The Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth triangle route will return to three-boat weekday service Wednesday, after a spell of broken boats that hobbled state ferry sailings systemwide. Meanwhile, the Bremerton-Seattle sailing will get a boost this weekend, thanks to the Seahawks.
With the return of the Tacoma to the Seattle-Bainbridge run, the Kitsap will go back to sailing between Mukilteo and Clinton. In turn, the Sealth will leave Mukilteo-Clinton and head south to act as the third boat on the triangle route, backing up the Cathlamet and Kittitas, the primary vessels there.
The return to service comes after a successful repair to the Tacoma's stern tube over the weekend. The ferry underwent successful sea trials Sunday and returned to service Monday evening.
The only remaining route without a full complement of boats is the Seattle-Bremerton run.
Dana Warr, a Washington State Ferries spokesperson, said Bremerton would remain on one-boat service until Saturday morning — when a second boat will help handle crowds for the Seahawks-49ers playoff game Saturday evening. The second boat will remain through the long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. He didn't have details on which boat would sail along with the Chimacum, or if it would remain past Monday.
The first weeks of the New Year tested Gov. Bob Ferguson's plan to return the fleet to full domestic service, which doesn't include an indefinitely canceled trip to British Columbia's Sidney.
At one point this year, the state fleet was missing a third of its ferries, with seven out of 21 vessels unable to sail, hampering service and frustrating passengers as WSF works to rebuild an aging, depleted fleet.
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