Monday, September 12, 2011

Trip #4 Keystone to Port Townsend




We're back at the Ferry Challenge after almost a year off.

Our good friends Mike and Sarah invited us to the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend. To get there we would have to take the ferry from Whidbey Island (Coupeville/Keystone). Originally I made reservations to take the car on the ferry, which of course would disqualify the trip for inclusion in the Ferry Challenge ("walk ons" only allowed). Once we learned that the ferry docks in Port Townsend within blocks of the Festival...game on-no car needed!

We got to Keystone a little early to catch the 10:15 AM boat, so we took a little walk to the camp ground just north of the ferry landing. We spotted the boat coming across the main north south shipping channel and soon it was pulling into the landing.

The ferry was the brand new M.V. Salish. The Salish is much bigger than the Lummi or Guemes ferries but much smaller than the Jumbo Class ferries used on the Bainbridge (and other) runs. It is 274 feet long and can hold 64 vehicles.

We boarded and sailed right on schedule. There were many more "walk ons" than normal due to the Wooden Boat Festival.

It was a short walk through downtown Port Townsend to the Festival at the small boat harbor.

We had a great day with the McEvoys on one of the warmest days of the summer, then a nice dinner outside at a downtown restaurant on the water front, and caught the 7:00 PM ferry back to Keystone.

The ferry challenge rocks! Where else can you have this much fun on the water for $2.75??!!