Customers on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route should be aware of the reduction in capacity, but the change should not inconvenience customers. Customers are encouraged to arrive early for their desired sailings.
The Sealth is coming out of a nine-week drydock period for planned maintenance. When the Sealth arrives in Anacortes, the 144-car Elwha will head south for three days of service on the Seattle/Bremerton route, and then into drydock until early December for its scheduled maintenance. The other vessels currently serving the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route are the 144-car and the 124-car Chelan, with the 87-car providing inter-island service.
With a lack of back-up vessels in the ferry system, WSDOT must plan vessel moves to accommodate planned maintenance while minimizing impacts to customers. This becomes especially difficult during the winter maintenance season, when more vessels must be removed from service for annual maintenance and inspections.