People who live on the salt waterways of Washington state painted an enticing vision for the Legislature last week of a modern-day Mosquito Fleet of fast ferries.

A ferry from Ocean Shores to Westport and back was part of the discussion of a bill introduced by state Rep. Greg Nance, D-Bainbridge Island. Nance mentioned Grays Harbor and said the ferry ride between Westport and Ocean Shores could serve tourists and locals alike.

But legislation to authorize and pay for this new passenger-only service is in choppy waters and its success could come at the cost of other highway or transit projects.

The idea hearkens back to a century ago when an armada of privately operated steamers offered the easiest way to travel among Puget Sound settlements. Washington State Ferries emerged from that legacy, but islanders and commuters say they urgently need an alternative to the agency’s iconic green-and-white car ferries, which have become unreliable.

“Investing in passenger-only ferries can put boats back on the water faster and cheaper, taking lessons from our maritime history and heritage to build a more connected, healthier and prosperous future for all of us,” said Nance, while presenting a proposal to fellow lawmakers last week.

Nance dubbed his proposal the Mosquito Fleet Act. It would seed a $50 million competitive grant program to launch new walk-on ferry routes separate from Washington State Ferries, so as not to distract the state Transportation Department from its WSF rebuilding project. Any local government body — think counties, transit agencies, port districts or tribes — could apply for money to build a dock, buy a used ferry (to get started faster), operate the service, or just assess feasibility.

A parade of ferry users and local officials from Friday Harbor to Olympia followed Nance in front of the state House Transportation Committee to make the case for climate-friendly foot ferries. They said more routes and service — beyond existing passenger-only lines into Seattle by Kitsap Fast Ferries and the King County Water Taxi — would get people out of cars, reduce ferry lines and provide a lifeline to islanders.

“For too long, we have relied on Washington State Ferries to be our singular solution to marine highway infrastructure,” testified San Juan County Councilmember Justin Paulsen. “State-supported passenger-only ferries offer small communities like ours a chance to bring reliability back to our local transportation systems.”

Sympathetic to the need, but cost-conscious

Money questions loom large for Nance’s proposal. State lawmakers are facing up to a roughly $1 billion shortfall between anticipated revenue and pre-planned spending in the next two-year transportation budget cycle. Akin to other forms of transit, rider fares only cover 25%-30% of Kitsap Transit’s ferry costs. A spokesperson for King County Metro said its water taxi has had a lower farebox recovery rate than that lately.

“The reality is that funding new ferry service — especially routes that require ongoing subsidies — is a tough sell in the current budget environment,” said state House Transportation Committee Chair Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, via email. “The state is already facing significant challenges maintaining and modernizing its existing ferry system, and every new commitment competes with pressing needs like road maintenance, transit investments, and infrastructure repairs.”

Senate Transportation Chair Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, echoed that view.

“The budget challenges we face this year constrain us from increasing the number of ferries in our waterways,” he said in an emailed statement. “While we badly need more ferries, we must first ensure we can repair and maintain our current fleet.”

At Wednesday’s hearing, House Transportation Committee Vice Chair Julia Reed, D-Seattle, repeatedly pressed county and port district representatives to answer whether they could sustain passenger-only ferry service with local tax dollars if the Legislature assisted with the launch. The local officials avoided making commitments.

Prime sponsor Nance said in an interview that the same message about the budget headwinds was delivered to him privately by leadership during the bill drafting.

“The big direction was, ‘Hey man, bad timing,’” Nance said.

But Nance insisted on proceeding because he said ferry-dependent communities can’t wait until 2028 when the first new car ferries ordered by Washington State Ferries could arrive. He said he was willing to sacrifice a multi-million dollar roundabout project in his district to begin filling the bucket for walk-on ferry block grants.

What new ferry routes could be in the cards?

Nance said the San Juan Islands have “a compelling case” to be at the top of the list for new locally-operated ferry service if funding can be secured. County councilors have made multiple treks to Olympia to lobby for an inter-island foot ferry separate from the state ferry. Ridership surveys have also documented interest in a Friday Harbor-Orcas-Bellingham passenger-only run as well as Friday Harbor to Sidney, British Columbia.

Another route talked up to lawmakers was a foot ferry from Clinton to Everett. The Port of South Whidbey and Port of Everett said they have done legwork to establish the landings and demand, but neither wants to be the ferry operator.

A lobbyist for the city of Des Moines touted that community’s marina as a logical expansion location for central Puget Sound passenger-only service. Anthony Hemstad said a new route or routes to that dock could unlock a more pleasant pathway for travelers from the West Sound, Vashon and possibly as far away as Olympia to get to adjacent SeaTac International Airport.

“Many of us have been caught on I-5 before crawling to the airport. This would be another option,” he said.

Nance said the proposed competitive grant program would welcome applications from beyond Puget Sound, such as from Columbia River ports and coastal Washington. For example, local governments could revive the former Ocean Shores-Westport foot ferry across the mouth of Grays Harbor, which went bust nearly two decades ago.

The Mosquito Fleet Act faces a Feb. 28 deadline to be voted out of committee or it is likely dead. Should it pass that first test, the bigger hurdle comes next month when its sponsors will need to secure the budget tradeoffs to fund the grants.

A Vashon Island-based group, Islanders for Ferry Action, and San Juan County are hedging their bets by also lobbying for spending earmarks for specific passenger-only ferry service enhancements. Vashon islanders are asking the Legislature to pay the existing King County Water Taxi to extend midday service on weekdays and add weekend runs. San Juan County is in the market to have state taxpayers support a privately contracted passenger-only interisland ferry service.

An orca whale advocate from West Seattle raised a lonely voice of protest amid the drumbeat for better ferry service. Donna Sandstrom urged lawmakers to oppose increased vessel traffic on the Salish Sea unless there were strong orca safeguards.

“We have successfully reduced noise and disturbance around these whales to the point that they are returning again to the San Juan Islands and the central Puget Sound,” Sandstrom testified. “This bill will create chaos for these whales.”

Reminders of the Mosquito Fleet’s heyday still glide across Puget Sound waters as the Legislature debates whether to pay for a modern revival. Kitsap Transit operates the 65-foot Carlisle II as its backup passenger-only ferry to carry commuters between Bremerton and Port Orchard. The vessel was launched in 1917. Across the Sound in Seattle, a nonprofit has taken over the vintage 1922 passenger and freight steamer Virginia V, which is now used for tours and charters.

Remembering the El Matador

Ocean Shores and Westport are separated by less than two miles by sea across the entrance to Grays Harbor, but an hour by car.

But from 1968 until 2008, the passenger ferry El Matador cruised between the two cities full of passengers. The ferry operated from mid-June until Labor Day, crossing the Grays Harbor bar six times a day. The El Matador also cruised on weekends from April through June, and again in September.

Whale watching was also part of the passage, as in spring a massive Gray Whale migration takes place in the Grays Harbor waters.

In an article in The Daily World dated April 16, 2008, the headline stated, “Ocean Shores-Westport summer ferry service grounded.”

The article continued, “Private passenger ferry between Westport and Ocean Shores won’t be operating this spring and summer.

“Owner Bill Walsh says there’s too much sand and silt at the entrance and inside the Ocean Shores Marina, and no governmental entity is prepared to apply for dredging permits.

“Walsh says the problem has been getting worse for the past three years. He says there were fewer riders on the ferry El Matador because of longer times between sailings and higher fares — $12.50 per round trip, up from $10. He says he has had to discontinue service on occasion, but this is the first total shutdown since the ferry runs began in 1986. Westport Mayor Michael Bruce says the shutdown will probably hurt business.”

— The Washington State Standard and The Seattle Times contributed to this report