WA ballot initiative would cut $848.6M of environmental programs
It takes about five minutes to cross the channel between Anacortes and Guemes Island. But the trip seems a lot longer to the people waiting in their cars to board the ferry that takes them across.
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, traffic backed up on both sides of the channel, waiting for the ferry. The 45-year-old vessel can handle 21 cars and 100 passengers per trip. When the ferry left the dock with a full load, about 12 to 15 vehicles had to wait another 25 minutes for the M/V Guemes to make the round trip.
Although wide enough to need a ferry, the channel is also so narrow that you can hear the ferry engines rev up as the M/V Guemes leaves the opposite shore. Guemes Island is home to 700 to 900 people, with a rustic general store/gas station/tavern, a couple parks and a bunch of artist studios. Unless you have your own boat, it costs $13.50 per car to get to the island; nothing to get off. A 2013 study said the M/V Guemes had 10 years remaining before its innards would start to fail.
Last January, the ferry shut down for one-and-a-half weeks due to a cracked bracket that holds an underwater propulsion thruster used to maneuver the ferry. During that downtime, a passenger-only ferry took over the route, though it was threatened at times by high winds and waves.
https://crosscut.com/politics/2024/07/wa-ballot-initiative-would-cut-8486m-environmental-programs