SEATTLE — Washington State Ferries (WSF) canceled over two dozen sailings Thursday due to a “shortage of Coast Guard documented crew.”
Ten sailings are canceled to and from the San Juan Islands, and 20 sailings are canceled between Seattle and Bainbridge Island, according to WSF.
The No. 1 Chelan ferry will resume San Juan Island service with the 3:40 p.m. Anacortes departure. Seattle-Bainbridge ferry routes will operate on a one-boat service Thursday due to the crew shortage.
WSF said the following San Juan Islands sailings are canceled Thursday:
- 5:30 a.m. Anacortes to Orcas
- 6:45 a.m. Orcas to Shaw
- 7:00 a.m. Shaw to Lopez
- 7:30 a.m. Lopez to Anacortes
- 8:30 a.m. Anacortes to Friday Harbor
- 9:55 p.m. Friday Harbor to Lopez
- 10:40 a.m. Lopez to Anacortes
- 11:55 a.m. Anacortes to Lopez
- 12:45 p.m. Lopez to Friday Harbor
- 1:55 p.m. Friday Harbor to Anacortes
WSF is encouraging customers to monitor rider alerts for the most accurate information.
New San Juan Islands reservations are closed Thursday to “try to keep enough space open to accommodate existing reservation holders,” WSF said. Those with reservations on the canceled sailings will receive priority on the later sailings on a first-come-first-served basis. WSF said customers who postpone or choose not to travel Thursday will not receive a no-show fee.
Thursday is the second day in a row WSF canceled sailings due to crew shortages.
On Wednesday, 16 sailings to and from the San Juan Islands were canceled. WSF blames a global shortage of maritime workers and sick calls related to COVID-19 for the ongoing cancellations. The agency said they try to notify passengers of disruptions as early as possible, and they're hiring as fast as they can to fill the open jobs.
But some San Juan Islands residents said they are fed up with the continued delays or cancellations in their ferry routes.
"It's horrible, and it gets worse and worse, and they keep raising the prices and raising the prices, and there's no end in sight," said Robin Garcia, who lives on the island.
Garcia said she needed to be at a medical appointment in Anacortes Thursday, but said she couldn't trust the ferry system to get her there day-of, so she decided to sail off the island early and get a hotel room, costing her more than $100.
"This is our highway," said Garcia. "This isn't just a thrill to take a boat ride. This is how we get back and forth."
For a daily roundup of everything you need to know for across western Washington, sign up for our 5 Things to Know email newsletter.