Kitsap Review

After Kitsap County residents expressed 76% in a survey, the county’s transit service will add a commuter shuttle cruise boat service across Puget Sound between the town of Southworth and downtown Seattle.

“We wanted the community to weigh in on this question because they’re the ones who will be most impacted when the vessel has a mechanical issue,” John Clauson, executive director of Kitsap Transit, said in a news release supplied to the Kitsap Daily News. “The community has spoken. Meanwhile, we’re working with Washington State Ferries (WSF) to ensure this service is successful and has room to grow for decades to come.”

The fast ferry service will begin even if a second ferry boat as a backup spare is not yet available.

The report said the first boat the Enetai a 255-passenger bow-accessed boat was delivered to Kitsap Transit earlier this year. A second promised boat the sister ship MV-Commander built by the nautical firm of Nichols Bros. of Whidbey Island has been held up in delivery, reportedly because of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

If the Enetai breaks down a spare vessel could be secured from a route that currently serves the town of Kinsgton, the report said.

The survey had asked 880 area residents if they wanted the new service begun with just a single boat.

Kitsap Transit was founded in 1978 and is based in Bremerton. In addition to the ferry it also runs a bus service covering 40 routes, a foot ferry, van pool, dial-a-ride and worker-driver service.

In addition to $593,000 in federal funding for maintenance, the transit provider received a $2.25 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration for engineering and design work to upgrade the Southworth Ferry Terminal over a period of years. The terminal serves numerous Puget Sound communities including Bremerton, Seattle Kingston and Port Townsend.   

Kitsap is partnering with WSF a government-run auto and ferry agency to do the terminal project improvements.      

Southworth is 62 miles from Seattle.