Summer Days

Hard to believe 2021 is half way done and dusted. While covid is still a huge concern, and as of this writing is on the rise again, the little bit of “normal” we’ve been able to reclaim has been a needed boost to the mental health of thousands.

At WSF, the struggles continue. The agency is short on boats and short on staff, the latter so much so that a second boat at Port Townsend is off for summer–and the rest of the year likely.
The Sidney run is likely to suffer the same fate, not only because of the lack of crew, but the fact that Canada (rightly) is requiring that all people entering the country be vaccinated against covid. That standard will apply to WSF crews. My bet is we won’t see service to Sidney until spring of 2022–just in time for the route’s 100th Anniversary.

Meanwhile up in Alaska, proposed schedules are leaving long gaps in service. There are further troubles with system, which continue to add up.

Meanwhile, today the new island-class ferry arrived in Victoria from its long trip from Romania. It looks nothing like the Queen of Sidney above, for the record, but nothing building these days has the class of design like the old vessels.

Kitsap Transit, which is operating passenger-only service with a ferry named Enetai (which again, looks nothing like this) has now expanded its service to weekends after cutting service because of covid.

Meanwhile, the Coho will not be sailing, even though Canada is allowing vaccinated Americans in. The U.S. has delayed for another month, and will decide sometime next month as to whether or not to open the border. Owners of the ferry are now bracing for another lost tourist season.