Evergreen State will go south

Another ancient ferry — the oldest, as a matter of fact — will soon be leaving Eagle Harbor.

But not without a little help from the tropics.

Washington State Ferries announced this week it had sold its oldest ferry, the M/V Evergreen State.

Officials said the 63-year-old ferry was sold for $300,000 to Jones Broadcasting, and the new owners plan to use it for active ferry service in the protected waters of the southern Caribbean.

“The Evergreen State is a special ferry. It was the first vessel custom built for Washington State Ferries in 1954,” said Ferries Chief of Staff Elizabeth Kosa.

“She served our customers well for six decades, but it is important that she is sold so we can free up dock space and focus maintenance on our current fleet,” Kosa said.

Plans are to move the vessel from Washington State Ferries’ Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility on Bainbridge to a temporary Puget Sound moorage sometime this month.

The new owner will tow the ferry from the Pacific Northwest to Grenada when the weather improves, likely in early summer.

The Evergreen State, with its 87-car capacity, features World War II surplus drive motors and carried tens of thousands of passengers and vehicles, WSF officials said.

It was the first of the three Evergreen State-class ferries and served on several routes, including the Bainbridge Island-Seattle and the San Juan Islands inter-island runs. WSF decommissioned the Evergreen State in 2016.

The Evergreen State was one of two state ferries put up for sale in 2016 and purchased in 2017.

The ferry M/V Hiyu was sold to a local business owner in February. The new owner reportedly has plans to use the boat as a floating entertainment venue on Lake Union.