, 206-402-8070

Nearly 350,000 riders expected for Memorial Day weekend travel

SEATTLE – As the crewing situation improves at Washington State Ferries, the sailing cancellation rate has been cut in half over the past year. That’s good news for the hundreds of thousands of people that will take to the Salish Sea for the unofficial start of the busy summer travel season. State ferry ridership is expected to approach 350,000 over Memorial Day weekend, from Thursday, May 23, through Monday, May 27. Travelers can download the WSDOT mobile app for up-to-the-minute service information, including rider alerts and a real-time map to track the boats. People boarding in a vehicle should be prepared for long wait times and are encouraged to:

• Check terminal conditions before arriving at the dock. Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes also offer vehicle reservations.
• Avoid travel during peak times. Early morning or late-night sailings are usually less crowded. Midweek sailings are also a good option.
• Consider alternative methods of transportation. There is always capacity for those not traveling with a vehicle with minimal to no wait on all sailings.'

For more info on the increase in completed sailings, busy travel times, and holiday schedules, click here.

FY2024 Q2 (October - December 2023)

• WSF completed 35,043 (95.6%) of its 36,644 regularly scheduled trips in the second quarter of fiscal year 2024, compared to completing 33,938 (97.2%) of its 34,922 scheduled trips during the same quarter in FY2023
• WSF had approximately 4.2 million riders in the second quarter of FY2024, 4.2% more than the corresponding quarter in FY2023
• WSF on-time performance was 86.0% in the second quarter of FY2024, down 4.3 percentage points from the same quarter in FY2023
  
  

source: https://wsdot.wa.gov/about/data/gray-notebook/gnbhome/mobility/ferries/default.htm

We’ve really ramped up the frequency of our vessel tours for high schoolers so they can see firsthand what a maritime career with us is like. For the past two Wednesdays, we hosted students from Northwest Career and Technical Academy aboard one of our ferries in the San Juan Islands. During a roundtrip sailing between Anacortes and Friday Harbor, they got a behind-the scenes look at how our deck and engine room crews operate while meeting with crewmembers. These tours are part of our partnership with Core Plus Maritime, and we’re reaching more youth in the region as we aim to strengthen our high school workforce pipeline. We also work closely with Maritime High School, and hosted nearly three dozen of their students last week on a tour of our Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route.

Would you like to help us improve the Washington State Ferries (WSF)? We’re seeking our riders’ feedback on customer service, reservations, fares, and more. Our next survey is coming soon so sign up for the Ferry Riders’ Opinion Group (FROG) today. Thank you! Your participation and input make a difference! If you are already a FROG member, you will get the next survey automatically. Thank you for your participation!