EVERETT — The overcast skies Saturday morning, didn’t scare off Silvia Mejia and her family from visiting Jetty Island.
They made the journey with several friends on the last weekend the ferry was running between the 10th Street Boat launch and Everett’s two-mile isle.
This was Mejia’s third visit this year.
“It’s so relaxing,” she said.
The beach was slow to fill as the morning tide gradually receded. Most visitors stayed on the dry beach building sand castles or flying kites. A few ventured all the way down to the water trekking through damp and squishy sand to get there.
Those who made it to the beach encountered an unusual sight: a young seal slowly making its way back to the water after being discovered earlier in the morning sleeping farther inland.
Seals are pretty rare along the main recreational area, said Adam Sirkis, a naturalist on the island who spent the morning adjusting cones to make sure people steered clear of the meandering mammal as it pushed its way down the beach.
Over the course of the summer season, the island hosts daily guided nature walks and classes.
The Labor Day holiday marks the end of the season for the Jetty Island ferry. (Lizz Giordano / The Herald)
Upgrades are coming to the boat launch area, where riders catch the free ferry over to the island.
The city, Snohomish County and the Port of Everett are partnering to renovate the restrooms. A state grant is paying for a majority of the $780,000 project, with the city, county and port splitting the rest of the cost, according to city documents. Each entity is expected to pay about $66,000.
The goal is to have the new bathrooms opened by December 2021. Once complete, the facility will contain a total of 12 restrooms.
The ferry departs from the boat launch every day starting at 10 a.m. A donation of $2 per adult and $1 per child is suggested to help cover costs. The last day folks can catch a ride to the island is Monday.
Last year nearly 31,000 people rode the ferry, this summer volumes are expected to be similar, according to data from the city.
That’s down quite a bit from 2017, when nearly 40,000 people boarded the ferry.
Lizz Giordano: 425-374-4165; egiordano@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @lizzgior.
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