Bon Voyage

The Evergreen State will sail her last run on Sunday – Tim Dustrude photo

When my family moved here in ’71 it was the BIG BOAT. At that time the islands were served by the Evergreen State, the Klickitat and the Nisqually and every run was a “milk run”. The Evergreen was faster and carried more vehicles. Now it’s the small boat on our route and the slowest. But it holds lots of memories. Kind of sad to see her being retired – gonna miss that sweet old boat…

Here’s the official press release from WSF:
WSF retires its oldest ferry
Bon voyage sailing for the Evergreen State is June 29

The public is invited to bid “bon voyage” to Washington State Ferries’ oldest ship, the 87-car Evergreen State, with one last ride from Friday Harbor to Anacortes Sunday, June 29. Crews will decommission the vessel and retire it from service following its final sailing.

The Evergreen State was the first vessel custom built for Washington State Ferries in 1954.

“This remarkable ferry has served our customers well for six decades,” said Interim Assistant Secretary for Ferries Division Capt. George Capacci. “It’s tough to see her go, however decommissioning the Evergreen State and rotating in our newest, state of the art ferry, the 144-car Tokitae, brings us one step closer to improving overall reliability of our entire fleet.”

In the recent past she plied the waters of San Juan County between Anacortes and Sidney B.C. The ferry currently serves the interisland route.

“Washington State Ferries, and the Evergreen State have enabled our county to grow our economic base and provide basic transportation to Anacortes, Sidney and between islands,” said San Juan County Council member Rick Hughes. “Words are not enough to express what the Evergreen State has done for our community.”

Evergreen State’s final sailings on Sunday, June 29:

Interisland
· Departs Friday Harbor at 11:35 a.m. with departures from Orcas (12:25 p.m.), Shaw (12:40 p.m.) and Lopez (1 p.m.).

Friday Harbor to Lopez and Anacortes
· Departs Friday Harbor at 2:15 p.m., making a stop in Lopez (3:05 p.m. departure), before arriving in Anacortes.

The ferry will follow its normal summer sailing schedule until the 2:15 sailing from Friday Harbor on June 29. All applicable vehicle fares apply. Walk-on passenger tickets remain free of charge for both sailings.

San Juan County and the U.S. Coast Guard will provide an unofficial escort for the Evergreen State on her final interisland and Friday Harbor/Anacortes sailings. Private boats are welcome to join the escort and sound their horns in tribute. For safety and security, WSF reminds boaters to stay at least 100 yards, the size of a football field, from the ferry during transit.

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