2008 Conference – Transportation

We are so excited that you will be attending the 2008 NAME Conference “Living on an Island: Salish Sea Stewardship” in Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands of WA. Here is some more information on transportation to and from the San Juan Islands. As you start planning your transportation please feel free to contact us (Becca or Scott Gjertson) at 253-460-8895 (Becca’s work) or 253-460-8890 (Scott’s work) or 253-460-8889 (our home).
We encourage carpooling to the conference and walking on the ferry instead of driving. Taking a car on the ferry can be quite expensive and there is only so much room on each ferry, so if you don’t get there WELL in advance, you might miss your first ferry. If you are with an organization who has a big van you would be willing to bring for us to use in shuttling people to and from the ferry and to and from field trips, please call Becca Gjertson (see numbers above) asap! Thanks so much, and safe travels!

There are two ferry options that you can use to get there. One is on the Washington State ferries and the other is on the Victoria Clipper. See below for more information.
WA state ferry schedule: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/schedules/current/ (Please note that the current schedule is through June 21. They should be adding in the summer schedule between mid to late May.)
WA state ferry passes (The rates are on a round trip basis.): http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/wave2go
Victoria Clipper-leaves from Seattle: http://www.clippervacations.com/victoria_clipper_ferry_service

The Washington Department of Transportation has a wonderful website that gives the following information about traveling to the San Juan Islands:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/visitors_center/index.cfm?fuseaction=tips_sanjuans

Washington State Ferries serve four major islands in the San Juan Islands. From east to west, they are Lopez, Shaw, Orcas, and San Juan. Travel from Anacortes to the islands, as well as among them, is always on a first-come, first served basis. Be prepared to wait, especially in summer. Friday afternoon, evenings and Saturday mornings often see two to three hour waits at Anacortes. Same coming back on Sunday from the islands. Be prepared to wait. Pack busy things for the kids, snacks or as Information Agent Nicholas advises "bring along a good book or good company".
Expect to have three or four sailing choices in the morning, and at least a couple of sailings each in the afternoon and evening. If you plan to stay overnight, be sure you have confirmed reservations for lodging, especially in the busy summer season and on holiday weekends.
Not all sailings stop at all four islands. In fact, in the summer you're more likely to catch a sailing that goes directly, or stops only at one other destination before reaching your island. Take time to read your schedule carefully so you can get the most out of your trip.
Many resorts will arrange to transport guests from the ferry landing. Car, bike or moped rentals, as well as taxi and limousine service may be available. For details check with your lodging, or contact San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau at 888-468-3701 ext. 1 or 360-378-9551 ext. 1.

Update: Ferry Multi-Ride Discount Card Change

WSDOT recently removed the 30-minute lock-out restriction on the frequent user discounted multi-ride car and driver card so that families traveling together on a ferry in separate vehicles can share their cards, just as they currently share their walk-on tickets. A customer can now use one discounted multi-ride vehicle card to pay for multiple vehicles. They can also make photocopies of the ticket, so the same ticket can be used simultaneously by multiple customers on different routes.

This means that people can now purchase a pass with five round-trip rides on it and share the bar code on the same sailing! Get five drivers in agreement to share the cost of one pass. One buys the pass online, makes four photocopies and sends to the other four, who each reimburse the first driver for their fifth of the pass. This works for cars only, not oversized vehicles. The savings will be something like $23 per person.

So, if you want to enjoy a nice discount on the ferry, e-mail around and see if you can find four other drivers to share one pass. Please make sure that you also check the WSDOT Web site for more details about the passes to make sure that you have all the information you need.

Happy Travels!

Alternative Transportation

Another way to travel to the conference, while reducing your transportation carbon footprint and enjoying an incredibly scenic flight, is to fly to Friday Harbor on Kenmore Air, http://www.kenmoreair.com. The Seattle-area terminals are especially convenient for travelers coming through Seattle, and the Friday Harbor terminal is just a few short blocks from the conference site, with access to local taxis. When you tell the reservation agent that you are booking airfare for the NAME conference, the agent will adjust the fare for a 10 percent discount. Call 866.435.9524.

Additional Links

Please check back again, because we may have more helpful travel information at a later time.