Southworth Commuters Get Their First Taste Of Fast Ferry Life
SOUTHWORTH — Passenger-only fast ferry service from Southworth to Seattle began bright and early Monday morning.
Kitsap Transit’s newest fast ferry, the 255-passenger M/V Enetai, left on its inaugural sailing at 5:10 a.m. carrying 15 passengers. It's the final planned route between Kitsap County and Seattle.
The Enetai is scheduled to make four roundtrips from Southworth in the morning and five roundtrips from Seattle in the evening. The vessel will be capped at 60 riders per sailing under the state’s coronavirus guidelines.
Kitsap Transit offered preview sailings on Saturday for riders who wanted to try out the service. More than 300 people showed up to ride one of the four sailings, including members of Kitsap Transit’s board of commissioners, Congressman Derek Kilmer and state Sen. Emily Randall.
But Monday morning was a quieter affair — about a dozen passengers boarded the M/V Enetai for the 7:35 a.m. trip to Seattle, headed to work across the water. The Enetai, which can travel at a top speed of 40 knots, made quick work of the crossing, pulling up to the passenger-only ferry dock right at 8 a.m.
Jaclyn White, who manages a dermatology clinic in downtown Seattle, waited for the ferry at the Southworth terminal with her co-worker Stephanie Williamson. White used to drive around through Tacoma to work; Williamson hopped on the local foot ferry to Bremerton and took the fast ferry to Seattle.
“We’re excited about it, not having to leave the house at 6:15 a.m. to get to work by 8 is a good thing,” White said.
Both White and Williamson live in Port Orchard and said the new service will cut significant time from their commute.
“I live off Sedgwick so it’s literally just a straight shot here,” Williamson said.
Tracy Koletzky is another long-time commuter happy to switch out her car for a boat. Koletzky works in the box office for the Seattle Mariners and spent eight years driving I-5 to Seattle before being furloughed during the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s back to work now and excited to skip her stressful daily drive.
“This is just so much easier, I can take a nap, I can read a book,” Koletzky said.
The allure of the 26-minute crossing to Seattle has also drawn residents from the city to Kitsap County. Ari Troka, a maintenance supervisor at the Seattle Aquarium, moved his family from Seattle to South Kitsap six months ago specifically because of the Southworth fast ferry.
“It’s better for me, I can buy a house on this side, which is cheaper and the commute is great,” Troka said.
Word about the fast ferry is spreading, and Troka said he knows of multiple families looking to move to Kitsap to take advantage of less expensive housing and natural surroundings.
“This is going to be great for people, especially that commute to downtown Seattle,” Troka said.
Long-time Kitsap residents like Marissa Sandoval appreciate the change, too. Sandoval, who lives in Manchester, used to take the Washington State Ferries route to Vashon Island and then a King County Water Taxi to Seattle every day for 15 years.
Sandoval said the Triangle Route was “inconvenient” and challenging, especially in bad weather. The Southworth fast ferry cuts her commute time to Harborview Medical Center, where she oversees the COVID-19 vaccination clinic, in half.
“It’s smooth, it’s beautiful,” Sandoval said of the ride Monday morning. “Of course you get this beautiful scenery every single day, so what more could you ask for? I love it, I'm so excited about it.”
Fast ferry schedule:Kitsap Transit announces Southworth to Seattle trips
Kitsap Transit executive director John Clauson was aboard for all four of the Monday morning sailings. Fifteen passengers rode the 5:10 a.m. sailing to Seattle, and 26 took the 6:20 a.m. sailing, according to Clauson. He expects that number to grow.
“Under normal circumstances, it takes a while for commuters especially to see the service is operating, see that it's reliable, and get comfortable enough before they're willing to switch their current method,” Clauson said.
For now, the Enetai is the only vessel operating the route, meaning if it breaks down sailings will be canceled. Riders voted in a survey to start service without a backup boat. Enetai’s sister ship, the M/V Commander, is still under construction. Another backup vessel, the M/V Solano, still needs to be brought up from California.
Kitsap Transit voters passed a sales tax increase in 2016 to pay for the fast ferry program. Bremerton service started in 2017 and Kingston launched in 2018. Southworth service marks the final, full build-out of that plan.
“Vote Yes Fast Ferry” signs from 2016 were displayed inside the Enetai on Monday, alongside smaller signs that read: “We did it.”
“(I want to) thank the community for supporting the creation of this program and entrusting Kitsap Transit with their tax dollars,” Clauson said, indicating the sign. “As it says, we delivered.”
By: Christian Vosler
Source: Kitsap Sun