You know that ferry docked at the Port of Olympia? It’s expected to depart in April

The Evergreen State, a former Washington state ferry that has been moored at the Port of Olympia for nearly a year, is expected to depart next month, a spokeswoman for the port said Tuesday.

The 310-foot ferry has been a familiar sight along Olympia’s waterfront since April 2018 after the state sold the vessel to a private owner who docked it here.

Jones Broadcasting LLC paid $300,000 for it in 2017. Washington State Ferries said the new owner plans to use the old ferry for ferry service in the “protected waters of the southern Caribbean.”

During the ferry’s stay, it generated a lot of community questions and comments, everything from “What is that?” to “I hear they’re not paying their bills.”

Some also thought that vehicle ferry service was imminent in Olympia.

Port spokeswoman Jennie Foglia-Jones said again Tuesday that the owner has been making monthly payments and is paid up to date with the port. She also said the owner has hired a captain and crew. The captain and crew have just returned from another voyage, but once they rest up, the Evergreen State is expected to leave at the end of April, she said.

Foglia-Jones also said that when the ferry needed to be moved to accommodate other marine terminal traffic, Jones Broadcasting paid those fees as well.

“They have been great to work with,” she said.

The Evergreen State, at the time of its sale, was the state’s oldest ferry at 63. Built in 1954, it was powered by surplus drive motors from a Navy destroyer escort and served on several routes, including Seattle to Bainbridge Island and San Juan Islands inter-island routes, according to the state.

The Evergreen State also shared marine terminal space with two Pierce County ferries last year, which likely added to the confusion about whether ferry service was starting in Olympia.

There is no plan for vehicle ferry service out of Olympia, Washington State Ferries spokesman Ian Sterling said Tuesday.

The two Pierce County ferries — Christine Anderson and Steilacoom II — rotated through Olympia while waiting for dock repairs to be finished in Steilacoom. Both serve routes out of Steilacoom.

This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 3:20 PM.