Started by Heike And Terry
Sep 30, 2023
Sep 30, 2023
4
Reduction in ferry sailings?
Sep 30, 2023
WSF established a task force to revamp the SJC sailing schedule, planned to be effective by Jan 2025, currently in the beginning stages of being drafted. WSF wants to improve on the sailing delays. And WSF’s solution appears be to reduce the number of sailings.
The following points are from the task force’s Sept 13th meeting (https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=XWIHnb8ifAB6EJJd&t=161&v=eqH15S5L-DI&feature=youtu.be).
@ 1hr 11 min: To get rid of the schedule/sailing delays, the number of sailings will be reduced. No other concurrent solutions were mentioned (such as moving larger and newer vessels to SJC).
@ 58 min: Good overview of annual SJC on-time performance (mostly not on time, especially in the summer)
@ 1hr 6 min: reasons for sailing delays (crewing issues 48% and vessel issues 10%).
Jane Fuller presented the island residents perspective (getting kids to school, patients to appointments, and goods and services on and off island, among others). From this perspective, reducing the number of sailings would not be welcomed.
The tourism perspective was advocated by Laura Saccio: On-time sailings are important to tourists so they can maximize their vacation time, and reduced number of sailings are a great solution for tourists to have a better vacation experience. In addition, the Visitor Bureau’s hope is that the task force can “educate islanders†[about the ferries] because “they rant and rave about things they have no idea what they’re raving about†(@ 1hr 51min).
Also of note, as surely you missed it because it wasn’t announced: fall standby space was reduced to 25% (from 30%). Several opinions voiced during the meeting supported a further decrease of standby space.
The meeting had less than a handful of public comments, possibly because the meeting wasn’t broadly advertised. Below is the information on the next meeting. The meeting video has been viewed only 40 times at the time of writing.
So in summary, it appears that WSF has decided to reduce the number of sailings to improve their on-time performance stats which are in large part caused by crewing and vessel problems that were created by WSF’s general lack of foresight/planning (I know I know, I’m an islander and don’t understand the ferry issues).
Personally, I think that reducing the number of sailings is 100% unacceptable because it increases competition for reservations even more, and because it makes our standard endeavors even more time-consuming. Revamping the schedule makes the WSF sailing delay stats look better, but hides the cost paid by island residents. The cost to tourists: none.
Some suggestions:
- early-bird reservations for islanders (the law states that WSF customers have to be equal at the time of loading, not at the time of making a reservation)
- more exceptions for residents (the law explicitly allows for additional exceptions, i.e. priority loading)
- bigger (202 vehicle capacity) vessels, newest vessels (maybe they don’t break down as often), add the still missing #5 summer vessel
Oh, and defund the Visitors Bureau ;-)
â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"
WSF San Juan Islands Schedule Update & Taskforce:
https://wsdot.wa.gov/construction-planning/search-studies/anacortes-san-juan-islands-schedule-update
Register to attend the next meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_b9KnHFQnRPSNJjUxOv8TzQ#/registration
The following points are from the task force’s Sept 13th meeting (https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=XWIHnb8ifAB6EJJd&t=161&v=eqH15S5L-DI&feature=youtu.be).
@ 1hr 11 min: To get rid of the schedule/sailing delays, the number of sailings will be reduced. No other concurrent solutions were mentioned (such as moving larger and newer vessels to SJC).
@ 58 min: Good overview of annual SJC on-time performance (mostly not on time, especially in the summer)
@ 1hr 6 min: reasons for sailing delays (crewing issues 48% and vessel issues 10%).
Jane Fuller presented the island residents perspective (getting kids to school, patients to appointments, and goods and services on and off island, among others). From this perspective, reducing the number of sailings would not be welcomed.
The tourism perspective was advocated by Laura Saccio: On-time sailings are important to tourists so they can maximize their vacation time, and reduced number of sailings are a great solution for tourists to have a better vacation experience. In addition, the Visitor Bureau’s hope is that the task force can “educate islanders†[about the ferries] because “they rant and rave about things they have no idea what they’re raving about†(@ 1hr 51min).
Also of note, as surely you missed it because it wasn’t announced: fall standby space was reduced to 25% (from 30%). Several opinions voiced during the meeting supported a further decrease of standby space.
The meeting had less than a handful of public comments, possibly because the meeting wasn’t broadly advertised. Below is the information on the next meeting. The meeting video has been viewed only 40 times at the time of writing.
So in summary, it appears that WSF has decided to reduce the number of sailings to improve their on-time performance stats which are in large part caused by crewing and vessel problems that were created by WSF’s general lack of foresight/planning (I know I know, I’m an islander and don’t understand the ferry issues).
Personally, I think that reducing the number of sailings is 100% unacceptable because it increases competition for reservations even more, and because it makes our standard endeavors even more time-consuming. Revamping the schedule makes the WSF sailing delay stats look better, but hides the cost paid by island residents. The cost to tourists: none.
Some suggestions:
- early-bird reservations for islanders (the law states that WSF customers have to be equal at the time of loading, not at the time of making a reservation)
- more exceptions for residents (the law explicitly allows for additional exceptions, i.e. priority loading)
- bigger (202 vehicle capacity) vessels, newest vessels (maybe they don’t break down as often), add the still missing #5 summer vessel
Oh, and defund the Visitors Bureau ;-)
â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"
WSF San Juan Islands Schedule Update & Taskforce:
https://wsdot.wa.gov/construction-planning/search-studies/anacortes-san-juan-islands-schedule-update
Register to attend the next meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_b9KnHFQnRPSNJjUxOv8TzQ#/registration
Comment by Hazel Burns
Oct 6, 2023
Oct 6, 2023
0
This is absolutely unacceptable. I find it hard to believe that the ferry service is seriously attempting to fix their personnel problems. These are union jobs - they cannot be badly paid but we are supposed to accept that they cannot find employees. We are already one boat less - they have taken away the boat which used to go to Sidney - and now they w ... Read All
Comment by John Waugh
Sep 30, 2023
Sep 30, 2023
2
Thanks for the informative letter. Ferry situation has deteriorated over time, that's for sure. And what a dim-bulb idea: crewing shortages? Let's cut the number of sailings...