PORT TOWNSEND — Sailing on the ferry Steilacoom II during morning hours this week could be a dubious proposition as the lowest tides of July toy with Washington State Ferries’ Port Townsend-Keystone route’s morning schedule.
“It’s something we can’t control, but we do have extra trips scheduled to help make up for it,” said state fesrries spokeswoman Laura Johnson.
The week of ferry trip cancellations during peak tourist season follows Saturday night’s canceled runs that left 20 foot passengers stranded and sleeping overnight aboard the Steilacoom II at the Port Townsend dock, Johnson said.
“What happened is there was some bad weather, and we had to cancel service starting with 6:45 p.m. from Port Townsend,” Johnson recalled.
“Under such weather, ordinarily we would find them hotels to stay and pay for it, but all the hotels were filled due to the Sequim Lavender Festival.”
Instead, the 24-hour crew that happened to be working on the vessel Saturday helped make the passengers comfortable aboard the ferry overnight.
“The terminal staff offered to get them food and beverages,” Johnson said.
Seven foot passengers were stranded at Keystone on Whidbey Island and spent the night in Fort Casey State Park accommodations, Johnson said.
Jefferson County Commissioner David Sullivan, who was coming back from a visit to Anacortes, said was among those stranded at Keystone. He said he stayed overnight with friends on that side of Admiralty Inlet.
The state is leasing the 50-car Steilacoom II from Pierce County, where it is at home on the normally much more calm Steilacoom ferry route waterway.
The Steilacoom II is a stand-in for the four 82-year-old Steel Electric ferries that Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond pulled from service after she declared them unsafe with pitted and corroded hulls in November 2007. The ferries Klickitat, Nisqually, Quinault and Illahee and have been sold for $200,000 to a California company that plans to scrap them in Mexico.
Since Washington State Ferries launched the Steilacoom II between Port Townsend and Keystone, it has been wracked by high winds and seas on notoriously rough-and-tumble Admiralty Inlet and frequent run cancellations, especially during winter months.
Tide cancellations — 15 this month and 16 scheduled in August — only add to state ferries’ troubles.
August will have cancellations during the week of Aug. 18-23 with some extra runs scheduled to help move anticipated heavy traffic.
The Steilacoom II was running about 40 minutes late Tuesday afternoon as a result of the morning cancellations caused by a minus 3.1 tide — the lowest in July.
There were extra sailings scheduled Tuesday to lessen passenger impact, three from Port Townsend, at 5:50 a.m., 8:35 a.m. and 9:55 a.m., and two from Keystone, at 9:15 a.m and 10:35 a.m.
Today, the 8 a.m. sailing from Port Townsend and 8:45 a.m. from Keystone are canceled by low tides.
The 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. sailings from Port Townsend will be canceled Thursday.
The 7:15 a.m., 8:45 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. sailings are canceled Thursday from Keystone.
Extra Thursday sailings from Port Townsend are scheduled at 6 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., and 6:45 and 8:15 from Keystone.
Routes scheduled for cancellation Friday are the 9:30 a.m. out of Port Townsend and the 10:15 a.m. at Keystone.
Reservations for vehicles and motorcycles can be made by calling 5-1-1 up to 2 hours prior to sailing.
Washington State Ferries recommends reservation holders arrive 30 minutes prior to departure to ensure timely processing and boarding. Walk-on passengers are advised to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to sailings.
Johnson advises passengers to visit Washington State Ferries’ Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries and sign up for e-mail alerts on any Port Townsend-Keystone or other ferry system schedule changes or cancellations.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
