 MV Yakima in the San Juan Islands | |||||
| Locale | San Juan Islands | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterway | Rosario Strait Haro Strait (Sidney only) | ||||
| Transit type | Auto/passenger ferry | ||||
| Route | Anacortes–Lopez Island–Shaw Island–Orcas Island–Friday Harbor–Sidney, BC | ||||
| Carries |   SR 20 Spur | ||||
| Operator | Washington State Ferries | ||||
| Travel time | 1–2 hours (Anacortes–Friday Harbor) | ||||
| No. of terminals | 6 | ||||
| Yearly ridership | 1,890,458 (2022) | ||||
| Yearly vehicles | 921,088 (2022) | ||||
| Connections at Anacortes | |||||
 | Skagit Transit | ||||
 | SR 20 Spur | ||||
| Connections at Sidney, BC | |||||
| BC Transit | ||||
|  Highway 17 | ||||
| |||||
The Anacortes–San Juan Islands ferry is a system of ferry routes operated by Washington State Ferries in the United States. The routes serve Anacortes, Lopez Island, Shaw Island, Orcas Island, San Juan Island, and Sidney on Vancouver Island in Canada. Sidney service was suspended in March 2020 and is not planned to resume until 2030. The ferry routes are part of State Route 20 Spur (SR 20 Spur).
The mainland hub for the system is Anacortes on Fidalgo Island in Skagit County, which is connected to the rest of the state by SR 20 Spur. The ferries travel across Rosario Strait and through Thatcher Pass to reach the San Juan Islands. In the fall and winter, the water becomes can be very rough in the Rosario Strait, often resulting in canceled runs.
The route is served by between three and five vessels. Year-round three vessels are used for domestic travel to the islands, with one of those vessels equipped for international travel between Anacortes and Sidney, BC (Vancouver Island) during the spring, summer and fall. A fourth vessel for inter-island travel between the islands is added during the spring, summer and fall schedules. During the busy summer tourism season, a fifth vessel is added to the route for domestic travel to the islands.
As of 2024, the main vessels on the Anacortes–San Juan Islands routes are:
As of December 2021, the MV Tillikum is used as the inter-island vessel during the spring, summer and fall schedules.
History
Ferry service to the San Juan Islands was provided by a variety of companies and operators in the early 20th century. On April 26, 1922, the Anacortes–Sidney route was inaugurated on two converted steamships. The state-owned Washington State Ferries took control of the routes in 1951 and assigned MV Vashon to the San Juan Islands runs.
WSF began offering reservations for trips on the San Juan routes in January 2015 in response to chronic overcrowding of passenger vehicles. The reservations are split into batches, with spots released two months, two weeks, and two days prior to sailings; 10 percent were set aside for standby vehicles. Reservations were free but incurred a $10 fee if unused on the same day. The system was implemented following a 2009 mandate from the state legislature as a stopgap measure to control capacity while new vessels and expanded terminals were constructed. The reservations system suffered from website crashes and glitches in its first months, but was received well by local residents.
In March 2020, WSF suspended service to Sidney on Vancouver Island due to international travel restrictions imposed by Canada and the United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, seasonal service had been expected to begin on March 29, but was delayed a month—and later indefinitely. A shortage of available maritime workers and vessels prevented service to Sidney from being restored after travel restrictions were lifted in 2021; the shortage also caused "unprecedented" service disruptions to the still-operating San Juan services, where 45 percent of trips from July 2021 to June 2022 were delayed. As of February 2023, the Sidney route is not planned to be restored until 2030 due to vessel availability issues.
References
- ^ "Traffic Statistics: Rider Segment report, Jan 1, 2022 thru Dec 31, 2022" (PDF). Washington State Ferries. January 5, 2023. p. 3. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- WSF: Where We Sail (PDF) (Map). Washington State Ferries. 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ Washington State Department of Transportation (2014). Washington State Highways, 2014–2015 (PDF) (Map). 1:842,000. Olympia: Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- "RCW 47.17.081: State Route No. 20 north". Revised Code of Washington. Washington State Legislature. 1994. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- "WSF Schedule".
- Deshais, Nicholas (July 11, 2024). "Lack of boats leads to canceled trips, long ferry lines in Anacortes". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
- "Setting Sail: The First Trip on the Sidney-Anacortes Ferry". City of Anacortes. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- Gilmore, Susan (April 25, 2007). "Missing the boats: a look at retired Washington State ferries". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ Rowe, Shelby (April 2, 2015). "San Juan Islanders largely OK with ferry reservation system". Skagit Valley Herald. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- Rasmussen, Scott (November 18, 2014). "Ferry reservations in San Juans built around 'staggered release'". Journal of the San Juan Islands. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- Kamb, Lewis (May 30, 2015). "San Juan ferry reservations: both buoyant and bumpy". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- Banse, Tom (June 19, 2020). "Washington State Ferries To Stay On Reduced Schedule As Summer Begins". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- "Start of state ferry service to Canada suspended until April 26 due to COVID-19 situation" (Press release). Washington State Department of Transportation. March 20, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- Baruchman, Michelle (January 13, 2021). "Washington state ferry ridership dropped to historic lows last year". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- Allison, Jacqueline (October 10, 2021). "Staff shortages lead to 'unprecedented' disruptions for Washington State Ferries". Skagit Valley Herald. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- Saldanha, Alison (August 24, 2022). "WA ferry delays hit highest mark in past decade". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- Chan, Adam (February 28, 2023). "'Difficult news': Sidney-Anacortes ferry not restarting until 2030". CTV News Vancouver Island. Retrieved March 1, 2023.