Point Defiance — Local services in Gig Harbor

Ok so as far as the ferry terminal goes it’s not bad. However, there was a situation that really stuck with me and has bothered me for awhile now.

Me and my girlfriend were waiting for the ferry when a younger man (possibly homeless) came up to the window and asked if he could use their phone to call for an ambulance. This man was limping, clearly in pain (saying he blew his ACL, a injury he previously had) and wanted to get to the nearest hospital. The woman behind the counter said she would have to ask her supervisor… fine… supervisor shows up and tells him she can’t help him because they are not allowed to arrange rides for anyone. At this point he asked if he could use the phone to call 911 she said no but suggested he WALK about a mile over to the Tacoma Yacht club and, “maybe they could help.” This was wild to me as he clearly needed help so I offered to call for him. I got ahold of the dispatcher who then transferred me to the local fire department and they were shocked that the ferry terminal wouldn’t allow him to call. They asked where he would be as well as his age and a rough description. I gave them everything they needed to know and headed on my way as I was unable to wait around.

All he needed was someone to call for help. Do I feel like this is a real policy not to allow someone to use their phone? No I imagine if a teenage girl asked for help they would do so with no questions asked. This was a supervisor making a judgment based off someones looks and life...

Point Defiance to Tahlequah, Vashon Island ferry route operated by Washington State, was established in 1951. It's part of the Washington State Ferry system. At 1.7 miles, it's the shortest route in the system with a crossing time of 15 minutes. WSF system is the largest ferry system in the US.

The M/V Chetzemoka has been servicing the route 7 days per week since 2012. The Chetzemoka carries 64 vehicles and 748 passengers.

The route started with the wooden ferry Skansonia built in 1929 with a capacity of 308 passengers and 32 cars. The Hiyu, built for this route, replaced the Skansonia in 1967. The Hiyu with a capacity of 200 passengers and 40 cars was replaced by the Olympic. And then the 48 car ferry MV Rhododendron.

After 45 years, in 1973 the original wood Chetzemoka served her last year of service here in Tacoma as a “Sunday Only” ferry.

Reference: Washington State Ferry System,...

The park and the scenery are fantastic. We love it and we love all the local folks here...WE ARE LOCALS, too! We live in University Place, WA. Accidentally we took the road that goes to the Vashon Island ferry. We were YELLED at and patronized by the worker in the ferry shack. Very nasty tone. Sorry he has had a bad day but this is not good for anyone. It was about 1:30 pm on Sunday, February 9th, 2020. We are both Senior Citizens. The man who yelled at us was overweight, white hair in a crew cut and about 60 years of age. He had a South Dakota accent. I am a decorated US Army Veteran. No one deserves to be treated like this! Now we will be going to the City of Tacoma offices to make sure that when we DO go to Vashon Island, we will NOT have to deal with...