For those of us looking forward to the rest of the summer, an alarming situation has come to my attention:

The WSF reservation system indicates that the 90-car Sealth will replace the 144-car Yakima in the San Juans beginning on Monday, 16 August and running through the end of the current season on Saturday, 25 September. That will remove 162 car spaces each day from Orcas Island to Anacortes during the peak summer season. (The daily loss from Friday Harbor to Anacortes will be only 28 car spaces as the Yakima moves into the Chelan’s position.)

In June’s online webinar, WSF stated that the option had been considered but would not be implemented and that the San Juans mainline route would continue to be operated with two 144-car Super/Olympic ferries plus one 124-car Issaquah class boat. Is the reservation system wrong or has WSF not been upfront with us about its plans for the balance of the summer?

Bob Distler

Orcas Island