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Post by Kahloke on May 21, 2017 19:48:37 GMT -8
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Neil
Voyager 
Posts: 7,307
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Post by Neil on May 21, 2017 21:56:49 GMT -8
My second favorite island, and one where I have so much family history... glad the terminal is getting a needed upgrade. I hope to get back there this summer.
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Post by Kahloke on Jul 10, 2017 6:14:30 GMT -8
Was on Orcas briefly Saturday. The new terminal construction is complete. WSF is doing a terminal grand opening and ribbon cutting tomorrow. Here's a pic from Saturday. I'll get better photos next time I am up there.  |
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Post by Olympic Ferries on Aug 16, 2018 19:55:02 GMT -8
I had an awful, somewhat inconvenient, experience in Anacortes this past Saturday (8/11). We had arrived in a vehicle at 1155 for the Hyak's 1400 departure to Friday Harbor. The agent sent us to the front of Lane #1. About 1340, boarding begins and cars from lane 5 are loaded first (the accessibility needs vehicles, which I understand), however, following this, the ENTIRETY of lane #3 was loaded, including my parents who had arrived a good hour after we did and we were in Lane 1 and loaded towards the end, not until about 1350. To make matters worse, once onboard, two of our passengers, who did have mobility issues, were unable to leave the vehicles for the entirety of the sailing, not even to use the restroom.
- Is there a reason for this misload out of order onto the vessel in Anacortes, if so, why?
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Post by Barnacle on Aug 18, 2018 15:59:56 GMT -8
I had an awful, somewhat inconvenient, experience in Anacortes this past Saturday (8/11). We had arrived in a vehicle at 1155 for the Hyak's 1400 departure to Friday Harbor. The agent sent us to the front of Lane #1. About 1340, boarding begins and cars from lane 5 are loaded first (the accessibility needs vehicles, which I understand), however, following this, the ENTIRETY of lane #3 was loaded, including my parents who had arrived a good hour after we did and we were in Lane 1 and loaded towards the end, not until about 1350. To make matters worse, once onboard, two of our passengers, who did have mobility issues, were unable to leave the vehicles for the entirety of the sailing, not even to use the restroom.
- Is there a reason for this misload out of order onto the vessel in Anacortes, if so, why?
Did you tell anyone at the terminal prior to loading that you had an access consideration? |
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Post by Olympic Ferries on Aug 18, 2018 20:31:39 GMT -8
I had an awful, somewhat inconvenient, experience in Anacortes this past Saturday (8/11). We had arrived in a vehicle at 1155 for the Hyak's 1400 departure to Friday Harbor. The agent sent us to the front of Lane #1. About 1340, boarding begins and cars from lane 5 are loaded first (the accessibility needs vehicles, which I understand), however, following this, the ENTIRETY of lane #3 was loaded, including my parents who had arrived a good hour after we did and we were in Lane 1 and loaded towards the end, not until about 1350. To make matters worse, once onboard, two of our passengers, who did have mobility issues, were unable to leave the vehicles for the entirety of the sailing, not even to use the restroom.
- Is there a reason for this misload out of order onto the vessel in Anacortes, if so, why?
Did you tell anyone at the terminal prior to loading that you had an access consideration? Normally, we had never had an issue getting them out of the vehicle. The crew onboard the supposedly full 2p ferry packed us way too tight together and left with plenty additional space they could have put cars away from us. Once onboard and parked, we couldn't change parking positions and found this to be very frustrating. |
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Post by Barnacle on Aug 20, 2018 4:46:59 GMT -8
Did you tell anyone at the terminal prior to loading that you had an access consideration? Normally, we had never had an issue getting them out of the vehicle. The crew onboard the supposedly full 2p ferry packed us way too tight together and left with plenty additional space they could have put cars away from us. Once onboard and parked, we couldn't change parking positions and found this to be very frustrating. So that would be a 'no'?
I can't offer up an explanation of the load that particular day, but I can tell you that the 2:00 PM to Friday Harbor being less than full is an anomaly. Usually it's bumper to bumper down on deck, especially in summer. That being said, if you make mention of an accommodation need at the toll booth, the loaders will do their best to get you what you need.
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Post by Olympic Ferries on Sept 5, 2018 19:23:37 GMT -8
Witnessed the strangest thing in Friday Harbor this Labor Day weekend on Monday as we checked in to travel home. As we checked in around 1p for the 215p ferry to Anacortes, the lady working at the top of Lot A first told us to go to Lot B and we'd be brought down when it was time to load the vessel; however, she also mentioned that the 150p was overbooked by 20 spaces and there were 20 cars in line with a "reservation" that had been invalidated when it was discovered that too many vehicles had reserved that sailing. She was telling them that they wouldn't be loaded on the 215p guaranteed since it was already full.
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Post by Kahloke on Sept 6, 2018 12:31:11 GMT -8
Witnessed the strangest thing in Friday Harbor this Labor Day weekend on Monday as we checked in to travel home. As we checked in around 1p for the 215p ferry to Anacortes, the lady working at the top of Lot A first told us to go to Lot B and we'd be brought down when it was time to load the vessel; however, she also mentioned that the 150p was overbooked by 20 spaces and there were 20 cars in line with a "reservation" that had been invalidated when it was discovered that too many vehicles had reserved that sailing. She was telling them that they wouldn't be loaded on the 215p guaranteed since it was already full. So they overbooked the sailing? I haven't heard that one before. I would imagine there were some upset customers who thought they had a reservation on a particular sailing only to find out they were getting bumped. I wonder what the whole story is? I've had trouble making reservations on some popular sailings, but never any trouble claiming a reservation. Interesting. |
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Post by Barnacle on Sept 11, 2018 9:21:27 GMT -8
Witnessed the strangest thing in Friday Harbor this Labor Day weekend on Monday as we checked in to travel home. As we checked in around 1p for the 215p ferry to Anacortes, the lady working at the top of Lot A first told us to go to Lot B and we'd be brought down when it was time to load the vessel; however, she also mentioned that the 150p was overbooked by 20 spaces and there were 20 cars in line with a "reservation" that had been invalidated when it was discovered that too many vehicles had reserved that sailing. She was telling them that they wouldn't be loaded on the 215p guaranteed since it was already full. So they overbooked the sailing? I haven't heard that one before. I would imagine there were some upset customers who thought they had a reservation on a particular sailing only to find out they were getting bumped. I wonder what the whole story is? I've had trouble making reservations on some popular sailings, but never any trouble claiming a reservation. Interesting. Quite possibly a computer input error for the holiday. |
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Post by Luke on Nov 22, 2018 15:47:13 GMT -8
I've noticed that the Chelan and Elwha have been trading places a bit recently. Both Yesterday and Today, the Chelan has been doing the Sidney Run, but then Elwha has been taking over the #1 spot for the afternoon Orcas sailings.
>Does anybody know why these two have been trading off?
>Does anyone happen to know which boat will be doing the afternoon Orcas sailings this Saturday? (I might do a San Juans trip this Saturday to ride the Elwha, though I would like to know if the Elwha's actually going to be operating before I make the three-hour drive to Anacortes...)
If anybody does know what the situation is with those boats, that knowledge would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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Post by Barnacle on Nov 22, 2018 16:14:30 GMT -8
I've noticed that the Chelan and Elwha have been trading places a bit recently. Both Yesterday and Today, the Chelan has been doing the Sidney Run, but then Elwha has been taking over the #1 spot for the afternoon Orcas sailings. >Does anybody know why these two have been trading off? >Does anyone happen to know which boat will be doing the afternoon Orcas sailings this Saturday? (I might do a San Juans trip this Saturday to ride the Elwha, though I would like to know if the Elwha's actually going to be operating before I make the three-hour drive to Anacortes...) If anybody does know what the situation is with those boats, that knowledge would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. They've been trading off to get more capacity on the domestic half of her service day. The Elwha should be making the afternoon sailings on the Shaw/Orcas circuit this weekend. |
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Post by elwharust on Jun 24, 2019 16:06:15 GMT -8
Stepping into the "wayback machine" again. The first is a postcard of Anacortes I just found in my collection showing the construction of the second slip, so that would be sometime in the 70's I'm thinking. The ferry at the dock is most likely Klickitat. You can really tell how much the city has grown since then. This photo shows hardly any houses in what must have been a new Skyline neighborhood, and certainly none of the new housing construction you see now coming into the ferry.  The second photo is one I took in the late 90's. I'm not sure if the Steel Electric at the dock is Nisqually or Illahee - it's one of the two, to be sure.  does nobody notices the second ferry in the first picture? |
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Post by northwesterner on Jun 24, 2019 16:52:44 GMT -8
does nobody notices the second ferry in the first picture? Vashon, perhaps, in the tie up slip? |
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Post by Barnacle on Jul 5, 2019 9:39:13 GMT -8
does nobody notices the second ferry in the first picture? Vashon, perhaps, in the tie up slip? Looks like it to me. Can't think of what else it would be by 1975-6 when the second slip was constructed. I've had that postcard in the collection for years and I have never, ever noticed the second ferry in the shot. Good catch. |
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Post by Olympic Ferries on Aug 28, 2019 19:34:43 GMT -8
Back in March on the last day of the Winter schedule, delays resulted in the Elwha and Yakima getting to spend some time together at Anacortes in between the Orcas/FH sailing on the Yakima and the all-stops sailing on the Elwha. So, I decided to experiment with the expanded panorama feature on my phone  .
 M/V Yakima & M/V Elwha - Anacortes Terminal by Jay Cassady, on Flickr |
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Post by Olympic Ferries on Feb 14, 2020 21:55:12 GMT -8
I definitely know this was already discussed, and that there was some uncertainly behind this, but I found a MUCH better picture from this day, and it turns out (in order) it is the Yakima, Elwha, Hyak and Sealth. The Yakima and Elwha had just arrived while the Hyak and Sealth were tied up. I would have thought to have seen the Chelan but apparently not.
Thanks for everyone's help before in trying to identify this photo!
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Post by Elwha on the Rocks on May 17, 2020 18:57:18 GMT -8
Going through some old pics, I came across some I took from a few ago of the Hyak traveling through Peavine Pass on a calm summer day. I’ve heard rumors that it’s fairly common they take Peavine Pass simply to “show off” the scenery to a boat full of tourists. Is there any merit to this, or is there any other rationale for when or why they would take the “scenic” route on a calm day? I don’t recall being on a boat that’s taken the route since, but admittedly I don’t ride the SJI ferries very often.
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Post by iceberg1 on May 18, 2020 4:54:23 GMT -8
Peavine Pass can be a visual experience for sure but it does serve another purpose for our WSF vessels. When weather is foul in the San Juans Islands which we all know can happen a lot, Peavine Pass is used instead of the normal Thatcher Pass because it is on the lee side of Blakley Island and many times offers a bit smoother seas. So when on a beautiful day and your transiting through Peavine Pass, usually a new mate is aboard who is not familiar with this route and training is going on in the Wheel House.
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Post by Barnacle on May 18, 2020 6:44:08 GMT -8
Peavine Pass can be a visual experience for sure but it does serve another purpose for our WSF vessels. When weather is foul in the San Juans Islands which we all know can happen a lot, Peavine Pass is used instead of the normal Thatcher Pass because it is on the lee side of Blakley Island and many times offers a bit smoother seas. So when on a beautiful day and your transiting through Peavine Pass, usually a new mate is aboard who is not familiar with this route and training is going on in the Wheel House. It's also typically used in conjunction with Bellingham Channel on the east side of Cypress Island... Bellingham Channel to Peavine via the north side of Cypress cuts the rough portion of the transit from 15 minutes to about 5 or 6 during typical southeast winds during storm season. Generally a more comfortable ride all around. And yes, we do make familiarization trips through there from time to time. Touristy stuff is just a bonus. |
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Post by Elwha on the Rocks on May 18, 2020 9:38:09 GMT -8
Gotcha... figured there must be a little more to it than what meets the eye as a passenger. Thanks for sharing!
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Post by Olympic Ferries on Aug 25, 2020 19:45:55 GMT -8
In what will hopefully be a productive change to help reduce delays at Anacortes, WSF has made the following changes to the (weekday schedule) route starting August 24th:
#1: The Yakima will layover in Anacortes from 11:35am as Boat #1 until 1:40pm, where she will sail at 2:10pm operating as Boat #3 for the remainder of the sailing day. #2: The Samish will arrive in Anacortes at 1:45pm as Boat #3 and will sail at 3:05pm as Boat #1 for the remainder of the sailing day.
Hopefully, this does attempt to provide some relief by giving the Samish additional time to recover delays, by increasing their turnaround time from 25 minutes to 85 minutes. We'll have to see how it all plays out over the coming weeks, and this change will be in effect through the Labor Day holiday weekend.
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Post by Luke on Sept 13, 2020 9:01:26 GMT -8
On the 28th of last February, I took one of my last ferry trips of pre-pandemic life: an impulsive after-school jaunt to the Archipelago. The highlight: getting to experience a picturesque San Juans sunset from aboard the Kitsap on the late-running 17:20 sailing from Anacortes to Lopez. Approaching Thatcher Pass:   In the Solarium:  Passing Willow Island:  Transiting Lopez Sound:   ...I feel very fortunate to be able to ride ferries as often as I do, through such spectacular waters. |
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Mar 16, 2021 21:17:35 GMT -8
With the MV Hyak and MV Elwha retired and all other 144 car vessels assigned to other routes. Will there be one 124 Issaquah class vessels, or will another Olympic Class or MV Kaleetan will switch routes to Anacortes to San Juan Islands? The three vessels that I can think are;
1. Samish
2. Chelan
3. Tillikum (Inter Island ferry)
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Post by PeninsulaExplorer on Mar 16, 2021 21:31:03 GMT -8
With the MV Hyak and MV Elwha retired and all other 144 car vessels assigned to other routes. Will there be one 124 Issaquah class vessels, or will another Olympic Class or MV Kaleetan will switch routes to Anacortes to San Juan Islands? The three vessels that I can think are; 1. Samish 2. Chelan
3. Tillikum (Inter Island ferry) If we are talking about this summer (with no Sidney B.C. service occurring), the reservation page shows the Yakima, Kaleetan, Suquamish, and Tillikum serving the islands from May 9th through September 25th (as far as the reservation page goes). This is of course tentative, as there is always bound to have an unforeseen issue within the fleet during the summers. The impact will be even greater without the Hyak and Elwha to lend a hand. |
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