Guemes Island ferry

History

In 1919 the route was served by the then new (built 1917) motor ferry Guemes, 48.6 ft (14.81 m) long, 86 tons. Guemes was one of only nine true ferries then in operation on Puget Sound. Guemes was kept on the route until 1960, when it was replaced by the Almar, a vessel which had been built in 1947 on Puget Island in the Columbia River. Almar served as a ferry on the Columbia River until 1960. Almar, with a capacity for 9 vehicles, was not a true double-ender. This meant that ferry had to be backed into Anacortes slip. Large trucks could not be carried. Almar is reported to be still afloat in Alaska. The Guemes Island Ferry operates 7 days a week, 365 days a year between Anacortes and Guemes Island. Skagit County has operated the ferry since the early 1960s when it was purchased from a private operator. The vehicle and passenger ferry M/V Guemes is a US Coast Guard inspected vessel and is rated for 3 crew, 99 passengers, and 22 vehicles. We transport approximately 200,000 vehicles and 400,000 passengers a year. The ferry crossing is ¾ of mile in distance and a round trip takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. The M/V Guemes was built in 1979 by the Gladding Hearn shipyard in Somerset, Massachusetts. She was delivered and put into service in 1980.

Current status

A renovation of the terminals at Anacortes and Guemes was completed in May 2011. Also as of May 2011, the Washington State Department of Transportation has completed a new terminal building at Anacortes, with funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The new building houses a ferry user waiting area, staff area, restrooms, staff offices, and a ferry maintenance workshop.