Good afternoon,
I want to let everyone know that the car ferry will not be back in service tomorrow, Monday October 26. The vessel was not able to complete sea trials today; that has been re-scheduled for tomorrow. During this year’s dry dock period there was a lot of machinery and equipment that was removed from the vessel and re-installed. Unfortunately, we discovered some issues late last week that put us behind schedule. The last couple of days, crews have been putting in very long hours to get everything back together and operational. Upon starting the main engines today, there were a few issues that had to be corrected. There was also a leak in the No. 2 end steering pump, and Skagit Hydraulics is on-site fixing that today. There were also some issues with some of the fire/bilge system pumps. Until the repairs are made, and the GUEME passes dock trials, she cannot get underway for sea trials. We are hoping to be able to run the machinery against the dock this evening, and head out for sea trials tomorrow. If all goes well, the GUEMES could return to service on Tuesday, October 27; the timeframe is yet to be determined, and is dependent on sea trials.
We apologize for the delay, and we thank you for your patience. I will post another progress update tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Captain Rachel Rowe
Ferry Operations Division Manager
Skagit County Public Works