Kitsap Fast Ferry to Bremerton down to one boat
Jun 16, 2023, 2:40 PM
Kitsap Transit fast ferry. (Photo courtesy of Kitsap Transit/Facebook)
(Photo courtesy of Kitsap Transit/Facebook)
Kitsap Fast Ferry’s Seattle-Bremerton dock is down to one boat — leaving the route vulnerable, and causing an inconvenience for riders.
Kitsap Fast Ferries spokesperson Sanjay Bhatt says fast ferries are convenient, but sometimes they break down.
Has the Kitsap Fast Ferry service finally hit its stride?
“Well, it’s obviously discouraging for passengers who are having fairly frequent sailings on the Bremerton Fast Ferry service,” Bhatt said. “It’s disappointing for us and our crews, I’m sure. But our priority is to operate a safe service, and we’re certainly trying to maintain our very high reliability on this route.”
Kitsap Fast Ferries has three boats, the Lady Swift, The Reliance and the Rich Passage One. The Lady Swift is out for unscheduled engine repairs, and crews found a leak on the Rich Passage One, which is under investigation in Port Townsend to determine why.
“We run these vessels pretty hard. They’re fast ferries that are traveling at higher speeds than a traditional ferry, and those engines work pretty hard,” Bhatt said. “So we do need to pay close attention to them when they have early signs of issues and take care of them quickly so that we can maintain the service reliability that people have come to count on.”
Two of the route’s boats are out for now, and it’s unclear when they’ll be back in service.
Bhatt says riders can take a state ferry or travel from the Southworth dock to get across Puget Sound as an alternative.
“If our schedule is not working for passengers, then they can hop on the Washington State Ferry that’s right next to the fast ferry and take that to Seattle,” Bhatt said.
Which Kitsap Fast Ferry sailings have been canceled?
Canceled sailings departing Bremerton:
4:40 AM, 6:05 AM, 7:25 AM, 8:35 AM, 9:45 AM
3:45 PM, 5:00 PM, 6:20 PM, 7:40 PM, 9:00 PM
Canceled sailings departing Seattle:
5:20 AM, 6:45 AM, 8:00 AM, 9:10 AM, 10:20 AM
4:25 PM, 5:40 PM, 7:00 PM, 8:20 PM, 9:40 PM
The full schedule for the ferry can be found here.
