With frequent breakdowns of the Matanuska — the only state ferry scheduled to serve Wrangell through September — residents are adjusting to the uncertainty, although not always happily.
Besides for canceled sailings, Mayor Steve Prysunka also is critical of ferry system management’s approach to dealing with COVID-19 cases among the crew.
Crew members aboard the Matanuska tested positive for COVID on both the April 18 and 25 sailings into Ketchikan, posing a risk for others on board the ship and for communities where it stops, the mayor said.
“I appreciate that the ferry breaks down, like it did,” Prysunka said at the April 27 borough assembly meeting. “That’s one thing, but pulling into Ketchikan with three infected staff who have been wandering around the ferry and coming to all our little communities.”
The Alaska Marine Highway System’s website says it requires that crew members present evidence of a negative COVID-19 test taken within seven days before reporting for duty, or proof of vaccination. The requirements are stricter for passengers who board in Bellingham, Washington: Proof of a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of departure, or proof of vaccination.
Passengers on shorter runs are not required to show proof of COVID-19 testing.
Aside from delays in Ketchikan to deal with COVID cases among crew members, the Matanuska has suffered mechanical and electrical system breakdowns since February, taking the ship out of service four times for repairs.
For people in Wrangell who rely on the Matanuska for travel, the questionable reliability of ferry service has become troubling.
Thecla LaLonde shared on Facebook that in the past two months her husband has been stranded in Ketchikan twice.
Nicole Webster shared on Facebook that she and her family were planning to use the ferry to return to Wrangell from Juneau after a vacation, but the ship broke down and they were stuck for a few days. They wound up flying home, she said, and got a refund from the ferry system.
“Overall, I probably would have been better off just choosing to fly for the entirety of the trip,” Webster wrote. “It for sure would have been less expensive and less tiring. It is hard for me to say all this though, I have always loved the Alaska Marine Highway and think it’s super important for our island community. I just wish it weren’t such grim times for them, and they could operate more dependably again.”
Webster is not the only traveler sympathetic to the current state of the ferry system.
Brian Peterman was stranded in Ketchikan with the most recent breakdown of the Matanuska. He was coming to Wrangell to work on his boat, which he had docked here over the winter. When the ferry broke down, though, he said ferry employees did a good job explaining the situation to passengers, and also offered reimbursement for plane tickets.
He finally flew into Wrangell, leaving behind a truck, which showed up in Wrangell a few days later, he said. It was inconvenient, Peterman said, but ferry personnel did their best in a bad situation.
“I thought the ferry did a real good job compensating us,” Peterman said. “It was inconvenient … all in all it was a minor inconvenience.”
Jenni Jackson, in a Facebook message, said Ketchikan ferry terminal employees were helpful through the most recent breakdown, but the ferry system as a whole is no longer reliable.
She purchased a vehicle recently and decided to use the ferry to transport it to Wrangell. When the ferry broke down in Ketchikan, she decided to use Alaska Marine Lines to barge her vehicle the rest of the way. The ferry employees offered her some credit as a refund, but not enough to cover the cost of the barge, she said.
“With the ferry not being able to fulfill their route, I feel they should have paid the barge cost,” Jackson said. “The ferry is not dependable anymore and they wonder why ridership is down.”
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