The state will bring the Tazlina ferry out of layup to sail the northern panhandle route in January and February, filling a wide service gap in Haines’ ferry schedule that drew concerns from residents.
The 300-passenger ferry will call on Haines on Fridays and Sundays from Jan. 13 through Feb. 26, when the LeConte is scheduled to be in winter overhaul.
That still leaves a lack of service to Haines between Jan. 3 and Jan. 13 and in the middle of the week, but it covers the weekends of the Alcan 200 (Jan. 20-22) and Winterfest (Feb. 24-26). No ferries are scheduled for the weekend of a Skagway basketball tournament in early January.
Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) officials said earlier this fall the Tazlina would fill in for the LeConte pending crew availability. But until this week, no sailings were on the schedule for Haines between Jan. 3 and Feb. 4, and only one ferry a week was scheduled in February. The state was able to crew the Tazlina thanks to an “aggressive recruitment program,” a Tuesday DOT press release said.
The Tazlina will also serve Angoon, Gustavus, Hoonah, Juneau and Skagway until the LeConte returns in March.
The Matanuska still will call on Haines once a week in February.