July 17, 2025

A message from Steve

On Monday, I joined Gov. Bob Ferguson, Secretary of Transportation Julie Meredith, our Deputy Assistant Secretary John Vezina, Rep. Debra Lekanoff and the San Juan County Council for a public meeting on Orcas Island. We were there to talk about the service we provide in the San Juan Islands. Residents were invited to share their thoughts and ask questions. John gave a short presentation providing updates on our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route. He then answered questions about on-time performance, service cancellations, our recently completed schedule change efforts, vehicle reservation system challenges, results from our Passenger-Only Ferry Study (PDF 8.2MB) and moving to a two-season schedule.

Gov. Bob Ferguson speaks to the audience at a public meeting on Orcas Island Monday focused on our service.

On the way back to Anacortes, Gov. Ferguson rode the Chelan. He toured the engine room and wheelhouse to thank our crews in person. It was great to see their work recognized. I want to thank the governor, our state lawmakers and the San Juan County Council for their strong support. We are all working together to make our ferry service better for the islands.

In the Chelan wheelhouse with (left to right) Chief Mate Bradley Vallo, Capt. Frank Major, Gov. Bob Ferguson and Staff Chief Engineer Phillip Stroud.

Gov. Bob Ferguson with (left to right) Oiler Sean Morgan, Wiper Robert Irvin, Rep. Debra Lekanoff and Oiler Elijah Zachry in the Chelan engine room.

Fall vehicle reservations release postponed

We’re postponing our two-month vehicle reservations release for our fall sailing season (Sept. 21 to Dec. 27). The delay is needed while we work on updates to our reservation system. We plan to share the new release date on Tuesday, July 22.

Kaleetan crew assists in rescue in Rich Passage

A life was saved last Thursday evening thanks to the quick actions and life-saving training of our Kaleetan crew. While sailing from Seattle to Bremerton, they noticed Kitsap Transit’s fast ferry Lady Swift sitting still in Rich Passage. Upon closer look, they spotted a person in the water clinging to a daymark. As the Lady Swift crew members pulled the kayaker from the water, our team launched a rescue boat – ideal for shallow areas where larger vessels can’t go. This allowed for a quick and smooth transfer to shore on Bainbridge Island, where the local fire department was ready to assist. We’re proud of our crew. Their fast response, teamwork and training made all the difference. Thank you to all our employees who help keep everyone safe on the Salish Sea.

New senior director of external relations

This month, we welcomed our new Senior Director of External Relations Jenna Forty. She takes over for John Vezina, who now serves as my deputy. Jenna brings several years of experience in government and public service. She was most recently a non-partisan transportation committee staffer at the Washington State Senate. WSF was part of her legislative portfolio. In her new role, Jenna will lead our work in government relations, communications, customer service, planning and community engagement. She knows WSF well and cares deeply about serving the public. I’m confident Jenna will help us build strong relationships inside and outside our agency.

Jenna brings years of government experience. She also worked for the governor’s Office of Financial Management.

Annual tribal canoe journey

You may see tribal canoes while riding our ferries in the days ahead. The Paddle to Elwha kicks off this weekend. Look for canoes near some of our routes from July 24-30. Landing is scheduled for July 31 with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe hosting a celebration Aug. 1-5.

If you capture a photo or video of the annual tribal canoe journey while riding our ferries, share them with us on X, Bluesky, Facebook or Instagram.

Vashon Island Strawberry Festival

Our Vashon Island ferries will be very busy this weekend. The community’s annual Strawberry Festival is happening, and it brings thousands of visitors. We recommend that festivalgoers walk on at our Fauntleroy, Southworth or Point Defiance terminals if they can. King County Metro’s Route 118 and 119 serves the dock at both Vashon and Tahlequah and stops at the festival.

‘Ferry Talk’ podcast returns for season 2

A podcast all about Washington State Ferries returned for a second season this month. “Ferry Talk” is the creation of local resident Margot Kahn Case and her 14-year-old son Toby, who has loved transportation since he was a little kid. In their latest episode, they talk with our Planning Manager Jason Rogers about our sailing schedules. New episodes will be released through the end of summer.

Sailing stats for week of July 7-13

For the week of July 7-13, we completed 97.8% of our 3,124 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the 78 cancellations, 32 were for schedule resets (when a boat is so far behind schedule, we cancel a sailing to get it back on schedule, providing predictability for customers), 28 due to crewing, seven because of other miscellaneous reasons, six for tidal currents, three due to emergencies and two because of vessel-related issues.

Customer kudos

“I ride the Port Townsend Coupeville ferry more than any other route. The crew on that run are always so incredibly nice. I walk on frequently and have taken to putting my belongings in a little wagon to make traversing easier for me. The crew are so sweet about it always allowing me to get up to the front of the boat before the cars get on. I recently had a small tree in the wagon for a friend on Whidbey Island and everybody was so helpful and all the passengers seem to think it was pretty cute too.”

-Port Townsend/Coupeville route customer

Steve Nevey
WSDOT Deputy Secretary for Washington State Ferries