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Kingston Fast Ferry Service Update
Kitsap Transit will resume operating its Kingston Fast Ferry service with the M/V Melissa Ann on Wednesday afternoon, September 4. The first sailing departs Kingston Ferry Dock at 2:35pm.
M/V Finest, Kitsap Transit’s 240-passenger fast ferry, has been undergoing repairs at a shipyard since August 5. Based on conversations with the shipyard, Kitsap Transit anticipates that the Finest will return to service during the week of September 22, although this timeline could shift due to unforeseen circumstances.
The shipyard is rebuilding Finest’s water jets and replacing torsional couplings. To accomplish this, the shipyard is machining some parts and ordering other parts from Sweden. Finest is out of service for a prolonged period due to the long lead times associated with these tasks, and the smaller 172-passenger Melissa Ann has been operating the route in the interim.
We are aware the Melissa Ann has reached capacity on some sailings, particularly the 7:05am departure from Kingston and the 5:05pm departure from Seattle. If you have flexibility in your schedule, there is plenty of capacity on earlier and later sailings.
If you don’t have flexibility in your schedule, here’s one way to get priority boarding on the 7:05am departure: Ride a Kitsap Transit bus to the Kingston ferry terminal.
Our bus riders have priority to board the Kingston Fast Ferry. Kitsap Transit is honoring a promise it made last year to the community, which has consistently expressed concern about fast-ferry customers parking their vehicles in downtown Kingston and making street traffic congestion worse. We recognize that this may put some non-bus riders at a disadvantage, particularly those who walk or bicycle to the ferry terminal.
We look forward to the Finest returning to service on the Kingston/Seattle route later this month and apologize for the inconvenience to our customers. Thank you for your patience and for riding Kitsap Transit. If you have any questions, please call Customer Service at 800.501.RIDE or e-mail kitsapride@kitsaptransit.com.
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