Skagit County Celebrates 60 Years of Ferry Operations

June 1, 2023 may have seemed like an ordinary day in the History of Guemes Island Ferry. But in actuality, it was the 60th Anniversary of Skagit County taking over the full operation of the Guemes Island Ferry. There wasn’t a Diamond Jubilee celebration, commemorative pins weren’t passed out to ferry riders, no cake was cut, and mugs weren’t made with the commissioner’s smiling faces riding the Guemes. In fact, the day was much like the day 60 years ago as described by the Anacortes American on May 30, 1963, “No special bunting will be unfurled and commissioners, not anxious to get wrapped up in the business of running the ferry any more than they have to, plan no ceremony.”

The decades in between then and now have demonstrated years of controversial rate increases, changes in schedules and service levels, the Almar to the Guemes, many versions of ferry committees, and studies, studies and more studies.

In looking back on 2023, perhaps we actually did have a year long celebration. Skagit County kicked off this special year with the gift of a $100K study, followed by months of Islanders writing thank you letters for the county offering to raise our fares 70% and cut our service. We were also gifted the additional expense of $448K to pay for $5,400 in claims. Then we were allowed three minutes to speak on a couple of occasions, given an unexpected bonus day off in May for ferry workers, and had multiple opportunities to watch/listen via Zoom with mute buttons on as our county leaders decided the ferry’s future fares. The new fare gift will be the gift that keeps on giving as fares increase for the next five years based on “best guess” budgeting. Other shiny highlights this year included the ferry committee being excused from attending four boring meetings a year to “at least” one with Public Works so they only have to complain about concerns one day a year and can take the rest of the year off. And who can forget that when our state’s top leader came to visit to discuss our new electric ferry we received special invisible invitations to attend the event. The icing on the cake was the big reveal of the draft of the future dock plan at the Anacortes Neighborhood Meeting. This highlighted the removal of those pesky temporary drop off spots next to the terminal, removes many ADA/county worker/ferry rider parking spots, and plops a circus like ticket booth smack dab in the center of the lower staging area which will eliminate the turn around area for a city bus, school bus, emergency vehicles, etc. Good thing the people within 100 feet of the Anacortes ferry dock will make sure all goes well with the new dock plan until the ferry committee can possibly meet with Public Works sometime, on one day, undecided, in 2024.

Thank you, Skagit County, for making this Diamond Jubilee memorable.

In the same Anacortes American article from May of 1963, one Skagit County Commissioner best predicted the future of the County/Ferry relationship by stating:

“The storm may not be over. It may just be beginning.” Happy New Year!!

- Cindy Kamp