West Seattle, Washington
03 Sunday
Again this year, the King County Water Taxi‘s West Seattle service will continue middays year-round as well as am and pm commutes, Metro confirms today; the shuttle buses will continue too. And Metro says the new Vashon service’s midday runs also will continue throughout fall and winter. The only notable changes taking effect with the “fall schedule” on October 11 will be the suspension of Friday/Saturday later-evening runs on the West Seattle route until spring. Metro’s full announcement about all this is here.
FYI for Elliott Bay-watchers, and anybody visiting Alki, on Saturday – King County Water Taxi spokesperson Al Sanders tells us that the WT and the U.S. Coast Guard “will be holding their annual joint training exercise from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. across Elliott Bay. One of our vessels is going to be ‘boarded’ by the Coast Guard throughout the day.” So if you see unusual activity on Saturday (September 21) involving one of the Water Taxi vessels, now you know.
ADDED SATURDAY: The drill activity ranged outside the bay, too – Chris Frankovich sent this photo shortly after 3 pm:
(WSB photo: Diesel-powered Water Taxi M/V Sally Fox, as seen Tuesday at Seacrest)
You’ve likely heard about Washington State Ferries‘ plan to build electric vessels. Our area’s foot-ferry fleet, Metro Transit‘s King County Water Taxi, is moving that way too. In a recent newsletter, District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka mentioned that the Puget Sound Regional Council‘s Executive Board – on which he serves – had approved funding for “electrification improvements” to the Water Taxi. (The money originates with federal highway and transit funds, Saka added.) So we asked Metro’s Al Sanders for details. He tells WSB:
As part of Metro’s transition to becoming a zero-emission fleet, the Marine Division is researching the technology available that will allow the Water Taxis to go from using diesel-powered vessels to sailing with ships that use hybrid and/or battery-electric power.
The $1.7 million grant awarded by the Puget Sound Regional Council will be used on the design and engineering of new electric vessels and associated charging infrastructure needed to support the fleet. The grant would be used to initiate the design of two new 150-passenger battery electric vessels, along with the design of shoreside vessel charging and other electrical infrastructure at Pier 50.
When in service, the vessels will reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with water taxi service in support of the King County Strategic Climate Action Plan.
Sanders says the design work hasn’t started, so there’s no timeline for this yet. The two current Water Taxis, M/V Doc Maynard and M/V Sally Fox, were both launched in 2015, at a total cost of $11.8 million, also mostly from federal funding.
After a day and a half of no or reduced service to West Seattle, and a half-day of reduced service to Vashon Island, the King County Water Taxi is back on its regular schedule this afternoon. Metro spokesperson Al Sanders says the Coast Guard cleared M/V Sally Fox to return to service, so it sailed from downtown to West Seattle at 1:30 pm, and M/V Doc Maynard will leave downtown for Vashon Island at 3 pm, with both routes sailing their regular schedules this pm. The Water Taxi’s regular backup boat, M/V Spirit of Kingston, has been unavailable because it’s at a shipyard for its periodic “out-of-water inspection.”
12:45 PM: In our morning traffic/transit roundup, we mentioned that Metro was not running King County Water Taxi service between downtown and West Seattle this morning because of “mechanical” trouble. They’ve just sent an update, saying the route is still suspended, no ETA for resumption. We’re seeking more information on which boat is having trouble and why there’s no backup, since usually there are three boats available for the WT’s two routes.
3:45 PM: Here’s the explanation we received from Metro’s Al Sanders:
Service to West Seattle is tentatively suspended for the rest of the day.
There are some mechanical issues with the Sally Fox. On Sunday, the West Seattle crew noticed some anomalies with the docking controls. The vessel was taken out of service as a precautionary measure.
The Spirit of Kingston, the water taxi’s back-up vessel, is in the shipyard for its regular USCG out of water inspection.
With only one vessel — the Doc Maynard—available, it is being used for service to Vashon due to the critical transportation needs of that community.
And if you’re not familiar with transportation alternatives, here are their suggestions:
Buses:
• Metro’s RapidRide C Line and RapidRide H Line, routes 21, 56, 57 & 125 connect West Seattle to downtown Seattle – near the Pier 50 passenger-only facility located at Alaskan Way and Columbia Street.
• Route 128 connects the Admiral District, Morgan Junction, High Point, Delridge, South Seattle College and White Center areas with the West Seattle
• Water Taxi shuttle routes 773 & 775 will continue to operate their regular routes and schedules during this time, connecting West Seattle riders to the West Seattle Junction and Alki Beach via Harbor Avenue, Alki Avenue and North Admiral.Link light rail:
• Metro Route 50 connects West Seattle – including North Delridge, the Alaska Junction, the Admiral District and Alki Beach to Sound Transit Link 1 Line at SODO.
6:37 PM: Now Metro has announced a “hybrid schedule” for Tuesday, handling both West Seattle and Vashon Island routes with one boat. You can see the schedule here.
(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.
1:44 PM: Metro has finalized the West Seattle Water Taxi‘s plan for this spring/summer:
-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.
(Friday photo, sent by Carolyn)
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.
(Photo sent by Jonathan)
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.
(Texted photo, looking toward downtown from Admiral this afternoon)
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.
Going to Monday night’s Seahawks game? Metro invites you to travel by water:
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.
2:42 PM: From Metro: “Service for the King County Water Taxi is suspended until further notice as law enforcement responds to an incident at the Water Taxi Terminal at Pier 50.” That’s the downtown dock that serves both West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxi routes. More info to come.
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.”
Though the West Seattle Water Taxi was originally scheduled to be out of service tomorrow for the Veterans Day observation, Metro has added late afternoon and evening runs so Sounders FC fans can get to and from the playoff match vs. Dallas. The schedule can be found here – it starts with a 4:30 pm trip from West Seattle, and ends with a 10:45!pm trip from downtown. No shuttle bus, though, so you have to find another way to and from Seacrest. And Metro is still planning to keep the Water Taxi (and shuttles) entirely out of service on Saturday.
The West Seattle Water Taxi‘s 2 pm run was delayed a bit today, and the explanatory alert was terse: “Crew of the Doc Maynard rescuing a barge that was adrift along the Seattle waterfront.” We asked Metro spokesperson Al Sanders for more info, and here’s what we received:
(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:
They did it for Taylor Swift … for Beyoncé … and now they’re doing it for Coldplay: Adding later West Seattle Water Taxi trips so people going to the sold-out concert can get back here by water. From Metro‘s announcement for the added trips tomorrow (Wednesday, September 20th):
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.
As we first reported on September 3rd, Metro plans to continue seven-days-a-week West Seattle Water Taxi service through the fall and winter again this year (and beyond). County Executive Dow Constantine officially announced it today. One key point in the announcement: No Water Taxi service the weekend of October 14-15, so maintenance can be done to get ready for the winter season.
Going to see Queen B at Lumen Field on Thursday night? Metro has announced extra West Seattle Water Taxi runs for the Beyoncé concert, as it did when Taylor Swift was in town:
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.”
(Water Taxi during August sunrise – photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
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.”
Our inbox suggests the citywide excitement over this weekend’s sold-out Taylor Swift concerts at Lumen Field is more intense than what preceded last week’s All-Star Game. So, two notes:
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.
Two updates on changes ahead for the West Seattle Water Taxi:
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.
Some holidays, the West Seattle Water Taxi is out of service. But next Monday, on Memorial Day, Metro says the foot ferry will be running between Seacrest and downtown (though the Vashon Island Water Taxi will NOT run that day). It will be on a Sunday schedule that day – you can see the times here. (Metro buses will be on Sunday schedules that day, too.)
Out walking in the Seacrest/Don Armeni area tonight, we noticed this crowd aboard the Water Taxi for an evening run to downtown. This is the second weekend of the year that the WT is on its full spring/summer schedule, including Friday and Saturday nights. Last scheduled run of the night is 11 pm from West Seattle to downtown.
As of this week, the West Seattle Water Taxi is on its spring/summer schedule. Since it continued seven-days-a-week service through the fall and winter, the only change is that it’s running Friday and Saturday nights too. In pre-pandemic times, the foot ferry cut back to weekdays only in the cooler months; seven-day service was facilitated by county funding this year, but city funding in 2021-2022, during the West Seattle Bridge closure. So we asked Metro today what the plan is for next fall/winter, since the current schedule is posted as ending on Friday, October 13th. Short answer: They don’t know yet. Long answer, from spokesperson Al Sanders: “Metro is currently evaluating the ridership from this winter and comparing it to last year when the bridge was closed. Once we have reviewed this information, we will be able to better determine what next winter’s Water Taxi schedule will be.”
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