EVERETT — Another summer of short ferry rides to sandy beaches and shallow water in Possession Sound is set to start July 5.
The Port of Everett, in partnership with the City of Everett and Snohomish County, is offering the Jetty Island ferry again five days a week.
Jetty Island is a 2-mile breakwater just offshore from Everett. The sandy stretch is open year-round to whoever can get there by boat, canoe, kayak or paddle board.
There are no lifeguards, so enter the water carefully.
Alcohol, camping, glass containers and pets aren’t allowed on the island. Wheeled carts have a hard time in the sand paths, so people should pack what they can carry in and carry out (food, sunscreen, water).
The passenger ferry costs $3 to $5 per person, plus fees and taxes, and online reservations can be made that ensure a spot on one of the many sailings there and back Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Walkups are allowed when there is room and on a first-come, first-served basis.
Sailings are from 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
The ferry departs from the Jetty Landing off of 10th Street and West Marine View Drive in Everett. Parking is nearby and costs $2 for eight hours for those who reserve a sailing online.
People can also get there by riding the Everett Transit Route 6, which has a waterfront stop at 13th Street and West Marine View Drive. The city-run transit agency offers free fare for passengers 18 and younger and adult fares cost $2.
A group of children watch as a ghost shrimp buries itself int he sand on Jetty Island on Thursday, July 5, 2018 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The city used to run the ferry service on a 10-year contract signed in 2018 with Argosy Cruises. But the pandemic and budget cuts ended the program in 2020.
In 2021, the city, county and Port agreed to offer it again with the Port covering whatever gap exists between the contract and revenue from fares.
The ferry service this year costs over $102,000, according to a city document. There’s also a cost for the online reservation system, which was around $3,000 last year.
Since taking over, the Port has seen a little growth in ridership from around 20,300 to 23,400 last year, spokesperson Cat Soper wrote in an email. Last year’s ferry fare revenue of over $64,600 covered just over half of the cost with the Port paying the difference to “ensure continued access to the island as a public amenity,” Soper wrote.
When the city was the sole organization behind the ferry service, asking for $1 and $2 donations per passenger rarely recovered the cost of the contract.
This year, the city dedicated $25,000 in lodging tax revenue toward its own work for Jetty Island. Everett is planning programs for a cleanup day July 7, as well as yoga on the beach, book walks and interpretive signage for a loop trail around the island, assistant parks director Kimberly Moore wrote in an email.
Ben Watanabe: 425-339-3037; bwatanabe@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @benwatanabe.
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