Welcome to Skagit County

May 20, 2025 

Guemes Island Ferry to Return after Memorial Day Weekend

The Guemes Island car ferry will not return to service for Memorial Day Weekend. At this time, the best estimate for return to service would be Friday, June 6th. There is a possibility the ferry could return sooner if all remaining work and testing goes smoothly. The passenger-only ferry, Arrow Launch, will continue operating on the normal schedule until the car ferry returns.

 In order to return to service by the holiday weekend, the ferry needed to be launched no later than last Sunday, May 18th, to allow for enough time to conduct sea trials, sail back to Anacortes, and complete the required incline test with the U.S. Coast Guard. Skagit County continues to be frustrated with the schedule delays from Nichol’s Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) and staff are doing everything they can to support NBBB to finish the drydock work.

The Guemes Island ferry haul-out began on March 15th and was originally supposed to finish by April 29th, with the ferry returning to normal service on April 30th. This particular drydock period included a complete repower of the ferry including two new engines along with new foundations and enclosures, routine service on all major equipment, repainting of the hull house, bulwarks, void spaces, and car deck, and completion of the annual U.S. Coast Guard inspection. The new engines will improve the ferry’s operational efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. 

The drydock work included a list of required tasks and a timeline for completion, as outlined in the contract with NBBB. Once work began, the contractor identified certain tasks—particularly the fabrication and maintenance of the engine enclosures and foundations—required more time due to the complexity. These components are critical to the overall functionality of the ferry, and ensuring proper fabrication and maintenance is essential to the vessel’s long-term reliability and performance.  

If you are interested in regular updates on the ferry haul-out and general ferry service alerts, please sign up for email and text notices on our website. You may contact the ferry office for any questions at ferrycomments@co.skagit.wa.us or 360-293-6433. More information can be found on our website: www.skagitcounty.net/ferry