(WSB photo, primary Vashon Water Taxi vessel M/V Sally Fox after its 2015 delivery)
The King County Water Taxi‘s Vashon-to-Seattle route has long run only during weekday morning and afternoon/evening commute times. With state ferries’ reduced service, Vashon has long requested expanded Water Taxi service – and Monday, it finally happens. With $3 million added funding from the state, the Water Taxi is adding four weekday Vashon-Seattle round trips – leaving Vashon at 9:25 am, noon, 1:30 pm, and 3:45 pm. Previously, the Vashon-Seattle route had six daily round trips, so now it has 10; still no weekend service. You can see the new schedule here.

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-Friday/Saturday late-night service resumes April 19 and continues through October 11 (last run from downtown will be 10:45 pm)
-No service the weekend of April 13-14, to get ready for the season
-‘No late-night sailings Sundays through Thursdays, including after-evening events at Lumen Field or T-Mobile Park’

Also coming up this summer, midday Water Taxi service for Vashon – which previously only had service during am and pm commutes – will be added starting July 1st, with funding from the state. That schedule won’t be finalized until June, but you can see the West Seattle summer schedule by going here.

8:41 PM: Thanks to Kanit for pointing out that shortly after we published this, Metro announced it IS adding special service for the opening Mariners’ homestand this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

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Last Friday, one of the two main King County Water Taxi vessels went out of service after a small engine fire, as reported here. We asked Metro today about the status of that vessel, M/V Sally Fox. Spokesperson Al Sanders told WSB this afternoon, “The engine fire on the Sally Fox was caused by a loose oil line to a turbocharger. The fire was small and the damage was superficial. Repairs have been made to the Sally Fox and the Marine Division is awaiting USCG approval to operate.” That was potentially expected by day’s end today, although the Water Taxi Watch tracker showed Sally Fox still at the downtown barge dock around day’s end.

P.S. We also asked about the problem early this morning that delayed the start of West Seattle service until 6:30 am. That involved M/V Spirit of Kingston, Sanders said, which was briefly “unable to transfer helm control to exterior station,” a problem that Water Taxi engineering staff handled.

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8:37 AM: Thanks for the tips about the SFD response to the West Seattle Water Taxi dock at Seacrest. SFD says there were “no signs of active fire” so it reduced what was initially a large response.

(Added: Photo sent by Carolyn)

8:49 AM: All SFD units have left the scene. Metro says West Seattle Water Taxi service is canceled for the rest of the morning. The Sally Fox is still at Seacrest, its doors open.

(WSB photo)

9:05 AM: The crew won’t comment on what happened; the original dispatch was for a possible engine-room fire. We’re checking with Metro management for comment, including how this will affect service later in the day.

10:35 AM: Here’s the official statement via Metro spokesperson Elaine Porterfield:

A minor engine fire was detected and quickly extinguished at about 8 a.m. on the King County Water Taxi MV Sally Fox while at the Seacrest dock in West Seattle. Crew members quickly evacuated the one passenger on board and activated the automated fire suppression system. The fire was immediately extinguished. No injuries occurred and the Seattle Fire Department inspected the vessel and confirmed the fire was out. Four crew members were aboard.

The Port Engineer and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) will inspect the vessel. Once the vessel is cleared to depart Seacrest dock, it will be brought back to Pier 48. It is anticipated that the King County Water Taxi the MV Spirit of Kingston will be brought in to resume West Seattle midday service.

11:04 AM: Water Taxi Watch tracker shows Sally Fox has left Seacrest, headed downtown.

11:29 AM: Metro says service is resuming with the 11:30 am run from downtown to West Seattle.

11:51 AM: As noted by a commenter, service has resumed with Doc Maynard, not Spirit of Kingston, though Metro’s Porterfield tells us the vessel assignment might change later.

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4:54 PM: Metro wants riders to know: “Thick fog is lingering in Elliott Bay this evening. The King County Water Taxis will be operating at reduced speeds while fog is present. Delays are likely.” The most recent West Seattle run was only six minutes later than scheduled, according to the real-time tracker.

5:25 PM: The National Weather Service has issued a “dense fog advisory” alert in effect through noon tomorrow (Thursday). Visibility could be as low as a quarter-mile.

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On December 18, 2023, the West Seattle Water Taxi will be running extended service for the Seahawks game against Philadelphia. In addition to the regular service, the following departures have been added:

Departs Pier 50 to West Seattle/Departs West Seattle to Pier 50
7:30 p.m./8:00 p.m.
8:30 p.m./9:00 p.m.
9:30 p.m./10:00 p.m.
10:45 p.m./11:00 p.m.

The Water Taxi Shuttle (Routes 773 and 775) will be in service for the added sailings to get you from the dock to the West Seattle Junction and the Admiral District after the game.

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2:46 PM: Haven’t yet found out what the “incident” was, but Metro just sent another alert that Water Taxi service has resumed.

3:13 PM: Still trying to sleuth the “incident” – SPD says it wasn’t them. (Update: We’re told it was the Transit Police, so we’re checking with the King County Sheriff’s Office, of which they’re a part.)

3:54 PM: KCSO tells us, “A person left their suitcase by mistake in the middle of the water taxi terminal. This happened at 1359. The suitcase was reclaimed by the owner when they came back to reclaim it. Metro Transit PD was called into to facilitate a civil standby while the bag was given back.”

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(Photo courtesy Metro)

Preliminary details from MV Doc Maynard Capt. Dan Krehbiel:

The Doc Maynard, a King County Water Taxi, was en route to Pier 50 from Seacrest Dock at approximately 1 p.m. when the crew spotted a fully loaded container barge dangerously adrift from Pier 18 near Harbor Island, headed across Elliott Bay.

When the Water Taxi crew didn’t spot a tug next to the barge, they moved to intercept the vessel, which was moving toward the vicinity of the Great Wheel and the Seattle Aquarium, and attempted to push the barge away from the heart of the waterfront.

Captain Krehbiel was able to use the Doc Maynard’s bow to push and direct the barge north, where it eventually landed in the vicinity of Pier 66. Tugs arrived to pin the ship to the terminal until the barge owner could arrange transport.

The Doc Maynard did not sustain any damage to the bow, which steered the wayward barge away from the waterfront. Water taxi service was delayed by approximately 15 minutes as a result of this incident.

A Twitter/X user got it on video – watch here. The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the barge mishap.

(USCG photo)

ADDED 6:49 PM: Kevin Freitas shares this time lapse from one of his cameras on this side of the bay:

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Heading home to West Seattle after the concert? The King County Water Taxi is scheduled for six trips from Pier 50 at starting at 7:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m. and 12:15 a.m.)

The water taxi will have five trips from West Seattle starting at 8 p.m. (8 p.m., 9 p.m., 10 p.m., 11:00 p.m. and 12:30 a.m.)

If you’d rather ride the bus, Metro says they’ll add trips on three RapidRide lines, including C and H, which serve West Seattle.

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The water taxi is scheduled for six trips from Pier 50 at starting at 7:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m. and 12:15 a.m.) The water taxi will also have five trips from West Seattle starting at 8 p.m. (8 p.m., 9 p.m., 10 p.m., 11 p.m. and 12:30 a.m.)

Again, that’s tomorrow night (Thursday, September 14th). Metro also says it’ll add “a handful of trips” on unspecified bus routes “to help meet rider demand after the concert.”

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With Metro making its fall “service change” adjustments to bus routes this weekend, you might be wondering about the West Seattle Water Taxi. Its summer schedule, with late-night runs on Fridays and Saturdays, is planned to last six more weeks, until October 14. Before the pandemic and West Seattle Bridge closure brought big changes, the Water Taxi downshifted in fall/winter to running five days a week, commute times only. But the past two years, Metro has kept the foot ferry running all day, seven days a week, year-round. We asked Metro repeatedly whether that would continue this year; the answer was that they didn’t know yet. So with fall approaching and no announcement yet, we asked County Councilmember Joe McDermott if the council had perhaps been briefed on a plan. In fact, he told us, Metro notified the County Council in mid-June that it would continue all-day, every-day service again this year. The memo sent to councilmembers noted that not only does that make for a service on which customers can rely, but a survey of Marine Division staff showed it’s popular with them too “as they will no longer be laid off during the winter months (allowing) Metro to be more competitive for workforce in the challenging marine industry.” The memo also noted that ridership last winter, after the West Seattle Bridge reopened, was even higher than the previous winter, when it was still closed. And the memo included one more point – that “the extended service bridges an important gap in our current bus service, due to bus operator workforce shortages.”

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EXTRA WATER TAXI AND RAPIDRIDE RUNS: Transit services are adding more runs for Saturday and Sunday, including Metro buses and the West Seattle Water Taxi. The WT will add 11:45 pm and 12:15 am runs from Pier 50 downtown both nights, and Metro has a special shuttle that will take concertgoers to the dock, as well as (updated) added C and H Line service.

YOUNGSTOWN COFFEE: The coffee crew at 6030 California SW is stoked. Here’s their announcement:

In celebration of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour coming to Seattle this weekend, Youngstown will be running a special Taylor’s Version menu and giveaway! Our menu and contest is running now through July 23rd (Taylor’s final night in Seattle) and a winner will be chosen that evening.

Prizes include Speak Now tay’s version CD, Youngstown gift card for $25, Youngstown t-shirt, and sticker. To enter, visit our shop and purchase any drink off of our Diva Summer or Taylor’s Version menus and get one entry form.

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FOURTH OF JULY: The West Seattle route will be on a Sunday schedule for the holiday next Tuesday.

ALL-STAR WEEK: Sally emailed us, wondering whether the Water Taxi would add any runs for the big baseball festivities coming up. We asked Metro/Water Taxi spokesperson Al Sanders – here’s his reply:

The West Seattle Water Taxi will have extended service during the ASG festivities. They already have the late service on Friday and Saturday and it will sail until 11 pm on Sun 7/9, Mon 7/10 and Tues 7/11 to accommodate fans going to Play Ball Park at Lumen Field, and the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game at T-Mobile Park.

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