I saw Ms. Cornely’s letter to the editor and wanted to provide some clarification. We have reached out to Ms. Cornely to apologize for the inconvenience she experienced on Friday, July 11 when the last sailing from Sidney B.C. to Friday Harbor was canceled.

We offered her reimbursement for her trip and explained how she can seek reimbursement for the expenses she says she incurred. She has not contacted us in return.

Earlier in the day on July 11, our crew onboard the Chelan noticed a small hydraulic fluid leak inside the crane mechanism that lowers one rescue boat into the water.

The U.S. Coast Guard would not allow us to continue sailing until repairs were made. For this reason, we had to cancel the final roundtrip sailing of the evening between Sidney B.C. and Anacortes.

There are two vessels in our fleet that meet Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) standards for international travel, the Chelan and the Elwha. The Elwha was already fully committed to interisland service in the San Juan Islands on July 11.

All customers seeking reimbursement should contact WSF Customer Service: 1-888-808-7977 or 206-464-6400.

Marta Coursey

WSF Director of Communications