By Janet Somers, Peninsula Daily News
PORT TOWNSEND – The passenger ferry MV Snohomish made its last run between Port Townsend and Seattle on Sunday, and riders’ feelings spanned a gamut that rivaled the width of the Puget Sound.
Out of a dozen Port Townsend residents interviewed at the ferry terminal Sunday morning, some said they’ll miss it.
Others said a permanent passenger ferry would have turned Port Townsend into a suburb of Seattle and were not sad to see it go.
Three Port Townsend merchants interviewed said they think a permanent ferry from Seattle could bring in more business, but two said the December run didn’t bring in more Seattle patrons.
A few people didn’t know about the ferry’s closure at all.
“This is the last day of the ferry?” asked Port Hadlock resident Ralph Stark, 83, a retired engineer about to embark on the 10:30 a.m. ferry to Seattle.
“I had no idea. We’re just going over for the ride.”
The Snohomish started the run on Dec. 13 to bolster Port Townsend’s economy during the holidays after the town lost vehicle ferry service.
The aging Steel Electric vehicle ferries, which were used on the Port Townsend-Keystone route, were deemed unsafe and taken out of service on Nov. 20.
Since they were the only car ferries in the Washington State Ferry system that could negotiate Keystone’s harbor at Whidbey Island, a passenger ferry was put on that run.
The Seattle-to-Port Townsend service was operating at a loss to the state ferry system of $10,000 per day and was intended to be only temporary.
Later this week, the Snohomish will assume the passenger-only Port Townsend-to-Keystone run, which has been served by Purget Sound Express.
A ferry carrying both vehicles and passengers between Port Townsend to Keystone is expected to start up by Feb. 1.
