SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. — The Guemes Island vehicle ferry won’t be back in operation for Memorial Day weekend.
Skagit County now estimates service will return on June 6. If all goes smoothly, there’s a chance it could come back sooner.
The vehicle ferry has been out of service since mid-March.
It was supposed to return to service on April 30, but it’s been pushed back several times.
Nichols Brothers Boat Builders is working to finish up the dry dock work. Workers need to align both new engines on the foundation, hook up the exhaust, cooling, and fuel systems, and install new hoses for the hydraulic systems. The county says the engines required over 100 new hydraulic hoses that were custom-measured and fabricated to fit.
The boat will need to run a series of trials for several days before it can sail back to Anacortes and be cleared by the U.S. Coast Guard.
A passenger-only ferry is still in operation.
©2025 Cox Media Group
