FIRST DAY OF PORT TOWNSEND FOOT FERRY SERVICE OFF TO ROCKY START

Published 11:40 am Monday, January 5, 2009

Passenger-only ferry service between Port Townsend/Keystone was expected to begin at 12:15 p.m. today out of Port Townsend and 1:10 p.m. sailing from Keystone Harbor on Whidbey Island.

High winds late Sunday prohibited the needed equipment for the service to be set in place so that service could start this morning.

Service will be launched from a barge, shown at right in photo, in the Port Townsend ferry holding dock while work is being done on the landing dock, at left.

A passenger ferry owned by Mystic Sea Charters, out of Anacortes, will provide trips between Port Townsend and Keystone during January while the 50-car ferry Steilacoom II is out for annual maintenance and Coast Guard inspection.