Kitsap ferry cuts down travel time

The Thursday 3:30 sailing was the first time the Rich Passage had made the trip between Bremerton and Seattle in three days. On those days, ferry riders to switch to the car ferry and endure a much slower trip.

“I’d hate to be commuting,” said ferry rider Jennifer Scholes, who was visiting from Oregon. “Well, I really think it sucks,” said ferry commuter Michele Beard.

An electronic device on one of the ferry's motors, described by Kitsap Transit marine director Casey Harrington as the computer that tells the engine how to drive, failed and, for some reason, it kept failing.

“And we did a repair while speaking with the original equipment manufacturer the other day,” Harrington said. “After the repairs, it worked, and then then system failed again.”

The fast boat makes the trip across Puget Sound in 28 minutes, compared to the hourlong ride on the larger state-run ferry. The new boat started making runs between the two cities on July 10 and had gone through sea trials. Then it was abruptly shut down when the computer issues cropped up.

Harrington said Kitsap Transit is planning to have backup ferries on standby in the future to make sure passengers aren’t stuck in the event of mechanical problems.

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