Here’s when Point Roberts residents can ride a Port ferry to Blaine Harbor
Starting next week Point Roberts residents will have a new way to visit the rest of Whatcom County during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Port of Bellingham and Whatcom Transportation Authority will provide a short-term, emergency transportation service beginning on Tuesday, Aug. 25. A passenger-only ferry will take Point Roberts residents to the Blaine Harbor, where they can take WTA to the Cordata Station in Bellingham.
The ferry service will be once a week on Tuesdays but could increase if there is enough demand, according to a news release from the port. The ferry service is free, but reservations are required and granted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
San Juan Cruises will lease its boats, the 50-foot Salish Sea and 100-foot vessel Salish Express, to the port to handle the trips.
The Port is not currently taking reservations for the evening return trip to Blaine, however it might make adjustments on future sailings to allow for this service, depending on passenger demand and input from residents of Point Roberts, said Mike Hogan, spokesman for the port.
The ferry is intended to provide emergency transportation service for Point Roberts residents, so it isn’t expecting other Whatcom residents to use the ferry to visit Point Roberts.
“At this point the port is not restricting who can or cannot ride the vessel, however, the port will be evaluating who uses the service and may make adjustments to better serve people in need of access to essential goods and services,” Hogan said in an email.
The 1,500 or so full-time residents in Point Roberts have always had to make adjustments when it comes to travel, with water on three sides of the community and the Canadian border to the north. Since the COVID-19 pandemic closed the border to non-essential travelers in March, residents have basically been cut off from the rest of Whatcom County. By car, Point Roberts residents need to go through two border crossings to get to Blaine.
Canada and the U.S. recently extended the border restrictions for nonessential travel to Sept. 21.
The Port commissioners discussed the ferry service at the request of the residents during a meeting earlier this month. There was a discussion about who would foot the bill for the ferry service, which Executive Director Rob Fix said could reach $30,000 to $50,000 a month if it is used twice a day, two days a week.
The commissioners appeared to agree with the idea of starting the ferry service while also seeking financial assistance, possibly asking for some federal money allocated to Whatcom County for the COVID-19 pandemic. Commissioners also appeared reluctant to charge passengers a fee, viewing this as an emergency situation.
Masks will be required on the ferry/WTA trips and Point Roberts residents can sign up online through the port’s reservation page for the ferry. WTA will provide a transit connection from Blaine Harbor to Cordata Station in Bellingham. A separate, advance reservation with WTA is required for this service and can be made by calling 360-733-1144.
Departure and arrival times could vary, so updates will be posted on the Port of Bellingham’s website. For Aug. 25, the ferry is scheduled to depart Point Roberts at 9:30 a.m., arriving in Blaine at 11 a.m. It will depart Blaine at 4 p.m., arriving at Point Roberts at 5:30 p.m.
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 2:19 PM.
