Former Washington state ferry finds new home near Whidbey Island
The former Washington state ferry known as the Evergreen State, which spent more than three years in Olympia, has found a new home after it left the Port of Olympia this week, according to those close to the situation.
The 310-foot vessel is now moored at a private dock in Langley on Whidbey Island, said Stan Reeves, executive director of the Port of South Whidbey.
The vessel is not associated with port operations, Reeves said, but it is located near the port’s South Whidbey Harbor. He described the vessel as less than a quarter of a mile from the harbor.
The ferry is now tied up to a dock operated by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Reeves said.
Nichols Brothers Chief Executive Gavin Higgins said the ferry arrived at its Langley pier about 10:30 p.m. Monday. It will spend about three months there while they do some work on the vessel, and then it will be taken to a dry dock in Everett for additional work, he said.
Higgins declined to comment on the specifics of the ferry work.
The Port of Olympia announced last month that it had terminated its moorage contract with ferry owner Bart Lematta after the port said he had failed to meet the terms of that agreement. He was asked to leave and he did, a tugboat pushing the vessel away from the marine terminal about noon Monday.
The ferry, under a different owner, first arrived at the port in early 2018.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 11:55 AM.
