Fauntleroy ferry update: Klahowya still out; long wait on Vashon

10:11 AM: Saturday saw big delays on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferry route after M/V Klahowya had to go in for repairs. But it’s fixed now, and WSF says it will be back in service just after noon.

11:04 AM UPDATE: Never mind – now WSF has posted another update saying Klahowya is NOT ready to go back into service.

2:39 PM UPDATE: WSF now says Klahowya won’t be back before Monday night. On the F/V/S run currently, according to the latest alert, “There is currently a one-hour wait for drivers departing the north Vashon terminal due to reduced capacity from operating on a tw- boat schedule, and heavy vehicle traffic waiting to board the vessel.”

Mark April 28, 2013 (11:07 am)

Received this tweet 30 minutes ago…

Faunt/Va/SW: Update – Klahowya OOS the rest of the day for necessary repairs.
Due to necessary repairs, the Klahowya is out of service for the remainder of the day. The Issaquah and the Tillikum will sail the 2-boat weekend schedule. The Tillikum will depart Fauntleroy at 12:20, and the Issaquah will depart Southworth at 12:30. We apologize for the inconvenience. Updates will be posted when more information becomes available.

WSB April 28, 2013 (11:14 am)

We updated the story probably about the same time you posted this comment. Am trying to find out why the fast 180, but not sure I’ll get a reply on the weekend. (MarineTraffic.com shows Klahowya docked on Vashon.)

Mark April 28, 2013 (11:29 am)

We made one round trip and tied up the boat at Vashon for about one hour while the Engineers isolated the problem. The Klahowya proceeded to sea trial around Blake Island and everything seemed fine ( Crash Stops, Hard over rudder maneuvers ). After 2-3 tests, the ship starting tripping the breakers and when it was put into mechanical governor, it seemed to get worse. At that point it was decided to secure the vessel for the night. Seems like it is the same problem that we had Yesterday. You never want to lose back down power when you are coming into the dock. Better safe than sorry

WSB April 28, 2013 (11:34 am)

Your last line there is my motto. But without explanation in the bulletin, I had to almost wonder if one of the alerts was an error! Thanks for the explanation – TR