Guemes Island ferry

Guemes Island ferry
Motor ferry Almar (in service 1960-1979)
Waterway Guemes Channel
Route Anacortes, WA – Guemes Island
Authority Skagit County
Began operation 1919
Travel time 5 minutes
No. of vessels one (1)
Yearly ridership 400,000
Yearly vehicles 200,000
The current Guemes Island ferry crossing the channel.
Vehicles loading onto M/V Guemes at Guemes Island.
The completed Guemes Island terminal building.

The Guemes Island ferry runs between Anacortes, Washington and Guemes Island across Guemes Channel. The ferry is the M/V Guemes, which is operated by the Skagit County Public Works Department's Ferries Division.

History

The original mariners in these waters were the Coast Salish, who traveled in fine, hand-carved cedar canoes. A Samish village existed on Guemes Island until 1906.

The first commercial ferry service between Anacortes and Guemes Island was provided by Harry Rickaby from 1902 to 1911. Noted Guemes ferry captains that followed include Bill Bessner, 1920-1948; Sandy Bernsen, 1950-1963; and Ray Separvich, 1965-1986.

In 1919, the route was served by the motor ferry Guemes, an 86-ton vessel built in 1917 and measuring 48.6 ft (14.81 m). Guemes was one of nine true ferries then in operation on Puget Sound.[1] Guemes served the route until 1960, when it was replaced by the Almar.

Almar had been built in 1947 on Puget Island in the Columbia River,[2] where it served until moving to the Guemes ferry route. Almar, with a capacity for nine vehicles, was not a true double-ender; the ferry had to be backed into the Anacortes slip, and large trucks could not be carried. Almar is reported to still be afloat in Alaska.[2]

Ferry service today

The M/V Guemes (91 tons) is a 22-vehicle, 100-passenger, diesel-powered ferry that was built and put into service in 1979. The ferry operates 365 days a year and transports roughly 200,000 vehicles and 400,000 passengers annually. Its certificate of inspection allows a capacity of 100 passengers and three crew members. Crew members regularly conduct drills in abandoning ship, overboard rescue, and shipboard firefighting. The crew of the Guemes was presented a plaque by the crew of the M/V NanSea for its rescue of crew members from the disabled vessel on July 28, 1995.

Guemes Island is accessible only by water, and the Skagit County ferry system is a vital transportation link between Anacortes (Fidalgo Island) and Guemes Island. In addition to transporting commuters, the ferry also carries visitors, construction and logging trucks, essential-services trucks, and emergency vehicles and personnel to and from the island.

The ship is briefly taken out of service annually for overhaul and maintenance in a shipyard. During that time, passenger-only service is provided by the Strait Arrow, under contract with Skagit County's Ferries Division. When serving the Anacortes-Guemes ferry route, the Strait Arrow is manned by a captain provided by the vessel's owner, Arrow Launch; and two crew members from the M/V Guemes. Residents needing to get a vehicle to or from the island can contract with M/V San Juan Enterprise, which is owned by San Juan Marine Freight.

A renovation of the terminals at Anacortes and Guemes was completed in May 2011.[3] Also in May 2011, the Washington State Department of Transportation completed a new terminal building at Anacortes, with funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The new building houses a ferry user waiting area, staff area, restrooms, staff offices, and a ferry maintenance workshop.[4]

Notes

  1. ↑ Kline and Bayless, Ferryboats-A Legend on Puget Sound, at 94.
  2. 1 2 Guemes Island Historical Society (accessed 05-23-11)
  3. ↑ https://skagitcounty.net/departments/publicworksferry
  4. ↑ Washington State Dept of Transportation, Washington Jobs Now, “Guemes Ferry Terminal Building”. (accessed 05-23-11).

References

  • Guemes Island Historical Society (accessed 05-23-11)
  • Guemes Island Ferry official site. (accessed 05-23-11)
  • Kline, Mary S., and Bayless, G.A., Ferryboats -- A Legend on Puget Sound, Bayless Books, Seattle, WA 1983 ISBN 0-914515-00-4
  • Newell, Gordon R. ed., H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, Superior Publishing, Seattle WA 1966 ISBN 0-87564-220-9
  • Washington State Dept of Transportation, Washington Jobs Now, “Guemes Ferry Terminal Building”. (accessed 05-23-11).
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