Ferry service to Lummi Island was restored Tuesday evening after Whatcom County Public Works announced the Whatcom Chief would return to service beginning with the 5 p.m. sailing from Lummi Island to Gooseberry Point. The county thanked residents for their patience while crews worked to resolve the equipment issue that had forced the suspension late Monday evening.

The outage lasted nearly 24 hours, cutting off the sole vehicular link between the mainland and Lummi Island. The 64-year-old vessel had been taken offline Monday evening following an equipment issue at the Gooseberry Point dock. At the time of the initial suspension, no estimated timeline for restoration had been provided, and the county pledged a status update by 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Lummi Island is home to roughly 1,000 residents and is only accessible by the county-operated ferry for most vehicular traffic. When the ferry goes down, islanders lose access to regular grocery trips, medical appointments, and school runs. Businesses and delivery services that depend on the route are also affected, as the ferry is the only practical way to bring vehicles, supplies, and equipment on and off the island.

The Whatcom Chief has had a challenging year. An April 2026 steering issue also forced a temporary suspension, though service resumed later that same evening. The current multi-day outage underscores the vulnerabilities that come with relying on a single aging vessel for a year-round essential service route.

The county has been aware of the Whatcom Chief's long-term replacement need for years. A $25 million federal grant and $10 million in state funding were secured in 2022 to begin work on a new vessel and terminal improvements, but the total project cost has been estimated at roughly $54 million. The remaining funding gap has prompted discussions about establishing a ferry benefit taxing district, which would require state legislative action and a public vote before any new revenue could be collected.

Until a replacement vessel is funded and built, the Whatcom Chief remains the only option. Its age means unplanned maintenance issues are an ongoing reality rather than an exception. County public works staff have repeatedly navigated emergency repairs and inspections to keep the vessel running, but each incident highlights the risk of depending on infrastructure that has long outlasted its original service life.

For residents planning travel to or from Lummi Island, the Whatcom County Public Works newsflash page is the most reliable source for real-time service updates. The county posts schedule changes and outage notices there first. Residents can also sign up for WhatcomReady emergency alerts to receive timely notifications about local service disruptions. Full schedule and fare information is available on the county's ferry webpage. The 5 p.m. sailing Tuesday marked the return of regular operations, and no additional disruptions had been announced as of Tuesday afternoon.

For background on the ferry's ongoing infrastructure challenges, yesterday's coverage of the initial suspension has full context on the replacement funding gap and what a permanent fix would require.