From the Orcasonian, yesterday:

There have been a number of overview stories recently about Washington State Ferries, including Tom Banse’s good one May 31 in Salish Current. They seem to have been occasioned by WSF finally issuing bid documents for the first new hybrid-electric ferries, the first of which may join WSF’s aging and depleted fleet in 2028.

For those of us in San Juan County, dependent on ferries to connect us to one another and to the mainland, this announcement did nothing but underscore that the reality that our ferry service — bad as it’s ever been — is only going to get worse.

If past is prologue, the cost of these new ferries will far exceed the $250-million-per-boat budget (the previous bid, two years ago, was for nearly $400 million), there will be long delays trying to negotiate down the price and/or find new money and the legislature will dither.

Meanwhile, and well beyond whenever the first new ferries join the fleet, we will be left with ferries well beyond their expected lifespans, estimated by WSF to be 30 years. Our interisland link, the Tillikum, was built in the last years of Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency, 65 years ago. Two others already are 57 and 43 years old, and already they frequently miss sailings with mechanical issues.

To try to hold off mechanical problems, the three ferries that sail from Anacortes  — when they aren’t broken down — now operate at about three-quarter speed, putting them behind schedule. Last summer fewer than half of all sailings arrived or departed on time. (Boosting the numbers, WSF doesn’t even count ferries that miss sailings entirely because of mechanical problems or insufficient crew.)

_{https://theorcasonian.com/wsf-service-bad-as-its-ever-been-only-going-to-get-worse/}

It kind of puts things into perspective for those whinging on last nights BBC Debate Night in Oban, doesn’t it?

From King 5 Seattle in May 2024:

Washington State Ferries (WSF) is preparing to see more than 300,000 passengers for Memorial Day Weekend, enough people to fill T-Mobile Park six times. This is the start of the busy summer season when the ferries see double the number of passengers as they do in the winter. This influx of people comes as the system struggles with a shortage of boats. Washington State Ferries has 21 boats in its fleet, but only 15 are in service currently. They need 26 boats to have services fully restored. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gvYCcUWt3k

Meanwhile in Scotland, the Herald had: Apologies as three CalMac ferries are sidelined in new ‘calamity’

CalMac has 33 ferries so 3 out is only 9% compared to the real ferry fiasco in Washington State USA, down 6 out of 21 or 29%.

What are the effects of the ‘calamity’ in Scotland? 99% on time throughout May, so far. How can that be if the Herald calls it a ‘calamity’? Makes you wonder if you can trust them at all, don’t it?