SEATTLE — The San Juan Clipper passenger ferry between the Seattle waterfront and Friday Harbor will not sail this year.
FRS Clipper, which operates the service, informed ticketed passengers that it had canceled all sailings to San Juan Island, as well as full-day whale watching tours, for the 2022 season. The company issued automatic refunds for 1,400 booked sailings.
Service was scheduled to begin April 29 and continue through Oct. 9. It spells further frustration for passengers bound for the San Juan Islands: The announcement comes after a loose anchor incident aboard the Yakima last week temporarily knocked the Washington State Ferries vessel out of service. WSF spokesperson Ian Sterling says the 144-car Kaleetan ferry has been working the San Juan Islands route since Saturday, keeping the service at four ships.
FRS Clipper’s decision does not affect the company’s passenger ferry service between Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia, which resumed Apr. 15. The San Juan Clipper will continue to operate half-day whale watching tours from Seattle.
FRS Clipper vice president of marketing Scott Meis attributed the decision to United States Coast Guard fire regulations that limit the service to 150 passengers, which Meis said would be unprofitable. The San Juan Clipper has capacity for 200 passengers.
“We have serviced the San Juans for 35 years. This has never been an issue and all of a sudden certain regulations shifted,” Meis said. “It caught us by surprise.”
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