PORT TOWNSEND –– The MV Chetzemoka missed its 10:15 a.m. sailing and the rest of the day’s trips on the Port Townsend-Coupeville route Sunday after it was sidelined by a rudder alarm light.
The ferry is expected to be ready for the first sailing Monday.
The Chetzemoka was put into service a couple hours earlier to replace the Kennewick, which also had rudder issues, but was to remain out of service until the problem was identified and fixed, said Ian Sterling, ferry system spokesman, on Sunday afternoon.
By Sunday evening, the problem had been identified as electronic in nature, and the ship was cleared to sail for the 8:45 a.m. trip Monday.
State ferry officials announced Wednesday the Kennewick will be off the route for repairs until mid-July. The MV Salish is still serving the route.
“It’s a fairly common occurrence,” he said. “It’s akin to you leaving the gas cap off and your check engine light comes on.”
During the service disruption, new reservations were temporarily unavailable, according to the ferry system.
If reservation holders were unable to travel Sunday due to the service disruptions, they were not charged no-show fees for unused reservations.
This is the third challenge caused by rudder issues on the Port Townsend-Coupeville route this year.
