Ian Sterling, WSF communications, 206-714-1556

Public meetings for route customers scheduled for later this month

SEATTLE – The Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route will return to a three-boat summer schedule starting Friday, Sept. 8.

The service restoration will come following the return of Hyak on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route at 7:20 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, along with a series of boat moves.

Since Aug. 31, Washington State Ferries maintenance crews have been working on the Hyak to replace a broken vessel service generator, which provides electricity to the boat. The work was scheduled to take up to two weeks.

Boat moves
Once Hyak replaces Kitsap on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route, there will be the following boat moves overnight Thursday, Sept. 7:

• Kitsap moves to Mukilteo/Clinton to replace Kittitas (no capacity change).
• Kittitas moves to Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth to restore three-boat service until Monday, Sept. 11, when:
  • Sealth replaces Kittitas in order to maintain a three-boat schedule while Kittitas is out for scheduled repairs.
  • Chetzemoka replaces Sealth on Point Defiance/Tahlequah, reducing Port Townsend/Coupeville to one-boat service. Even with Hyak back in service, there will be no spare vessels readily available.

Public meetings
WSF will hold two public meetings to discuss recent changes on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route:

• Vashon Island public meeting
  • When: 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20
  • Where: Vashon High School cafeteria, 9600 S.W. 204th Street, Vashon
• Southworth public meeting
  • When: 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21
  • Where: John Sedgwick Junior High School Commons, 8995 S.E. Sedgwick Rd., Port Orchard

Washington State Ferries, a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation, is the largest ferry system in the U.S. and safely and efficiently carries 24 million people a year through some of the most majestic scenery in the world.  For breaking news and the latest information, follow WSF on Twitter.