PORT TOWNSEND — The new 64-vehicle ferry MV Salish will begin service on the Port Townsend-Coupeville route at noon Friday, just in time for the beginning of the Fourth of July weekend.
A glitch with the backup generator that was discovered Monday, which could have meant a postponement of the first sailing, was resolved Tuesday, the state ferries system said in a statement.
The Salish’s inaugural sailing will mark the first time the Port Townsend-Coupeville route will be serviced by two boats since the 80-year-old Steel Electric class boats were taken out of service for safety reasons in November 2007.
The boat will join its sister ship, the MV Chetzemoka, which began serving the route in November, taking over from the MV Steilacoom II, which the state leased from Pierce County.
The state ferries system advises planning ahead for travel on the Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry route during the busy Fourth of July weekend, with vehicle travelers urged to make reservations ahead of time online or by phone.
Port Townsend will host a community celebration for the new boat Thursday, planned at 11 a.m. in slip No. 2 at the Port Townsend ferry terminal, with a vessel open house from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Port Gamble S’Klallam, Jamestown S’Klallam and Lower Elwha Klallam tribes will present a welcoming ceremony with speeches, singing, dancing and drumming.
The event will include addresses by Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Committee; and Rep. Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, chairwoman of the House Transportation Committee.
Also expected to attend are state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond and Assistant Transportation Secretary David Moseley, the state ferries system’s chief executive.
The regularly scheduled 10:15 a.m. sailing from Coupeville aboard the Chetzemoka will be free for walk-on passengers attending the event.
The Salish is the second of three Kwa-di Tabil Class ferryboats contracted by the state at a cost of $213.2 million.
The first was the Chetzemoka. The third, the MV Kennewick, is destined for the Point Defiance-to-Tahlequah route once it enters service sometime in the winter.
The Salish and the Chetzemoka will operate in tandem until Oct. 10, when the route will return to one-boat service to allow ferries on other state routes to undergo maintenance.
For schedule information, visit http://tinyurl.com/444nox6.
For assistance, phone 206-464-6400.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.