By Anna V. Smith/Journal Reporter

The mood was celebratory at the welcoming of the new Samish ferry boat on its maiden voyage to Friday Harbor, June 14, at the ferry landing.

The San Juan Jazz Quintet warmed up the crowd for a series of speakers, including Mayor Carrie Lacher, state Sen. Kevin Ranker D-Orcas Island, and more.

“When you live on an island, you need a boat,” Lacher said to the crowd. “Thank goodness ours is big and coming to the harbor any moment now.”

The Samish is the newest ferry boat in the Anacortes – San Juan route, just in time for the new summer 2015 sailing schedule that features increased ferry runs to accommodate peak tourist season. The $126 million Samish, built at Vigor Industrial in Seattle, stands apart from the fleet’s other 1950s era boats with its spacious car deck, wider stairs, sun deck, as well as its 144-car and 1,500 person capacity.

And, according to San Juan County Council Chair Bob Jarman, it even still has that “new boat smell.” Washington State Department of Transportation CEO Lynn Peterson also made an appearance at the welcoming, congratulating the audience for their time and patience in working with the state on the nuances of the ferry system, the largest in the United States.

Shouts of excitement rang out when the Samish rounded Brown Island and came into full view, escorted by the new Sentinel and Fire District #3 boats displaying its water cannons for the Samish’s first docking of many to come in Friday Harbor.