Guemes Ferry delayed till April 7, 2017

March 21, 2017

Contact: Rachel Rowe, Ferry Operations Division Manager, rrowe@co.skagit.wa.us, 360-416-1466

Guemes Ferry delayed in return to service until April 7, 2017

Unanticipated repairs will delay the Guemes Ferry from returning to service until Friday, April 7, 2017. The M/V Guemes was originally scheduled to return to service Wednesday, March 29, 2017.

During maintenance, crews found that the engine foundations of the M/V Guemes were in worse condition than originally expected; as a result, crews discovered cracks to the z-drive mounting brackets located below deck. Additional steel work is necessary to repair the engine foundations and z-drive mounting brackets.

“The M/V Guemes has two z-drives,” said Rachel Rowe, Ferry Operations Division Manager. “They’re propulsion and steering units that can rotate 360 degrees, and eliminate the need for a rudder to steer the vessel.”

Rowe said there was no way to anticipate the condition of the engine foundations or z-drive mounting brackets until the vessel was in dry dock. Repairs can only be made when the vessel is out of the water.

The passenger-only vessel Strait Arrow will remain in service, as will Skagit Transit on Guemes Island, until work on the M/V Guemes is complete.

Find more information about the Guemes Ferry online at www.skagitcounty.net/ferry. For questions or more details, please contact Rachel Rowe, Ferry Operations Division Manager, at 360-416-1466, or rrowe@co.skagit.wa.us.