New Point Roberts ferry schedule begins September 8

Responding to unexpected demand, the Port of Bellingham is increasing the frequency of emergency ferry service from Point Roberts to the mainland to two days a week, effective September 8. The ferry will now also run between Point Roberts and the Bellingham Cruise Terminal in Fairhaven, instead of Blaine. The service is provided free of charge.

The ferry service will run on Tuesday and Friday, leaving Bellingham at 6:30 a.m. and arriving at Point Roberts at 8:30 a.m. It will then leave the Point at 9 a.m. and arrive in Bellingham at 11 a.m. The ferry will depart the terminal at 4 p.m. and arrive back on the Point at 6 p.m. It will return to Bellingham at 6:30 p.m. Riders will be able to register for any segment of the schedule; e.g. if they wish, they could take the last ferry from Point Roberts on Friday night and return on the first ferry on Tuesday.

The service will be provided using San Juan Cruises’ 100-foot-long Salish Express. Advance reservations are required and can be made on online at portofbellingham.com/pointrobertsferry. People may also try to ride standby in the case of no-shows. There are transit connections available nearby with WTA Route 1 leaving at 21 and 51 minutes past the hour for an 11-minute ride to downtown Bellingham. For bus schedules, go to ridewta.com.

Face masks are required on both the ferry and WTA connections.