PORT ANGELES — The North Olympic Peninsula will be without a water highway to Victoria for two weeks beginning on Monday.
The MV Coho will be in dry dock for annual maintenance, and the Victoria Express will not make trips during the closure for the first time in six years.
Jack Harmon, Victoria Express owner, said his two boats, which operate during the summer months, won’t be running while the MV Coho is out of service because it isn’t profitable for the company.
“We lost money,” he said.
“We did it as favor to the community.”
Harmon said the number of passengers using Victoria Express while the MV Coho was in dry dock was not significant.
The MV Coho will return on Feb. 8 and will offer one trip to Victoria, at 8:20 a.m. daily, until Feb. 12. The ferry will leave Victoria at 4 p.m. during those four days.
Jeff Well, Rite Bros. Aviation owner, said that his company has been contacted by one person who commutes to Victoria from Port Angeles.
That person sought a way across the Strait of Juan de Fuca while the Coho is in dry dock.
Well said a flight to Victoria on a three-person aircraft costs a total of $250, and $300 on a five-person plane, no matter how many people are on board.
In a group of three people, the flight would cost about $83 a person.
The flight from William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles takes less than 30 minutes, and a passport is required, Well said.
Well said he expects to receive more inquiries about flights to Victoria within the next few days.
“It’s always typical,” he said.
“A lot of people don’t look ahead.”
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
