End of Summer, 2025

Published by Chinooksteve on

Labor Day has always signaled the end of summer. Kids head back to school, travel season winds down, traffic starts to return to normal levels. (Or did back in the day. For the Puget Sound region, traffic is generally awful the year round anymore.)

For the ferry system, summer schedule used to end with Labor Day weekend, marking the end of extra service boats, and as the 60’s drew to a close, a number of boats made their last runs on the weekend, including the San Mateo pictures above, the Crosline and a few others. The San Mateo became the last steam powered ferry on the west coast after the Smokwa retired in 1966. The San Mateo made her last run as a revenue-generating vessel on Labor Day weekend, 1969.

Wenatchee, pre-conversion, in a gorgeous shot by Brandon Swan.

Wenatchee made it back to the fleet in a summer marked by the return to full service on the Bremerton and Vashon runs, with weekend two-boat service out on the Port Townsend-Keystone route. For the most part, the boats were in service more than they were out, even though there were some mechanical issues and crewing issues.

The Wenatchee, just back from her conversion to hybrid-electric, is, as of today (August 27) out of service due to total power failure while coming into dock. Conversion to hybrid-electric or not, this kind of “teething problem” isn’t all that uncommon when an vessel has been fitted with a completely new propulsion system. Had the Wenatchee had a traditional diesel-electric set up, the same type of glitch could just as easily occurred.

So yes, the ferry had only been in service for month before this problem cropped up, but it’s a wee boit early for pearl clutching just yet. Remember, back in 1967, the brand new ferry Hyak had to be pulled from service after less than a week due a mechanical failure on it.

Hey, knock that off!

B.C. Ferries sent a cease and desist letter to rock band Three Sailing Wait (a name I absolutely love) over use of their trademarked logo.

While one could argue it’s a bit of a minor thing to get huffy over, particularly a logo that is derisively referred to as “the mating slugs” and that replaced the much loved and far more attractive dogwood logo/flag, a registered logo is a registered logo, after all. You think B.C. ferries could have acknowledged how clever Three Sailing Wait’s use of said logo, but given all the criticism they’re facing over awarding their new ferry building contract to China, they probably have a limited sense of humor these days.

New terminal is getting some push back

Up in Alaska, not everyone has been happy with the decision to move the terminal some 30 plus miles outside of Juneau. The idea has been getting a lot of push back. (And look for editorials with the word “boondoggle ” in them.

Stay Tuned for future developments on that, as they say.

An ailing cousin…

The Island Home. Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Back on the East Coast, at Martha’s Vineyard where the Kwa-di-Tubtoy’s cousin Island Home calls…er, home, was sidelined by some mechanical issues.

Meanwhile, it’s something else about the Steamship Authority’s ferries that has concerns for people–their exhaust. Seems the diesel fumes linger around the Vineyard, aggravating some and eliciting calls for the fleet to go electric. They cite the Wenatchee‘s new system–and somehow manage to shrink the boat by some 205 feet! (“the 255-foot long ferry Wenatchee” indeed. Sheesh!)

Good news for Whatcom County

The Whatcom Chief, courtesy of Brandon Swan.

The U.S. Department of Transportation handed out some $175 million for ferries about a week ago. Washington State Ferries got $40 million (which will be largely spent on fuel) but an $875K slice of the ferry pie went for operating the Lummi Island ferry, aka the Whatcom Chief, an elderly vessel the county is looking to replace–though the funds from this won’t go to that.

Did I mention…

A few months after the Queen of Sidney went up in flames, what was left of the San Mateo burned up as well. This could clear the way to both vessels getting properly scrapped. Let’s hope so.

In case anyone out there is still keeping track…

It has been THREE YEARS since the Cathlamet crashed into the dolphin at Fauntleroy (28 July 2022) and the Coast Guard STILL has not released its report/findings into the incident. The NTSB has, WSF has, but diddley-squat from the agency in charge of monitoring vessel safety and security in our waterways.

What gives, USCG?

And just because…

A photo of the Oronsay. Just because she was a lovely ship!

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Categories: Updates

3 Comments

Mark Stearns · September 6, 2025 at 3:35 pm

Interesting blog. It begins with the San Mateo looking grand and celebrating her service as the last steam ferry on the Sound. Then to finish the blog with the news of that once beautiful vessel being reduced to ashes is almost heart breaking. She deserved better. I hope there are some pieces of her in a museum somewhere where generations can enjoy her memory. Come to think of it, what ever happened to her steam whistle?

Mark Stearns · September 8, 2025 at 11:01 pm

Peaking of whistles, you former page had the whistles of many of the retired/historical ferries. Is it possible to bring that page back on this site?

Nikolaus Bautista · September 14, 2025 at 5:32 am

On the “Electrification Call” by the residents of Martha’s Vineyard…

1) Wenatchee’s out-of-service with technical issues. It’s NOT a “good” example of “electrification”.
2) You Snobby Nouveau Riche NIMBY Crackpots couldn’t even handle a few “Border Jumpers”… What do you know about Shipping, Ship Technology, and/or Ship Operations?!
3) Stay in your lane. If the Steamship Authority decides to Electrify, fine. If not, then either “Shut-Up” or Start Your Own Ferry Service!

Wish you all the best on your Little Luxury Island that’s supposed to be “Under Water” because of Climate Change.

Signed,

– Washingtonians who know Ferries… And are Fed-Up with the Wenatchee Debacle!

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