San Juan County Ferry Information

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San Juan County is a community of islands connected by a marine highway system operated and maintained by Washington State Ferries (WSF). The largest ferry system in the United States, WSF is the lifeblood of San Juan County, providing transportation of people, goods and services to and between each of the major islands 365 days a year.

Because of the complexities involved in this service, San Juan County has developed this informational page to help assist residents and visitors by consolidating timely information, links to useful sites, FAQs, and opportunities for feedback into a single, user-friendly location.

We encourage you to bookmark this page on your digital device of choice so that you can readily access these resources when you need them.

San Juan County is a community of islands connected by a marine highway system operated and maintained by Washington State Ferries (WSF). The largest ferry system in the United States, WSF is the lifeblood of San Juan County, providing transportation of people, goods and services to and between each of the major islands 365 days a year.

Because of the complexities involved in this service, San Juan County has developed this informational page to help assist residents and visitors by consolidating timely information, links to useful sites, FAQs, and opportunities for feedback into a single, user-friendly location.

We encourage you to bookmark this page on your digital device of choice so that you can readily access these resources when you need them.

  • San Juan County Receives $1.5 Million from WA State Governor to Support Local Transportation Infrastructure

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    SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA. September 17, 2024 – San Juan County is thrilled to receive new funding from the Washington State Governor’s Office to address ferry service disruptions in the San Juan Islands. Today, Governor Jay Inslee met County and Town officials, essential service providers, business owners, and residents in Friday Harbor to award $1 million to the County to finance temporary marine transportation alternatives, and an additional $500,000 to support Interisland weekend service during the winter which would add a third set of crew to that service.

    “I feel speechless right now,” said Council Chair Jane Fuller after the Governor’s announcement.

    “Our county has been heard at the highest level of our State when it comes to the ferry crisis we have been experiencing,” Fuller said to a room of about 20 locals representing healthcare, schools, utilities, and small businesses.

    “Thank you, Governor Inslee, for all that you and your staff have done in recent weeks to acknowledge our emergency and identify a means through which the State can support our local problem-solving efforts to ensure essential services can continue to be delivered, and the impacts on the lives of the people in our county can be mitigated.”

    Localized, Emergency Transportation Services

    In August, Council issued a request to the Governor’s Office for ‘executive relief’ from ferry service disruptions, providing a 180-day proposal. Today, the County received $1 million from the Department of Commerce’s Emergency Rapid Response program to support three main initiatives:

    • Interisland passenger only water taxi service

    • Anacortes / San Juan Islands passenger only charter service

    • On-call essential/critical services barge transportation

    Funding from the Governor’s Office will support these three pilot initiatives on an interim and emergency basis.

    “This will not make everything perfect in the islands, but I believe it will be a significant improvement,” Governor Inslee said.

    Increased Interisland Service This Winter

    Governor Inslee also authorized $500,000 from the Governor’s Emergency Fund to support increased weekend Interisland service during the winter. WSF believes this will not only provide increased service to residents, but also improve workforce availability and overall service levels by making it more possible for crews to live in the San Juan Islands year-round.

    “I really couldn’t believe my ears when I heard you were going to put three crews on the interisland boat during the winter,” said Ferry Advisory Committee member Ken Burtness during the meeting. “It will help with the stability of crews on the Interisland and very much help the schedule for the boats out of Anacortes. This is the best news I’ve heard in five years.”

    The WSF Anacortes / San Juan Islands Schedule-Rewrite Taskforce, established by WSF last May, will meet this week to further discuss the year-round ferry schedule to reflect the addition of a third crew on the interisland route. The updated schedule is expected to come into effect in December.

    Next Steps

    The County had an initial meeting with the WA State Department of Commerce yesterday to discuss how the emergency funds will be allocated and be utilized. Further updates will be provided as plans are established.

    The Council Chair is will soon be establishing an external Transportation Working Group comprised of representatives from Chambers, Ports, non-profits, and other local entities. This group will be tasked with identifying local solutions to transportation issues that can be explored by the County government, and in the context of updates to the Transportation element of the Comprehensive Plan.

    “As WSF rebuilds itself, we look forward to supporting them and feel newly empowered to work collaboratively on localized solutions to transportation needs in the islands,” said Council Chair Fuller.

    The Council is also working to develop a legislative ask for the upcoming legislative session that will address ways to mitigate the impacts of ferry service disruptions.

    “We’re working tireless every day to solve these issues,” said Assistant Secretary of Transportation for WSF Steve Nevey. “I have empathy for all the issues you brought up today,” he said, addressing the room of business owners, volunteers, and local officials.

    Council is very grateful for the Governor’s support demonstrated by granting this emergency funding request and funding longer term efforts to restore service on our interisland ferry route. The Council would also like to thank our 40th district legislators for their tireless dedication to improving the Washington State Ferry service for the future, securing essential funding for additional vessels and crew, and their ongoing collaboration and support to address the localized challenges we experience on the Anacortes / San Juan Islands route.

    “The County deeply appreciates all of the consistent and ongoing attention that WSF, under the leadership of Assistant Secretary Nevey has been giving to ferry service on our route,” said Chair Fuller. “Our collaboration has been intense and meaningful, and it will continue. We will do all we can to support Assistant Secretary Nevey as he continues to guide WSF towards a successful future.”

    The County would also like to recognize the tremendous work of the crew and staff who serve our Anacortes / San Juan Islands routes who can never be given enough appreciation for all that they do in service to the islands.

    The County will release additional updates as they become available. Learn more about the County’s ferry advocacy efforts on the Engage page: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/san-juan-county-ferry-information.

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  • Navigating staffing challenges: The realities behind WSF’s San Juans’ interisland service

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    The following piece was written by John Vezina, Director, Planning, Customer and Government Relations for WSF.

    We know how much our ferry service means to island communities. But the geography of the San Juans can make it hard to staff our interisland boat reliably. This overview explains our commitment and the challenges we face.

    Crewing the San Juans’ interisland ferry

    Each sailing season starts with fully crewed boats with vacation reliefs filled when requested. But if someone calls in sick, has childcare issues or gets a flat tire, we can’t sail until we fill their spot. This year, the Legislature gave us money to add an extra ordinary sailor (deck) and oiler (engine room) to each sailing. Unfortunately, we don’t have backups for other crew positions, so if we don’t meet Coast Guard requirements, we can’t sail until we find someone. This is especially tough on our Anacortes/San Juan Islands and interisland routes because most of our employees live far away.

    Our interisland ferry is based in Friday Harbor, which most crew members can’t reach by road. This makes it very hard to find relief employees.

    For staff who don’t live near Anacortes, commuting to Friday Harbor adds at least five hours to their day. This makes it less attractive for them to fill relief requests on the interisland vessel. Instead, they prefer working overtime on routes closer to home.

    New initiatives to support crew

    Since our interisland route is a priority and one of the first to be restored, we’ve looked for ways to address these challenges. We’ve hired a charter boat to help crew members travel between Anacortes and Friday Harbor. We’ve also added wage incentives for those who work on the interisland ferry. However, work agreements don’t allow us to schedule overtime. Our on-call pool, which some see as a hiring barrier, is needed to cover staffing for all routes.

    We’ve also thought about moving the interisland boat to Anacortes, to make it easier for employees to report for shifts. But this would mean the boat would have to stop in Anacortes at least four times a day for crew changes, reducing interisland service. It would also affect jobs for crew members who live in the San Juan Islands, who are our most reliable staff for this route. The high cost of living and limited housing on the islands make it hard for new crew members to move there. We will work with San Juan County officials to explore housing options for our employees.

    USCG regulations limit how many hours a crew member can work in one day. If the interisland vessel falls too far behind schedule, we may have to cancel evening sailings to keep crew from working too many hours. If they work too long, they can’t work the next day. Delays can be caused by weather, medical emergencies or even small issues like someone locking their keys in their car.

    Starting in winter 2025, we’re changing our sailing schedules to make service more reliable. These updates will help with crew changes and make crossing and docking times more realistic.

    Sharing information with customers

    We’re also improving how we communicate with our customers. If you sign up for our rider alerts, we’ll let you know if there’s a crew shortage on the interisland ferry. We send alerts three times a day if there are open relief requests so you can plan ahead. This is especially important for county workers and students commuting to school in Friday Harbor, so they can get home if the last trip of the day is canceled.

    We’ve also made alternate schedules for when the interisland vessel is out of service. The three boats that serve Anacortes make extra stops to help interisland customers reach their destinations.

    Our interisland route staffing challenges are clear in recent service data. From Aug. 1 to Sept. 2, we canceled 33 out of 1,814 sailings (1.8%) for the three ferries connecting the islands with Anacortes. During the same period, we canceled 120 out of 822 interisland sailings (14.6%).

    We expect things to get better as we hire new employees and train existing crew members into higher positions. With a larger workforce and the changes above, more reliable service will come to our interisland route. We know how important it is to avoid interisland cancellations, and we are working hard to make service more reliable.