PORT ANGELES — Black Ball Ferry Line’s MV Coho, which makes several daily trips to and from Victoria, will be out of service for nearly two months beginning Monday.
The ferry will make no journeys across the Strait of Juan de Fuca through Feb. 28.
The closure is needed during the construction of a new $17.4 million project, in Canadian dollars, to replace an aging wooden dock at the company’s terminal in Victoria, said Ryan Burles, Black Ball CEO.
The Coho’s last sailing from Port Angeles prior to the break will be Sunday, departing at 2 p.m., with the last sailing from Victoria at 4 p.m. the same day.
Regular service will resume Feb. 29 when the Coho departs Port Angeles at 8:20 a.m. and Victoria at 10:30 a.m.
Black Ball chose to close the route from Port Angeles during these eight weeks to minimize the impact on local tourism, Burles said, adding that this time of year is generally the slowest for crossings.
“Right after the holidays is seemingly the best time to start and try to get back by Feb. 29, for when we are supposed to be” back in service, he said.
Longer than usual
The downtime is much longer than usual. In the past, the ferry has been out of service for about two weeks annually at the end of January.
“It is a long time,” said Charlie Comstock, membership services manager for the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“We fear there are people who are going to assume it’s available and are just going to show up.”
Comstock knows of no other boat service across the water.
“We are not aware of any alternative boat transportation to Victoria” from Port Angeles, he said.
Charter air service
Those who want to charter a flight can do so through Rite Bros. Aviation at 1406 Fairchild Airport Road in Port Angeles.
The business has a ride-share list of people who want to go back and forth, mostly for business reasons, according to owner Jeff Well.
“We’re like an air taxi,” Well said, adding that planes are available for three to five passengers for the 30-minute flight between Fairchild airport in Port Angeles and Victoria International Airport.
“There are some things that are unique to flying versus getting on the Coho,” Well said. “All fliers need to have a passport,” rather than an enhanced ID.
For information, call 360-452-6226, email info@ritebros.com or go to www.ritebros.com.
Another alternative
As of Jan. 16, those headed to Victoria can ride on the Victoria Clipper out of Seattle — a pedestrian-only ferry service.
The Clipper will be out of service beginning Monday and ending Jan. 15, according to the company’s website.
Also Jan. 16, Rocket Transportation of Sequim will be available to transport local residents to the Victoria Clipper dock in downtown Seattle, company officials have said.
For more information, visit www.gorocketman.com and www.clippervacations.com.
Major detour
Motorists traveling to Vancouver Island during the time the Coho is out of service will need to make a detour to Tsawwassen — a suburb of Vancouver, B.C. — to use the crossing operated by BC Ferries, which provides daily transit services to and from Swartz Bay.
Swartz Bay is located about 20 miles north of Victoria on Vancouver Island.
The detour is necessary because the nearest alternate crossing — operated by the Washington State Ferries from Anacortes to Sydney, B.C. — has been closed for the winter till March 20, according to the state website.
According to www.mapquest.com, the alternative route from Port Angeles to Tsawwassen — which includes a ferry from Port Townsend to Coupeville on Whidbey Island — will take the average driver about three hours and 45 minutes to complete.
The last leg of the journey, from Tsawwassen to Victoria, will take another three hours and 45 minutes to finish, for a total time of about 7.5 hours.
In comparison, taking the Coho directly to Victoria is about a 90-minute ride.
Construction
Burles said Thursday he appreciates the patience of his customers during the temporary closure and remarked the inconvenience will be well worth it in the long term.
“We are going to have a dock for the next 60 years and are looking forward to providing service in the new year,” he said.
The 80-year-old creosote wharf will be replaced and a new vehicle loading ramp and covered passenger walkway constructed.
The new dock will be made of steel pilings and concrete. It will be the same size as the old dock — except it will be a little higher.
“We are having to lift the dock” about 8 inches on the east end and 30 inches on the west, Burles said.
Studies predicting sea rise associated with global warming, Burles said, indicate the water level at the new dock is expected to rise about 21 inches over its 60-year lifespan.
At its current height, the west dock “dips, and there isn’t a tremendous amount of clearance there,” he said.
The new dock will be raised “to play it safe,” he said.
During the break, Black Ball will complete upgrades to the Port Angeles mooring dolphins, a cluster of piles used for mooring vessels.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
