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Post by Kahloke on May 4, 2021 15:29:38 GMT -8
Hopefully we'll see the Kaleetan again soon in some capacity [although as prior experience shows- you never know what is uncovered in our aging vessels]. Skipping needed layup time for Kaleetan and Walla Walla is likely unwise. As for Yakima and Chelan, the fact that those vessels are not being floated as replacements can mean that they're undergoing extensive work. That's the entire fleet accounted for, and unfortunately until at least June 7th no spares to magically conjure up for FVS. Chelan is coming back to the islands on May 17 according to the reservation page, and kicking Cathlamet loose. I don't know if Cathlamet is going into the yard or will be available for another route. On the whole, I agree with lavalamp. I think WSF is doing the best they can with the resources they have. Deciding when and where vessels get placed are made by folks who have an in-depth understanding of the whole operation, with knowledge of issues and limitations that we, the general public, are simply not privy to.
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Post by wanderlust90 on May 4, 2021 15:34:31 GMT -8
While I'm sure they have their reasons for allocating the fleet as they are, I'd think putting the Salish as Inter-Island and bumping the Tillikum down to Fauntleroy instead of the Sealth would be less disruptive to both riders and the schedule. I seem to recall the Salish being a poor fit for inter-island due to the difficulty in turning vehicles around. But hey, the Hiyu's done that route before!
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on May 4, 2021 17:17:57 GMT -8
It seems like reasonable plan because Issaquah Class can keep Bremerton easily, Salish fails a multiplier terminals and can easily keep the schedule on Vashon to Southern while the other vessels go Fauntleroy while maintaining the most capacity on the those routes. As lavalamp stated, where does the 3rd boat for FVS come from? Currently Sailing, from WSF's live ferry map: Ana/SJ's: Samish, Suquamish, Tillikum, Cathlamet PT/Coup: Kennewick Muk/Clin: Tokitae, Kitsap Edm/King: Puyallup, Spokane Sea/BI: Tacoma, Walla Walla Sea/Brem: Chimacum, Sealth FVS: Kittitas, Issaquah PD/T: Salish Layup/OOS: Chelan, Chetzemoka, Kaleetan, Yakima, Wenatchee We can then read between the lines and deduce that Chetzemoka is coming back soon kicking Salish from PD/T. Salish is freed up to replace Sealth on Sea/Brem, moving Sealth to FVS. [side note: WSF is doing a great job of making sure capacity reductions are balanced across the system.] The below announcement leads me to believe Issaquah is covering Sea/BI as Walla Walla and Kaleetan may be out concurrently: "Seattle/Bainbridge: Reduced capacity with either the smaller 188-vehicle Walla Walla, 144-vehicle Kaleetan, or 124-vehicle Issaquah on route through at least July 25th" There's also: "Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: At least June 7th for restoration of three-boat service" Hopefully we'll see the Kaleetan again soon in some capacity [although as prior experience shows- you never know what is uncovered in our aging vessels]. Skipping needed layup time for Kaleetan and Walla Walla is likely unwise. As for Yakima [currently at Vigor] and Chelan, the fact that those vessels are not being floated as replacements can mean that they're undergoing extensive work. That's the entire fleet accounted for, and unfortunately until at least June 7th no spares to magically conjure up for FVS. I did not read in between lines. I hope Washington State Ferries will work with Kitsap Fast Ferries to fill gaps on Bremerton route.
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Post by northwesterner on May 4, 2021 19:05:54 GMT -8
Hopefully we'll see the Kaleetan again soon in some capacity [although as prior experience shows- you never know what is uncovered in our aging vessels]. Skipping needed layup time for Kaleetan and Walla Walla is likely unwise. As for Yakima and Chelan, the fact that those vessels are not being floated as replacements can mean that they're undergoing extensive work. That's the entire fleet accounted for, and unfortunately until at least June 7th no spares to magically conjure up for FVS. Chelan is coming back to the islands on May 17 according to the reservation page, and kicking Cathlamet loose. I don't know if Cathlamet is going into the yard or will be available for another route. On the whole, I agree with lavalamp. I think WSF is doing the best they can with the resources they have. Deciding when and where vessels get placed are made by folks who have an in-depth understanding of the whole operation, with knowledge of issues and limitations that we, the general public, are simply not privy to. Yeah, I also agree that is basically as good as it gets given the vessels they have. However, it is unclearly to me what WSF needs to do to get out of this mess. Clearly the legislature has not properly budgeted for on going operations. Laying up the Hyak "just because" was clearly a mistake as WSF doesn't have the vessels to run their schedule, particularly as the Issaquah class ages. Washington's state tax revenue has grown year over year since 2011 (and including last year - during the pandemic!). From 2016-2019, the tax revenues grew by around 8% per year. This isn't a small amount of revenue growth. However, the legislature has not kept up with funding WSF. Inslee has been governor for nearly a decade and WashDOT is an executive agency. Where's his push on the legislature to allocate funding?
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Post by R30A on May 4, 2021 19:48:02 GMT -8
While I'm sure they have their reasons for allocating the fleet as they are, I'd think putting the Salish as Inter-Island and bumping the Tillikum down to Fauntleroy instead of the Sealth would be less disruptive to both riders and the schedule. I seem to recall the Salish being a poor fit for inter-island due to the difficulty in turning vehicles around. But hey, the Hiyu's done that route before! I'm not saying it's a good fit, but I've seen her on both the inter-island and the Bremerton, and while the Salish in the San Juans may not be pretty, the Salish at Bremerton is downright ugly.
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Post by lavalamp on May 4, 2021 20:22:27 GMT -8
While I'm sure they have their reasons for allocating the fleet as they are, I'd think putting the Salish as Inter-Island and bumping the Tillikum down to Fauntleroy instead of the Sealth would be less disruptive to both riders and the schedule. I thought about that too, but that shift has three major issues: 1) It requires two long boat moves, when WSF is already short of qualified crew; 2) the KdT-class has proven to be far from ideal as the interisland boat; and 3) You're then paying the Tillikum engine room crews extra time to commute back and forth from Anacortes. So it results in a marginal improvement to service in the Central Sound and reduced service in the San Juans, at a large cost that arguably isn't justified given the benefits.
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Post by lavalamp on May 4, 2021 20:25:35 GMT -8
I seem to recall the Salish being a poor fit for inter-island due to the difficulty in turning vehicles around. But hey, the Hiyu's done that route before! I'm not saying it's a good fit, but I've seen her on both the inter-island and the Bremerton, and while the Salish in the San Juans may not be pretty, the Salish at Bremerton is downright ugly. Except they did learn something from the last time Salish was at Bremerton, and they're skipping an afternoon sailing to reset the schedule. Bremerton also has the Kitsap Transit fast pax ferry service during commute times to provide capacity as well.
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Post by SS San Mateo on May 4, 2021 20:32:12 GMT -8
As for commercial shipyard work over the next few months... M/V Yakima - 03/13 - 05/07 M/V Issaquah - 05/10 - 07/02 M/V Suquamish - 07/12 - 08/13 (contract not awarded yet... still out for bid until 05/13) Source
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Post by withtheferries on May 5, 2021 12:06:19 GMT -8
From the WSF Facebook page: When we unexpectedly lose one of our largest ferries (Puyallup, Tacoma and Wenatchee), there are cascading effects across our system. With Wenatchee out of service for several months due to a recent fire and continuing pandemic-related vessel crewing challenges for quarantines and vaccinations, we were forced to make some difficult decisions affecting service on the following routes: Seattle/Bainbridge: Reduced capacity with either the smaller 188-vehicle Walla Walla, 144-vehicle Kaleetan or 124-vehicle Issaquah on route through at least July 25. Seattle/Bremerton: Slower and smaller 64-vehicle Salish on route starting Thursday, May 6, requiring a schedule adjustment that eliminates an early afternoon round trip until at least June 27. Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: At least June 7 for restoration of three-boat service. Originally scheduled to start Sunday, May 9. Smaller 90-vehicle Sealth on route starting Thursday, May 6, and continuing until at least June 27. Port Townsend/Coupeville: At least June 27 for start of two-boat service. Originally scheduled to start Sunday, May 9, then delayed until at least June 7. Looks like Salish is going to stay at PT. Defiance and Chetzemoka will replace the sealth. (edit) or not ig, chetzemoka now leaving bremerton...what is going on..
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Post by R30A on Jun 4, 2021 18:17:26 GMT -8
Posting an update largely for when I and others look back and try to figure out what was happening: Chelan didn't end up replacing Cathlamet, but replaced Suquamish instead. Kaleetan has bumped off the Walla Walla from Bainbridge, and the Walla Walla replaced Spokane at Edmonds. Spokane ended up replacing Salish at Bremerton until it went out for maintenance, now the Chimacum is standing alone on Bremerton.
Looking at upcoming reservations, the Sealth is going to be a mainline San Juans boat for much of the summer. Should be fun!!! I do wonder if this means the triangle won't be getting three boat service until well into the summer, or if perhaps Salish will be the third boat for a while and Port Townsend won't get its second.
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Post by Olympic Ferries on Jun 7, 2021 21:35:00 GMT -8
Posting an update largely for when I and others look back and try to figure out what was happening: Chelan didn't end up replacing Cathlamet, but replaced Suquamish instead. Kaleetan has bumped off the Walla Walla from Bainbridge, and the Walla Walla replaced Spokane at Edmonds. Spokane ended up replacing Salish at Bremerton until it went out for maintenance, now the Chimacum is standing alone on Bremerton. Looking at upcoming reservations, the Sealth is going to be a mainline San Juans boat for much of the summer. Should be fun!!! I do wonder if this means the triangle won't be getting three boat service until well into the summer, or if perhaps Salish will be the third boat for a while and Port Townsend won't get its second. According to WSF today, 3-boat Fauntleroy service is expected (their words: "it's the plan") for this week, unsure of an exact date unsurprisingly. I imagine the Suquamish will return to Mukilteo and send the Kitsap back down to FVS for Boat #3, or something else unexpected could happen. More info to come on that later this week.
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Post by R30A on Jun 9, 2021 21:32:55 GMT -8
According to WSF today, 3-boat Fauntleroy service is expected (their words: "it's the plan") for this week, unsure of an exact date unsurprisingly. I imagine the Suquamish will return to Mukilteo and send the Kitsap back down to FVS for Boat #3, or something else unexpected could happen. More info to come on that later this week.
The only other boat that I think could be coming back right now is the Yakima. It isn't in the reservation system for the San Juans so if it is the Yakima... I guess the Super Class issues at Mukilteo might be gone with the new terminal...
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Post by Kahloke on Jun 10, 2021 5:28:45 GMT -8
I guess the Super Class issues at Mukilteo might be gone with the new terminal... I don't think the new terminal fixes loading issues with the Supers. It's the vessels, themselves. The narrow beam and tight aisles between the lanes is why it takes longer to load vehicles, regardless of terminal efficiency. The quick turnaround time at Mukilteo-Clinton makes the Supers non-viable for that route.
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Post by Kahloke on Jun 10, 2021 14:59:40 GMT -8
According to WSF today, 3-boat Fauntleroy service is expected (their words: "it's the plan") for this week, unsure of an exact date unsurprisingly. I imagine the Suquamish will return to Mukilteo and send the Kitsap back down to FVS for Boat #3, or something else unexpected could happen. More info to come on that later this week. And, that date has now been published. Starting tomorrow, June 11, 3-boat service returns to F-V-S. Cathlamet's coming back down from Anacortes, and Yakima will be back at Anacortes as the #2 vessel. All is right in the universe. Cathlamet's back home at Vashon, and Yakima is back home at Anacortes. www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/schedule/bulletin.aspx
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Post by R30A on Jul 25, 2021 20:35:06 GMT -8
Busy day of boat moves today! Puyallup from Eagle Harbor to Edmonds Walla Walla from Edmonds to Bainbridge Kaleetan from Bainbridge to Bremerton Issaquah from Bremerton to Vashon Cathlamet from Vashon to Eagle Harbor
Salish and Kennewick also swapped being the Active and backup boats at PT.
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Post by Olympic Ferries on Apr 14, 2023 9:15:05 GMT -8
More strange arrays of boat switching ongoing this morning - Kaleetan (A2) and Suquamish (Bain2) swapped positions into this morning but the delay with getting Kaleetan down caused the Issaquah to run a few round-trips to Bainbridge this morning which is kind of cool!
Suquamish is currently out of service due to lack of crew, so definitely don't think this swap went thru as well as was expected.
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Post by Olympic Ferries on May 11, 2023 17:19:00 GMT -8
Cathlamet finally takes her chance to return to FVS today, swapping places with the Issaquah sending her back to Edmonds. Am very curious about some of these odd assignments right now...
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Post by lavalamp on May 11, 2023 22:26:57 GMT -8
What vessel assignments are odd? And it doesn’t matter too much because the only spare vessel at the moment is the Sealth, tied up at Vashon.
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Post by Olympic Ferries on May 12, 2023 9:31:54 GMT -8
What vessel assignments are odd? And it doesn’t matter too much because the only spare vessel at the moment is the Sealth, tied up at Vashon. Chimacum not switching with the Walla Walla, first and foremost
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Post by lavalamp on May 16, 2023 8:33:54 GMT -8
Walla Walla is staying at Bremerton to provide capacity while the route is on one-boat service. When it ran aground last month it had 175 cars on board, which would've overloaded Chimacum.
Tacoma returned to Bainbridge yesterday, swapping with Spokane. Spokane swapped with Issaquah this morning at Edmonds/Kingston, restoring that route to normal. So other than Chimacum/Walla Walla, the lineup is reasonably "normal" right now. Wenatchee, Samish, and Chetzemoka are drydocked and Kaleetan is at Eagle Harbor. Sealth and Issaquah are available for relief. Frankly, this seems like it is as good as it gets in the current crewing and maintenance environment; when was the last time they had not one but TWO vessels available for relief?
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Post by Olympic Ferries on May 17, 2023 7:31:30 GMT -8
Walla Walla is staying at Bremerton to provide capacity while the route is on one-boat service. When it ran aground last month it had 175 cars on board, which would've overloaded Chimacum. Tacoma returned to Bainbridge yesterday, swapping with Spokane. Spokane swapped with Issaquah this morning at Edmonds/Kingston, restoring that route to normal. So other than Chimacum/Walla Walla, the lineup is reasonably "normal" right now. Wenatchee, Samish, and Chetzemoka are drydocked and Kaleetan is at Eagle Harbor. Sealth and Issaquah are available for relief. Frankly, this seems like it is as good as it gets in the current crewing and maintenance environment; when was the last time they had not one but TWO vessels available for relief? Well didn't know about a bunch of these at the time of the original post, so... And the Walla Walla has already gone out to be replaced by the Issaquah *again*, so not good.
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Post by SeahawkNERD8275 on Jun 24, 2023 10:21:26 GMT -8
Why cant the Sealth Help on the Bremerton route after
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Post by SeahawkNERD8275 on Jun 24, 2023 10:21:49 GMT -8
After the tilkum Is done with maintenance
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Post by lavalamp on Jun 24, 2023 12:46:28 GMT -8
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Post by chokai on Oct 24, 2023 9:18:18 GMT -8
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