Guemes Ferry Service Alerts

Ferry Service Alert UPDATE (10/29 at 8:40 a.m.)

Vehicles Must Be 10,000 lbs. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or Less

Vehicle service on the Guemes Island Ferry will resume at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, October 29. The County Engineer has issued a weight restriction of 5 tons, or 10,000 pounds for the Anacortes and Guemes Island transfer spans (used to load and unload vehicles). We will only permit one vehicle to load the ferry at a time on the transfer spans. These restrictions are to ensure continued safe operations, to protect ferry infrastructure, and to remain in compliance with engineering requirements.

Effective at 1:00 p.m. today, vehicles or vehicles and trailers with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or less will be permitted aboard the Guemes Island Ferry. This limit applies to all passenger vehicles, trucks, vans, and light‑duty work vehicles that meet or fall below the manufacturer‑assigned GVWR. This restriction is based on the GVWR, not the vehicle's actual load or operating weight. For vehicles towing trailers, this will be a combined weight including the GVWR and trailer weight, along with a visual inspection of the contents.

How Crew Members Will Identify Vehicle Eligibility:

To ensure compliance with this restriction, ferry crew members will:

• Check the manufacturer’s certification label (GVWR/GAWR label), typically located on the driver‑side door pillar or door edge. An example can be seen in the photo below.
• Request verification from drivers if the label is missing, obscured, or unreadable, such as through registration documents or the owner’s manual.
• Conduct visual assessments of vehicles that appear oversized or commercial‑grade and confirm GVWR when necessary.
• Inspect any vehicle at their discretion, as all vehicles are subject to crew inspection before boarding.

Boarding Limitations

• Vehicles exceeding 10,000 lb GVWR will be denied boarding.
• Vehicles without a required certification label, as outlined in 49 CFR Part 567, may also be denied boarding if crew cannot confirm GVWR.
• If passengers are unsure of their vehicle’s GVWR, please contact the Guemes Island Ferry in advance of travel to avoid delays or refusal of service.

Future Updates:

Any changes to service, including timing of repairs, potential resumption of unrestricted vehicle service, or schedule adjustments, will be announced through our email/text notifications and posted on the Skagit County website. We encourage all riders to stay subscribed and check regularly for updates by visiting the ferry website. 

For questions or additional information, please email ferrycomments@skagitcountywa.gov or call 360-416-1466.

Ferry Service Alert UPDATE (10/28 at 5:00 p.m.)

Please be advised that the Guemes Island inspection wrapped up yesterday, after which, Public Works staff were notified of damage to the Guemes bridge infrastructure similar to what was found on the Anacortes bridge. The County Engineer is now reviewing what weight restrictions would be appropriate to permit vehicle service at both terminals. More information will be coming soon.

Service for Today

Passenger‑only service will continue today, Wednesday, October 28, on the M/V Guemes, from the ferry’s regular docks, through the final scheduled sailing tonight at 8:30 p.m.

Service for Tomorrow

Passenger-only service will continue tomorrow, Thursday, October 29, for at least the first part of the day. The county has installed steel plates over the transfer span in Anacortes to allow for reduced vehicle loads. The County Engineer is reviewing if we need to make any additional repairs on the Guemes Island side to accommodate vehicle service under a weight restriction.

We will post another notice when we have more information. 

Future Updates

Any changes to service, including timing of repairs, potential resumption of vehicle service, or schedule adjustments, will be announced through our email/text notifications and posted on the Skagit County website. We encourage all riders to stay subscribed and check regularly for updates.

Background

During a routine bridge inspection on October 26, 2026, Skagit County Public Works staff were notified of significant, previously unknown damage at the Anacortes Ferry Dock. Skagit County contracts with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to perform routine inspections of the Anacortes and Guemes Island ferry terminal bridges every two years. WSDOT performs these inspections because they have the certified staff and equipment to properly inspect the steel structures for the County. The damage found was to the transfer span, which is part of the ferry “bridge” used to load and unload vehicles. The damage includes corrosion and section loss of structural components that support part of the transfer span.

Because safety is our top priority, the County Engineer and Public Works staff determined that the docks should be closed immediately so that additional inspections could be completed.

On October 27, 2026, Public Works staff conducted follow‑up inspections at the Anacortes and Guemes Island ferry docks with WSDOT inspectors. The inspection on the Guemes Island bridge revealed similar damage, requiring further review by the County Engineer. Following those inspections, the County Engineer determined that passenger‑only ferry operations could safely take place at the Anacortes and Guemes Island docks while permanent repairs are being planned.

Ferry Service Alert UPDATE (10/27 at 5:00 p.m.)

Service for Today: Passenger‑only service will continue today, Tuesday, October 27, on the M/V Guemes, from the ferry’s regular docks, through the final scheduled sailing tonight at 8:30 p.m.

Service for Tomorrow: Passenger-only service will continue tomorrow, Wednesday, October 28, for at least the first part of the day. The County has installed steel plates over the transfer span to allow for reduced vehicle loads. The County Engineer is reviewing the temporary changes to determine what the reduced vehicle load will be for ferry service.

We will post another notice when we have more information. 

Future Updates: Any changes to service, including timing of repairs, potential resumption of vehicle service, or schedule adjustments, will be announced through our listserv notifications and posted on the Skagit County website. We encourage all riders to stay subscribed and check regularly for updates.

Background

During a routine bridge inspection on October 26, 2026, Skagit County Public Works staff were notified of significant, previously unknown damage at the Anacortes ferry dock. The damage was to the transfer span, which is part of the ferry “bridge” used to load and unload vehicles. The damage includescorrosion and section loss of structural components that support part of the transfer span.

Because safety is our top priority, the County Engineer and Public Works staff determined that the dock should be closed immediately so that additional inspections could be completed.

As a result, the dock was closed on the evening of October 26th, and vehicle ferry service was suspended. To ensure continued access for Guemes Island residents, Ferry Division staff quickly coordinated with Arrow Launch and the Port of Anacortes to provide temporary passenger‑only service between Cap Sante Marina and Guemes Island.

On October 27, 2026, Public Works staff conducted follow‑up inspections at the Anacortes ferry dock with Washington State Department of Transportation inspectors. Following those inspections, the County Engineer determined that passenger‑only ferry operations could safely take place at the Anacortes dock while permanent repairs are arranged.

More information on the permanent repairs will be shared as soon as we details. 

Ferry Service Alert UPDATE (10/27 at 9:25 a.m.)

Passenger-only service to Guemes Island will transition to operate out of the Skagit County Anacortes terminal starting with the 9:45 a.m. sailing. The Ferry Division plans to operate on the normal sailing schedule starting at 9:45 a.m. but we ask for your patience as we move service from the Cap Sante terminal back to the Skagit County terminal. 

The Washington State Department of Transportation and Assistant County Engineer have evaluated the Anacortes terminal bridge infrastructure and determined the bridge is safe for passenger service. Additional inspections and evaluations are needed before we can share more information on next steps for ferry service. 

As soon as we know more, we will send updates to the email listserv. We appreciate your patience and understanding. 

Ferry Service Alert UPDATE (10/27 at 7:00 a.m.)

Arrow Launch will operate passenger-only service from the Port of Anacortes Cap Sante A Dock for sailings every 45 minutes all day Tuesday, October 27th. The first run will leave Cap Sante once the current med call has completed and the vessel is cleared to return to service by emergency responders.

The final sailing from Cap Sante will leave at 8:45 p.m. tonight. Please be advised, the ferry will still shut down for a lunch break after the 11:15 a.m. sailing until the 1:00 p.m. departure. The dinner break will be after the 6:45 p.m. sailing and will resume for the 8:00 p.m. departure. 

Passenger tickets will be required for sailing, the ferry crew will be onsite to help with boarding and scanning tickets. A map is included below for where to park at the Port of Anacortes. Please do not park in any of the areas marked "no parking" to ensure Port operations are able to continue. 

If you have mobility concerns boarding the ferry, please speak with our ferry crew upon arrival to Cap Sante. As we are not sailing from our usual terminal, we ask for your patience as our crew does their best to accommodate and support all passengers. 

The Ferry Division will perform inspections of the Anacortes ferry terminal bridge this morning. Once we have more information on future ferry service, we will send those updates to the email listserv.

Ferry Service Alert UPDATE (10/26 at 7:10 p.m.) 

Arrow Launch will offer two passenger-only service runs leaving from Cap Sante A Dock tonight at 8:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Passenger tickets will be required for sailing, the ferry crew will be onsite to help with boarding and scanning tickets.

A map is included below for where to park at the Port of Anacortes. Please do not park in any of the areas marked "no parking" to ensure Port operations are able to continue. 

If you have mobility concerns boarding the ferry, please speak with our ferry crew upon arrival to Cap Sante. As we are not sailing from our usual terminal, we ask for your patience as our crew does their best to accommodate and support all passengers. 

Arrow Launch plans to offer passenger-only service tomorrow morning, Tuesday, October 27th, on the normal sailing schedule starting at 6:30 a.m. with the last run at 9:15 a.m. from Cap Sante. 

We will have more information to share with the public about ferry service tomorrow morning. 

Ferry Service Alert 10/26 at 5:25 p.m.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) identified an issue with our Anacortes bridge infrastructure during an inspection this afternoon. Unfortunately, Skagit County needs to immediately cancel ferry service until additional inspections can be completed. We expect these inspections to take place tomorrow morning (Tuesday, 10/27), at which time more information will be shared with the public. 

The Ferry Division is working to arrange passenger service to Cap Sante, but we do not know if this will be possible for ferry runs this evening. As soon as we know more about passenger service, we will send out a notice to the listserv.

We apologize for the inconvenience and we will share more information as soon as we can.