More than 350,000 people were expected to use Washington State Ferries over Memorial Day weekend. On Monday, the holiday rush home caused delays and longer waits for those trying to travel east on some ferry lines. Washington State Ferries reported at least three terminals experiencing long wait times or full reservations on Monday afternoon.
"Everyone that went over now wants to come back home. I’m sure it’s a long wait over there," said Kay Maynard, a Mukilteo resident.Washington State Ferries spokesperson Ian Sterling says that they have hired hundreds of people to prepare for their busiest time of year. However, the challenge remains with the number of boats. Sterling says they're operating 15 right now and have a 21 vessel fleet. He says they need 26 to run what they were doing pre-pandemic.