Dry dock scheduled for Lummi Island ferry in September

ISABELLE DILLS - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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The Lummi Island ferry will have passenger-only service through much of September as the Whatcom Chief enters dry dock for annual maintenance.

On Sept. 9, the Whatcom Chief will operate as a passenger-only ferry with its first scheduled run at 5:40 a.m. It will continue to run as a passenger-only ferry until its last run at 9:50 a.m., county spokesman Joe Bates said.

Ferry service will then stop while modifications are made to the docks, and floats are set in place for a contracted passenger-only ferry that will replace the Whatcom Chief during dry dock. That ferry should start running about 2:20 p.m. that day.

The Whatcom Chief will then depart to undergo regular maintenance and any necessary repairs, Bates said.

It is anticipated to resume service between Gooseberry Point and Lummi Island on Sept. 30. In the interim, the passenger-only ferry will operate a daily schedule.

This year's dry dock dates are earlier than normal. Dry dock usually starts on the first Sunday after Labor Day and lasts for three weeks, but that would have been Sept. 13 to about Oct. 3 this year. Most of the repairs to the ferry and docks are weather dependent, and the weather is less cooperative in October, Bates said.