A Bit of Ferry History
For people living in the islands in the seventies, when we moved to San Juan, the ferry system was not something that was without surprises. Although islanders did not usually have a problem getting off island, getting back on was another issue. In those days, one of the hurdles to overcome was a drawbridge along the slough where the Duane Berentson Bridge now stands, close to the Swinomish reservation. The drawbridge was actually run by a human being who looked out the window to see if the boats were high enough to need the bridge to open up, stopping traffic on both sides. Islanders who had timed their shopping down to the last minute would know when they reached the drawbridge whether or not they would make the ferry. The drawbridge operation took about a half an hour, even for one vessel. That was what made the difference between getting back home on time or not. There was no other road to Anacortes. Often several cars would stop at the drawbridge as a sailboat passed under, with islanders piling out to watch the boat pass while joking with each other about losing the race to the ferry. Many mainlanders were surprised that someone who had a home on the island was not given priority for getting a ticket to return home. The response to that request was known by us all. The Department of Transportation for the State is in charge of the ferries and they view the ferries as they do the freeways; free to everyone with no priorities. Now, however, with the reservation system, things have changed remarkably.
It is possible starting this year for anyone to make a reservation for the ferry and this reservation can assure your passage coming or going. If you are planning a trip to the island it is an excellent idea. This will save you from not being able to get on the ferry to leave the island and will also assure that you do not spend a lot of time in the ferry line at Anacortes (although you will be required to arrive half an hour early.) So, how is it working?
From my personal viewpoint, it is working great. Once we called to get reservations on a morning ferry and we were told that the boat was full. That saved us from getting up at the crack of dawn and finding out when we got to the terminal that we couldn’t get on anyway. We have had no trouble cancelling or changing our reservation times. Once we got there early enough for the ferry before our reserved ferry. Since that ferry was not full we were allowed to take it without paying a penalty for not getting on the ferry sailing that we had reserved. From my point of view, the reservation system is a godsend. It is true there was a lot of criticism from some islanders about adopting this system. It is true that it does take some of the unknowns that islanders have dealt with over time. Many islanders saw this as a life changing lack of spontaneity. However, in the overall picture I think it will be seen as a benefit. Will it change our personalities? Will we no longer be able to drive down to the ferry line for an unplanned day off island at the last minute? Certainty does have its price.
Photo Courtesy of Chris Teren, http://www.terenphotography.com/
