PORT TOWNSEND – Passengers who use the Port Townsend/Coupeville ferry might be disappointed to learn the latest news on the Salish, which ran aground in Coupeville on Sunday, September 9.

We called ferry spokesman Ian Sterling to get an update.

Sterling says most of the damage is to a rudder, and that repairmen are waiting for parts. He says by the time the boat is fixed, they’ll be getting close to Fall schedule, when they drop down to one boat anyway. That’s the case now with only the Kennewick in service.

The Salish experienced what was described as a “soft grounding” around 12:30 that Sunday, and ferry service was shut down for about six hours until the crew could free themselves from the sandy bottom.

The landing at Keystone Harbor is notorious for being difficult even in good weather, and in bad weather the route is often shut down entirely just because of that dock.