Welcome to Skagit County

October 19, 2016

Guemes Ferry out of service for maintenance Nov. 8 – Nov. 11

Skagit County’s passenger and vehicle ferry to Guemes Island will shut down for maintenance from 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, through 6:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11. Passenger-only service will be provided for the final two runs of the night to ensure voters can cast their ballots on Election Day.

Passenger-only ferry service, provided by Arrow Launch Services aboard the vessel Strait Arrow, will start at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, through end of day Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Guemes Ferry landing. The Guemes Ferry is expected to return to service by 6:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11.

During the maintenance work, crews will replace the main engine, originally scheduled for replacement in spring 2017.

“We’ve seen elevated levels of coolant in our main engine oil, so we had to push up our maintenance schedule,” said Captain Rachel Rowe, Skagit County Ferry Operations Division Manager. “While the vessel is out of service, we’ll replace our No. 2 main engine with a rebuilt spare, which should help us avoid any unplanned outages this winter. We’ll also remove and replace the current generator, which we were planning to do this winter.”

The passenger-only vessel Strait Arrow can accommodate 49 passengers, as well as bicycles. Small motorbikes and electric scooters will be allowed on a space-available basis at the discretion of the captain. Please note that extreme weather conditions may affect this service, and some runs may be cancelled due to extreme low tides. If adverse weather or tidal conditions are anticipated, Skagit County will make every effort to publish an announcement ahead of time. 

Find more information about the Guemes Ferry online at http://skagitcounty.net/Ferry. For questions or more details, please contact Rachel Rowe, Ferry Operations Division Manager, at 360-416-1400, or at rrowe@co.skagit.wa.us.